Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Building a home theatre incrementally

That was me, I don't think John uses an external amp. And having heard the wisdom above about how my 110 wpc Denon should sound the exact same as an external amp, I was very skeptical that any improvement would be found in my humble home theater. But I'm curious so I bought a pro amp (QSC GX5) with the full intent of returning it. Contrary to the scientific theory JohnK knows well, in my room, with my speakers, in my brain, it sounds much better on music - better bass punch, and no distortion on the upper end of male vocals and horns.

Perhaps my prized Denon AVR 3300 is broken some how, I don't know. But from my experience, if you want louder, and clearer, and better bass response, try an external amp. For under $500 I found much more enjoyment in the music, you might as well. If not, pack it up and send it back. It's not like buying a car or something - guitar center and others let you return products without hassle.

I remember in high schools when scientist definitively knew that there was nothing smaller than an atom. The math and theory made this clear beyond debate. Then they found sub-atomic particles. Throw out the old text books. Maybe they will find new calculations to explain what so many people hear about the benefits of more power on music. Or maybe its just the pixie dust that comes with the amp! Either way, relax and enjoy the sound the way you like it. (And for the responsive article about the old blind test, note that volume is not a part of the test. My limited experience says that is the key - at lower volumes they sound the same, but once you get past a certain level clipping is a problem - a problem not addressed in the blind testing.)