Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater m80's, which receiver?

So I got myself some m80's. Love them. Right now they are power off of a Carver tfm-15, and ct-17 pre/pro combo. I love the sound of these things. So, I am also going to order the rest of the package which would be the qs8's and vp-150 center. I have a HSU st3-mk2 for the sub.

My question is this.

What receivers can handle the 4 ohm load? I was looking into the 3805, yammie 2500/4600, and hk 635. I'm not familiar with rotel or nad models.

These speakers are all going in a media room that is being built now. And the carver amps are staying in another section of the house for another set of speakers I have.

So, in the media room, I'd love to be able to get a receiver with the sound I am looking for. I do favor a brighter sound. This room will be used for %65 movies, the rest music/gaming on xbox. The room has a 110" screen/infocus pj.

We listen to pop/rock/top 40, rap, little country, alternative. I like really good bass ( hence the hsu) and good bright and clear highs. And that is where the confusion begins. I'm not too caught up in having 40,000 dsp modes when I know I'll only use maybe 2. I'm more interested in having a good sounding amp that sounds similar to my carver setup now. 2 zones would be nice as well. I do run my current system through a kenwood 7030 eq,and I always want an eq. So the new amp has to have a decent eq. Please don't tell me about room treatments, I know all about that. I still want a eq.

So, From what I am reading here, the hk is considered warm, so that rules the 635 out. Besides, I want something with more power although with hk's rep I am sure it would do fine power wise. 110-120watts min.

It seems most posts here say to avoid yamaha and pioneer. But audioholics members seem the think the bigger 2500 and newer 4600 handle the 4 ohm load just fine. Who do I believe?

>>the hk is considered warm

Do you mean "acoustically warm" or "thermally warm" ? I would agree that the HKs tend to run a bit hot (high bias current ?) but I don't think many would agree that the HK receivers colour the sound.

Don't know if anyone has had a chance to A/B a 630/635 vs. the equivalently priced Denon (is that a 2805 or 3805 ?) to see how they compare at high SPLs but my guess is that there would not be much difference between them (despite the power ratings).

Anyways, can you tell I own an HK ?

thanks

Just to add, everything I have read indicates that the hk series are warm sounding.

I would also agree that HK's are in fact "Warm". I have also attributed it to the high current design ever so slightly taming the natural highs that some speakers bring to the table.

I also find it funny that most who report that the HK's are not warm, have never heard one or taken the time to A/B against something else. HK, NAD, Marantz and a few others are what I would call "Warm". I strongly believe as I mentioned above that it has something to do with a high current design as every time I think something brings "Warmth" to the picture, it's always a high current unit.

I have a 3805, but added three Outlaw Monos across the front. Luv em.

According to Axiom, most Denon and HK AVR's will have no problems with 4ohm 80's. Can't comment on other brands..

>>I would also agree that HK's are in fact "Warm". I have also attributed it to the high current design ever so slightly taming the natural highs that some speakers bring to the table.

This comes down to the old "what is neutral ?" question. One of the things I like about HKs is that I do get the same kind of sound that I associate with a high quality, high wattage power amp. If you use a good power amp as a reference, I would not call the HKs warm by comparison.

When you say HK, NAD, Marantz sound warm, what are you using as the reference ?

Hi steves321,

The only brands of A/V receivers I recommend to drive the 4-ohm M80s (besides NAD) are Denon and H/K so long as you don't plan to use them in a huge room, in which case a separate power amp for the M80s would be essential. You could use the Carvers for the M80s and get a receiver for your other speakers if they are 8 or 6 ohms, which are easy to drive.

Yamahas, Onkyos, Pioneers and others typically use current limiting (with resultant reduced greatly reduced power output) into 4-ohm loads, although perhaps the most expensive Yamahas have more robust power supplies.

Keep in mind that H/K power output ratings are more conservative than many other brands, which tend to exaggerate power output specs.

Regards,

Alan - I was prepared to grab the NAD 773 receiver for our Epic 80 system, but was talked into the Arcam AVR-300.

Have you played with it at all ?

Steve,

It would be very helpful if you could indicate your budget restrictions. There’s many, many receiver / amp manufactures that will drive the 80’s just dandy, but many of them start out over $1500. For the under $1500 budget you will be limited to the brands Alan mentioned. Rotel is also quite capable, and you can find models under $1500 as well. Out of the four mentioned, Rotel has the best warrantee.