Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners A1400-8 Digital Amp

I was going to get the A-965 Sherwood Newcastle amp but I bit the bullet and ordered one of these. I figured I needed a little more to drive the M80's and the rest of Axiom's (Center, Side,and Rear)speakers than just the 772 Sherwood.

Anyone else have this beast and is it the shnt?Now I will have to sneak this in with out the wife knowing or I'm dead.Please feel free to pray for me.

Hmmm. Do life insurance policies pay when someone is murdered? Oh well, never mind.

Shawn, I will pray for you and light a candle at Mass. However, I'll also comment that there's no way to validly "figure" that more power is needed unless the existing unit has actually been found to be inadequate.

You are right John, I could use a little more punch with that receiver, but the Axiom's sound amazing as is.

You might want to wear Kevlar shorts when you sleep.


Dana

Post back with your impressions... and PICTURES!

Now that I see your comment, I can't help but be curious about that photo that you were trying to post which wasn't showing up properly!!

I very much liked the SQ improvement I heard while running the A1400 with my 3808 as the pre. Was it worth that much extra? Only you can make that decision once you hear it.

Thanks for the positive reply Jason,almost thought it wasn't worth it there for awhile.

LOL, I bought her a nice Christmas gift so I might get away with it.

I just received my amp today! Man, the thing has a bit of wieght to it...as it should.

My question is that I only have 7 channels and there is room for eight channels. I was reading some older posts that if you don't use all 8 that the amp can get hot.

Has this issue been resolved/or what would I hook to the eighth channel. I am hooking this up to a Marantz AV7005. Thanks for the help, I don't want to hurt this baby.


Shawn

I don't recall reading that. Hook that baby up and let it rip.

Cool, thanks.

I really can't see how not using one channel can cause this amp to get hot, there are 4 boards with 2 channels on each. I ran it as a stereo set up and it never got hot.

What are your initial impressions?

Well, I'd call Axiom on a question like that, but I don't think running 7 of the 8 channels should be any problem. As I recall, one of the key features of the architecture is that the amp can dynamically deliver its total output to any number of channels instantaneously.

The confusion may be that Axiom is unable to manufacture this amp chassis with an odd number of channels because of the layout Jason mentioned.

Hopefully my preamp comes before friday as the store had to order one in.(AV 7005) I want to set it up this weekend.

You've put together one nice setup Shawn. Looking forward to some pics and hearing your impression once all is finally finished.


Congrats and Enjoy!

::checks ferry sailing times from Anacortes for this weekend::

I was just checking out the 7005 owner's manual, that is quite a nice pre/pro.

Thanks guys, JC at Axiom referred the Marantz as an affordable preamp.

Anytime your in the area Tom....be a pleasure!

Back atcha, Shawn We need a Pacific Northwest Axiom GTG someday.

I might actually be able to make it to one of those. Although travel with 3 littles in the current airport security environment is not something I really want to ponder...

Ken, that's why their called Man-cations!

That would be cool to have a geektogether on the left coast.

OK guys...."There is absolutely no issue leaving speaker binding posts without speaker connected to them. This was mentioned to make a point about the high efficiency of the amplifier."

The source of the unused 8th channel issue was the Andrew Marshall Audio Ideas Guide review:
http://www.audio-ideas.com/canadian/axiom-a1400-8-multichannel-power-amplifier.html

He sites a confirmation from Tom Cumberland, the amplifier's designer, but I have never seen any official comment from Axiom.

I run mine without anything connected to the input of the 8th channel without any negative consequences (that I am aware of).

Yes...thank you my friend! That is exactly the review I seen and was wondering about?


I will soon find out but not this weekend....darn!

I have two of the A1400-8 amps; one driving 7 Axiom speakers and other, in a separate setup, driving two Mcintosh LS360s. You will be very pleased with it. I would not get too hung up about the active (voltage loaded) inputs cooling the op amps. In most driving conditions, the amp runs just warm to touch. I have two thermostatically controlled cooling fans sitting on the amp in the HT room, and this was probably an overkill in retrospect. Marantz AV7005 is receiving good reviews, and it has XLR outs that you can use to connect to the A1400-8. I look forward to reading your thoughts when you have had the chance to put everything together.

Thanks for your input John, very impressive having two amps. That is a good sign,and by the way a very nice HT setup you have.

Yes, I am very exited about getting it all set up and running and will be more than happy to tell my findings.

Well....I went and canceled my order for the Marantz because there is none in Canada.All on backorder(got tired of waiting) and all the talk about Onkyo's.


I went and ordered this today.


http://www.upgradecompany.com/upgrade-co...p;category_id=6

Really? Those Onkyo's don't need any modified parts.

I guess he thinks they do! He "kind of" tells you what he does to them, plus he has a good refund policy.

Unless you have another processor to compare this one to you will never know if he made any significant increase to its SQ. I think I would have saved some money and just bought the 'standard' version. Please let us know what you think about it. The 32 bit Audyssey has been getting great reviews.

Does 32-bit have anything to do with it? I thought 32 was simply the factor that they increased the filter resolution by.

My take was that it is faster and less prone to errors/more precise with that better resolution.

Yes.

Your making me feel better already guys! I will just have to trust him on this one, maybe I will send my Oppo 83SE to him and see if there is a difference,we will see.

If you can tell the difference from the time after you've unhooked the player, sent it to him, he's modded it, sent it back, and you get it hooked back up, then there was something seriously wrong with the player, or you've fooled yourself into believing there was a change.

The only way to judge these "improvements" is to be able to blindly switch between a modded and unmodded player moment to moment. I still have my doubts if anything could be heard. Perhaps measured on very fine equipment, but the effect of the room will so far outweigh any electronic upgrades in well designed gear that it makes the pursuit futile. Heck temperature/pressure variations from weather will have a bigger impact on sound than these mods.

Quite frankly, I have never heard of this company and based on my experience, taking the difference in the money to upgrade your speakers or improving your room acoustically would have a significantly greater impact than anything related to internal electronic changes. I would be concerned about the warranty and what about firmware updates? Are you sure they sell in to Canada because "authorized" Onkyo resellers in the US are NOT allowed to do so. As a result, since it is a Pre-Pro and might need a firmware update down the road and IF these guys aren't authorized dealers, you are going to be out of luck.

As far as the Marantz products are concerned, you might have checked with Amazon.com. since they deal with countless retailers in the US and generally have them in stock including the 7005.

If you're still skeptical , here are 2 referrals to start with, call for surround prepro upgrades.

Raymond Sarno in NY (631) 842-6279 we've done a number of upgrades for Raymond, Classe SSP-800
Richard Nelridge in PA (484) 951-4119 Onkyo 885, NuForce, Denon, Lavry, Audio Research etc, Rich has performed A-B comparisons

Yours in Music,
David J. Schulte
The Upgrade Company - The leader in Hi-Fi upgrades and modifications
1222 Walkabout Lane
Harbor Springs, MI 49740
www.upgradecompany.com

If you feel confident about the purchase and the company then that is all that matters. Mine or anyone else's opinion is basically irrelevant. Hopefully the upgrades will be worth it.

As a mentioned, my concern(and I verified this by checking the Onkyo website) is the Upgrade Company is not an authorized Onkyo dealer so combine that with the element that you are purchasing from the US, should you have any issues down the road, you will, obviously, have to rely on them for warranty service. Even more importantly, should any firmware updates be required, they are generally done via connection with the manufacturers website, however, unless you verify that you have purchased the unit from either an authorized dealer or reseller they won't allow it.

Although they tend to somewhat underplay such an issue on their website, that would probably be my major concern about such a purchase.

Shawn,

This is my career. I am not out to take your money and run. We have been in business for 30 years. The Upgrade Company name was formed in 2005. We make a ton of money doing upgrades, they do not get returned. We have a 14 day in home money back guarantee. If we were out to take your money and run we would not have this in place, nor be A+ rated by the BBB. Are you aware of this?


One look and listen to a Signature Edition upgraded Onkyo PR SC5508P and you'll be outright amazed: picture and sound quality increases you simply cannot get out of any stock gear or speakers. Have your friend read our reviewer comments, BBB report, we are A+ rated by the Nationwide Better Business Bureau, and contact some of our testimonial emails listed.

If you're still skeptical , here are 2 referrals to start with, call for surround prepro upgrades.

Raymond Sarno in NY (631) 842-6279 we've done a number of upgrades for Raymond, Classe SSP-800
Richard Nelridge in PA (484) 951-4119 Onkyo 885, NuForce, Denon, Lavry, Audio Research etc, Rich has performed A-B comparisons

Yours in Music,
David J. Schulte
The Upgrade Company - The leader in Hi-Fi upgrades and modifications
1222 Walkabout Lane
Harbor Springs, MI 49740
www.upgradecompany.com
1.231.242.0946

Like Casey said buy it and try it, If you are happy that is all that matters. I tend to think that the manufacturers would be building them this way if it really improved the PQ/SQ that much, they would control the market.

Shawn, my view is that any company(or individual DIYer, for that matter)that claims to be able to significantly "upgrade" audible performance with "quality" additions to an electronic component made by one of the major manufacturers can't be taken seriously. I did look at the Upgrade Company site and it appears to be the same old nonsense that I've seen from others trying to make a buck from tweaking a product whose performance is already excellent and is essentially untweakable. I note that at one point where a long list of positive attributes is given, the introductory phrase is "You can expect". At least that isn't a lie.

I kind of agree with all the others but heck, if it makes you happy and "for you" there is an improvement, that's all that matters in the end. Enjoy!

David, this is not a commentary on your company or you as a person...I have no opinion on that.

But I don't think it's EVER a good idea to post someones' contact information (your referrals) in a public forum.

You should have sent them in a PM instead.

Yeah, that's actually pretty uncool.

I dunno, in checking the "Upgrades" website further, I couldn't help but notice that McIntosh, Classe and Mark Levinson were on the list for upgrades and modifications capabilities. You mean to tell me that after you have taken out a second mortgage on the house to be able to buy one of these pieces to begin with that the internal parts could "allegedly" still be improved upon for "better" performance?

Mind boggling.

Wait, is SBrown David Schulte (unlikely), or is he someone reposting emails he got from David Schulte? If so, it's REALLY uncool to post people's phone numbers on a public forum.

You should also look at what Shawn is doing from a Canadian perspective. The Onkyo PR-SC5508, if you can find it at a Canadian retailer, is probably going to cost you over C$3000 (I would be happy if someone could refute this). When I bought my PR-SC886 you could not even buy them in Canada. If a Canadian wants a PR-SC5508 for anything approaching a reasonable price you have to, I think, buy from a US vendor.
My own experience buying Onkyo preamps from US vendors has been mixed. I was ripped off by one (Professional Audio Solutions) and had a good experience with another (Markertek). If I were going to buy a PR-SC5508 (and I might yet) I would consider doing what Shawn is doing and look forward to hearing more from him about his experience with the unit and The Upgrade Company.