Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler WAF--Priceless?

"what we REALLY needed to do was to get MORE POWER!!!!!!"

Nice one ray! Just watch out for the dreaded disease known as...............UPGRADEITIS!

Ray,
I suggest that if you want more power, do not switch out your 1803 for a 3803. The increase from 80W to 100W per channel is relatively insignificant. If may provide anywhere from 2-3dB more in actual volume and that's about it. Someone did the math around here awhile back and i believe Alan did the same in one of the Axiom monthly newsletters.

Unless you are interested in the greater number of channels, connections that the 3803 offers, you would be better off increasing your 'power' by running your main speakers off of a separate stereo amp.
It would be alot cheaper than buying a 3803.

Thanks for the interesting read on this subject, chess. Since the additional power really doesn't appear to impact the capability of the speakers unless you listen at "paint peeling" levels (I don't), the only real driver to get to a 3803 is more "stuff"; most of which I don't need. Said another way - if you have enough, you don't need more.

I don't know what this means relative to separates. I don't believe the 1803 can add any kind of separate. In fact, I was so awash in detail last year during the pick & choose phase of my HT, I consciously decided to ignore the entire subject of separates.

Your comment piqued my interest, but having confused myself with the last paragraph, I need to ask what is involved with a separate stereo amp and what does it do for me? Does it work separately from or in conjunction with the 1803? I am a neophyte in this particular arena, but would appreciate a bit of the basics. However, if ithe subject is too detailed, don't be too concerned with spending alot of time on it.

Unfortunately Ray, i don't think the 1803 has any "pre outs" on the backside other than the pre-out hookup for your subwoofer. Some of the more featured units, including the 3803, have pre-outs for mains, surrounds, centre channels as well.

Basically with separate components you are breaking down the a/v receiver into its individual parts such that instead of having one unit that does everything, you now need more than one unit to drive the system. Typically this includes a preamp (handles volume, source switching), a processor (for Dolby, DTS, etc.), the amplifier (for power), a tuner (if you so desire).
Although you can have one component for each of those units, you MAY require more than one amplifier depending on how many speakers you have and what amp you choose. Obviously your 1803 has 5? small amps inside to make it a 5 channel system. The subwoofer being the .1 part has its own internal amp.

Anyway, not to get too far off topic, if you had the 3803 model, you could buy yourself a 2 channel (stereo) amplifier for well under $800 (look at spiff's recent purchase of the Odyssey Stratos) and then run a cable from the main pre-out on the back of the receiver (go to page 4 and zoom in on the jacks) into the new stereo amp and then have your main speakers plugged into the amp instead of the receiver.
Voila.
You are now essentially running a system with separate components.
Some people like to buy a relatively inexpensive a/v receiver and just use it as a preamp/processor part of their HT setup while using the pre-out channels on the back to hook up all separate amplifiers to actually power their speakers.
The power amps onboard a/v receivers are notorious for being advertised as having power beyond what they realistically put out. However, their DACs and preamp capabilities are still very good and again, cheap for what they can do.
Some separate processors like this Anthem unit, cost near $4000 Cdn!!

Thanks for pulling the curtains aside chess. Makes sense now. In the short term, I'll likely stick with the 1803 - it's a pretty nice unit and has performed very well.

Once the itch starts for upgrades - and it will, I'll look at separates.

I have lived with my Girlfriend for 3 1/2 years now and she has always controlled the bedroom. However, because I have the credit card and the checking account, she does not control the money. I buy her clothes, shoes, purses and furniture every once in a while, and she stays happy. I have already been able to buy an HDTV, Axiom speakers, Denon reciever, Velodyne sub, and around 200 DVDs since we moved in together, so I would not say she controls the money. She just would have a problem with a big speaker like an M60 taking up so much space in the room. Especially since we are planning to move to New York City, where we will likely have an even smaller apartment.

Ray, all I ever hear is "Turn the bass down."

And I answer back "If the neighbors cared, they would call the cops on us." (I live in an apartment building)

Then, of course, I turn the volume down in defeat.

I guess I'm in trouble. My wife no like music! She does listen to the oldies channel in the car. That's a start anyway.

In reply to:

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I buy her clothes, shoes, purses and furniture every once in a while, and she stays happy.

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Sounds like a kept woman.

very 1950's

I am currently apprecitating that no one complained I was spending too much money on 'stupid speakers'! ;-) Of course the downside is that I'm the only one in the bedroom. I guess I'd better hurry up and get the EQ I want so I'll only have to request upgrades. That or find a wife who likes music/movies as much as I do!