Well, my system is pretty much complete now. But I've been pondering the possibility of adding a power amp to the mix - perhaps a three channel to cover the three front speakers. Whether I do three or five channels, I guess my my question is, will I truly realize a worthwile difference with such an upgrade. I currently have a pair of M60s, a VP150, two QS8s an Hsu VTF-3 and sooner or later there will be either an M22 for channel six or two M2s for channels six and seven. The receiver is a HK/525 and the DVD is a Yamaha DVD-S2300. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Phil

What is the size/volume of your room? Given the high efficiency of the M60s and VP150, you are likely driving them at an average power of well below 1W, unless you listen at an insane level of volume and/or the room is very large. With the H/K 525 (70W/ch), it is likely that you already have nearly 20dB of head room. A power amp upgrade may or may not result in audible improvement, and I tend to bet it would not. If I were to go for it, I would aim at 6dB of power increase at the very least, which means 250-300W/ch minimum. I do not think anything less than that would worth it.

Phil, I agree with sushi; it's unlikely that you'd get any improvement over your 525, an excellent receiver which should power your setup easily. A separate amp is rarely necessary; save your money and get those back-surround speakers, which will make a significant difference.

Thanks John and Sushi. The room is a bit on the large size. The 'theater' boundaries are apx. 24' x 17' but the 17' really extends another 10 feet to the wall and the right rear opens up into a hallway. These days I'm mostly listening to SACDs or DVD-A disks. The volume on the HK is typically set between -8db and -15db for classical music,
-12 to -20 with jazz, -15 to -25 with rock, electric blues, etc. and -20 to -35 for movies (the volume proportionately lowers roughly 20% when my lovely wife joins me).

I guess in some of the things I've read, people have said that separate power amps improve the soundstage, the detail, etc., etc. However, the HK does a pretty outstanding job as a solo performer. So, if after reading about my room specs and my listening levels, your feeling remains forget the power amp, I'll gladly save myself close to $1k and get the rear speaker(s) sooner rather than later. Thanks again.

Phil

One last question: Assuming you have a RadioShack (or else) SPL meter, what are the approximate peak sound levels of your typical playback? That is, when listening/watching without your lovely wife.

Phil, the size of the listening room doesn't necessarily require a more powerful amp. Except in the unlikely event that your 525 would be distorting on peaks, in reality there would be no need for more power(and that special HK feature that automatically drops the volume 20% when it detects a wife entering the room is so neat!).Those people who've spoken of improved soundstage, detail, etc. with a separate amp may be deluding themselves. If they happened to set the volume slightly higher with the new amp, this higher volume in itself might improve those factors, but the same result would have been obtained by increasing the volume slightly with the old amp.

So, yes, unless the 525 is actually distorting, which you don't indicate, forget the separate amp and spend the money on those back surrounds which you can especially enjoy with Logic7.