Hi.

This is my first post however I'm always reading most of the threads. Pardon my english as I'm from San Juan, PR.

Currently I'm using a Harman Kardon AVR354 receiver to drive my 5.1 Axiom System with HSU VTF2 Subwoofer. I would like to provide more power for my Front Speakers (M60v1 Speakers) and I was thinking in using the Emotiva XPA-3 (3 Channel AMP) but I don't know if that is ok or if I can find a cheaper but good AMP.

Thanks in advanced,
embeleco

Update - How do I change my Display Name if it is possible at all? I can't find it on edit profile, edit preferences.

Concerning display name, Try link at bottom of page "contact us" and then choose link for "Web related site". It may be that the web person can change it for you.

Welcome Jose, some people have had problems with Emo amps shutting down with 4ohm speakers such as M80s, but you should be fine using it on your M60s which are rated at 8ohms.

HK AVR354? nice, I almost bought that one myself.

Regarding your Display name, I'm not sure how to change it since I didn't really intend to use my name either...my username was totally different!

Your English is fine, BTW.

Thanks CatBrat... I already sent an email to the webmaster.

Adrian,

Thanks for the info on the Emo. Is there any other good AMP to drive my M60 front speakers and still use my HK AVR354 to drive the rest of my speakers?

Thanks.

You could have a look at "pro" amp such as a Behringer A500(fanless) or one of their more powerful EP or EPX lines(fan cooled), or maybe a QSC GX3/GX5. Pro amps seem to give the best bang for the buck, but I have yet to delve into a separate amp myself, so hopefully someone who has will chime in.

I would take the Emotiva, it is a great price for what they offer and you have the M60s so no problems what so ever.

Another option is Outlaw Audio, they a small monoblock, the M2200, so you can buy as many as you desire but it does cost slightly more than Emotiva when you look at it as $/channel.

Welcome, you should be ok with Emotiva and the 60's, but as Jake said the Outlaw m2200s are nice as well...Just curious, does the HK not give you enough volume?

Sirquack,

To be honest with you I think the volume is ok with the HK. The higher volume I've used is -20db. I was thinking that with the Amp for just the front speakers at the moment I will gain other benefits.

Will that only help me with a higher volume? Louder setup? Or are there other benefits?

Probably a silly question... but how do I connect the AMP to the AVR354. It is from the PreOut on the AVR to the Amp?


Remember that when talking about Amp and dedicated equipment I'm not an expert. All my life I've been using only A/V Receivers with the latest the HK AVR354 that is an excellent receiver even though I'm checking the HK AVR3600 (new receiver from HK) just because the firmware upgrades is done via USB instead of serial cable.

If all you're hitting is -20 on the H/K (it goes up to +15, right?), you probably won't see an advantage from an external amp.

The M2200s small footprint is definitely a plus. I was going to by the emotiva xpa-3 but the shipping to Puerto Rico is outrageous. For continental US the shipping is 25 dollars... and for Puerto Rico that is 3 hours from Florida the shipping is a whopping $195 dollares... That's outrageous.

I will check the M2200.

It is not much cheaper to Canada, but even with their shipping charges I don't think you can find a better price on a new amp.

To be fair, I'd guess they are losing money on the shipping side if you consider packaging and labour on their end to get it out the door, though the price is high, I do find it to be fair.

The real problem with the shipping is tha fact it weighs so much. the M2200 weigh alot less so they should be a little cheaper to ship but they cost more, I suspect it will work out to be about even money for either one shipped.

Jose welcome, and no, there are no benefits to be gained from an amplifier with a higher maximum power capacity if your present amplifier in the AVR354 provides enough volume for your needs. Unused headroom is simply that: unused. Save your money for something that'll actually benefit you.

The HK AVR354 that I looked at last year certainly had power to spare, I'd say it had a similar output to my Denon 2809 despite the power ratings(HK 75wts vs Denon 115wts). HK's seem to be conservatively rated(more honest?) as compared to most other brands.

John,

I think you're right. I was thinking on acquiring the M2200s this christmas as a present.. But you're right my AVR354 has the necessary power to drive my speakers without any problem. With my current setup.. what you think will be a good Christmas present to add to my setup. My setup is a 5.1 becasue I don't have space for a 7.1 system.

Jose, your list of equipment looks excellent. You could always spend a lot more to get just a little bit better speakers, but my thought is to get more CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays and games to better enjoy what you already have. What I'm getting for friends, family and also myself for Christmas are classical music CDs and DVDs.

I would still get the M2200's, for no other reason than just because I could and I have always wanted to own seperate amps.

HA!

You ruined the surprise! Now I know what I'm getting!

I got a tons of games and movie dvds. Also a couple of CDs as well.. i was thinking on the hardware side of the equation.

:P

Jose, have you considered adding another sub to your system?

Adrian,

Now that you mentioned a 2nd sub.. I was looking for another HSU Sub.. this time an STF-2 10inches.. currently I have an old VTF-2 10inches from HSU and its being awesome. My room is not that big.. but it has open spaces to other rooms on my house.

Is it a big impact a 2nd subwoofer? Also my AVR354 only has 1 Pre-output for a subwoofer.. how do I connect a 2nd sub if I go that route?

Thanks,
Jose

The second sub can help even out the frequency response of the room, or it can be stacked on your existing sub to give you a little more slam.

I like the idea of adding a second sub to your system.

Thanks St. PatGuy,

One other question:

My AVR354 only has 1 Pre-output for a subwoofer.. how do I connect a 2nd sub if I go that route? And when using two subs what is the best practice on the location of the 2nd sub? I have the VTF-2 at one side of my current TV.. the other location will be the other side of the TV.. probably like 5-6 feets separation between them.

Thanks.



Thanks,
Jose

You can "daisy chain" your subs:

receiver to line-in on sub 1, then line-out on sub1 to line-in on sub 2.

or you can get a splitter or y-cable and split it at the receiver, makes no difference.

According to Dr. Toole placing subs centered on opposite walls is best to flatten out the frequency in all seats, that may not be possible for all users. Do you think you need a second sub?

Thanks for the clarification sirquack. The problem is that on the HSU STF-2 I don't see any line-out port.

Probably then a splitter from the receiver should do it. You know the exact cable?

Any well-built RCA male-to-female Y will work. Blue Jeans Cables offers two solutions; you can order them from the bottom of their subwoofer cables page: http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/subwoofer/index.htm

Or you could put a splitter cable behind sub one, then have another cable leading over to the sub 2, many options...

Look for a an RCA Y-splitter(two female to one male) from Monoprice or Parts Express.

Example from Parts Express.

or something like this from parts express might work.