Im looking at getting a Outlaw 7900 7-channel amp with there new 997 preamp when it comes out. Can I run this amp at 4ohms @ 450 watts per, or 8ohms at 300 watts per? I have the have the Epic 80-500 7.1 speaker setup. I know on the specs it says 400 watts max but in testing Alan said they handle more and damage at 1200 watts. Is this amp overkill or perfect? My room is open to other parts of the house like the kitchen and dining room, I would guess maybe 1200 sq. feet.

You don't run an amp at any certain ohm, it is the speaker that determines that. The Outlaw should do fine with the M80s.

Oh, I was thinking it was the same as my 4306. This would be the first pre/pro setup.

Your Denon should be set to 8 ohm if it has a switch.

Audioholics tested the 4306 to put out ~240 watts by 2 into a 4-ohm load. How far away from your speakers will you sit? Also, how tall are your ceilings? (i.e. how many cubic feet is your room as opposed to square feet)

Knowing only what you wrote above, my first inclination is that you don't actually need anything more than your Denon is capable of and would simply be adding large amounts of unused power capability to your setup, which unfortunately wouldn't provide any noticeable benefit. Based on the Audioholics testing, that Denon is a powerhouse as is and you might notice more impact by spending your money elsewhere.

Jason

Why do you think you need a seperate amp? Why not use the Denon as a pre if you do get an amp? Also, you can run any combination of 4, 6, or 8ohm speakers at the same time, there is no setting or switch.

I do have a tall ceiling, dont know off hand cubic feet. Where would you think I might need something elsewhere? I sit about 15 feet from speakers.

I have pushed the Denon to the limit more than a few time where its shut down.

Interesting, my Denon 2805 has never shut down driving my m80's in a 900sq ft room.

I suspect those that have shut down issues with their Denons are doing so under extreme conditions, such as driving all 7 channels in stereo or the M80s at LOUD volumes, like Jason reported not too long ago, these are the few folks that could indeed benefit from a seperate amp and that Outlaw sounds like a good choice, lots of brute force.

Jimmie - thanks for the additional info. If you're running the amp to clipping and shut down, then you're probably a good candidate for separates. When I said "elsewhere," I was thinking specifically of adding a second EP500 or a pair of larger subs (EP800s). Their increased extension and volume capabilities might make a nice difference as well given the volumes you're listening at.

IMHO, the sub advice is more applicable if you listen to more movies than music as you'll notice the increased extension a lot more in movies. However, in a room your size, even for music at moderate volumes, having a second sub would likely smooth response throughout the room considerably.

On room size, I was just asking for an estimate of your ceiling height. If they're cathedral ceilings, a totally back of the napkin estimate would be to take the max height of the ceiling and divide by two (or take times 2/3 depending on the slope of the ceiling, etc.) as an average height for the room. This is far from perfect, but it gives a ballpark. i.e. if the peak of the ceiling is 15', assume a 7.5-10' average height in the room. If this was the case, you'd have 9,000-12,000 cubic feet to fill (based on your square footage estimates). In a room of this gigantic size, it seems like a second sub (or 2 bigger subs) would be a very good addition as well.

Also, back to your original question, from everything I've stated here you'd have no problem running the M80s at those power levels as they're built to withstand far more.

It goes without saying that I wish I had your problems.

Jason

I listen to alot of music in 5.1 at loud volumes, this is where I get most of my shut downs. I could get something with a little less power but if I am going to spend this kind of money I wanted to get something that last me a long long time.