A Couple of Amplifier Questions

inda1298

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Building a new home theatre after a number of years and I have a few questions I am hoping to get help on to get a grasp on my requirements. Just bought some pre-loved KEF LS50s that I am going to be using for L/R/C. I understand they are difficult to power so I am trying to be smart about which AVR I buy. I again am going to try to avoid buying new to keep costs down. Plus I don't mind equipment that has been well looked after. Anyways these are my questions:

1) When comparing the power output of the AVR. Does it matter how many channels it has? I am only going to be running a 5.1.2 setup so would for example an 11 channel AVR benefit me in any way over a 7 or 9 channel in terms of power output per channel?

2) Do AVR's with Spotify connect have a standby mode so that they turn on when you send music to them from your phone?

Any help or advice would be very much appreciated. Sorry if they are entry level questions but its been a while since I have done this. In general, I have "wife" limitations. The kef's are one of the key speakers she would let me buy instead of a soundbar.

Thanks!
 
AVRs are rated usually as stereo and all channels driven. You will find the all channels driven to be lower, as the limiting factor is normally the power supply. Therefore a 9 channel amplifier will have more in reserve than a 7 channel amplifier when running in stereo - or with fewer surround channels.

If your speakers support bi-amping, you can use the "spare" channels as additional sources for bi-amping, running 2 pairs of cables to the speakers. This gives slightly more power and usually a cleaner sound - due to less interaction between the drivers.

Sorry, can't help you in terms of Spotify Connect!
 
The LS50s are not difficult per se to drive but they do thrive on good power to get the best out of them. They are a very musical speaker and as your Spotify comment says music is going to be important. I would therefore suggest that you look for a receiver with pre-outs and run a stereo integrated amp to drive the left and right LS50s. This would allow the receiver to deliver a bit more power to the remaining LS50 as the centre.
 
Thanks for the help! So the more channels the better because the AVR will have more power available to it.

I am definitely going to get a receiver with pre-outs. In case my budget allows me to add another amplifier in the future. Just looking to get enough power out of it to be happy with the set up initially.

Music is important as we stream quite often. The AVR I am aiming for is the DENON
Denon AVR4400H - 9channel - 200 W Power Output (6 ohm, 1 kHz, 1% 1ch Drive). It is just slightly out of my budget so I am trying to find a demo or secondhand. Do you think it will do well with three LS50's? The rear and atmos speakers are going to be inwall/ceiling and I am not too fussed about those.
 
Is there a way to get the integrated or power amplifier to turn on/off with the AVR automatically?
 
Yes you need an amplifier with h/t bypass and a trigger. it will basically turn the integrated into a power amp when using the avr, taking a lot of stress off the power supply. this will benefit the ls50's greatly.

Amplifiers with HT-bypass - update 03. September 2017

basically for your spotify and music needs, your better off getting a chromecast or another form of streamer and plugging in directly into the integrated amplifier. this way your not having to power up everything everytime you want to listen to music. also and more importantly, a decent integrated amplifier will have a better preamp stage with less electrical interference compared to an avr which has to deal with a lot of processing etc.

from a lot a/b testing, a £500 integrated will sound as good, if not better than a flagship avr costing £2k plus
 

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