Things to look for in a new Amp?

[gmc]

For those in the market for a new Amp (middle of the road, say $500 - $700) what should be looked for, mainly for playing DVD movies?
DTS? Dolby Digital? Number of outlets and inlets?, type of outlets?, etc!!

It would be good to get some REAL advice from you people who are actually using equipment instead of someone spinning crap just to sell a piece of junk!

[millsy]

Personally, I prefer to go for a quality receiver with less features, than the other way around. You'll get fantastic sound from any of the Denon/Onkyo/Marantz receivers (even the entry level models).

The Denon AVR1602 is a great receiver for the price (around $600 I think, if you hunt around and negotiate).

[scorezero]

I agree with millsy,

quality is paramount.

Although I spent $1100 wholesale and got a great amp, what I was after was sheer grunt, but also with sound clarity.

Perhaps decide on an amp with/without 5.1 or DTS encoder, depending on the DVD player you have/want to get.

Then, think about the speakers you're connecting it to. A great amp will still sound crappy thru' cheap speakers!

Obvoiusly, you don't want to drive 100 watts RMS into a speaker that can only handle 50 WRMS, otherwise, you won't have sound for very long!

Another (small) thing to consider is the remote. Some amps themselves are fantastic, but they come with a very basic or clumsy remote!

Hope this helps!

[nsu]

Originally posted by scorezero
I agree with millsy,

Another (small) thing to consider is the remote. Some amps themselves are fantastic, but they come with a very basic or clumsy remote!

Hope this helps!

My Yamaha came with a remote which has many many buttons, but the cover of the remote was broken in no time.:) Anyone seen the Yamaha's remote will know they are so fragile. May be they have made improvement since then:). Mine one is a few years old now. Remind me to look for a newer one, as mine does not have the DTS decoder built in. Any suggestion for a medium price range one will be appreciated.:) Would any amps with more than 5.1 channels be a necessity?

What happened to the PAL's MPEG 5.1 sound? I hardly see any R4 DVD encoded with it nowadays. The only DVD I have found recently with MPEG tracks is the Three Tenors Concert. Does this mean the AC3 and the DTS will be the standard from now on?

[Watcher]

Originally posted by nsu
Remind me to look for a newer one, as mine does not have the DTS decoder built in. Any suggestion for a medium price range one will be appreciated.:) Would any amps with more than 5.1 channels be a necessity?

What happened to the PAL's MPEG 5.1 sound? I hardly see any R4 DVD encoded with it nowadays. The only DVD I have found recently with MPEG tracks is the Three Tenors Concert. Does this mean the AC3 and the DTS will be the standard from now on?
5.1 is pretty standard now and dts is starting be used a lot more in Region 4 as well (woohoo!).
Infact, I'll be reviewing the region 4 versions of Enemy at the Gates & Driven very soon and they both have Dolby Digital 5.1 and dts tracks.
A system that can do 5.1 and dts is the way to go (in my humble opinion).:D

[scorezero]

Hi,

Although I have A DTS amp, I've never been lucky enough to know what it sounds like!!

Is it soooo much better than 5.1?

And does anybody have a few titles in mind that I could hire to hear the difference for myself?

Cheers.
:D

[millsy]

Originally posted by scorezero
And does anybody have a few titles in mind that I could hire to hear the difference for myself?

Grab yourself a copy of The Ultimate DVD Platinum there are a number of comparison clips on it, allowing you to compare DTS-DD5.1-PCMstereo . My favourite clip is Chronos, starts slow, but really hammers all channels towards the middle/end :D

This disk is also good to use, to calibrate your system. A worthy addition to anyones collection.

[scorezero]

Thanx, millsy!

I'll go check it out!

[Watcher]

Originally posted by scorezero
Hi,
Although I have A DTS amp, I've never been lucky enough to know what it sounds like!!
Is it soooo much better than 5.1?
And does anybody have a few titles in mind that I could hire to hear the difference for myself?

Cheers.
:D
I've seen some people in other forums say that dts doesn't sound that much different to DD 5.1
Each to their own, but I think it depends on the title.

Two Region 4 dts titles that I recommend (and own) are...
The Eagles: Hell Freezes Over. (Hotel California sounds amazing!)
Gladiator. Crank up the volume on the fighting scenes. ;)

[scorezero]

Thanx for that!

Always nice to be able to get the best outta my system!

Sorry to gmc, this thread seems to be going off in a different direction!!:rolleyes:

[iluvdts]

DTS - Check these out, they'll blow you away!!

DINOSAUR - Region 1
BLACK & WHITE NIGHT (Roy Orbison) - Region 4

Although Dinosaur isn't a "great" movie, the 754 Kb/s DTS soundtrack on the region 1 disc is awesome. If you really want to see (or should I say hear) what DTS is all about, grab yourself a copy of this disc.

Though I'm not a great fan of Roy Orbison - (I only bought the disc because Bruce Springsteen is in it!!), the DTS soundtrack is very detailed and more defined than the DD soundtrack - another disc to check out when comparing DTS to DD.

[gmc]

So anyhow, apart from the amps mentioned at the start of this thread, any other suggestions to look at.

From JB, Myers, etc... ?

[Watcher]

Originally posted by gmc
So anyhow, apart from the amps mentioned at the start of this thread, any other suggestions to look at.

From JB, Myers, etc... ?
I had a very quick look a Dick Smith Powerhouse yesterday and they had amps from companies such as Onkyo for the $500-$700 mark that had dts decoders in them. (They also had plenty of others that cost double that and have Pro Logic II etc....)
You haven't given details on your current home theatre set up or plans for a future set up, but I'd say to look for an amp that has a dts decoder.

[millsy]

I've read good things about ProLogic II . Still, I'm not prepared to upgrade my receiver for it, but if I was buying a new one would probably want it.

I'd also probably want full support for DTS-ES / DD-EX (6.1) sound, although again this is not an essential feature, something that you can live without if looking to save on costs.

There is a review on receivers in this months What DVD mag. It gives a good run down on current features to look for, and explains them if you werent sure what they are (ie: didnt trust hifi sales dudes, who often dont know what they're talking about, but try to sound like they do).

[gmc]

So we want 6 outputs (for the 5 speakers + subwoofer).

What about level of watts output. I know it depends on you speakers but if I'm looking to upgrade them in the future what level of watts should you look for?

Anything else?

[scorezero]

I'd go for the most powerful possible.

If you don't have a sub yet, you'll be probably putting as much bass thru' the existing speakers as possible.

Bass=current=wattage!

ie. you will get distorted sound if you overdrive the amp by asking more than it can deliver!

Also, you're more likely to damage your speakers if you do this, as you'll be feeding a distorted waveform into them (called clipping distortion)

Tweeters will be the first to suffer from this.

Basically, you get what you pay for:

if you save for a good amp, with a high output, optical inputs, DTS, good remote, several sound environments (for when those old mono movies need a bit of improvement) and some on board EQ, you won't be disappointed!

[millsy]

The number of watts you must have as a minimum, is personal choice. Test the systems you are interested in and workout for yourself whether more watts means you are getting an overall better product?

When comparing watts per channel, just be careful of the ohm (impedance/resistance) rating . Make sure you are comparing apples with apples.

ie: 100w per channel into 8ohms, is very different from 100w per channel into 6(or4)ohms .

[gmc]

I was in JB Hi Fi yesterday and the sales girl tried to talk me into a Hitachi amp? Any comments.

What are your thoughts on the Pioneer amps, say the VSX D510 or D710?

[scorezero]

Hi GMC,

Can't help with your last posting, but something I just remembered is BACKUP SERVICE.

What I mean here is try to find out when you do buy your amp what the after sales service is like should something go wrong. This may be difficult, as sales people may be rewarded for selling certain brands of gear, not just rewarded for the sale itself.

For example, you'd think Minolta cameras would have a good reputation, but when I used to work in retail, they were the absolute WORST when it came to warranty claims!

They'd try not to honour the g'tee, or if they did, you'd be without your camera for at least 2 months!

Most sales people are honest, but it can be hard to tell. I think this board is probably the way to go for honest answers.

[gmc]

Any comments on the following guys? All around the $600 - $750 mark.

SONY Receiver STRDE 475
PIONEER Receiver VSXD 510
ONKYO Receiver TX-DS484
PANASONIC