2. amps-preamps
  3. 1324780138

How much would I benefit from an amp upgrade?

Here is a diagram of my system. I tried the 140W ice amps of the pioneer SC37 but felt a huge improvement when I put the Denon POA amp in for the front KEF Reference 203's. (in fairness to the SC37, I didn't try biamping, which I still might experiment with on its ice amps) Now I'm wondering how much I would benefit from a higher end 2 channel or even 5 channel amp... Or would I be better off investing into something else such as a phono stage, more speakers or more music.

Usage:
33% analog music - 2 channel
33% Digital music - mostly 2 channel, some 5.1
33% Home Theater - all 5.1 soon to be 7.1

Budget: Varies but a multi-thousand dollar amp would be tough right now.
Ultimately if a big krell or threshold or classe or mcintosh would be a massive improvement I would consider it.

http://db.tt/IvNPKBvC

Educated opinions greatly appreciated.
vintagegroove

Showing 1 response by vintagegroove

vintagegroove OP
14 posts
 
I'm actually pretty happy with the receiver other than the fact that it didn't quite have the power for my fronts.
I put it in Stereo when listening to the turntable (direct into receiver using it's phono stage for now) and use surround modes for theater or 5.1 audio. Listening to Wish You Were Here Immersion Edition on BluRay this morning in 5.1 was wonderful! It breathed new life into tracks I've heard thousands of times.

I should probably try biamping the fronts to give them a theoretical 280W instead of a theoretical 140W but I'm wondering if I really have much to gain with a higher end amp vs. the Denon POA which to me has been great.

The KEF Reference 203.1's have 5 speakers to drive in each tower so extra power is good. FYI, they actually have binding posts to Tri-Amp.

So I guess my real question is, how good are the Denon POA-2200/2400/2800/1500 amps vs higher end models out now? Will I really notice the upgrade?

Denon POA-2400
System: transistor
Power consumption: 500 W @ 120/240 V

Power Amplifier
Speaker Outputs: 2 x 2 Speakers
Continuous Power 4Ω: 330 + 330 (DIN) Watts
Continuous power 8Ω: 200 + 200 Watts
Dynamic Power 4Ω: 450 + 450 Watts
Frequency Response: 1-100,000 +0/-3 dB (normal); 1-300,000 +0/-3 dB (DIRECT) HZ
Input Sensitivity: 1,000 (Normal/DIRECT) mV
Input Impedance: 25 (normal/DIRECT) kΩ
Signal to Noise Ratio: 123 (IHF A) db A, short circuited
Harmonic Distortion: < 0.002 (-3 dB/ 8 Ώ) % at rated output

Physical
Dimensions in Inches: 17.1 x 7.4 x 16.9 (w) x (h) x (d)
Dimensions in mm: 434 x 187 x 429 (w) x (h) x (d)
Weight in lbs: 38.6 lbs
Weight in Kg: 17.5 Kg
More to discover