Newbie amp help......why?

You don't need an amp at all...you got the music already.

It sounds like your question may be ... why do I need a separate amp, if I already have a receiver? The answer is that you don't. If you like the music that it is coming from your present set-up, don't change a thing.

The parts of the reproduction chain are the same regardless of packaging...
a source (CD player or radio) ... a preamplifier ... an amplifier ... speakers. It is just a question of how they are packaged ... from a boombox (everything in one) to receivers (tuner/amp/preamp) to separate components for each piece of the reproduction chain.

You may find that if you try separate components that the music will sound better ... clearer sound, deeper bass, etc.

Regards,

Rich

You already have an amp.

Kevin, I would encourage you to invest some time listening to a range of hi-end systems. This will help you discern the differences in various types of equipment and the attributes that components can provide to the audio experience. You may discover a whole world of sonic possibilities and performance.

Does your receiver have "Pre-amp out" jacks on the back? If so, you could continue using the tuner and pre-amp sections of the receiver, and hook up a better quality power amp to drive the speakers (bypassing the amplifier section in the receiver). But the signal from the CD player would still be going through the pre-amp section of your Pioneer, so I'm not sure how much would be gained by this. It's all about quality--not volume levels. So I would second Maineiac's recommendation.