Yet Another Please Help Me...

[jagman]

Ok. Here it is. I will take delivery of a Denon AVR-4311CI next week. I am building speakers for 11.1 audio. The LCR will be 2.5-way towers with the Exodus Audio Anarchy drivers. The port will be tuned to approximately 27Hz. The front wides will have only one Anarchy driver but will also be tuned to 27Hz. The front heights, surrounds and backs will be sealed single MT ceiling mount monitors (also with one Anarchy driver). All speakers will have the same tweeter by SBAcoustics. Lastly, all speakers are 4ohms but the sealed effects speakers will be an easier 4ohm load. BTW, my sub is a quad 18" IB powered by a Crown XLS802D amp.

So... I first thought of getting an XPA-3 for the three 2.5-way towers and letting the AVR power the rest. I would have the option of later getting two UPA-5s for the other 8 channels (since each only had 1 mid). This is option 1. Option 2 is getting the XPA-3 for the LCRs and a UPA-2 for the wides and later getting a UPA-7 for the rest. This would make the front 5 have a similar sonic character yet I would not have to be concerned about over driving the MT tower wides. Option 3 is to just get an XPA-5 for the front 5 and a UPA-7 later on. That would be the most cost effective and space efficient way to go... I'm just concerned about that being to much power for the wides.

What do you recommend doing?

[taoggniklat]

Nov 5, 2010 12:38:20 GMT -5 jagman said:

Ok. Here it is. I will take delivery of a Denon AVR-4311CI next week. I am building speakers for 11.1 audio. The LCR will be 2.5-way towers with the Exodus Audio Anarchy drivers. The port will be tuned to approximately 27Hz. The front wides will have only one Anarchy driver but will also be tuned to 27Hz. The front heights, surrounds and backs will be sealed single MT ceiling mount monitors (also with one Anarchy driver). All speakers will have the same tweeter by SBAcoustics. Lastly, all speakers are 4ohms but the sealed effects speakers will be an easier 4ohm load. BTW, my sub is a quad 18" IB powered by a Crown XLS802D amp.

So... I first thought of getting an XPA-3 for the three 2.5-way towers and letting the AVR power the rest. I would have the option of later getting two UPA-5s for the other 8 channels (since each only had 1 mid). This is option 1. Option 2 is getting the XPA-3 for the LCRs and a UPA-2 for the wides and later getting a UPA-7 for the rest. This would make the front 5 have a similar sonic character yet I would not have to be concerned about over driving the MT tower wides. Option 3 is to just get an XPA-5 for the front 5 and a UPA-7 later on. That would be the most cost effective and space efficient way to go... I'm just concerned about that being to much power for the wides.

What do you recommend doing?

There really is no such thing as too much power...

The best solution is to figure out which amplifiers fit best in your budget and space and go with that. Personally I would think option 3 might be the solution I would choose, but all of them are viable.

Good luck!

[roadrunner]

Jagman

I would go with Option 3. You really don't need to worry about overdriving your speakers with the XPA-5 Power amps. Each channel can have independent volume levels which you assign during speaker setup and calibration. The advantage of using the XPA-5 is that you won't risk exceeding the amps ability to provide smooth output during dynamic passages. You're far more likely to harm your speakers by using amps that are "under powered" to handle the transients.

You don't mention the size, shape and construction details about your listening room; nor did I see any mention of the power handling range of the drivers you are using or their effidiency data. The more we know about your room, your source gear, and your listening habits the better able we will be to provide focused responses to your inquiry. Good luck with your system.

[jagman]

Thanks guys. I don't know the efficiency of the speakers but it is pretty low. Probably around 87-88dB. The Anarchy mids are 6.5" drivers but their Xmax is 13mm! The designer of the mids said the single mid tower could handle an XPA amp provided I don't go crazy with the volume. By far the easiest and cheapest way to go is option 3. Looks like I will probably go that route. I suppose the other factor is the wides will be much closer to the seated position than the LCRs so they will not play as loud as the LCRs when level matched. This of course inherently protects them, too.

[jagman]

Btw, my HT is on a open landing loft on the second floor of the house. I have two rows of seats. The first is a low couch, the second is a row of three Berkline powered recliners. The area where the screen is located is about 12' wide. The left wall extends about 10' back and then there is a railing open to the first floor. The right wall extends about 20' back and then there is another railing that opens to the first floor. The first couch is about 7 feet in front of the LCRs and the Berklines are about 5 feet behind the couch. The back wall is about 20' behind the Berklines. The total volume is about 15,000 cubic feet. I've also done what I can with passive acoustic treatments. This shouldn't change the recommendations but it's here to be complete

[eusebio]

i think you should sell everything and get one of those SWEET Sony home theater in a box systems from your local electronics retailer... those high school salesmen are very knowledgeable

but honestly why not power your core speakers (LCR and surround) with external amps and let the receiver handle the rest. if you want to expand from there maybe pick up a UPA-2 and see if you notice a difference in sound quality when compared to the receiver.

[jagman]

I

Nov 5, 2010 14:47:33 GMT -5 eusebio said:

i think you should sell everything and get one of those SWEET Sony home theater in a box systems from your local electronics retailer... those high school salesmen are very knowledgeable

but honestly why not power your core speakers (LCR and surround) with external amps and let the receiver handle the rest. if you want to expand from there maybe pick up a UPA-2 and see if you notice a difference in sound quality when compared to the receiver.

I initially planned on getting an XPA-3 for the LCR and letting the receiver take care of everything else but then thought the front wides should also have external amplification since they seem to have the next most amount of content. If so, I could get an XPA-3 and UPA-2... or just get an XPA-5. That last option would be cheaper and occupy less shelf space. I will likely end up with everything externally amplified eventually... which means I could get a UPA-7 when the time comes and be done with it. I don't think I'll need it now but it will be useful later on as I would only need a pre/pro to replace the 4311 years down the road.

[eusebio]

XPA-5 is cheaper and would provide more power so it seems to be the no brainer... i really don't think that external power for all speakers is necessary. how much content is in 7.1 now as it is. and its not like your current receiver is a slouch. is this set up purely for HT and not music. if not maybe start with the XPA-5 and then add some UPA-1s to power your mains in the future which might also perform better if you do listen to music too.

btw dibs on your 4311 when you sell it in 2013.. in fact let me send you a post dated check

[roflcatdown]

Nov 5, 2010 12:38:20 GMT -5 jagman said:

Ok. Here it is. I will take delivery of a Denon AVR-4311CI next week. I am building speakers for 11.1 audio. The LCR will be 2.5-way towers with the Exodus Audio Anarchy drivers. The port will be tuned to approximately 27Hz. The front wides will have only one Anarchy driver but will also be tuned to 27Hz. The front heights, surrounds and backs will be sealed single MT ceiling mount monitors (also with one Anarchy driver). All speakers will have the same tweeter by SBAcoustics. Lastly, all speakers are 4ohms but the sealed effects speakers will be an easier 4ohm load. BTW, my sub is a quad 18" IB powered by a Crown XLS802D amp.

So... I first thought of getting an XPA-3 for the three 2.5-way towers and letting the AVR power the rest. I would have the option of later getting two UPA-5s for the other 8 channels (since each only had 1 mid). This is option 1. Option 2 is getting the XPA-3 for the LCRs and a UPA-2 for the wides and later getting a UPA-7 for the rest. This would make the front 5 have a similar sonic character yet I would not have to be concerned about over driving the MT tower wides. Option 3 is to just get an XPA-5 for the front 5 and a UPA-7 later on. That would be the most cost effective and space efficient way to go... I'm just concerned about that being to much power for the wides.

What do you recommend doing?

Unless you're doing a lot of Stereo listening at high volume for extended periods of time the UPA-5 + UPA-7 would provide more overall power for less money. With this option you could use the UPA-5 to give yourself solid 5.1 audio (Which is the current predominant audio format, with 7.1 growing.) setup and add the UPA-7 for the matrixed fill audio beyond the 5.1 setup.

To be honest, if the UPA-5 were available I'd just tell you to get a UPA-5 and a UPA-7.

[jagman]

I thought about the UPA-5 but I want the 2.5-way towers driven by an XPA amp. I know they will handle it well, and their SPL will match up perfectly with the subwoofer.

[thomasd92]

I am getting an 4311 too and decided to power it with a XPA-5 witch I already have and a UPA-7. I sold my XPA-2 to pay for the UPA-7. I am going to power the left front, right front , center, left wide , and right wide with the XPA-5 and the surrounds, rear surrounds and heights with the UPA-7.

[jagman]

Nov 5, 2010 17:49:44 GMT -5 thomasd92 said:

I am getting an 4311 too and decided to power it with a XPA-5 witch I already have and a UPA-7. I sold my XPA-2 to pay for the UPA-7. I am going to power the left front, right front , center, left wide , and right wide with the XPA-5 and the surrounds, rear surrounds and heights with the UPA-7.

Cool . I like your train of thought . If you can, please say if you notice a difference between just using the XPA-5 and adding the UPA-7. You can do that via PM if you prefer.

[jagman]

Regarding the last post... if you get the chance to test, you would power the surrounds, back surrounds and heights with the internal amps when the UPA-7 is not used. I think it would be very interesting to see if you notice a difference with UPA-7, and if so how much.

[jagman]

I did it... I ordered an xpa-5 . Should be here Friday... cannot wait! Thanks to all for the advice.

[hemster]

Congrats! Please post your findings here for all to share. Thanks.