Do bookshelfs benefit from an amp?

[fuzzylogic]

Hi everyone!
I have an older set of Paradigm Monitor 5 bookshelf speaker (very large) they have two 6 1/2 drivers. Im using a Yamaha rxv 565 receiver and at anything above medium levels they sound harsh and there is very little low end. I think they are great speakers and Im wondering if an amp would help?

When watching movies if happy with the sound, sorry I should have mentioned that I have the cc270 and adp 170 with a pdr12 sub.
Its mostly when I listen to two channel audio (mostly classic rock and industrial metal) that I think my receiver seems to lack the power. Its hard to describe but it almost gets more hollow the louder the volume is turned up? I know I wont get huge bass from bookshelfs but when I turn my sub off they just seem to lack any low end. I have tried changing the settings between small and large to know avail.

I was looking at the UPA2 or maybe the UPA5, what sorts of bennifits could I expect from either of these amps? Is this a worth wild upgrade?

Sorry for the newbie questions and poor explanations, its my first time posting on a forum.

[Deleted]

In a Sound Stage review Doug Schneider said:

".....The Monitor 5 can play deep -- thunderously so, in fact -- which, once again, is very impressive given the price. Home-theater bass freaks will still want a subwoofer, but for pure music listening, the Monitor 5's low end is more than sufficient as it goes even deeper than some of my favorite bookshelf-sized speakers that are priced quite a bit more......'

www.soundstage.com/revequip/paradigm_monitor5.htm

They apparently have a sensitivity of 88dB's (about average). I don't believe the 35Hz extension on the Monitor 5 is correct.

IMO, you are significantly under powered for your speakers. The Yamaha RX-v565 is rated at 90 watts per channel. Please understand that this is for only one channel operating at a time. When driven with 5 channels operating (like Emotiva rates their amps) it probably produces in the 50 watts or so range.

Your Paradigm Monitor 5's are very nice bookshelf speakers in their price range (same for the center and surround models). For a 21" high speaker with two 6.5" woofers they produce very good lower bass. Your paradigm sub is a decent one for the price. Reproducing the lower bass frequencies, especially when you have the sub off, puts the maximum strain on an amp.

I think you will hear a very audible improvement by upgrading the amp. I would go with the UPA-5. it will give you great HT power to all channels, especially when you have the sub on. I recommend the "small" setting for your speakers crossed over at 80Hz. Be sure you have the sub set up correctly. Use the sub crossover setting on the Yamaha and not on the sub. Set the sub to its max frequency or turn on the bypass switch if it has one. In a two channel mode only as you mentioned the UPA-5 will put out more than its rated output into two channels only.

Whoops, sorry, but I just realized there is a problem. Check the Yamaha but I don't think in that price range it has the needed RCA 5 channel outs to connect the preamp/processor section of the Yamaha to an external 5 channel amp. You thus would also need a pre-pro like the Emo UMC-1-1 or a receiver with 5 channel pre outs.

An alternative is to see if the Yamaha has a two channel audio out jack. Someone correct me if I'm wrong here (I think these are the same as pre out jacks and I have seen them on some low priced receivers), but you then could go with the UPA-2 from the two channel audio out jacks and use the Yamaha amp for the center and two surround channels. This still should give you a good improvement in the front left and right speakers and more power to the three channels only that your Yamaha would be then be driving.

BTW, welcome and newbie questions are always fine. ;D

[Stevens]

Sept 7, 2010 2:10:21 GMT -5 @chuckienut said:

An alternative is to see if the Yamaha has a two channel audio out jack. Someone correct me if I'm wrong here (I think these are the same as pre out jacks and I have seen them on some low priced receivers), but you then could go with the UPA-2 from the two channel audio out jacks and use the Yamaha amp for the center and two surround channels. This still should give you a good improvement in the front left and right speakers and more power to the three channels only that your Yamaha would be then be driving.

Sorry, that's not going to work. The Audio Out jacks are fixed level, and they will not play anything that has been fed the receiver via digital connections (HDMI, Coax, Optical).

So, it's back to your other option of getting a UMC-1, or another receiver with pre-outs, and a decent power amp.

[cgolf]

I believe the RX-V665 is the first receiver in that series to have pre-outs. Any model below that does not.

[jamesflames]

The rx-565 does not have pre-outs

[Nemesis.ie]

I think that is what cg was saying, you have to go to a minimum of the RX-V665 to get that feature.

[fuzzylogic]

Sept 7, 2010 5:28:43 GMT -5 cgolf said:

I believe the RX-V665 is the first receiver in that series to have pre-outs. Any model below that does not.

Sorry for the typeO guys I ment to say (type) rxv-765. I did notice there was pre-outs for a seven channel amp, and bi-amping.

I had no idea that the Monitor 5s chould go so low, 35 hrz... cool.

I hope an amp would just help in the overall presences.

thanks again

[jackfish]

The Yamaha RX-V765 is rated for both front channels driven at 95 watts per channel minimum RMS output power at 20Hz-20kHz, 0.08% THD into 8 Ohms. A UPA-2 will not yield a significant increase in SPL, while an XPA-2 can. Can't comment on the sound quality difference a outboard amp might make.

It seems odd that you cannot get decent output to those speakers when listening in two channel. It sounds like something is amiss with the receiver setup but I can't put my finger on it based on my brief review of the manual.

[UT-Driven]

I am running the following in my bedroom system:

ERC-1
USP-1
RPA-2
Salk SongSurround IIs

I haven't hooked them up to a receiver as main speakers before, but the mid-bass and midrange and treble has sounded awesome. I feel that a good quality amplifier will make a difference. In the case of your Yamaha, I believe it may tame the harshness and tighten up the low end response.

Doug

[joelovescoffee]

I'm not an expert....but I have a pair of Infinity Beta 20's that I typically run off of an Onkyo 807...135w....When I hooked those up to an XPA-2 I could tell a significant difference ....the speakers came alive!

[woodworker]

I owned a set of Monitor 5s (original design, vintage 1994, I think) and they were surprising high performers. These speakers are what led me to my love of the Paradigm product line and ultimately numerous purchases thereafter.

Anyway, those speakers will take a beating, and I do believe the 35Hz rating, they almost defy logic with their low end extension. Not only are the 5s tough, they are accurate and articulated far beyond what one would expect for a speaker in that price range. You will definitely notice a difference with a decent amp, like a UPA for example on those speakers for all of the reasons mentioned above.

I would look for a used pre-pro (I think Bootman might have an LMC-1 he is looking to sell on the boards) and mate it with an amp. (In my opinion, you stand to end up with a far better audio section for less money that way.) You will not believe the difference in those speakers once you put some quality amplification on them.

Good luck and enjoy the Monitor 5s.