# Looking to upgrade,and rate my system :)



## DSLDrummer (Feb 17, 2012)

Ok..i am looking to upgrade my home theater for a bigger bang  lol... dont get me wrong I love my system now I just want more power 
Yamaha RX-V630
Infinity entra one fronts
Infinity entra two rears
Klipsh Synergy 12 inch


Which should I look into investing first lol


----------



## El Guapo II (Mar 13, 2012)

Amplification. You've got a nice system, but if you went to separates, you'd notice a big difference. These systems usually evolve over time anyways.......what was your last improvement?


----------



## DSLDrummer (Feb 17, 2012)

Last purchase was my klipsh sub and love it lol...as for seperates, how do u mean? Srry a lil new at it lol...and im guessing a bigger head unit? I know the yamaha is only 95watts x6 I believe! Should I aim for 110watts x8?


----------



## El Guapo II (Mar 13, 2012)

By separates I mean an amplifier and a preamp/processor......you're running a receiver, where the amp, preamp(controls), and tuner are all in the same box. These are fine, and they will work beautifully, but to make a big leap in audio quality, separates are the way to go. I don't use a tuner anymore really, so I don't miss that. But I do have over 300w x 5, and though I rarely use it all, it makes a huge difference in sound quality, and esp. the low end. There is always well taken care of used gear available on ebay or audiogon, so it doesn't have to break the bank.


----------



## DSLDrummer (Feb 17, 2012)

:jealous: lol....wow ...thank you  Is there any possible way i can bother u to send a link on some decent amplifiers? I definitely wanna look into this


----------



## El Guapo II (Mar 13, 2012)

There are a million places, but try hometheaterreview.com and check out the audio section..........you could start by adding a dedicated multi-channel amp....your Yamaha supports that, you can use your receiver as the preamp/processor........you would likely see immediate results. A fair warning though......this will be a lot easier if at some _early_ point you can go "I'm happy with this system!" because some of us are always swapping out the 'weakest link', never quite happy in our quest for the perfect system. If only money grew on trees......Snoop around, and good luck!


----------



## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

I second El Guapo's recommendation to go with a separate multichannel amp. I use a HK Signature 2.1 - 5 channel amp that's rated at 100 wpc. I use a Pioneer receiver as the pre amp/processor and to drive the center back speakers. It is rated at 100 wpc too. Just for kicks I took the HK out of the system and the difference was instantly noticable. The Pioneer sounded much thinner and compressed. 

The next suggestion would be a second sub to match the Synergy - but only if you live no closer than 1 mile from the nearest neighbor and your dentist is on call to replace fillings that rattle loose. :grin:


----------



## DSLDrummer (Feb 17, 2012)

I've already tried for a second sub and Idk if its my reciever but I used a splitter and for some reason when I plugged a second synergy sub it took alot of power from my first synergy sub and it really didnt hit any harder! Idk why or how :/


----------



## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

Depends on the sub. If they are self powered, the connection type should have no affect. If they are powered by the Amp, then by using a splitter, the subs are sharing the amp output.


----------



## DSLDrummer (Feb 17, 2012)

No there both self powered! A friend of mine said that it changes ohms ...im not to sure. I had 2 klipsch synergy subs which r decently pretty powerful...jus sounded louder with one :/


----------



## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

Your friend is right but that's what the volume knob is for. Probably has nothing to do with the splitter. More likely it's caused by the two subs waveforms cancelling each other out rather than reinforcing each other. I would bet that if you sat at a different spot in the room you'd hear louder bass. If you still have the other sub, try different placement and orientations, try switching the polarity of one (most have a switch), adjust the crossover frequency up on one and down on the other.


----------



## DSLDrummer (Feb 17, 2012)

So I should invest into a second sub or a bigger reciever...or possibly a seprate amp!!


----------



## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

Largely depends on what you are looking for, how it will be used, and your budget.

I could easily tell you to upgrade any of your components and it would be an "improvement". With that said, the general rule of thumb is that speakers should account for 1/2 - 2/3 of your home theater budget. Speakers also have the greatest impact on performance and quality of sound.

So you have to decide what you "don't like" about your current setup. We don't have enough information to provide any decent advice. Adding more "power" isn't an adequate description. I'd recommend that you go to the local stores, preferably a standalone audio/home theater shop and listen to several different setups and see what you like.


----------



## DSLDrummer (Feb 17, 2012)

Totally understood! Well I guess all I can say is When I watch a movie it almost pefect! But what Im looking for is to where when someone watches a movie on my surround setup, I literally want them to be scared with all the rattles and good sounding explosions! Also I noticed with music at extremely loud volumes I can start to tell that it distorts which I believe could be my reciever... Ill send the links to every piece I own 

Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity Home Page
Infinity Entra Two Floor-standing speakers at Crutchfield.com
Infinity Entra One Bookshelf speakers at Crutchfield.com
Sub - 12 Subwoofer | Klipsch

Thats pretty much my whole setup


----------



## DSLDrummer (Feb 17, 2012)

Also seems that everything I own now is discontinued!!


----------



## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

Something else to try; play with the frequency setting on the sub. Your main speakers probably don't go much below 100Hz (though the spec's say they go down to 50Hz - that's not likely) so if you have the sub starting at below that there might be a gap in the sound at a frequency that's critical to you and/or your room.


----------



## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

Distortion could be the amp or speakers. And you generally should not go above 70-80% of the max volume on the amp. Depending on the amp quality, that will be about when clipping/distortion will start to occur. Distortion can damage the speakers. 

Having said all of that, if you are cranking the volume that high, you need to get out of the low to mid range equipment market. I don't think I've hardly ever gone over 50% volume except when playing around. My normal volume for movie watching is about 40%, and that is clearly audible outside my home. And my hardware is nothing special, an older Onkyo 5.1 Receiver rated at 50w per channel, and an ABT surround speaker system (small 2 1/2 drivers + 8in 100w powered sub).

Also, most surround sound speaker sets don't handle music very well. For quality music playback, standard floor standing speakers or mid - high end surround speakers.

I'd still recommend going out and listening in person. Just glancing at your hardware specs, I'd suggest a speaker upgrade. The majority of sound is produced by the fronts. So a quality L/R pair (multiple drivers) and a matching center speaker. The rears are mostly fill, so just stick with your current speakers for now (you could even move your current fronts to the rear). And a sub if you want/need more kick.

Take a look over at the AVS forums ( AVS Forum ).


----------

