Amp replacements

Discussion in 'Just Talk' started by Tangoman, Mar 20, 2020.

  1. Tangoman

    Tangoman Well-Known Member

    I have a fairly old, but very good quality Sony Cinema system in my lounge - I'm thinking of keeping the speakers, but the actual amp itself is quite large and includes a DVD player that I will never again use.

    I'm moving the TV from a stand to a wall mount so if I can replace the big amp with a smaller one that sit on a small shelf in the corner then that would be perfect.

    Anyone any thoughts on this? Ever done anything similar? Recommend an amp?
     
  2. quasar9

    quasar9 Screwfix Select

    You can. Plenty of 5 and 7 channel AV Amps out there from about £150 upwards. There are several competing standards like Dolby Atmos, THX etc but the key fact you need to check is the impedance of your existing speakers match the recommended impedance of the amp and the maximum output wattage of the amp does not exceed the input power of the speakers.

    Also consider the newer one box solutions. These have come a long way in terms of sound quality although you will never get the feel of a true surround sound system, these are clutter free. I got rid of my Sony system for a Sky sound box. This is a bit of an oddball design in that you can’t place a tv on top and is quite tall compared to others on the market. This design and other quirks polarises people but sounds great
     
    Last edited: Mar 20, 2020
    Tangoman likes this.
  3. peter palmer

    peter palmer Screwfix Select

    I know you are keeping the speakers but an active sub is 1000% better than the passive sort that come with DVD type amps.
     
  4. ajohn

    ajohn Screwfix Select

    It's a problem. I use Yamaha 1m tall speakers so no real need for an active sub woofer. Finding an amp that will put the lot out to just 2 speakers is tricky but our Pioneer seems to going on sound quality. It's an AV amp so also comes with DAB radio. Have to say seems to though.

    I've also owned a Sony AV amp but ran it full 5.1. Also a Panasonic 5.1 set up and yet another. The Sony using some old Warfdale Laser speakers that really do go down to low frequency was good where they could be used. None of the compact speaker set ups were as good.

    Not every one would want to use 1m tall speakers for the TV but one thing for sure the clarity of them really is good and no problem colouration.

    A problem with the Pioneer is that I can't set it up myself as it comes with a plug in mike to allow it to do it itself. I'm sure using just a stereo output I could do better myself.
     
  5. Tangoman

    Tangoman Well-Known Member

    Yeah my woofer is passive, but it's got more than enough oomph for me - I've never had it up to full volume - even on 70% I can hear it in the room above as though there wasn't a floor in the way lol
    The speakers are kind of big at 1m long each - I may eventually swap them for something smaller, but they'll do for now.

    My needs are pretty simple as everything I watch goes via an android box - I don't use cable or satellite or even freeview - but I do like having high quality sound above all else.

    Thanks for the replies guys - the bit about matching the impedances up is something I hadn't thought about.
     

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