arcam avr30 best power amp to use with this

jimmydunne

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hi there folks i bought the avr30 when my denon 8500 packed in an av i really loved i bought arcam avr 30 as it is the best for sound but really over priced for sure im running b@w 804 d3 as my main speakers and 4 kef ls50 as surrounds and a rel t9 subs can someone please tell me what best power amp to use with this ive looked at a few parasound outlaw ati which is class but cant buy in europe and is very expensive emotiva good im told but i want something that is top class power amp but not lotto winner so need decent power amp to match avr30 would love to hear someadvice jimmy i contacted terry ellis on u tube who is very helpfull also does anyone on here ever set up dirac on the arcam avr and is it very good
 
Do you need a power amp to run more than 7 speakers? You have paid top money for Class G amps on your AVR, so would make sense to use those for your main speakers.

There is an owners thread here btw:

 
Do you need a power amp to run more than 7 speakers? You have paid top money for Class G amps on your AVR, so would make sense to use those for your main speakers.

There is an owners thread here btw:

i want power amp as i feel all these av receiver have tomuch drawing power even for the arcam avr 30 and i want use more kef ls50 so maybe very good 5 channell power amp arcam have 7 channell power amp but i feel there is better power amps out there for the money there asking thanks for replying
 
Are you planning to use some of the internal amps as well as external or all external?
If you plan to use all external power amps from the off then did you consider the cheaper AV40 processor version instead? Maybe a bit late now..

Amps wise there are many to choose from and depends on your room, budget etc, if you want something beefy with 7 channels you won't go far wrong with the Emotiva XPA-7 Gen 3, the amp can come in many varieties of config so any number of full power amps (300 / 550 watts modules) up to 7 channel or a mix of high and lower power (65 / 100 watts stereo modules) amps going up to 11 channels. The amps are modular so can be added to or reconfigured if sent back to the distributor to do it.


If you want up to just 3 channels, they also do an even higher power DR version (650 / 1000 watt modules), but not many speakers need that (your probably could) and due to the size of the amp modules inside these are only available in 1, 2 or 3 channels.

The AVR30 has one of the strongest internal amps of many AVRs, have you tried it as is yet to see what you think? Having said that the B&W are probably a speaker that thrives on good quality power, I've read they can drop to 2.5 ohms..
 
Are you planning to use some of the internal amps as well as external or all external?
If you plan to use all external power amps from the off then did you consider the cheaper AV40 processor version instead? Maybe a bit late now..

Amps wise there are many to choose from and depends on your room, budget etc, if you want something beefy with 7 channels you won't go far wrong with the Emotiva XPA-7 Gen 3, the amp can come in many varieties of config so any number of full power amps (300 / 550 watts modules) up to 7 channel or a mix of high and lower power (65 / 100 watts stereo modules) amps going up to 11 channels. The amps are modular so can be added to or reconfigured if sent back to the distributor to do it.


If you want up to just 3 channels, they also do an even higher power DR version (650 / 1000 watt modules), but not many speakers need that (your probably could) and due to the size of the amp modules inside these are only available in 1, 2 or 3 channels.

The AVR30 has one of the strongest internal amps of many AVRs, have you tried it as is yet to see what you think? Having said that the B&W are probably a speaker that thrives on good quality power, I've read they can drop to 2.5 ohms..
thanks alot for avice so many amps to chose from outlaw paraSOUND ATI AND EMOTIVA i live in ireland so the choice is very poor here as most people not into sounds to much i like the reviews on the emotiva yes the arcam can power speakers very well it can support 16 channels with an external amp the b@w 804d3 are a very good speaker lots of detail as well and useing 4 kef ls 50 for now and ret t9i sub which is good enough i think and thanks for advice
 
thanks alot for avice so many amps to chose from outlaw paraSOUND ATI AND EMOTIVA i live in ireland so the choice is very poor here as most people not into sounds to much i like the reviews on the emotiva yes the arcam can power speakers very well it can support 16 channels with an external amp the b@w 804d3 are a very good speaker lots of detail as well and useing 4 kef ls 50 for now and ret t9i sub which is good enough i think and thanks for advice

I wouldn't touch emotiva with a barge pole. Their av pre especially but also their power amplifiers
 
What do we know about the pre-out performance of the AVR30 in terms of matching it to a power amp?

The standard Arcam gain is 31db, looking at the power amps that are designed to work with this receiver, the manual says this:

GAIN(PA240 only) This switch allows the gain to be changed from standard Arcam gain of 31dB (which matches all Arcam amplifiers and receivers) to 26dB. This allows flexibility to connect multiple PA240 amplifiers in different modes to multiple speakers. In normal set-ups this switch should be left at 31dB.
 
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I wouldn't touch emotiva with a barge pole. Their av pre especially but also their power amplifiers
I know this is an old thread, but I'm curious why you say this, only because I've been considering one of the 7 channel power amps
 
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I wouldn't touch emotiva with a barge pole. Their av pre especially but also their power amplifiers
Don't you own a Tonnewinner processor - which is made in the same factory as the Emotiva power amps you so readily dismiss? (Without context).

Fwiw - I don't own either brand, but have rarely heard a particular bad review/opinion of any of the Emotiva brand power amps.

So I too am curious to know why you think this?
 
They went through time with low QC
Any anecdotal or otherwise evidence of this? As I say virtually every review/owner (old and new) I've seen and come across mention no such QC concerns?

Edit: for clarification eg were/are the QC issues you mention with a previous Gen or current Gen 3? Specific models or across the range?

I'm asking as such evidence may be useful/important for those who are considering an Emotiva.
 
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I’ve had a few Emo’s over the years and never had a problem with any of them. I also know several people that either own or have owned them and they’ve never had an issue either.
My first one had to be purchased directly as there wasn’t U.K. distribution then. All different now though as they come through the fantastic guys at Karma AV.
 
I've just bought an Emotiva XPA DR2. It sounds absolutely amazing. Would say it's the best amp I've ever owned.
I had 2 Arcam AVR30's last month both retuned with faults. I did spend some time listening to music on them though and would say sonic signature is very similar so would be a good match for the Arcam.

I've also got the XPA HC-1 for the centre channel and BasX A2 for surrounds. Build quality is excellent on all 3 units and haven't had any issues or noticed anything to cause concern.
 

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