Question Best amp recommendations for definitive 8080's

born2win

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Current setup definitive 8080 fronts , rears and center and pioneer atmos fronts. I have a Denon AVR-X4100W driving them,, they power ~220 RMS per channel . I am not sure if I am getting maximum out of my speakers. Contemplating adding an amplifier. looking at monoprice 7 channel amps (200w / channel). Will there be a difference if I use the Denon as the receiver and monoprice 7ch as the amp? Any other suggestions on amp I should go for audiophile experience?
 
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Your AVR is not, unfortunately, 220 watts per channel. Into an 8 ohm load it is more likely to be 125 watts into 2 speakers, and 80 watts into 7 speakers (8 ohm load).

So, a power amp could well improve things, especially if you have a large room, or listen loudly (ish). If you are looking for a better quality stereo music performance, then a different pre-amp might also help.
 
Thanks for the input, here is the specification from the receiver.
I am looking for a better quality music not so much louder.
Can I do direct output from my preamp to the receiver?

Output:

Front:
125 W + 125 W (8 Ω/ohms, 20 Hz – 20 kHz with 0.05 % T.H.D.)
165 W + 165 W (6 Ω/ohms, 1 kHz with 0.7 % T.H.D.)
Center:
125 W (8 Ω/ohms, 20 Hz – 20 kHz with 0.05 % T.H.D.)
165 W (6 Ω/ohms, 1 kHz with 0.7 % T.H.D.)
Surround:
125 W + 125 W (8 Ω/ohms, 20 Hz – 20 kHz with 0.05 % T.H.D.)
165 W + 165 W (6 Ω/ohms, 1 kHz with 0.7 % T.H.D.)
Surround back / Front wide / Height1:
125 W + 125 W (8 Ω/ohms, 20 Hz – 20 kHz with 0.05 % T.H.D.)
165 W + 165 W (6 Ω/ohms, 1 kHz with 0.7 % T.H.D.)
Dynamic power:
130 W x 2-channel (8 Ω/ohms)

190 W x 2-channel (4 Ω/ohms)

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Also is monoprice 7×200 a good amp
 
The manufacturers specifications for power ratings are very specific, as you show above. Those power output numbers are only when you are powering the receiver in exactly the same way as described.

For example, where they say that the centre is:

165 W (6 Ω/ohms, 1 kHz with 0.7 % T.H.D.)

It is just that. If the receiver is powering just one centre speaker, which has a 6 ohm impedance, at the 1khz frequency, with 0.7% total harmonic distortion, it will reach 165 watts.

Start powering some other speakers at the same time, and the power output drops. There is a bench test of a similar receiver to yours here:

Denon AVR-X4200W A/V Receiver Review Test Bench

The monoprice 7 x 200 watts is a good amp, and will almost certainly bring about improvements in headroom, and audio clarity at higher volume levels.

If you are really trying to improve the sound quality for 2 channel music playback, then an integrated amp with HT bypass is more what you should be looking at.
 
The monoprice amplifier has a single XLR or RCA connection per channel. Most receivers come with dual RCA output for each channel. I guess a Ycable needs to be used. Any recommendation on to go with dual RCA (receiver) to a single XLR or single RCA? Will there be any signal loss?
 
Your receiver had one RCA pre-out for each channel. You would connect that to your external amp via an RCA cable, one for each channel (speaker).

The matching of power amps (external amplifier) to pre-amps (your AVR) is complicated:

 

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