Help with adding 5 Channel Power Amp into my setup

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Hi
Okay I have a few N00B questions regarding power amps.
I watch a lot of bluray and only a little bit of music.
I want to know if I will gain anything/worth spending around £800ish on a multi channel power amp to add some oomph to my system.
I'm using a Yamaha 3067/MA silver and a BK 400 sub.
Firstly I just wanna say I'm happy with my current setup. It's been tuned with an SPL meter from day one.
I like to watch movies with the volume around the -20dB mark in the daytime and around -35 at night. Is it bad for the AV amp or speakers if I had the volume around -10dB as I think that's where it sounds best??
I don't hear any distortion whatsoever neither has the amps protection circuit ever kicked in on me.

I was thinking, What if one went into the speaker setup> gain menu and just boosted up the levels slightly? How is that any different to buying a power amp? Afterall Your going to get bigger sound??
I understand this may not be ideal for the amp interms of power consumption/heat etc but what about the speakers if they're being driven too hard but not to the threshold of distortion?

If that's a no-no and I have to be looking at power amps, would the Marantz MM7055 be a good buy to boost my system?

What I really wanted to know was, if I use my Yamaha amp as a processor does that mean I will lose that warm signature yamaha sound and have to adjust to the sound from the Marantz power amp?
 
There is no issue running your amp at -10. The scale is rather arbitary to be honest and as long as there is no distortion then it will do not harm. Turning up the gain on the individual speakers will do nothing for how hard you run the amp. The display may read -15 instead on the front but the amps inside will be working just as hard as when you had -10 on the display and the levels turned down. The amps can only produce so much power, by turning up the levels of each speaker all you do is change the base setting for the display the amps inside will be working just as hard to make the same volume no matter what the display at the front.
A power amp may help as you should have cleaner power (and probably more of it) hence you will not be driving the amps in the power amp so hard for the same volume which should give sound quality gains. Whether this gain will be worth £800 only you can tell. With £800 I would be looking at a second hand Arcam power amp to be honest. Also may be worth just getting a stereo power amp and using it for your front speakers (or a bridgable one for the centre) as these take the majority of the sound and should improve stereo/music performance. The rears take a lot less signal so would be fine powered from the internal amps of your AVR.
 
A well designed amp should just take the signal it gets and amplify it so your sound should not change.
 
The amp on your 3067 is actually pretty good. Google rx-a3000 audioholics review to see how they rated the amp section. -10db shouldn't pose a problem at all as you've seen from trying it with no issues. I've played mine higher than that for extended periods again without probs. Your speakers are also reasonably easy to drive as well according to the specs and your room isn't that big.

Regarding sound signature there does seem to be a difference between power amps according to reviewers so you might find you need to demo if you decide to go down that route.

For info i was reading on here somewhere about a guy considering doing a power buy on some emotiva power amps, importing some through work. Might be worth a search, the xpa-5 would come in below your budget and seems to review well.
 

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