Help Me Choose Better 5-Channel Amp

Regarding using 2 different amps for home theater (i.e. separate amps for main L/R and center/surrounds), conventionally, most people recommend using identical amplification for all channels-- much like keeping all speakers as similar as possible.

However, with the modern EQ present in many newer processors (like the Anthem D2V), perhaps this is less of an issue now.

dave

Like you, I have an Anthem A5 amp that I was using both for 2 channel music and for 5.1 movies. Like you, I was satisfied with the A5 for movies, but not for music. I elected to go the route suggested already by several posters, namely, I kept the A5 and used it to amplify the center channel and the rears, and I added a stereo amp for the FR and FL channels. Hence there are two channels on the A5 that go unused.

The stereo amp I added was the Pass XA30.5, and I am very happy with the results. Compared to the A5 in 2 channel listening conditions, the XA30.5 is more transparent, detailed, and harmonically correct.

As for the concern, raised by some posters, that you want matching amplification across the front three channels, I am of the opinion that, while that is ideal, it is by no means necessary for a satisfying 5.1 experience. The reason, I believe, has a lot to do with how most movies are mixed, in that dialogue is nearly always placed in the center channel only, while music and effects are placed disproportionately in the FL and FR channels. So most 5.1 mixes are already "unmatched," as it were. When you add to that the fact that, when watching movies, your attention is split between listening to the audio and watching the images, any differences in amplification matching are likely to be below the threshold of awareness, IME.

Of course, YMMV. Good luck.

In retrospect of what dg1968 said I would say that is a very good point on the matching across the 5 channels. But also as he mentioned the room correction plays a positive part. I had a MX135 prior to the D2v and it never sounded as good as it does now after the room correction. But I am using one brand of amp for both. You might condsider a Anthem Statemnent 2 Channel amp.

I definitely agree with what Byron said above, that it is certainly not necessary to have identical amplification channels for good HT. I was just stating the obvious "conventional wisdom" on the subject.

Perhaps some of the concern was that using amps with vastly different gains would make all channels harder to EQ, or if somebody ended up using one high-current amp paired with a less powerful amp, they may run into some clipping problems.

But with all the high-quality equipment considered here, this probably wont be much of an issue. The OP's system is going to sound great no matter what option he takes.

The Theta Dreadnaught or Dreadnaught II would be worth considering. I moved from different brand center channel(Outlaw M200) and main amplifiers(Classe'25) to a single Dreadnaught II and the coherence of the multichannel presentation was much improved. The Dread II was definitely in the same league as the Classe'25 for 2 channel work in my system. Original Dreadnaught was designed by Charles Hansen of Ayre fame. It was designed as a fully balanced bridged amplifier with zero overall feedback which gave it a measured distortion characteristics similar to tube amplifiers. My Dread II which is the same basic design with some refinements by David Reich of Classe' and McCormack fame has some of the desirable big soundstage and high resolution characteristics of tube amplifiers. Not as powerful in the bottom end as the Classe' but still has very good dynamic drive. I should add that the Dreadnaughts are supposed to strut their best stuff in balanced systems.