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How important is amplifier choice for surround speakers?

Hello everyone,

So far my Stereo/HT system is as follows:

SF Evolution
SF Amati Center
KEF satellite speakers x2
Rel subwoofer
Krell 403B 3 channel amp
Krell Phantom
Rotel HD disc player 
PS4
AV processor: TBD: Marantz/NAD/Acurus ACT4

My question is will it make a big difference if I were to put a $3K vs $7k multichannel amp in the mix to handle just the surround sound speakers, of which I'll be doing 7.1 at most (ha).  I'm not looking to re create the IMax experience in my tiny living, just something decent.  Thanks.


128x128redphu72

Showing 1 response by auxinput

auxinput
2,920 posts
 

I would agree that it's not critical.  It should be "close", but it doesn't have to be exactly matching.  The speakers should also be "close", but doesn't have to exactly match.

In my opinion, the front 3 speakers (left/center/right) should match exactly both in speaker brand/model and amplifier.

Power does not have to be high.  In real situations, you could be using 100-200 watts on the front 3 channels for explosive HT scenes.  However, the surround speakers would really only be using 15-25 watts, maybe with extreme peaks of 30-50 watts (but that is going to be really loud!).

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