the outlaw rr2150 receiver is a cool looking piece with an inboard usb hookup for your computer, 100w/ch and good reviews. for around $600, it's the route i'd go.
Just got a pair of Polk Audio LSi15s Need advice
Hi all, just for some background, I am in my early twenties and have been intrigued by hi-fi for a long time. On craigslist, I recently came across a pair of Polk Audio LSi15s for $500 (!!!). They're in pretty much mint condition, too!
Being relatively new to this hobby, I don't have much gear in terms of great amps to plug them straight into. What I do have is a Sony STR-D915 from long ago. I've been reading up a lot on speaker impedance and how not to destroy your equipment. That being said, I'm still a little bit weary about using the Sony with my LSis for extended runs. Here are the tech specs straight from the manual (you can find a PDF-manual on sonystyle.com if you'd like to take a look):
110 watts per channel @ 8-ohm load, from 20-20KHz, minimum RMS power
It does have a 4-ohm/8-ohm selector switch on the rear, so I assume it's been designed to handle loads. I've also read to keep it switched as 8-ohm, so that's what I've been doing.
I am very, very aware that a better amp will make my LSIs sing, but for the moment, the Sony will have to do. Do you see any perceived issues running the LSis with the Sony?
Even though I'll be using the Sony for a while, I'm still doing some shopping/research on possible integrated amps. I took a look at the new Onkyo A-5VL since it has an optical SPID/F input for my MacBook Pro, from which I will feed PCM from Apple Lossless data. The A-5VL has a Burr-Brown DAC which is much better than he DAC inside my MBP, but it only has 40 watts per channel at 8-ohms.
Help me out: how do the 40 watts from the Onkyo compare to the 110 watts from my current Sony? Are my Sony watts "dirty" compared to the power coming from the Onkyo (or any other higher-end amp under ~100 wpc for that matter?
I am trying to understand the importance of "raw power" vs "clean power." Especially concerning the LSis, which have been noted to require a great amount of power (>200~300wpc @ 8-ohms) to make them sing.
If you have any other recommendations for driving these speakers with music coming from Apple Lossless on a MacBook Pro (via optical out), please advise. Also, please note that I cannot spend loads of cash on a dedicated DAC + a pre-amp + 2 dedicated monoblocks, etc.. I did read up on the Bryston B100DA SST, which looks amazing, but just slightly out of my league at the moment. Are there any other reasonable products that can accept digital audio?
Thanks for reading... I am anxious to hear your advice!
Being relatively new to this hobby, I don't have much gear in terms of great amps to plug them straight into. What I do have is a Sony STR-D915 from long ago. I've been reading up a lot on speaker impedance and how not to destroy your equipment. That being said, I'm still a little bit weary about using the Sony with my LSis for extended runs. Here are the tech specs straight from the manual (you can find a PDF-manual on sonystyle.com if you'd like to take a look):
110 watts per channel @ 8-ohm load, from 20-20KHz, minimum RMS power
It does have a 4-ohm/8-ohm selector switch on the rear, so I assume it's been designed to handle loads. I've also read to keep it switched as 8-ohm, so that's what I've been doing.
I am very, very aware that a better amp will make my LSIs sing, but for the moment, the Sony will have to do. Do you see any perceived issues running the LSis with the Sony?
Even though I'll be using the Sony for a while, I'm still doing some shopping/research on possible integrated amps. I took a look at the new Onkyo A-5VL since it has an optical SPID/F input for my MacBook Pro, from which I will feed PCM from Apple Lossless data. The A-5VL has a Burr-Brown DAC which is much better than he DAC inside my MBP, but it only has 40 watts per channel at 8-ohms.
Help me out: how do the 40 watts from the Onkyo compare to the 110 watts from my current Sony? Are my Sony watts "dirty" compared to the power coming from the Onkyo (or any other higher-end amp under ~100 wpc for that matter?
I am trying to understand the importance of "raw power" vs "clean power." Especially concerning the LSis, which have been noted to require a great amount of power (>200~300wpc @ 8-ohms) to make them sing.
If you have any other recommendations for driving these speakers with music coming from Apple Lossless on a MacBook Pro (via optical out), please advise. Also, please note that I cannot spend loads of cash on a dedicated DAC + a pre-amp + 2 dedicated monoblocks, etc.. I did read up on the Bryston B100DA SST, which looks amazing, but just slightly out of my league at the moment. Are there any other reasonable products that can accept digital audio?
Thanks for reading... I am anxious to hear your advice!