Which amp to drive multiple speakers + sub?

[AnotherGuy]

I've just picked up 5 x Cambridge Audio Min 20 speakers and an X300 sub for installation in a 24ft square kitchen/diner.

This is for music only - via Chromecast audio.

Initial thoughts were to get a 5.1 AV receiver to power this lot - but it seems wasteful to buy a complicated lump of kit when all I want is a stereo amp with A+B speakers and a sub output. But I can't find anything that has this combination.

Am I missing something obvious or should I just buy a £100 secondhand AV receiver from eBay?

[gizlaroc]

Just buy a 4 or 6 channel power amp, tuck it away and use your phone to control the Chromecast.

[benz0]

gizlaroc said:

Just buy a 4 or 6 channel power amp, tuck it away and use your phone to control the Chromecast.

This. You can connect the Chromecast to the rca input on the sub and then connect the crossed over output from the sub to the power amp.

[AnotherGuy]

So I had missed the obvious

I was looking for amps with a sub output and hadn't realized I could feed the source into the sub and from there onto a normal stereo amp (with 4 or 6 channels). That would work well - and yes, the amp is getting stuck in a cupboard - out of sight.

Thank you to gizlaroc and benz0

[legzr1]

I have no experience with the CC or the software it uses for music playback (so apologies for missing something) but an integrated AV amp like you mention will accept the two channel stereo input from the CC and split it correctly into 5.1 with various effects (if required) - not sure how a 4/6 channel power amp would achieve that.

[gizlaroc]

You wouldn't really want it to as the effects are designed for a 5.1 layout, you would simply put the 4 speakers in a configuration for stereo in this scenario, much better.

[legzr1]

gizlaroc said:

You wouldn't really want it to as the effects are designed for a 5.1 layout, you would simply put the 4 speakers in a configuration for stereo in this scenario, much better.

Agreed but the OP mentions he has a 5.1 system, not 4 speakers.

Why not use the 5.1 speakers he already has and configure them correctly with an amp designed for 5.1?

There's a good chance of getting a very good 5.1 amp far cheaper than a multi-channel power amp too. Some have music settings that will send the full signal to all five speakers rather than just pseudo effects.

Just a thought.

[gizlaroc]

Because he says it is for a kitchen install and and for music only.

Are you going to get everyone to huddle round the sweet spot in front of the 'centre' channel when you have mates round for drinks?

Kitchen install is best set up a left and right based on where everyone is sat really.

[legzr1]

As I said, just a thought.

Personally I'd get an AV amp for £100 and set it to music/logic7/whatever the propriety name maybe rather than try to track down a four channel power amp at anywhere near the price.

I'll bow out now, you sound like you're getting a little arsey about it

[benz0]

legzr1 said:

As I said, just a thought.

Personally I'd get an AV amp for £100 and set it to music/logic7/whatever the propriety name maybe rather than try to track down a four channel power amp at anywhere near the price.

I'll bow out now, you sound like you're getting a little arsey about it

pseudo surround, whenever I have heard it, sounds crap.

he could probably even just get a 2 channel power amp and wire them up in series. even cheaper and simpler. providing that it will support the impedance load (which would be 4ohm in this case I believe). Get one that will run happily at 2ohm, jobs a goodun. sell the 5th speaker.

[gizlaroc]

legzr1 said:

As I said, just a thought.

Personally I'd get an AV amp for £100 and set it to music/logic7/whatever the propriety name maybe rather than try to track down a four channel power amp at anywhere near the price.

I'll bow out now, you sound like you're getting a little arsey about it

Haha, I'm not getting arsey, just think for the job needed it is not a good idea at all.


The problem with a 5 channel amp is the rear/side channels will to be frequency limited, so you will have two, or maybe 3 speakers if you use the centre channel but that will be mono, that are full range and sound good and the others will sound really weird, which is not what you want when you are trying to fill something like a kitchen with sound.

Nice thing about a power amp is you plug it in, turn it on and.....that's it.
It can be hidden away, if it trips out nothing to set when it turns back on etc.
They are just easy.


A 2 channel power amp would be fine, 4 channel better, loads of PA type ones for £100.

You can wire two of those speakers onto one channel, a PA amp will be fine with that.

Edited by gizlaroc on Thursday 9th November 10:47

[legzr1]

I think you two are confusing what I'm saying

I'm NOT talking about prologic from decades ago which matrices from the stereo feed and feeds band limited mono signals to rear effects speakers - I'm talking about the myriad of sound settings on recent AV amps that do a good job in creating a convincing sound from 5.1 with stereo.
I've got a Denon here retailed at £1000, now worth about £100 with multi XT auto EQ and you can select (for e.g.) 3.0 or 4.1 and feed it a stereo signal and it does a convincing job. There are similar amps that do the same thing for around £80.

It's a kitchen so I think don't critical listening comes into it so I've probably wasted too much time already but splicing speakers looks a bodge too far especially for an amp that will be hidden away in a hot room. Although it could work I suppose.

OP, balls with it - get rid of the CA speakers and get a stereo amp and a pair of slim floorstanders and be done with it

Use what you get from the sale of the 5.1 and seek out a nice little NAD or Rotel and a pair of AE109s and enjoy.

There you go, a PH reply...


Edited to add:
Start of a beautiful thing...
https://www.avforums.com/threads/cambridge-audio-m...

Edited by legzr1 on Thursday 9th November 12:47

[AnotherGuy]

I have to admit its been quite amusing following the replies. I genuinely appreciate the suggestions.

I explored the possibility of using a multi-channel stereo amp and (as I'm doing this to a mean budget) they are just too expensive - and by this I mean > £100 second hand. So I'm going to use something like a Yamaha rx-v471 which seems well regarded for straight music and is ~£100 on eBay. It is, as has been pointed out, a kitchen - I'm not expecting hi-resolution sound reproduction - rather a bit of musicality and some thumping bass

Rest assured that the pure stereo listening will be done on my SystemDek with Linn arm and cartridge via my Quad stack (304, 306 and FM4) feeding the Quad 21L's.

[legzr1]

AnotherGuy said:

I have to admit its been quite amusing following the replies. I genuinely appreciate the suggestions.

I explored the possibility of using a multi-channel stereo amp and (as I'm doing this to a mean budget) they are just too expensive - and by this I mean > £100 second hand. So I'm going to use something like a Yamaha rx-v471 which seems well regarded for straight music and is ~£100 on eBay. It is, as has been pointed out, a kitchen - I'm not expecting hi-resolution sound reproduction - rather a bit of musicality and some thumping bass

Rest assured that the pure stereo listening will be done on my SystemDek with Linn arm and cartridge via my Quad stack (304, 306 and FM4) feeding the Quad 21L's.

What you gonna do when the Yam outperforms the quads?



Seriously though, give some thought to the idea of small floorstanders + sub.

[gizlaroc]

legzr1 said:

What you gonna do when the Yam outperforms the quads?

Have to say, still love the Quad amps.

I have 2 of them in the house still, 405's, but they are great.


This is what I use for the ceiling speakers I have...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Linn-Knekt-Room-Amp-Pow...

Loads on eBay from £40.

[legzr1]

gizlaroc said:

Have to say, still love the Quad amps.

I have 2 of them in the house still, 405's, but they are great.


This is what I use for the ceiling speakers I have...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Linn-Knekt-Room-Amp-Pow...

Loads on eBay from £40.

Yeah, read some of your posts 'elsewhere' and suspected my commented might get a rise from you

Haven't heard quad for years (909 current dumping amp at a dealers years ago) but they always sounded nice, if a little 'safe'.

[gizlaroc]

legzr1 said:

Yeah, read some of your posts 'elsewhere' and suspected my commented might get a rise from you

Haven't heard quad for years (909 current dumping amp at a dealers years ago) but they always sounded nice, if a little 'safe'.

Yeah they are pretty smooth, which is what I like.

But then so is the Yamaha stuff, their AV amps have always been on the fuller, smoother side of things compared to say Denon or Pioneer.

Friend bought the Yamaha 3070 fairly recently, he runs that with Dunlavy speakers all round, which are completely neutral and very revealing and have to say it sounds very nice with music. If anything it is a little wooly in the midrange, but that is sort of what I like, I was impressed, you could listen to it all night no problem.