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In Reply to: More to life than just speakers?Onkyo vs a power amp.. posted by shoe on August 27, 2002 at 11:35:29:
Your receiver is actually an amalgam of several different components - preamp, amp, tuner, and probably phono pre-amp. Onkyo necessarily made compromises in build quality as compared to separates, to offer it at a reasonable price. Also, the close physical proximity of the different circuits can have a detrimental effect.So you can look at separates as more of a "no-compromise" approach. It is also more versatile. If you like the pre-amp and amp sections of your receiver, but the tuner sucks (not saying it does), what can you do about it?
Having said that, the quality line between integrated amps (pre-amp and amp combined) and separates is becoming more and more indistinct. And, you can get power amps with volume controls, so if you only have one source, like a C.D., you can plug directly in to the amp.
To get an appreciable improvement in quality over a good receiver (which it sounds like you have) I would definitely recommend at least an integrated amp and separate tuner. If I was putting together a "best of the best" system, I would go separate amp & pre-amp. As to costs, you can get integrated amps starting around $300 from Cambridge Audio or NAD, and of course, you can go up to "the sky's the limit". A big factor is going to be what mates well with your speakers and source. Keep your receiver at least at first, to make comparisons. Don't spend any money on something that doesn't offer an improvement.
One more thing - remember that if you go separate amp & preamp, that you'll need to get an interconnect that will let that combo shine.
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Follow Ups
- One way to look at it... - mvwine 12:21:44 08/27/02 (2)
- Re: One way to look at it... - shoe 12:46:56 08/27/02 (1)
- A small can of worms - mvwine 13:05:53 08/27/02 (0)
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