Don’t waste your money.

Why bi-amp? You don't even have an external crossover unit to make bi-amp a noticeable difference.

No comment on the Kenwood amp, but the Adcom GFA-6000 and Emotiva BasX A300 has a more capable amp section than the A3040. Both can handle 4ohm loads at high volumes with relative ease. I have an A500 which in comparison to my A3060, does handle transient loads more linearly and does sound cleaner overall.
The receiver will get pretty darn hot when running at near reference volumes, especially since I crossover at 60hz. Is there an objective "sound quality" difference though? No, lol. That said, my A500 is relegated to powering my height speakers only as my main LCRs are powered by a Parasound A51.

Honestly, if you are looking at entry-level external amps - you should just be getting them for the sole purpose of adding more speakers. The latter of which it seems like you are planning to do, so I guess that's a legitimate purchase.

On another note, is it possible for you to look at a second subwoofer option? Because that's the single most significant upgrade you can add to your system instead of all these external amp addition.

The bi-amping is purely for experimenting, to satisfy one's curiosity, something that presented itself in the process of expanding, and it's fun.

The main goal is to give more power to my fronts, free some power for my A3040 and to add a rear-height.

The second zone have always been a requirement and I have actually tried it but because my RIP RX-v679 didn't have EQ for 2Zone it sounded really bad for my speakers. So with this it may as well put the option back on the table.

On the subwoofer, I'm still trying to integrate it well into my room. It has several issues right now that I'm trying to fine tune
- booming, not so much a problem at the listening position but in other rooms in the house. Really loud and annoying. REW seems to be able to fix that, but I'm still trying.
- rattling fixtures at high volume, e.g. windows panel, plaster ceiling, etc.

I'm trying to EQ it with REW manually since the A3040 have limited adjustment bands, frequency range and steps. Requires a lot of iterative adjustments - slowly I hope I'll get it right. I find myself crossing over at 60hz too after REW instead of the usual 80hz.

I found that there is a huge dip in the 60hz region for the sub. As I'm not using UMIK but an SPL meter for this, I'm not sure how accurate it is. I'm in the process of getting a UMIK anyway.

Location wise, can't do much - it's the front right corner of the room facing back or left into the room. with a couple of inch of movement.

I have the option but prefer not to put it at the back of the room as it might invite unwanted attention from The HM. Also it will expose it to all kinds of hazard in plain open space.

Is the price for the Adcom reasonable?

Hi guy. I have a RX-A3040 and currently running in 7.2.1 setup.

I'm want to add an external amp for my front to
- off load my front from the AVR
- experiment with bi-amping my front
- do a 7.4.1 setup
- second zone.

To do this I'll need at least a 4 channel amp. I'm considering the used market to keep the cost down.

My plan is to first run my front on the external amp. This will allow me to do 7.4.1 setup. I'll see if there is an overall improvement in system performance in 7.2.1 setup. After that I'll experiment with bi-amping. If there is improvement then I'll leave it at that and the second zone might be served by BT3 later or when the front amp/speakers is upgraded. I can also NOT do bi-amp and use the extra channel for second zone if the need arise.

To sum the possible layout:
- external bi-amp front
- 7.4.1 setup
- 2nd zone later (BT3 maybe or when upgrade front speaker/amp)

or

- external amp front
- 7.4.1 setup
- external amp second zone

Most amp out there (I know of and within reach) will only do 2 channel, while they do A+B most are not bi-amp but bi-wire. I say this because if using A only min. 4 ohm, but A+B is min. 8ohm. And all my speakers are 6 ohm.

After looking around I have 2 possible options:
A pair of Kenwood KM-X1000 listed at RM2500
or
ADCOM GFA-6000 + GTP-600 listed at RM1588
or
Emotiva BasX-A300 (but where's the fun in experimenting?)

My question is will these amps allow me to do the above?
Are they at least as powerful and as clean as my RX-A3040?

With the KM-X1000 I should have enough power. Being separate amps, I have better redundacy if one goes down.

With the GFA-6000 I'm thinking to drive my HF using the 2 rear 60w(8ohm)-100w(4ohm) channel and the LF using the 2x100w(8ohm)-150w(4ohm) front channels.
As a bonus I could even drive my center using the 3rd front channel.
The pre-amp will probably be useful when I setup second zone.

[attachmentid=9409212][attachmentid=9409213][attachmentid=9409214]

My speakers are as below:
Front Yamaha NS-F160, Nominal/Max 50W/300W, 30Hz-36kHZ (-10dB), 87dB/2.83V/1m
Center Yamaha NS-C160, Nominal/Max 30W/80W, 60Hz-38kHZ (-10dB), 86dB/2.83V/1m
Front Height Yamaha NS-B160, Nominal/Max 30W/80W, 60Hz-38kHZ (-10dB), 82dB/2.83V/1m
Surround Back, Yamaha NS-B330, Nominal/Max 40W/120W, 55Hz-45kHZ (-10dB), 87dB/2.83V/1m
Surround Side, ELAC Debut B6, Nominal/Max ?W/120W, 44Hz-20kHZ (?dB), 87dB/2.83V/1m

Not going to stop your experimentation if that's what makes you sate your curiosity.

I think the price for the Adcom amps are okay assuming they are still in decent condition. Check first. Otherwise, I do quite like the Emotiva BasX amps - they are more expensive than they used to be in their UPA variant, but you know in Malaysia you don't have endless choices.

As for the sub, let me understand this - you are measuring with REW, but how are you applying the EQ? YPAO Manual? IIRC, A3040 only has bands down to 30hz and that's not good enough.

if you plan to do 7.1.4 channel (4ch Atmos), your amp will not be able to handle zone 2 or zone 3 anymore even with external power amp. my initial plan was to do the same thing with my RX-a3060 but it was not able to do it as the processor is only able to handle 11 channel maximum. I wrote to Yamaha to verify this as well.

if you wish to spend money on an external power amp, just go with a 2 channel power amp (9+2 channel) with anything below 150W. Bi-Amp would not make much of a difference in your system as the limiting factor is your front speaker. Just get a simple 2 channel power amp to run 11 channel and save the money to upgrade your speaker instead. in terms of sound quality, i would rate your Elac Debut B6 above the NS-F160.

I used REW to measure then have it calculate the filters. As it won't match exactly, I choose as close as possible. Then I measure again and the results are pretty good. I can tell it is getting better as with each iteration the suggested correction filters are less.

Knowing what are my problem frequency, I can also set my own filter in REW according to what YPAO Manual can support and have REW estimate the outcome. I can then apply the filters on YPAO and check the results. It's time consuming.

YPAO correction is extremely limited, but I work with what I have and go from there. I'm thinking of investing in UMIK now that I know I can do the correction. I'll consider more professional EQ if the need arrises or when I have the budget.

I used REW to measure then have it calculate the filters. As it won't match exactly, I choose as close as possible. Then I measure again and the results are pretty good. I can tell it is getting better as with each iteration the suggested correction filters are less.

Knowing what are my problem frequency, I can also set my own filter in REW according to what YPAO Manual can support and have REW estimate the outcome. I can then apply the filters on YPAO and check the results. It's time consuming.

YPAO correction is extremely limited, but I work with what I have and go from there. I'm thinking of investing in UMIK now that I know I can do the correction. I'll consider more professional EQ if the need arrises or when I have the budget.

there's a lot to just a cabling question....whether a branded will be better than an OEM.....short answer....not necessary

understanding basic fundamentals regarding cable cores, cable materials and some electrical and electronics will come in handy

some people believe cables won't make a difference....some believe it does....

it all starts with your very home power cabling....

from the fuse to the wall socket.....if you are running a single 2.5mm cable from ur fuse to your wall socket which shares among maybe 4 to 5 equipment...
if you think a Richard Gray or Quantum Resonant can help you fix your power issue......then the way off applying is wrong....

to begin with proper cabling...it would be advisable to multiple fuses and multiple power lines going from your fuse to your equipment....
esp the power amps and subwoofer should have its own dedicated powerlines.....
why??

bcoz generally in MY....when electrician lay consealed cables, they will use the normal Mega/Fajar/Jaya 7 strand copper cables....so unless you specify to use a 75strand or 105 strand copper.....

what's the difference? basically speed of electrons travelling over the surface of conductor....this is something perhaps read in E&E.....also....current flows to wherever that has a lower impedance....

in short.....if you are using a common wall socket that you are not sure connected so whatever other house hold items....a few hundred or few K power cord....will not do any good....bcoz the setup is not optimized nor able to show any benefits of the cable
cabling material....you can read about the various types of coppers.....why some use upocc...some use HPOFC...

termination......well...yes and no.....let's talk about wall socket first....is there a difference between brand A....brand B and normal house hold???
Yes....in terms of the built quality, material and EMI rejection
If you have a EMI tester pen (you can get from Mr.DIY cheap cheap)....those are what electrician use to search for power cable...esp in-wall power cable

you can try it on different brand metal wall socket plate....be it Sine, Furutech and so on...so far Furutech is the only 1 I have tested with an EMI pen where the plate is able to remove the EMI...how did they do it?? I have not answer.....the closest possible answer I have is the grounding
why is this factor important?? I have tried over and over switching between brands... and material....the removal of this EMI at the socket creates a proper clean background and very low floor noise...

second factor is the internal connecters esp if you use US wall sockets.....the copper strips between the top and bottom plug have high impedance....again....Furutech and Wattgate have better quality parts

I have perhaps 4 types of wall socket in my audio room....do they sound different...they do...in an 'analog' system...in a digital system like AVR or for HT....the difference is there but not so apparent....
some even call me 'sinkalan'....you don't try...u won't know.....

termination heads....does it make a difference...well if you use basic household brands like MK or Schneider....dont invest in stuffs like Furutech or Wattgate or watever other brand...

interconnects....honestly...if your source is not any top notch or ain't analog.....again...don't waste your money
your sound is only as good as your source....dumping few K on cable hoping to hear magic??
but if you are running something like DCS....or Audio Research Reference....or something highend...yes....it will make a difference

again....the higher end the gear....the more quality and resolution it brings on the output...therefore every bottleneck needs to be checked....

but if you are talking about Oppo to a good projector like JVC....will a 20k HDMI make a difference???
nope.....digital signal is more of meeting the compliance spec....I rather spend on the screen and projector calibration

analog interconnects....for HT....does it make a difference....yes but not significant between say a Gotham vs a Transparent Ultra

so in short...my point here is that....cables should be your last of the worries for now
if you have some budget and thinking of getting your equipment sound even better.....focus on your incoming power

when I first did my audio room...the first thing i invested was a 3 phase power for my house..
with 1 phase dedicated for my audioroom....
second...i invested in good quality fuses like Hager....invested in installing a separate earthing rod
3rd....proper 4mm cabling for the room

the second is equipment and speaker placement.....more than often...unchecked resonance kills your sound...
we have alot 'in-house' experts who can tell you all about it

end of day.....this is a long journey.....happy playing and enjoy the movie or music...thats more important

Hi all, newbie here.
Recently bought a new set home theater, Yamaha brand.

like to get some advise here, hope any sifu here to give some guidance.
I have set up the system with my (TV Box and TV). its works well.

but i dono how to connect the sounds system with my (Smart TV), especially when i play Youtube on my smart TV. wondering which HDMI port i should connect from my Receiver to TV.

hope to get some help here. thanks..

Refer here https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/4290337

if you plan to do 7.1.4 channel (4ch Atmos), your amp will not be able to handle zone 2 or zone 3 anymore even with external power amp. my initial plan was to do the same thing with my RX-a3060 but it was not able to do it as the processor is only able to handle 11 channel maximum. I wrote to Yamaha to verify this as well.

if you wish to spend money on an external power amp, just go with a 2 channel power amp (9+2 channel) with anything below 150W. Bi-Amp would not make much of a difference in your system as the limiting factor is your front speaker. Just get a simple 2 channel power amp to run 11 channel and save the money to upgrade your speaker instead. in terms of sound quality, i would rate your Elac Debut B6 above the NS-F160.

I have been busy optimizing my system after adding an external amp, moving to 7.1.4 setup. I'm so glad that I got myself a multi-channel amp as this have opened up my setup and listening options greatly.

So with some time today I decided to visit my multi-zone options. Here's what I found out.



I have always wondered why there is a picture of a zone in the amp assign but without then speaker icon in it. If you try to read the manual, you might get confused as I did.

Basically what the setup page is saying for 9ch+FRONT is
- 9 channels is being driven by the amp
- C, SL, SR, SBL, SBR (5ch) driven by fixed amp channels (denoted by speakers without color outline)
- FPL, FPR, RPL, RPR (4ch) driven by assignable amp channels EXTRA SP1 and EXTRA SP2 (denoted by green and orange outline)
- +FRONT (2ch) is being driven by external amp (denoted by red outline)

So far so good. But what is the Zone2 picture doing there? No speakers? But why? That's because IT IS for the zone pre-outs. In this case it is for Zone2.



At the back panel, you'll see 2 pairs of RCA labeled ZONE OUT/PRE OUT, one pair for ZONE2/F.PRESENCE and the other ZONE3/R.PRESENCE.

Now when you have a power amp assign where the zone graphic(s) in the setup shows a zone WITHOUT speakers, this means that pre-out is active for its use.

This means I keep all the 11 speakers and 2 zone pre -outs connected (and their respective speakers) connected. I can use 11 main channels and 1 zone simultaneusly or choose Basic/7ch+FRONT+1ZONE assignment (sacrifice R.PRNS) and have 9 main channels and 2 zones simultaneusly. If you want ATMOS, Basic would be better since you'll lose SB instead of RP.

I hope with this understanding, it will be much easier to setup the amp compared to reading the freaking manual that forces you to jump all over several sections with cryptic footnotes to boot.

Nice but try to test it out. As i know, you can't use 11 channel output (7.1.4) and zone 2 simultaneously. if you are using 7.1.4 with R.P and S.P used up, the pre-out of Zone 2 will have the same sound as the F.P while Zone 3 will have the same sound as R.P.

if you change the configuration to 7ch+FRONT+1ZONE on the amp, you can enable zone 2 (pre-out) but from another forum, one of the member said that the FP speaker will also have sound.

Yes I have tested it and it works for me. . I'm using 9ch+FRONT. Zone2 by pre-out.

  ...your configuration is actually quite different from RX-A3060.

my amp does not have 9ch+front. it only allows Zone 2 if i use 7.1.2 but not in 7.1.4 mode.

anyway, the power amp assign system is quite confusing. according to their manual, i am only able to do external power amp for Front OR [FP + RP] only.

there is no configuration that allows me to use external power amp for all 7 channel and internal amp for FP + RP.

i gave up and didn't bother to set the power amp assignment. i just pre-out all 7ch and ran the YPAO. the YPAO settled all the channel assignment for me.