Do I need a Receiver or Amplifier?

[vicar]

Currently have a Creative Fidelity XFi sound card in my rig and a pair of Dali Lektor 1 speakers.
Question do i need just an amp, receiver or both to make the system work. I am thinking of getting either the Onkyo TX-SR505 or Cambridge Audio 340A(amplifier) or both.

Any advice appreciated. I intend to add more speakers in future to use a an hi and dvd set.
Many thanks.

[Funkstar]

If you need it to do surround decoding, then that's a receiver.

If it is just taking the audio signal from RCA or balanced outputs, that's an amp.

Receivers have amplifiers in them, usually quite beefy ones, but not necessarily the most musical ones. You can easily have a reciever doing the decoding and any processing you want, then output to some nice beefy power amps. But thats probably going a little ott

Hope that helps

[vicar]

Thanks for the info, it helped a lot. i would just stick to the receiver for now and later on get an amp. Do you think the Onkyo is good?

[dave87]

Onkyo is a good piece of kit - quite a few over on AVForums have been converted to them.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think the 505 has been replaced by the 506 now, something you might want to check...

[vicar]

thanks will look into it.

[99Flake]

If you just have the pair of speakers grab a stereo amp as you won't be using the surround sound of the receiver and that will give you better sound for the same money.

If you are planning on upgrading to more speakers later get a receiver though.

What is you budget? The 340A is a great amp but if you can stretch to it the 640A will blow it and most amps about twice the price out of the water.

[vicar]

£300 is my budget. Just changed my plans around will leave my dali speakers where they are and will buy either the Onkyo Trx SR506 or Yahama DSP-AX763 Receiver.

It is going to be used with this 5.1 Jamo A102HCS5 speakers.

http://www.webelectricals.co.uk/eSto...CB70A7F517F%7D

I am leaning towards the Yahama, and in future would get an amp. What do you think?

[menthel]

Originally Posted by dave87

Onkyo is a good piece of kit - quite a few over on AVForums have been converted to them.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think the 505 has been replaced by the 506 now, something you might want to check...

The bonus is you can fry eggs on top of them too!