In desperate need of 5.1 PC amplifier

[shizzzon 461]

I cannot find these ANYWHERE!!!

I own a Klipsch Promedia 5.1 surround sound pc system.

They are discontinued now and the BASH 500w amp on the back of the sub box is screwed up. IT only wants to play the subwoofer instead of the rest of the channels and apparently is a known issue from some results i've seen.

Well, i wanted to just replace the amp whether it be plate\the exact same amp plate or just a 5.1 surround pc amp period!

The problem is... they appear not to be sold on the market, correct?

How am i to go about getting an amp to power the speakers i have that still work?

I don't feel like sending the unit back, i just want to do it myself.

I even looked at other 5.1 surround setups and apparently, the Klipsch is the best out there because all other 5.1 setups don't even go below 32hz... which is complete nonsense why anyone would want a setup like that.

This setup i have drops to 25hz but i prefer it to go lower if i could build the setup myself...

Is it possible to build a 5.1 pc system? I already have the satellites, all i would have to do is build my own sub box with the drivers i would want and an AMP!!!

Anyone know anything about this and can fill me in?

[JimJ 11]

which is complete nonsense why anyone would want a setup like that.

Not really. Anyone that really wants serious performance is going to go with seperate speakers and a subwoofer anyway

How serious are you about this? You could either get a cheap 5.1 receiver and leave the sub running off the low level output and the plate amp...or you could get a seperate five channel power amplifier that'd be ready if you wanted to upgrade the speakers in the future.

[shizzzon 461]

so that's my only choice then? an actual home audio receiver?

I didn't wanna go that route since they have so many features, i figured a lot of my money was goin to 45 sets of rca jacks in the rear instead of performance.

[dem beats 1,223]

so that's my only choice then? an actual home audio receiver?

I didn't wanna go that route since they have so many features, i figured a lot of my money was goin to 45 sets of rca jacks in the rear instead of performance.

I'm not sure what you mean. A cheep 5.1 can be found for 50 bucks online somewhere. As for RCA's why would you need RCA's?

only from the receiver to the sub.

[vladd 26]

I took it to mean that with a receiver you're paying more for the flexibility of switching components (9million rca jacks on the back of the receiver) not for flexibility of tuning or performance.

[shizzzon 461]

I don't need an amp just for the sub, I neeed an amp for all my satellites too.

This is a pc surround sound setup. Bash makes the amp for this klipsch setup but I can't find the bash amp plate anywhere.

So I figured some other companies may sell these plates to markets for anyone to buy.

I've owned home receivers before but am unfamiliar on how I should shop for them for this purpose.

I need a full 5.1 surround amp because I have a 5.1 sound card.

I run 3 sets of cabled out of the card to an amp via rcas if I gotta go home audio receiver.

I've seen some amps go for only 100 dollars at circuit city but I'm sure the power ratings are overrated.

That's what I'm talkin about too.

Do home audio reciever companies overrate their amps like some car audio companies do?

[chad.SQ 0]

Umm, I'm not sure but is this something like what you are looking for?

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cf...tnumber=300-752

[JimJ 11]

You can get a plain multichannel amp with absolutely no features other than being a power amp, but chances are you'll be spending hundreds more for one than what you can pick up a mass-market, mid-fi surround receiver for. Of course, the quality level will be orders of magnitude higher, as well

The multichannel amp section on Audiogon would be the place I'd look for one...

[shizzzon 461]

ok been doin some research here tell me what u think-

Circuit City sells a 5.1 Onkyo that i can use for my existing satellites that i have.

The only thing left is the powered subwoofer section and i want to build it myself.

So, this is what i've been lookin at-

Dayton Audio products.

I was on PartsExpress looking for a ProSound 2 channel amp and they seem a little pricey so i figured i'd stay in between the 200-600wrms range.

On PartsExpress, the amp that they sell, it appears that Crown seems to be a pretty decent choice but since all of these amps are not class d amps, their efficiency is pathetic.

Am i still going to get good output for the money?

I noticed one amp said it would pull just over 900w of power but only output about 330w...

Onto the sub choices-

The current setup i have is 2 8s with max amp output power of 170w.

The Dayton's i'm looking at are 15s or 18s rated 100-300wrms.

They have good sensitivity and response down to 20hz with Fs down in the low 20s as well so they should be a great choice for movies.

Since i've never built a sub enclosure for home audio movie use, how low should i tune the box too? I figure below 30hz for movies but don't know how low.

Am i still suppose to follow the 12-16sq in of port per cube rule even with low powered amps?

[JimJ 11]

Am i still going to get good output for the money?

Yes.

I would probably run sealed, in all honesty...very deep extension, and usable for music as well

[shizzzon 461]

Well, i was thinkin about that, being used for music and thats the thing.

I won't really be using this for "loud session" musical entertainment.

Whenever i'd listen to music before, it'd be at low levels.

I understand that if i were to go ported that i would have to make sure to have a capable subsonic filter and tuning in the 20s or teens would cause a roll off above tuning which wouldnt be as effective for music but that's fine for me because i don't do a lot of music listening like i would compared to watching television with it.

I have my car for music, i need something entertaining at home that i cant do in the car the way i can at home.

So, with that sight in mind, you think building ported would then be beneficial, correct?

I was doin some more lookin and this is what i'm eyeballin-

http://www.mach5audio.com/zen/index.php?ma...products_id=181

IT's the IXL-18 from Mach 5 Audio

They recommend it to be suited for home theatre apps and say to run it either in 7 cubes sealed or 12.8 cubes ported tuned around 15hz.

Now, i'm lookin for more than just inaudible output so i dont know if 15hz is too low but again, i've never done thie before so i dont know.

Also, i found an amp i'm interested in.

It'a a 1000w Dayton Monoblock. Reviews say it doesnt seem to do the full 1000w but def a good amp for about 400w of output. For a box size that large, i'm sure it's 1kw power rating will be limited quite a bit.

[///M5 2,833]

If you port, 15hz or so is great for movies and will play music fine but if its focus is music you could tune higher for more output. Although I will add with that much juice on tap you probably won't be lacking in output.

[chad.SQ 0]

Also, i found an amp i'm interested in.

It'a a 1000w Dayton Monoblock. Reviews say it doesnt seem to do the full 1000w but def a good amp for about 400w of output. For a box size that large, i'm sure it's 1kw power rating will be limited quite a bit.

I have read the same thing. Even with Dayton's rack mount version of that amp....

I think sundown should go into home audio and make an amp with a TRUE 1000 watt rating. I would buy it in a heartbeat...

[shizzzon 461]

Thanks, ///M5.

Well, it's not just Dayton, most to all amps i've seen are like that because of their class design i guess.

They lose so much output from heat.

[JimJ 11]

They lose so much output from heat.

I wouldn't phrase it like that, besides, low efficiency by itself is not a bad thing

I think sundown should go into home audio and make an amp with a TRUE 1000 watt rating. I would buy it in a heartbeat...

Crown & QSC already do

[shizzzon 461]

R U referring to the XTI1000 from Crown?

I was reading that amp was terrible for home audio.

Hissing inside the case and output was no where near rated output and sound quality was poor as well but i dont know how one actually judges sound quality in the low end range only.

[JimJ 11]

I wasn't referring to any one specific model from Crown...they may have a stinker or two in their product lineup, but their higher-end stuff is quite nice

[shizzzon 461]

Well, then maybe you can help me find an amp then,

I'm lookin for an amp that can do about 1,000w @4ohms.

They have several, and i mean several lines of amps on their site but i dont know what's what.

[shizzzon 461]

Ok, i'm lookin at the CDI 1000 and DSI 1000...

The CDI retails for $1013 and the DSI retails for $883.

What the heck is the difference between them?

I can get each one of those amps for about $400 off retail so i'm wondering what the difference is between the 2, they both have the same specs as far as i can see.