-=> Quoting Steve Mccoin to John Allen <=-
 SM> To start with I am going to use my existing Onkyo 727 but I have
 SM> been considering using it more as the preamp and buy a power amp.
 SM>  I am seriously considering the Legacy MultiChannel amp.  I can
        Have you considered Bob Carver's new multi-channel Sunfire or
Carver Corp's 5 channel or 6 channel THX models?  For all the
gibberish about "different" sounding amps, I always have to ask
myself, do I need "different" as such?  I think I need "better" before
I spend more money.  Legacy's products sound like they're very good
quality, but I think there are better buys for the same money. 
 SM> passive subwoofer, I could reconfigure the Legacy to drive the
 SM> front speakers and the center channel.  The Legacy amp just seems
 SM> so darn versatile.  Beside its versatility, the price is almost
        It's not the only versatile multi-channel amp out there.  The
Carver 6 channel amp has similar power specs and two extra channels,
which can be combined for even more power.  I'm not sure about the
number of channels of the Sunfire Multi-channel amp, but each channel
doubles in power starting at 150W into 8 ohms (300 into 4, 600 into 2,
etc) and is similarly priced to the Legacy, I believe.
        My main channel amp is a 350 watt/channel Carver THX model and
it sounds very neutral.  Legacy's 2 channel amp does have some
impressive peak power ratings, but it SHOULD at almost $1000 more.  I
could buy the state-of-the-art Sunfire for its price tag. (I realize
I'm now talking 2-channel amps, but that's what I'm personally using
at the moment.  I read a great review of the Carver 6-channel THX amp
by a former Stereophile reviewer in a Home Theater magazine, so I'm
assuming it sounds as neutral.)  In the end, of course, let your ears
decide.  Although since Legacy sells factory direct, that may not be
easy to do.
 SM> What is your opinion on biwiring the speakers?  If I purchased
 SM> the Legacy multichannel, I could actually biwire the speakers
 SM> from just that power amp and let the Onkyo carry the center and
 SM> the rear speakers? 
        Do you mean bi-wire or bi-amp?  It's sounds like you're
talking about bi-amping (more than one amp channel per speaker)
whereas bi-wiring is just running a 2nd set of wires from the same amp
channels (e.g. 2 sets of stereo wires with one stereo amp).  Bi-amping
can very well have an effect because it changes the load each amp will
have to deal with.  Bi-wiring, on the other hand, will have no effect
what-so-ever beyond lowering the gauge of the wire as seen by the amp
if you're comparing two wires of the same size as one wire in single
amping.  You can get the exact same effect by simply using a heavier
gauge single wire.  Anyone telling you otherwise is probably not in the
electronics field, as I am, and are therefore more prone to believing
tweaky ideas that aren't based on any kind of science known to man. 
        The only time bi-wiring might be useful is in the case of the
Sunfire amp if you wish to use the separate current and power inputs
of the same amplifier or if you want to use different brand cables
for different drivers to purposely color the sound, such as high
capacitance cable to roll off the response of a tweeter a bit.
Otherwise, there's no electrical difference between using single
wiring with a low gage and bi-wiring with two medium gages that
together provide the same equivalent path.
 * AmyBW v2.14 *
... Don't go near the water, if you can't swim the tide!  -Wild Cherry
--- FLAME v1.1
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