Hafler XL-280 Amplifier

[chente]

Hello technical mages.

I bought a new LD player today and the guy was also selling some other stuff. On a whim, I picked up a XL-280 amplifier because it looked like a good deal and is built like a tank. I know next to nothing about how or even if I can integrate it into my existing system.

My receiver is a Pioneer VSX-D812 and my front speakers are Polk RTi8's. According to my receiver manual, I can connect additional amplifiers from the preouts to the amplifier. I've heard that this is advantageous but to tell the truth I don't know why *sheepish grin*.

Anyway, I gave it a whirl and used a set of analog cables to connect the front speaker preouts from my receiver to the inputs of the amplifier and then disconnected the front L&R speakers from my receiver and connected them to the amplifier. I then fired everything up. I definitely got sound out of both front speakers but it sounded muted compared to the center and from how they usually sound when connected directly to the receiver.

Do I need to recalibrate my receiver somehow? Am I on the right track?

I would greatly appreciate any advice that some kind person can give me.

Checking ebay prices, I definitely got a good deal on it so if I can't integrate it into my system, I'll just flip it.

Thanks in advance!

[Brian Shannon]

Assuming the amp is working correctly, you would need to recalibrate everything.

[Spiky]

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family

[chente]

Originally Posted by Spiky

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family

Thanks. I happy to say that I already own this. I'm just trying to understand what is going on. I'm outputting sound from my receiver "pre-outs" to an amplifier that is sending sound to my speakers. Shouldn't it be louder, not muted?

I'm the first to admit that I'm pretty much a newbie. What is the advantage of using the amp in addition to the receiver? I'm assuming that I will get better performance out of my speakers when everything is calibrated correctly.

Thinking about this a little more, is the issue that I am bypassing the tweaks I made to the volume of each channel with my receiver by using the pre-outs?

[Brian Shannon]

Originally Posted by chente

Thanks. I happy to say that I already own this. I'm just trying to understand what is going on. I'm outputting sound from my receiver "pre-outs" to an amplifier that is sending sound to my speakers. Shouldn't it be louder, not muted?

Maybe. What is the wattage rating of the amp versus the receiver? What is quality of the amp? Class A, class A/B?

Originally Posted by chente

I'm the first to admit that I'm pretty much a newbie. What is the advantage of using the amp in addition to the receiver? I'm assuming that I will get better performance out of my speakers when everything is calibrated correctly.

In theory yes. Actual use may prove otherwise. The advantages of using a higher wattage amp vs. the receiver would allow you to drive larger less efficient speakers. I am not sure the Polk's would benefit from this.

Originally Posted by chente

Thinking about this a little more, is the issue that I am bypassing the tweaks I made to the volume of each channel with my receiver by using the pre-outs?

Possibly I don't know enough about your receiver to say.

[Spiky]

Originally Posted by chente

Thinking about this a little more, is the issue that I am bypassing the tweaks I made to the volume of each channel with my receiver by using the pre-outs?

I would think such settings would affect the preouts, as well. It ought to.

The difference is in the amps. If you can't find a level that works, even with the SPL meter, then you have a more serious issue. I would think the amp shouldn't be that out of whack that you couldn't set it up to match the volume of the receiver's amp channels.

[chente]

Originally Posted by Spiky

I would think such settings would affect the preouts, as well. It ought to.

The difference is in the amps. If you can't find a level that works, even with the SPL meter, then you have a more serious issue. I would think the amp shouldn't be that out of whack that you couldn't set it up to match the volume of the receiver's amp channels.

I'll try to recalibrate everything this weekend and report back.