Update - Issue with power amplifier
As soon as i got the power amplifier, and tired of waiting for electrician (who have gotten busy with real estate brokerage), i plugged it to 5A socket.. Manually switched on the power amp, it did come to standby mode (blue light blinking), the active channels (whichever were connected to pre-amp) indicator too was glowing, but no sound on speakers.. Per the manual, the power amp was designed to come to active mode thru a 12V trigger function from Sonodyne pre-amp.. Denon x 3300 was capable of 150 mA thru 12V trigger output, and probably Sonodyne power amplifier needed it more, or i don't know exactly what the issue is, it couldn't bring it on, simply refused to come to "Active mode", where blue LED stays steady..
Disappointed -
Yes, Disheartened -
Nope.. I knew this was some small niggle that needs to be corrected..
Next steps? - Quickly updated the dealer (Volumate) with a video of the issue, and he in turn forwarded it to distributor (A V Xplore) and Sonodyne technical team..
Resolution? -
Replacement - Sonodyne disabled the feature of active mode of the power amplifier thru trigger inputs and shipped the replacement unit very quickly and the dealer delivered the replacement at my doorstep around 8.15AM.. (I stay 45 kms away from the city).. Pretty good job by dealer (Volumate) & Sonodyne to fix the issue..Very happy that it was done in no time.. The dealer has to be appreciated to have done this swiftly.. Kudos to him..
How was the replaced power amp? - Good.. As soon as i switched on the power amp, it came to standby mode.. Quickly playing some movie content, bough it to active mode (steady LED glow) and it worked without any issues..
Any hum noise from speakers? - Nope
Re-calibrate? - Nope didn't do it, was lazy to do that also it needed a quieter ambience. Also wasn't sure if re-calibration was required.. Because speaker position and the listening position didn't / doesn't change.. Just used the untouched speaker levels saved from previous calibration..
Room size - 14 (W) x 11 (L) x 9.7 (H) ft, approx 1,500 cuft room..
Farthermost speaker from my listening position? - Fronts.. L-C-R all the 3 speakers are approx 10.5 ft from my listening position..
Connectivity - Nothing more than MX cables..
How many channels were connected to power-amp ? - 5 of them.. L-C-R-SL-SR. Top middle speakers were powered by Denon AVR..
Below text from Audioholics on Denon x 3300 pre-amp capability -
Denon AVR-X3300W Preamplifier Measurements
One thing I really love about Denon receivers is they NEVER skimp on their preamp out circuits. Like past models, the AVR-X3300W had an ample amount of drive. I measured a whopping 4.5Vrms unclipped output, which is more than double the voltage needed to make virtually any amplifier reach full rated power.
How does / did it sound ? - Very good IMO.. My speakers (Taga Platinum LCR 60 SL, 6 Ohms) seem to benefit from external power amplifier.. Better than what my Denon x 3300 used to power them.. Played some lossless-BR Rips as well as multichannel streaming content with prime, and was convinced of the blind buy..
Does it have enough oomph for speakers? - Very much.. At close to -10dB volume on AVR, the power amp did enough justice in my room..
Significant upgrade? - I can't say for sure, but
Worthy uprgade? - Defnetly yes..
Any glitches? - The power amp takes a split second more to become active when you play the content..I have shared the feedback with the dealer, who in turn have shared it with Sonodyne.. Hopefully it is fixed sooner.. It isn't a big deal for me, i can live with it..
So all good now, what next? - Ordered the 2nd power amp from Sonodyne..
Why two power amps when one can do? - Not greedy to have more power/ channel or more channels.. The flexibility of having more external channels of amplification, will allow me to consider a pre-amp or a processor in my next upgrade..
External amplifier / amplification done? Yes - When i get the second power amplifier, i would have 16 channels, more than sufficient (or) more than the possible speaker layout capable in my room.. Have had few AVR's for a long time and the desire to own a flagship processor (or) capable pre-amp is defnetly there..
For now, i would be using identical power amplifiers in a mini Pre-pro kind of set-up (5.4.2)..
1st power amp to power the fronts L - C - R
2nd power amp to power surrounds and a pair of heights - Surr & heights..
AVR - Will not power any speakers, just function as pre-amp..
Re-calibrate now? Yes - Will re-calibrate now after adding two power amps.. I have noted down the speaker levels, will check for speaker levels post calibration for any difference and update here..
Eagerly awaiting delivery of 2nd power amp.. Will share once i hook it up with AVR and do a final calibration..