I need help in selecting a pre amp. PLEASE

Hi Bob,
50 bucks? I thought i would have to spend at least 500. I am still very confused. All i know is that my onkyo reciever is underpowered and i am looking to increase its power so i can jam out to all of my speakers and subs. I thought a pre amp was the way to go. The problem is that there is so much information out there i was hoping that someone with more experience could help me narrow it down.

The pre-amp is to boost the usual vinyl player to get it over to the receiver. The key part of the word pre-amp is the "pre." As in we are boosting the signal to the amp. Not boosting the amp's output.

If I read http://www.onkyousa.com/Products/model.php?m=TX-NR709&class=Receiver correctly you have some 100 Watts per speaker. I can't imagine this is not powerful enough unless you are trying to fill a stadium with sound.
Bob

but the power is not equally distributed to all speakers. I figure i get more power then i wont have to turn it up so much. Intead of playing it on leve 7 i could play it on 3 with fuller sound. I sold get distortion at higher volumes. I think i am spreading the power out to much over to many speakers but i have the hook ups so i am using them. Maybe i need an amplifier? is that maybe what i need? Maybe i dont need a pre amp. I just want fuller sound and i want it to reach all speakers. Since there are so many i am losing some of the power just based on how long some of my monster cables are to some of the speakers. Some are as far as 30 feet from power source. This to is another reason i am thinking i need more power. I have the speakers spread out all around and behind me. Bob, do i just need an amplifier do you think?

I glanced at the manual and found extensive instructions on setup of the balance. My bet is it needs tuning.
Bob

Bob's comments and mine are similar. Most folks with a properly configured newer AV receiver and surround kit aren't very dissatisfied with the audio output, especially volume. But you fail to mention specifically which speakers/sub you have paired with your Onkyo(?) Also, which specific speaker setup did you use intially, and what is the speaker output setting now?

If you desire the level '3' to be 'full' (as in 'room shaking'), you really would benefit from returning the networked Onkyo receiver and purchasing higher quality separates (pre-amp & amp). For better overall sound quality, more improvement is usually gained by focusing (=spending more money) on the speakers, where the electrical energy is converted to mechanical. Luckily, used audio shops can really provide extraordinary bargains if you are looking for separates vs brand new. Look around in your city for such opportunities, since they do exist.

I thank you both. It sounds like i need to tune it properly. I am using fluance speakers i ordreed online. i have 5 orginal and added to "rear" speakers. Plus i have to floor subwoofers which are in a box and look very high tech. Anyway, from everything you guys told me i am going to head back to the manual and maybe some onkyo forums and see about tuning. I was totally under the impression that you could add "power" to this reciever I think that i was confused though. From what you said it sounds like i would have had to purchase a different set up with a pre amp and amp. Overall, i am happy with it regardless. I hope i have some success in tuning it better. The manual is confusing. Lets face it i just not very knowledgeable and need to do some homework it seems.

And yes, it can be confounding at first. Without that setup it's going to be unbalanced with the usual collection of speakers.

There are folk that do nothing but home theater tuneups, color correction and more.
Bob

Is this a home theater setup? If it is, then how big a home theater are we talking about? "5 original speakers", what are they?

are fluance. I got five originally and they were marketed as being for a home theater. Its the av htb series.Here is the link... http://fluance.com/product/AVHTB_Surround_Sound_Home_Theater_5_Speaker_System.eng-97.html. Then i added two "rear" fluent speakers. The reason i did this is because on the back of the onkyo reciever it has the extra inputs marked off for them. SO,i said hey man i can add more speakers since it is desiged for them and i did so. But when i was listening to them i put my ear up to the new rear speakers and i could barely hear them. I thought "what a waste." This is not what i paid for. I felt like i got ripped off. The only think i could think of was that since their was like 30 feet of speaker wire in between the receiver and the rear speakers that it was voltage drop due to the power having to go so far tot he speakers. Everyone tells me this is not the case because the onkyo has like 100 watts and the gauge of speaker wire i am using is 12. So i have been fiddiling with it and i am still very disappointed. I know i am doing something wrong i just dont know what it is. The onkyo has plenty of power, or so i have been told, but why dont all the speakers have a nice loud robust sound? i was told to not use the "all ch stereo" setting. TV logic setting seems to work best. I am really surprised that i cant use a pre amp since there is a preamp input on the back.
I was reading in the manual after i had a chance to consider everything Bob told me and the manual said i could use a pre amp in "first position'. i guess it means that the reciever and pre amp work together somehow. i am re running the audyssey out set up again to see if that helps. i just thought i needed more power.

would be to switch speakers; the new surround with the old surround. If it is the same then you know it's not the speaker,but the setup...somewhere. Good luck.

Look at the final reply in the following thread
regarding bi-amping your Onkyo, and the required
heavy reading/experimenting to get your
surround sound adjusted for your taste.
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/topic/322366-your-thoughts-on-receiver-as-preampprocessor/

FWIW, look at that forum, and also AVSforum for more
tips.

Your speakers are still the weak link though.
Visit a mom n pop audio shop to hear how some
higher priced other brands sound for comparison.

going to do a lot more homework next time. I thought these fluance speakers were a good deal!

I spent more $ on my speakers 25 yrs ago(!)

Keep in mind 'good deal' doesn't mean good sound necessarily. Sometimes it takes a lot of tweaking with receiver and/or room to get it just right.