7125 or 7500?

I'm looking to become an outlaw. I am replacing a NAD T762 receiver. I am running 5 channels, 4 Klipsch Forte's and a Klipsch reference on center. I mainly listen to music and I don't see a need for more channels. I like the 7500 but do I really need it? Or would the 7125 fit my needs?

I would like opinions from any of you with similar equipment.

The 7125 should be planty of power. I am running similarly efficient speakers and can't crank it up to max. The 7125 also gives you 2 spare channels for future considerations.

Save your money, buy the 7500. Just kidding. But here is my amp evolution. I started with receivers but found I was lacking in something. I originally bought the 7075. This was a good improvement but there appeared to be some problems with driving Axiom M80 (despite the claimed high efficientcy). I then bought an ATI 1202 to drive the fronts.

Save your money, buy the 7500. Just kidding. But here is my amp evolution. I started with receivers but found I was lacking in something. I originally bought the 7075. This was a good improvement but there appeared to be some problems with driving Axiom M80 (despite the claimed high efficientcy). I then bought an ATI 1202 to drive the fronts. This solved the issues with the M80's. The power available, the cleaner it sounded, not necessarily louder, but cleaner and more detailed. Someone offered to buy my 7075 and Outlaw happened to be having a sale on the 7500 as well as free shipping (I live in Canada, so I recieved the credit and paid the difference). Well there was a remarkable improvement in sound quality, yes it could play louder for music with no strain. For movies, one of the first BD movies I watched was Doomsday. I had a friend watching with me and he decided that he had to buy the same amp. With the new amp I had to move my speakers back a little bit (18"). My only regret was that I just did n't take the plunge 2 years ago and had to go through this process. Fortunately, I was able to sell the 7075 for full price and shipping/taxes. Gonk has a good review of the 7500. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the quick reply. The power of the 7500 is compelling. I'm just thinking it would be wasted on my Klipschs. Are there any real audible or other advantages the 7500 has over the 7125? What is the up side of a balanced amp?

I had the 7125 for 2 years, and the 7500 for about 3 months. I could hear a difference with the 7500. The mids were cleaners and bass was more defined and less "muddy".
If you only need 5ch, and not 7ch, then get the 7500 over the 7125.

The $600 difference in price will be wasted on the Klipsch. You actually talking about less than a 2 DB change in SPL between the 2 amps at full power. At that level it is likely not even audible because you will be deafened by that time. The construction of both amps is solid enough to allow for a lot of headroom with those speakers. If you were using less efficient speakers the 7500 would likely be worth it just for the headroom. If you are considering updating your speakers to something more power hungry get the 7500 if not get the 7125 and a new OPPO BDP-83 or a great subwoofer from Outlaw.

What's an OPPO BDP-83?

From the CEDIA someone posted some PIX of an OPPO bluray disc player which may be available sometime next spring. It supposedly has all the bells and whistles.

I feel similarly to XenonMan - if you are looking for a speaker that is least likely to benefit from more power, a horn-loaded design is going to be near the top of the list. I've got a review of my 7500 in my sig - it's a great amp, but for Klipsch it is probably overkill.

As mentioned by Xenonman and Gonk, the efficiency of your speakers will play a big part in your amp decision. But another factor is the common habit of upgrading. By going to the 200w/ch first, there is little room to upgrade the amp. But if your speaker choice changes, at least with the 7500, you'll feel confident that you have enough power. For example, if I recall correctly, Gonk changed his front 3 speakers to Outlaw but still used the 7500 to power them.

I tried both of the amps and decided on the 7500. I felt the 7125 was running hotter than I was confortable with. I also wanted the room to grow and felt the extra power gave me that freedom. Good luck with your decision, I dont think you will be sorry about buying either amp.

Thanks again outlaws for all the input. I'm leaning toward the 7125, but is over heating with it a real concern?

I use mine all the time at reasonable volumes and it never gets warm. Even at very high volumes it barely gets warm to the touch. With the Klipsch speakers, you are not going to draw the amount of power through the amp which you would with less efficient types. The amp does not overheat and I have mine in a closed cabinet. You won't be disappointed with the 7125.

7500. Period. You will most likely change speakers and/or your room before you wear out the amp. You can never have too much amp no matter what volume you listen at. Ultra clean and quiet plus, the option of balanced inputs.

Overheating has never been a problem with my 7125.

My 7500 seems to get a little warmer than the 7125 did, but still able to touch it without being hot.

The 7125 is really a beast to me anyway. I honestly can't imagine what the larger ones would do other than break your freaking back...........

I'm still leaning towards the 7125 but not sure of the balanced amp thing. Is this really a factor? Before the NAD T762 I was running a NAD 2200 in 2 channel. Will the 7125 give me the same punch?

In order to use the balanced XLR inputs on the 7500, your pre/pro also needs balanced XLR outputs.
I used the Outlaw 990 and 7500 with unbalanced MIT RCA cables for about 2 months, and then changed them to Oracle 3.2 XLR cables. Now that they've broke in a few weeks, I've noticed a difference.

I use balanced XLR cables between my 990 and ATI 2005 (OEM's version of the Outlaw 7500) but there has been great debate whether (not to contradict FAUguy) there is an audible difference between balanced and unbalanced cables for the typically short runs between a pre/pro and the amp. I like the positive "snap" of the XLR connectors and the cost between cables was not that great so I went balanced. If I was trying to make a decision on an amp I'd be more concerned about getting the right amount of power (other posters have opined the 7125 is enough for your current speakers) versus whether the amp had balanced connections or not. However, if the amp is going to be some distance away from the pre/pro and you know you have a noisy electrical environment balanced cables/amp could be a benefit.

The design of the 7700 and 7500 are different than the 7125. Outlaw's Description, "The 7700/7500 differential design virtually eliminates cross talk, through a technology known as "common mode rejection". Compared to single-ended designs, the 7700/7500 requires half the rail voltage for a given power allowing for increased transient performance."

I replaced an Outlaw 770 amp (7 x 200w) with the Outlaw 7700 and there was more than a subtle change. I think the term transparency is the best I have heard. Even my wife agreed ,reluctantly, which has always been the "Mendoza Line" for me and audio purchases...

Cheers everyone!