Hello. Currently I have a Golden Ear 7.2 home theater sitting at one end of a large room. The main speakers are Triton 5 towers and the on-wall SuperSats make up the rest.

Everything is currently powered by a Yamaha Aventage receiver that's supposedly rated at 90 watts/channel with two channels driven.

Would the towers and other speakers benefit from an external amp? Given the efficiency rating of these speakers, do you think I would notice any improvement if I went with an external amp that is around 125 watts, all channels driven? Or would going for a 200 watt/channel amp be necessary to notice an improvement?

I've never owned an external amp. It just seems like many people in general advocate going this route.

Thank you for your time and help.

Hi Triological, and welcome here!!!!
Good question and this is the place for good questions.
And there is no clear cut answer, so I will give you my opinion, for what it's worth. But others will go other ways, and perhaps you will too. Depends on how you listen, are you using the T 5s for any critical musical listening, or only for home theater?
IF only for home theater, I would first use the money and invest in a great GEt center channel speaker, like the SC XXL or XL, heck I have the X and LOVE it!!!!
BUT
If you listen to music critically (in other words, carefully listen, not just background music) then YES, an ext. amp is just the ticket and will give you a better sound. And it only needs to be a stereo, two channel amp for the T 5s up front. 125-200 watts would be perfect. You could let the Yamaha play the other speakers for now. Adding a great, ext. 5 channel amp will take care of the other channels, add that when you can.
Most of us have had to build our systems a bit at a time, upgrade when we could. IF you have the money, you can do it all at once. But if not, I hope I have given you an idea, so you can start a plan. I would eventually upgrade all the surround speakers, and finally get a better processor to feed all those ext. amps and speakers.
Have fun with it and enjoy as you go,
happy listening,
God Bless,
Wayne

Hello Trilogical,

My two cents worth:

If you use your system to listen to music ("critically" as Wayne has said), then driving your Triton 5s with a separate two-channel amplifier will not only probably provide better "music" sound, but also give you a separate level of control over the volume level of the Fronts.

If you decide to purchase a separate 2-channel amplifier, consider choosing a unit which has a preamp line output, which you could use to drive a separate sub to augment bass for music reproduction - especially if you listen at variable volume levels.

Regarding music listening -- the type of music to which you listen also affects your choices. Reproducing full orchestral and/or choral classical music creates different system demands than reproducing rock, heavy metal, etc.

Give these things some consideration as you consider how to proceed. There are a number of thoughtful and detailed threads on this forum which discuss multiple aspects of best music reproduction and music/home theater options.

One more thought -- check your Yamaha's specs for power capability when all channels are driven. If your "large room" exceeds your Yamaha's ability to fill the room with sound without approaching distortion points, then adding a separate 2-channel amp might be a better approach than simply upgrading your Yamaha.

Happy listening and investigating,

Art

Wayne and Arthur:

Thank you both very much for your thoughts on this potential upgrade. I think I am going to take the plunge and try my first external amp.

Now I'll just have to decide on the number of channels and the power.

Good for you, pls let us know what you decide to go with and how it sounds, how it works out?
Happy listening,
God Bless,
Wayne

Assuming you purchased your GE speakers from an authorized dealer, talk to the dealer about your situation and desires. You may be able to audition one or more amps in your home to help you decide what to do.

Best,

Art