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Thread: Decided on Speakers, need help with receiver... |
    
New member Username: Nikeofnargothrond
North Canton,
Ohio
USA
Post Number: 1
Registered: Oct-07
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| Posted on Sunday, October 21, 2007 - 03:57 pm: |
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I am still in entry level stages with home audio and have made a pretty solid decision with my speakers for my 5.1 setup. I have done car audio for years and have fallen in love with Dynaudio. So, needless to say, I am looking at the Dynaudio Audience 122C, 42, and 82 and their sub as well. I am having tons of trouble deciding on a receiver though. I probably should go with a 7.1 receiver so I can expand later on if I decide to.
From the vast experience that I have seen on these forums, I wonder if anyone can tell me which brand of receivers tend to sound best with the Dyns. I have been looking into Denon, NAD, Marantz, and a few others. Most seem to have the necessary features and such, but I have not experienced what receivers sound best with what. So, what kind of suggestions might you guys have about receivers that sound good with the Dynaudios? Thanks. |
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Gold Member Username: Artk
Albany,
Oregon
USA
Post Number: 5505
Registered: Feb-05
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| Posted on Sunday, October 21, 2007 - 04:19 pm: |
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Those are Dyn's you will be driving, anything less than Arcam, NAD, or Rotel will not do the trick. I'm thinking Anthem, B&K or Lexicon.
Hopefully you've selected a good source.
Movies or music primarily? |
Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10
Post Number: 641
Registered: Jun-07
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| Posted on Sunday, October 21, 2007 - 05:48 pm: |
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I read that Dyn's like a warm receiver/amp, whatever. So id maybe give them a listen to on a Arcam, NAD, or a Anthem pre/pro. The Lexicon receiver is amazing. If its in the budget give it a listen to. The Arcam 300 series receiver is probably the best I have ever heard personally. WIll cost you 3500 cdn though. |
New member Username: Nikeofnargothrond
North Canton,
Ohio
USA
Post Number: 2
Registered: Oct-07
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| Posted on Sunday, October 21, 2007 - 11:21 pm: |
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I would honestly say the system would be used mostly for movies and TV, but there would also be much music listening as well. I have been to B&K, Lexicon, Arcam, and NAD websites but am having trouble locating any of models mentioned. I have even looked on Ebay for something that has at least two HDMI inputs and an HDMI upconversion... I Googled the Arcam 300 series and came up with nothing. You guys have any links where I can get some good spec sheets and pricing? Thanks. |
Gold Member Username: Artk
Albany,
Oregon
USA
Post Number: 5511
Registered: Feb-05
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| Posted on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 07:49 am: |
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If it's primarily for movies and TV, why spend so much. Buy less expensive and easier to drive speakers and you can get away with buying a less expensive receiver with more features. |
New member Username: Nikeofnargothrond
North Canton,
Ohio
USA
Post Number: 3
Registered: Oct-07
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| Posted on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 08:40 am: |
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I know the quality of Dyn and love it. Not to mention, throughout my car audio experience I have found a Dyn dealer that gives me very good prices on their equipment...especially since he does car and home audio. When I mentioned to him that I wanted to get the Audience line, he immediately started giving me heavily discounted prices. The way I figure it, I can use the cash I am saving on the speakers for a high end receiver and high end wiring. I am shooting to stay around 5 grand for everything. As long as the receiver stays under $2500, I may go a little over, but if it sounds like I know Dyns will, I can live with it.
I started like most people do with the car audio, I bought the Wal-Mart brand stuff and grew tired of the system very soon and now have worked my way up to, what I consider, high end audio. I'd don't want to start that trend all over again with home audio. I have found that Dynaudio can sound exquisite with low power and volume or at high power and high volumes. They seem practically undestructable and I am 99% sure I will not be changing them out anytime soon. |
Gold Member Username: Artk
Albany,
Oregon
USA
Post Number: 5512
Registered: Feb-05
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| Posted on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 08:59 am: |
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Then do your research and check the brands we've suggested. Use the manufacturers dealer locator.
Most Dynaudio systems require high current to sound good at low volume.
BTW I was not suggesting Walmart garbage...check my profile and it will become clear. |
Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10
Post Number: 644
Registered: Jun-07
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| Posted on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 09:13 am: |
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lol Art doesnt mess around Nick. Art, bringing home some Rega stuff tonight.
Nick-Arcam 300 doesnt have HDMI, the new 350 does though. All the new NAD line due to be released in your neck of the wood in November does have HDMI. Anthem does. B&k, im not sure, but dont feel it would be a good mix with the Dyn's anyway. The Arcam 350 will cost you 3 grand American. |
New member Username: Nikeofnargothrond
North Canton,
Ohio
USA
Post Number: 4
Registered: Oct-07
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| Posted on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 09:30 am: |
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Art, I know you weren't suggesting the WM garbage, I was just saying I didn't want something that I would grow tired of anytime soon. I have been looking into the brands you guys have mentioned and Nick is right, the Arcam 300 doesn't have HDMI and the 350 does. B&K does not, Anthem AVM50 is $4500, the Lexicon looks sweet, but I can't seem to locate costs, and NAD has everything I am looking for but may lack in power some. The Rotels don't have HDMI either. Are most of these older models and the manufacturer just hasn't released new products in the past years or so? I really don't want to have to get into amps and all that, if I can avoid it... You guys have any ideas on what the Lexicon RV5 runs? |
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New member Username: Nikeofnargothrond
North Canton,
Ohio
USA
Post Number: 5
Registered: Oct-07
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| Posted on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 09:35 am: |
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There is probably one more question I should ask about these Dyns...the website has their "recommended amplifier power" at two different wattages. Actually, three. A small, medium, and large room. I would guess my room as medium and it suggest 75w for some of the speakers and 100w for the 82's. I want to keep the power at least at 100w continuous, right? Also, I am seeing on some of the brands you mentioned different continuous power outputs based on "dbw?" I have no idea what that is. |
Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10
Post Number: 645
Registered: Jun-07
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| Posted on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 10:11 am: |
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Nick- The Lexicon is the most expensive. It is built by Bryston and runs around 5-6 grand. Take a look at the new NAD T775 and the new T785. One is 100X7 and the other is 120X7, Minimum wattage. Rotel is due to release a new Line at the beginning of December with full HDMI support. They should be roughly the same cost as the NAD receivers and it seems the NAD receivers have shot up in price. The T775 will cost you around 2 grand american. Give or take a few. |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 2200
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 10:39 am: |
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In higher end gear, wattage ratings aren't as important. A lot of the mass market stuff like Yamaha will inflate their numbers to attract customers. For example, a Denon receiver claims 170x7. According to one of the Bryston engineers, its mathmatically impossible. One channel may do 170 watts at a certain frequency and impedence load for a split second, but not all seven constantly.
The brands mentioned above publish realistic wattage figures. Forget about the 1000 watt car amps. Forget about 100 watts RMS. What really matters is if the receiver can handle low impedence and has the drive to keep going. An Arcam receiver rated at 75 watts shouldn't have any problems with the speakers. |
New member Username: Nikeofnargothrond
North Canton,
Ohio
USA
Post Number: 6
Registered: Oct-07
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| Posted on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 11:18 am: |
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I was NAD T775 and T785 was what I was going to take a real close look at. I am going to call a local shop around here to see what they are running and when they will be in. If Rotel is coming out with a new line and runs about the same, how do they compare as far as SQ?
I hated that in car audio they have these rinky dink amps that claim high output but can't do half of it. I am not surprised that the same false claims exist in home audio, and I wouldn't expect if from more renoun companies. Honestly, I wouldn't have expected Denon to do this, but it is what it is... |
Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10
Post Number: 647
Registered: Jun-07
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| Posted on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 11:35 am: |
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Stu is dead right Nick. Home Theater Magazine just did a review on the 4 thousand dollar Denon. It claims to do 7 channels at 170 watts. When they put it on the bench with all 7 channels running at the same time, the wattage that the Denon actually produced was 65 watts per channel. Brutal. An Arcam at 75 watts will put a unit like that Denon to shame.
As far as Rotel and NAD SQ, both are basically in the same league, but sound totally different. Depends on what you like the best/ speaker match up and source. The Rotel stuff is Detailed and Neutral and a tad on the bright side, while the NAD stuff will have more bottom end and is warmer sounding, with the highs rolling off a bit. Both are good. The Arcam would be better. |
New member Username: Nikeofnargothrond
North Canton,
Ohio
USA
Post Number: 7
Registered: Oct-07
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| Posted on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 01:59 pm: |
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Well, I have been on the phone nearly all morning trying to find a Rotel, NAD, and Arcam dealers that are nearby. I also talked to Dynaudio and asked them what they thought was the best receiver for their Audience line. Arcam was their first choice as well. I called around and found a couple of dealers that would sell the AVR350 for a little over $2000 and the AVR280 for $1499, which is under my max so I think I will go for it. The major difference in the two is output wattage. the 350 is a 7 x 100 and the 280 is a 7 x 80, I think. Both have two HDMI inputs and HDMI upconversion. So I guess at this point it's more of a cost thing. The guys at Dynaudio even said their speakers would sound great with either receiver, despite the wattage. It has been mentioned in this forum that the higher power may be best for them though... any thoughts? |
Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10
Post Number: 648
Registered: Jun-07
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| Posted on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 02:45 pm: |
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Nick, I have heard the 300 a few times which is basically the 350 without the HDMI. It is an amazing receiver. Very musical, very good sound quality. An all around achiever. Man 2000 dollars eh? With our dollar so good, I need to come to USA to buy some stuff.lol. That receiver here is 3000 CDN. Good deal man, buy the 350. The 280 will be good too though. 20 watts isnt going to make or break a deal. If you want to save some money, the 280 should be great. |
New member Username: Nikeofnargothrond
North Canton,
Ohio
USA
Post Number: 8
Registered: Oct-07
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| Posted on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 04:28 pm: |
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I have set up a "hearing" at an Arcam dealer later this week. They do not deal Dynaudio, but they do have Paradigm Signature series as there highest speaker model. I don't know how they will sound vs. the Dyns but even the person I set the hearing up with said he could swap out receivers and he too guaranteed that there would be a world of difference. We will have to see how it goes when I get there! I am really excited...
I have the notion that it will be worth the extra $500 to get the 350. I haven't even thought to ask this, but does Arcam make receivers in silver or black? My wife was looking over my shoulder and pointed out that the white won't go with her decor..(as my eyes rolled hard in my head)  |
Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10
Post Number: 649
Registered: Jun-07
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| Posted on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 04:50 pm: |
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LOL man the White looks so sexy in person. Bring her along. But you can get it in a smokey black as well. Still...white looks better. Its not really a white though, you'll see. If it were me, I would be getting the 350. The Paradigm Signature speakers are amazing. 3 or 4 times the price of your Dyn's though. Enjoy man, that will be a great hearing indeed. |
Gold Member Username: Artk
Albany,
Oregon
USA
Post Number: 5514
Registered: Feb-05
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| Posted on Monday, October 22, 2007 - 09:42 pm: |
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The Arcam AVR's can be quite impressive..enjoy your audition! |
Gold Member Username: Nuck
Post Number: 9022
Registered: Dec-04
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| Posted on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 - 08:07 am: |
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And by all means, be sure to bring your lovely wife to listen with you!
Mrs. Nick is going to be enjoying the music too. |
Gold Member Username: Frank_abela
Berkshire
UK
Post Number: 2461
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 - 09:41 am: |
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Nick,
I know your speakers quite well and rate them highly. Bear in mind that they are single wired only so you can't biamp or anything like that. Therefore if you can go for the AVR350 it is the better choice. It's not just more powerful but it has a better preamp stage and more upgrade options (it actually has PreOuts which the 280 does not).
The HDMI support in the Arcams is just for switching as far as I know. I was not aware that it could upconvert signals. Check this out at http://www.arcam.co.uk/prod_diva_AVR350_intro.cfm where you can look at the technical specifications.
The Arcams are available in black. Black is a bit of a dust magnet and looks tired more quickly than the silver, so choose with care. Both colours sound the same.
Factor in the price of a good source and cabling. Arcam isn't a cheap option, but the system you're looking at isn't exactly bargain basement! If you don't factor in a decent source, meaning a good DVD player of the ilk of the Arcam DV135 or Denon 2940 as minimum, you won't be getting anything like the true performance of the amplifier and speakers. Of course, we're assuming you have a decent display too, but it's amazing to me how much better audio performance you get from a better DVD player when all you're doing is transferring a bunch of bits to be decoded in the amplifier.
Regards,
Frank. |
New member Username: Nikeofnargothrond
North Canton,
Ohio
USA
Post Number: 9
Registered: Oct-07
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| Posted on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 - 11:37 am: |
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Well, Mrs. Nick didn't think my Dynaudio System 342 with the Tru Technology amps sounded any better than the factory stereo! So needless to say, her opinion as far as what sounds better doesn't really play a role in my decision. To her it's how does it look with the rest of "her" stuff? Oiy!
Frank, I have thought very little about the wiring at this point since I have been stuck on finding a proper receiver to drive these Dyns. For my car audio use, I loved KnuKonceptz, but alas, they do not make a caliber of home audio cable that I'd like. I know of Monster and have honestly never been much impressed by them, low or high end wiring. What other brands are out there that would properly identify with this setup?
I have been looking at some of the Arcam DVD players as well. Upon talking with the Arcam dealer, he did ensure me that the AVR350 did upconvert to HDMI. That came up when I was asking about their DVD players. I didn't suspect that it would be necessary to buy an upconverting DVD player if the receiver I would be running it through upconverted to HDMI as well. |
Gold Member Username: Frank_abela
Berkshire
UK
Post Number: 2464
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 - 09:13 am: |
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On upconversion, it depends on the upconverting technology in the machine. Arcam's DVD players use among the most advanced upconversion technologies this side of Faroudja, but I don't know about the A/V amps. I do recall an early Arcam AV amp not being that good at this.
I use Chord Co. interconnects and speaker cabling. Price-wise they vary from inexpensive to "Oh my God how can you spend that much on a wire?" Mine are almost in the latter category, and the fact I say 'almost' means that I am seriously ill...
More seriously, the best sub cable is actually one of their least expensive ones - Chord Cobra 3. It's best because it's particularly good and optimised for low frequency signal transmission (according to them). 1m costs about £50 and add another £10 or so per metre. As to the digital interconnect, their Prodac Silver Plus is an excellent cable for the money, again £60 for 1m and another £10 per metre extra. For analogue interconnects the best value for money in their range is Chorus, recently upgraded with their microwave cable technology and a really excellent cable as you'd expect for the princely sum of £225 for 1m. HDMI-wise, their best cable is HDMI Silver Plus and is really good value, about £85 for 1.5m length. Longer runs are available but I'm not sure how much they cost. I've compared the HDMI Silver Plus to the WireWorld cables and only the £300 WireWorld cable convincingly beats it. No idea why an HDMI cable should make any difference since they're all digital signals, but it seems to!
I'm sure there are lots of other brands about that would probably also do the trick. I'd guess on Kimber Kable being a likely good one, as well as WireWorld, although I've only played with Wireworld's HDMI cables. QED make some fine cables too. I tend to favour the more neutral Chords (QED's cables tend to be a bit more lively), but there's no doubting that QED offer good value too.
Regards,
Frank. |
New member Username: Nikeofnargothrond
North Canton,
Ohio
USA
Post Number: 10
Registered: Oct-07
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| Posted on Friday, October 26, 2007 - 08:20 pm: |
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I know that Kimber Kable is an excellent brand of wiring for car audio and I wouldn't expect any less for home audio. I believe that car audio is a newer endeavor for them. I am pretty sure they began with home audio in mind. Not to mention that they are quite reputable either way.
I went to my audition and WOW!!!! I am not quite fluent with audio terms as far as how to describe "sounds," but WOW! We started off with a B&K receiver on the Paradigm Monitors and I was fairly impressed with the sound. I put the Lord of the Rings movie in and it sounded great. Then, we put in some of my personal favorite music...most heavy metal, but I put in some softer sounds like James Blunt, Kelley Clarkson, etc... Unfortunately, I was using a burnt MP3 disc, so the recording imperfections were very present in such good speakers.
We switched the speakers to some Klipshe speakers and I couldn't pick up the imperfections and I felt the speakers weren't giving me the full spectrum of the sound...not impressive at all. Next, we hooked up the Arcam 280 to the Paradigm Monitors and they sounded better than the B&K receiver despite the lower power output. The imperfections in the recordings were there again, so I at least know the receiver and speakers were capable of getting everything out there.
Finally, the Arcam 350 with the Paradigm Signatures...Holy SH*T! The fellowship of the Ring sounded like I was there with Gandalf confronting the Balrog in Moria, I was completely sold on the 350 and Signature combo. The music was awesome as well, I did have some good, clean burned songs on the disc and they sounded as if I was in the studio with the band as they were recording it! I loved it. The 280 did very well, but the 350 filled the room (if that makes sense?). I could close my eyes and not pinpoint any one sound from any speaker. Words cannot describe the audible sensation I experienced.
All in all, I am completely sold on the Arcam 350. The sound was my primary objective but the video was exceptional as well...more than I expected. I forgot the ask what kind of cable the dealer uses, but I can figure that out later. I just hope my Dyns can come close to matching the Signatures...fellas, keep in mind, I haven't purchased any of this equipment yet, and I have to second guess the Dyns somewhat...Is there anything else out there that is in the same price range as the Dyns that could be better? The Sigs were astounding, but way, way out of my price range. |
Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10
Post Number: 653
Registered: Jun-07
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| Posted on Saturday, October 27, 2007 - 12:28 am: |
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Did you take the Paradigm Studio series for a listen to? SOund like you like the Paradigm sound. You went from the K-Car to the Porshe in the Paradigm Line. Try the BMW.lol Dyns are very nice though. Worth a shot though. |
Bronze Member Username: Nikeofnargothrond
North Canton,
Ohio
USA
Post Number: 12
Registered: Oct-07
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| Posted on Saturday, October 27, 2007 - 02:54 am: |
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I am pretty sure I listened to everything he had in the Paradigm line. Honestly, I am surprised I remembered all the model of speakers. Studio...sounds familiar...let's see, oh yes, there were four different sets of Paradigm speakers...Monitor, Signature, and.... two were reference and two were "regular" models. I can't recall the series names. Sorry.
I saw the Arcam in Silver too, loved it and so did Mrs. Nick! LOL
I forgot to mention earlier in case anyone was wondering, we were listening to the Arcam DV139 DVD player. Wow, way out of my price range, but the DV27 or DV29 FMJ would work out right? |
Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10
Post Number: 654
Registered: Jun-07
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| Posted on Saturday, October 27, 2007 - 03:05 pm: |
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yup, they would. Arcam 350, Paradigm Studio 100's,590 center and some rears with a Servo Sub. Ahhhh yup, be a pretty nice sounding home theater Nick. Cheers. |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 2213
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Saturday, October 27, 2007 - 10:00 pm: |
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Thed Studio 100's may not work out best with the Arcam AVR. Furthermore, adding a sub would most likely negate the need for the bass the 100s put out. I'd look at Studio 40 or 20 myself. |
Gold Member Username: Frank_abela
Berkshire
UK
Post Number: 2469
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 - 01:35 pm: |
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Nick B,
The DV27 is quite old - about 3 years since I sold one last. The DV29 was an excellent update to the 27 and really cracking performance, particularly in audio, but that was replaced by the 139 which has one of the best pictures available from DVD irrespective of price. The sound is very good too, far better than many people are used to, especially froma DVD player.
The other Arcam DVD players that are current are the DV135 and DV137. These are fine players, particularly in their audio performance. Their video performance is good, but not great, unlike that of the 139. |
Bronze Member Username: Nikeofnargothrond
North Canton,
Ohio
USA
Post Number: 13
Registered: Oct-07
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| Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 - 04:23 pm: |
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I'll have to look around and see what is what and how much I can budget for a good DVD Player. I would love to stick with any of the Arcam series DVD players, but frankly the new FMJ models are going to cost me as much as the 350. I hadn't originally budgeted for that kind of expense. I may stick with my cheapo until I can put back enough for a newer FMJ DVD player. |
Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10
Post Number: 660
Registered: Jun-07
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| Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 - 06:41 pm: |
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Do not skimp on the source. |
Silver Member Username: Jaw
Post Number: 141
Registered: Mar-06
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| Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 - 07:41 pm: |
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Views on the source quality vary broadly; FWIW, I have posted these links before:
http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=2063
http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=7673
http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=1778
http://forums.audioreview.com/showthread.php?t=5793 |
Bronze Member Username: Nikeofnargothrond
North Canton,
Ohio
USA
Post Number: 15
Registered: Oct-07
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| Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2007 - 06:43 am: |
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Interesting links, but that's a bear that I don't want to tackle. I can see both POV, but being a third party without much knowledge of either side I find it hard to believe that a $60 player can even come near a $1000 player. I just don't buy it. I know that the most expensive is not always the best. I saw this when I shopped around for car audio speakers. The Focal Be No. 6 had rave reviews, I bought a pair, hooked them up to my TRU amps, and they sounded trashy to me. The cymbols sounded like garbage can lids banging together. I had used the Morel Elate 3 Ways as a reference speaker set to find my amps of choice. I have yet to hear anything that compares to the SQ and build quality of Tru Technology. The Focals sucked, the Rainbow Germaniums just didn't sound right, and, even though surprisingly good, the Alpine F#1 sounded pretty good, but none compared to the Dynaudio Esotecs Sytem 342 and Tru Technology combo.
I have a feeling that shopping around for a good DVD player is going to be exactly the same way. I know what caliber of speaker I am going with, I know which receiver. Now I have to get everything together and start "auditioning" cd/dvd players and see what sounds best with the equipment I will have in my room. To save some cash, I would like to find an audiophile grade CD player that happens to play good DVDs as well. Even like many of the people in the links said, it is all a matter of opinion. I know plenty of audiophiles in car audio that swear the Focal Be No. 6 are creations of God himself, but I think they sounded like sh*t. |
Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10
Post Number: 662
Registered: Jun-07
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| Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2007 - 10:58 am: |
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lol in my car audio days I really enjoyed the Boston Acoustic stuff and the MB Quart Q-Line stuff(until they sold to Lightning Audio a.k.a CRAP) The Dynaudio suff was very nice as well. |
Gold Member Username: Frank_abela
Berkshire
UK
Post Number: 2479
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2007 - 01:44 pm: |
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Nick B,
You'd be surprised how good the picture is on some relatively inexpensive DVD players such as the Denon DVD 1940. However, sound-wise, they really tend to suffer. Try to go for at least the next level up from the 1940 to the more serious things like 2940, Arcam 135 etc. You will almost definitely regret it if you don't since the clear and transparent 350 and highly revealing Dynaudios will lay bare the limitations of the source.
Don't say we didn't warn you...! |
Bronze Member Username: Nikeofnargothrond
North Canton,
Ohio
USA
Post Number: 16
Registered: Oct-07
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| Posted on Thursday, November 01, 2007 - 03:18 pm: |
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Frank, I completely understand what you are saying as I have ran into similar instances with the whole car audio thing. Not to mention, I end up listening to more MP3 burnt discs than anything. Unfortunately, the burnt discs have all kinds of crap to reveal in good speakers. I'll look around outside of Arcam as well for now. So far I need to research the Denon 2940, Arcam 135+, and ??? What other sources could fall into the same class as these and in the same price range or lower? |
Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10
Post Number: 666
Registered: Jun-07
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| Posted on Thursday, November 01, 2007 - 03:42 pm: |
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I just sold my NAD T532 dvd player. The sound quality was great, better than my Blu-Ray player by far when compared on the same audio format. You can get one for around 350 refurbished. The Oppo is actually pretty good as well, and pretty cheap. Just some suggestions. |
Bronze Member Username: Nikeofnargothrond
North Canton,
Ohio
USA
Post Number: 18
Registered: Oct-07
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| Posted on Monday, November 05, 2007 - 06:06 pm: |
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I have to admit, I did go to another audition today. I listened to a Rotel 1058 (5x75w), Denon 2910 DVD Player, and B&W 600 and 700 series speakers. It was equally impressive as the Arcam audition. The denon lacked the CD audio the FMJ 139 did, but still delivered quite well. I also took a listen to the Definitive Technology SuperTowers and they did impress me greatly! There were no other speakers hooked up in the room, only those towers and they really did surprise me with the way they filled the room at moderate volume and completely consumed me when we cranked the volume up some. Needless to say, even with only 75 watts on the B&W vs the Stereo 90 watts with the Definitive Techs, I may have more decision making to make yet. What is your guys take on the Definitive Techs? The B&W 700s are a little out of my price range, but if I go with the Rotel and Denon DVD setup they would save me in that area and I could add it to the speakers portion of the budget. Any thoughts with either? Thanks! |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt
Irvington,
New York
USA
Post Number: 2241
Registered: May-05
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| Posted on Tuesday, November 06, 2007 - 04:07 pm: |
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Nick,
You've heard some very good gear. The differences between most of what you've heard are a personal thing. There isn't an outright bad product you've heard.
My advice is to take your time and keep listening to more stuff. Figure out what qualities you like most, and take it from there. Everyone has their favorites. If you ask 10 of us what we'd buy, you'd probably get 15 different answers. Not that I think you're looking for our approval or anything like that.
You can't go wrong by hearing everything in your area and taking your time to figure out exactly what you're looking for. |
Silver Member Username: Jaw
Post Number: 142
Registered: Mar-06
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| Posted on Tuesday, November 06, 2007 - 10:44 pm: |
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I'll tag along with SP becuase agree with his perspective.
Also, don't get hung up on status; if you want to be part of Club Rega, then you buy Apollo; Club Krell, buy it - they are highly rated brands. However, buy based on what your ears hear.
There is alot to audition and it is a wonderfully aggravating part of this hobby. FWIW, you are looking to spend a fair amount of money, so enjoy your new hobby. |
Silver Member Username: Jaw
Post Number: 143
Registered: Mar-06
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| Posted on Tuesday, November 06, 2007 - 11:21 pm: |
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BTW, I love the Dynaudios, join Club Dynaudio. |
Gold Member Username: Nuck
Post Number: 9111
Registered: Dec-04
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| Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 09:11 am: |
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I like sandwiches. Does that mean I should join...never mind. |
Silver Member Username: Jaw
Post Number: 144
Registered: Mar-06
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| Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 06:23 pm: |
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I've been to Club Rega, beautiful beach south of Playa del Carmen. |
Silver Member Username: Jaw
Post Number: 145
Registered: Mar-06
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| Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 09:26 pm: |
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Nuck, I think we're back to Heidi Fleiss, again. |
Gold Member Username: Frank_abela
Berkshire
UK
Post Number: 2494
Registered: Sep-04
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| Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 08:18 am: |
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South of Playa del Carmen?
WHEHEY!
(Sorry, my mind's a sewer...) |
Bronze Member Username: Nikeofnargothrond
North Canton,
Ohio
USA
Post Number: 19
Registered: Oct-07
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| Posted on Saturday, November 10, 2007 - 07:32 am: |
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You guys are funny:-) |
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