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New member Username: MfaellaPost Number: 1 Registered: Nov-07 | Hi, I'm a newbie trying to build a budget mid-fi system, starting with a pair of PSB Alpha B1. I'm currently looking for a matching integrated amp, for about 500$. Do you think Onkyo is a reasonable direction? In that case, I wouldn't know where to stop on the 9155 - 9355 - 9555 line-up. How big do you consider the improvement in sound quality from one model to the next (or is it just a matter of power)? Thank you very much in advance for any suggestion! Marco |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 744 Registered: Jun-07 | Grab an Entry level NAD or H/K. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 11771 Registered: May-04 | . What kind of sound qualities are important to you, Marco? The PSB's are a relatively nuetral speaker with a tendency to show what's in front of them. What the components in front of the PSB sound like, therefore, will be reflected in the final product you hear. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9257 Registered: Dec-04 | Any integrated you put in front of the Alphas will be icky with a dvd player. |
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New member Username: MfaellaPost Number: 2 Registered: Nov-07 | Thank you all for your feedback. Nuck: Can you clarify? Are you suggesting I should get a good CD player first? Jan: I listen to both classical and pop/rock. I don't have much experience in describing what sound qualities are important to me. Generally speaking, I appreciate spaciousness and definition, and I wouldn't mind the sound to lean toward warm and musical rather than dry (though I'm perfectly fine with neutral!). Btw, I'm re-evaluating my budget to 700-800$. |
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Silver Member Username: HawkbillyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 107 Registered: Jul-07 | To Nuck's point, depending on what components you are using to drive the PSB's now, a source-first upgrade may yield far greater improvements in sound quality than upgrading your amplification. And if you are currently using a dvd player as a source, I would agree wholeheartedly. |
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Silver Member Username: HawkbillyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 108 Registered: Jul-07 | And to answer your original question, I haven't personally heard any of these Onkyo amps, but I've read quite good things about the A-9555. For the price, it matches up very well to the competition. Here's a link to an article that compares it to a number of other Class T and D amps. http://www.stereomojo.com/SHOOTOUT2007INTEGRATEDS.htm |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9264 Registered: Dec-04 | More or less, yeah, Marco. But that is always my advise, source first. However, a good pc setup is often cheaper and more adaptable than a stand alone cd player on a budget. With a big ol' hard drive to run music in uncompressed format. If it's mp3's, then who cares anyhow? |
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New member Username: MfaellaPost Number: 3 Registered: Nov-07 | The point is, both source and amp are crappy now! Source is indeed a (40$) DVD player (how did you guess? :-) and amp is the built-in of a consumer mini. I'd like to upgrade the amp first because I'm eager to enjoy TV + DVDs + CDs through the Alphas, and I need an amp/receiver for that. CD player is next, I promise :-) Interesting shootout. I've also read good things about the A-9555 (i.e., stereophile) and in fact I'm considering getting that one. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9269 Registered: Dec-04 | How did I guess? Have you seen my post count? A solid integrated and a pc setup is easy and adaptable. It will also fit your space, seeing as your pc and stereo are in the same room. |
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Silver Member Username: HawkbillyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 109 Registered: Jul-07 | MF, other than Onkyo, what other brands are available to you locally that you could demo in-store, or even better, in-home ? And whatever you get to demo, ask them to demo the amps on the same source/speaker combination. A lot of dealers, if it's not overly busy in the store, will do this for you so you can listen in some reasonably comparative fashion. If you listen to one amp in one room, and another amp in a different room, attached to entirely different gear, you will not really know what is driving the differences you're hearing. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9276 Registered: Dec-04 | The Alpha's do not demand a lot of an amp. The choice comes down to sound and preference. The newest Onkyo's are better than the previous iterations, or so I am told. Driven by a GOOD INTEGRATED amp, these speakers can, and will make many listeners happy. With a receiver, well, how good is the receiver? I still vote for an integrated amp and pc source. MF, those speakers are on very solid stands already, right? |
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New member Username: MfaellaPost Number: 4 Registered: Nov-07 | Tomorrow I will audition at least the Marantz PM7001 and NAD 315BEE in-store, with the same speakers I have. Unfortunately, the dealer does not carry Onkyo (and is therefore skeptical about them :-). On some forums, I read people declaring the Onkyo A9555 as superior to the Marantz PM7001, in particular as far as neutrality and detail are concerned. Too bad I probably won't be able to audition it around here. Nuck: the speakers are currently just sitting on the tv stand, tv in between. |