I want decent HT but stereo quality is very important. Budget is fairly tight. For the same total cost (around $1,000), would you go for: a) Good stereo amp plus low cost receiver?; or b) Better quality receiver?
For Option a), I am considering the NAD C320BEE amp plus Denon AVR-1905 or 2105 as the receiver. For Option b), I am considering NAD T753, Denon AVR-2805 or Pioneer Elite VSX52TX receivers.
(My current set up includes a NAD C521i CD player and an old Yamaha RT-VX660 receiver)
I am curious why you are looking at a receiver and an integrated amp, instead of a receiver and a power amp.
For $1,000 you can look at the Elite 56txi, and the Denon avr 3805, which puts you in a-whole-nother ballpark than the 52tx et al. You can get the vsx-54tx for under $700 in the US.
My current path is this: I bought the best receiver I could. Next electronics purchase will be a power amp (possibly stereo or 3 channel depending on cash flow), and use the pre-amp out for fronts. Next stage would be get 7 channels powered, then buy the pre-pro and move the receiver to the bedroom. I figure it will take a couple of years to get there, but I have to have something to keep me busy.
Umboppa
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Xsound, Thanks for the response. I'm new at this game and I want to get the best possible music reproduction for the money but also have reasonable HT capability. Are you saying that a NAD or equivalent power amp with a receiver is better for this than a standalone integrated amp with the same receiver (my Option 1)? The $1,000 is CDN, so the Option 2 receivers you mention are out of my price range, otherwise I would have probably gone with Arcam or Rotel. Also would they really sound as good in 2-channel as a dedicated amp?
Others may be more knowlegeable than I am, but it seems that you would be using your receiver as the pre-amp, so all you would need would be a power amp. An integrated amp includes power and pre-amp, so if you paired one with a receiver you would have a pre-amp that wouldn't be used. If you go with the receiver and the power amp, just make sure that the receiver has pre-amp out for all channels. Pre-amp out means that you by-pass the receiver's power on whichever channels you specify, but still have the pre-amp control. On the 3 receivers that you are looking at, make sure they all have all the inputs you will need for your final system (if there is such a thing). then check the features and see if there are any you absolutely can't live without. Then check the remote interface, is it simple does it make sense to you and your SO if you have one.
Any of the 3 receivers will give you good sound, but you won't be ahppy if you can't hook your gear up, or the receiver doesn't do what you want it to do. And you won't use it much if the frustration in operating it is anywhere close the joy from listening to it.