Arcam, Rotel or NAD - or something else for use with Def Tech?
Josh Young
Unregistered guest
Posted on
I hope to be doing some in-home testing of these when my basement is complete, but I'm looking for opinions on the following receivers for use with Def. Tech speakers (BP7002, CLR2500, BPX):
Arcam AVR300 Rotel RSX-1067 NAD T773 other suggestions?
The system will probably be about 70/30 movies/music. Movie set up will be 5-channel for now, but expanded to 7-channel in the future. I will not be using external subs. Music will include both stereo and multi-channel.
The only one I've heard with the Def Tech's is the Rotel, and I like that one a lot. I've heard the other 2 with different speakers, and I really love the sound of the NAD and the Arcam. The price of the NAD compared to the others is appealing, especially with its sound, but I'm really concerned about the quality issues. I know there's a lot of knowledge on this board, so I'd love to hear what you all think. Thanks.
Oh... as much as I'd like to do separates, it's not possible at the moment, unless you have a suggestion for under $2k.
They are all three great receivers. I would buy the Arcam if I had the choice, but that is because I put a premium on music. A new contender in that price range is the Marantz SR8500. Recently reviewed in "The Perfect Vision" magazine it fared very well and is considered one of the top mid priced receivers on the market. I'd still get the Arcam but I thought you should be aware of that.
Daniel Benatar
Unregistered guest
Posted on
I agreed with Kyle, though, if the NAD receivers were without any quality issue, i will go with the NAD - more warm sound - but this is just my opinion.
And although I own a NAD T773, I will not buy any further receiver from NAD till they fix all the quality issue and publish it to us...
Definately agree with Daniel. Even though my friend who is the local NAD dealer assures me that the QC issues have been solved with the NAD's I would still be concerned. I am a big NAD fan and own an NAD CD player and pre amp, but the AVR's are a bit scary. They do however sound dyanamite, and so does the Rotel for that matter.
Josh Young
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Thanks for your help guys... I'll have to check out that Marantz, although the merger with Denon gives me pause. Don't get me wrong.. I have a Denon receiver (1082) in my smaller upstairs theater and a DVD-2910 for the basement, but definitely not what I think of for premium receivers. And while this system will be primarily for movies, when I listen to music I want better sound reproduction. Whatever your opinion on the Def Tech's, they do sound better with more robust amps - the difference between the Rotel and an Integra (side-by-side comparison, don't know which model) was night and day. I was hoping someone on here had some experience with Def Tech's and either of the other receivers.
I should note that I was planning on buying the Rotel when I bought the speakers, and it's only recently that NAD and Arcam (and now Marantz) entered the picture for me. I'd say at this point, I'm leaning towards the Arcam, for exactly the reasons you have pointed out - musicality and quality. It's really a shame that NAD has had so many problems with their AVRs.
Although my vote would go for the Arcam due to its great music reproduction, it's not the most powerful of receivers. If you really need a lot of power, the Rotel is the one to go for. The Arcam is all about finesse but its power stages are limited by comparison to something like the monster that is the 1067.
Regards, Frank.
Josh Young
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Had a chance to do a side-by-side today on the NAD T773 and a Marantz SR8400 (they didn't have the 8500 set up) on Def Tech speakers. I was definitely impressed by the Marantz, although it was considerably brighter-sounding than the NAD, whereas the NAD was much warmer and laid-back. The NAD exhibited a very low hiss with no input, but it was only audible with me ear up to the speakers. Both sounded excellent, though, and I have to seriously consider the SR8500. Some of its features - notably the THX cert, DVI-D connections and Lip Synch audio delay - are very attractive. At $1400 (quoted price) it would enable me to exchange the DVD-2910 for the 3910 and stay within my budget - or just keep the 2910 and make the wife happy.
Now I just have to try the Arcam. Thanks for the thoughts/suggestions