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New member Username: Scoob101Barnstaple, Devon UK| Post Number: 4 Registered: Jul-06 | Posted this a few days ago, in the hope that someone could help me out. https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/home-audio/247065.html So far, silence. Are you guys sick of newbies? What gives? |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 8848 Registered: May-04 | SC - I don't normally get into making recommendations but there are a good number of folks who normally jump at the chance to suggest what they like and/or own. I don't know whay they're being hestitant with this thread. Let's begin this way; what products have you considered so far? |
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New member Username: Scoob101Barnstaple, Devon UK| Post Number: 5 Registered: Jul-06 | Thanks for the reply Jan, Up until recently, I was considering a second hand Arcam AVR-200 from ebay. I`ve been put off that decision by reports that the DAC`s in the AVR-200 are not great. An AVR-250 would be nice (DACs are supposed to be alot better), but thats out of my budget. A reasonable quality DAC is paramount for me as i`m forced to connect my music player digitally. Unfortunatley, with my budget, I don`t have the option of going for a standalone DAC. Hope that helps. |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 8856 Registered: May-04 | . I'm at a bit of a disadvantage since I don't know what the various units sell for on your side of the sea. Particularly second hand. I was looking at a HiFiNews the other day and they had done a comparison of several units in a "shoot-out". I can't remember if they were comparing receivers or integrated amplifiers. Firstly, do you require a tuner, and, secondly, have you investigated what the magazines recommend? How did you come to the conclusion you wanted the Arcam? Once you place more importance on the DAC's than on the amplifier, you are already behind the game by the time the unit is one year old. I've not read any comments on the AVR-200. Did they claim the unit was trash or just not what they thought they wanted? . |
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New member Username: Scoob101Barnstaple, Devon UK| Post Number: 6 Registered: Jul-06 | To answer your questions: Don`t worry too much about your knowledge of UK prices, I`m more interested in focusing on whats a good product to buy- If the $ to £ radio is a bit out, then I`ll just have to wait a little longer to save up.... Don`t need a tuner, as I`m using internet radio via my DMR. I haven`t specifically gone through the hi-fi magazines as a source of reviews, believing this would be a better forum to answer my specific requirements (for example, the mazine review article I read raved about the AVR-200, giving it 5 stars and said nothing about its below par DAC). The magazines review the AVR-200 very well, saying its a very musical receiver, but all that only stands up when using the analogue inputs. Seen some posts on this forum regarding the quality of the AVR-200 DAC, and the consesnsus was it was not good. Also a friend with the same receiver has confirmed these findings. |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 8858 Registered: May-04 | . I'm afraid I'm going to have to say I will be of no help to you here. I'm a bit too old school and generally stick to analog inputs. As such, I do not keep up with who has the best converter in any given product. I'm more concerned about the quality of the amplifier as I see the DAC being outdated in short order with the market moving as fast as it does today. Sorry. The best advice I have is to find which converter is considered the "best" today and go with any amplifier using that device. . |
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Bronze Member Username: AlphabetCape TownSouth Africa Post Number: 85 Registered: Feb-05 | I agree with Jan. You could have the "best" DAC available, but paired with sub-standard amplication it will give you sub-standard sound quality. I am not suggesting that Arcam is sub-standard - I have only heard good things about them, but the best advice would be for you to test different units within your budget and let your ears decide. |
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New member Username: Scoob101Barnstaple, Devon UK| Post Number: 8 Registered: Jul-06 | Thanks for the posts guys, It`s appreciated. I would like to try out a couple of receivers and do it the "proper" way at a dealer, but taking my speakers 50 or 100 miles to the nearest quality dealer is not an option for me (impractical car). So I`ll be buying off the internet based on recommendations of specific models and reviews. |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 8874 Registered: May-04 | . You shouldn't have to haul your speakers anywhere. You should have some idea what your speakers require electrically in terms of an amplifier. That is a bit of the responsibilty of building a decent system. You will not be led astray by a gleaming faceplate or a model number on the DAC's. If you don't know the needs of the 601's, read some of the archived posts concerning the speakers. You should also have some idea what sort of "personality" you are trying to find in an amplifier. In other words, what is it you are trying to achieve in the way of sound. Judging an amplifier by the DAC's alone is a recipe for less than stellar performance with any given speaker. This "personality" is something only you can determine but the speakers should be mated with an amplifier which plays to their strengths and not something which acts as a BandAid for any other perceived problems with the rest of the system. After that you shiould try to find a dealer who is at least familiar with the B&W's and can speaker intelligently about their requirements. If even that is too much to ask of your local dealer, you should insist on a home trial for no less than a weekend and hopefully a full week. It is all too often unwise to buy online unless you know exactly what you want. Don't take this wrong, but if you knew that, you wouldn't have made your post here. . |