pre av

[pilot]

Hi to everybody.
I'have:
clarity
script i
cinema i
grotto
mc 252
and i'm looking for a pre a/v with a good musical quality because i will use it also to listen music like jazz, classical , pop rock. I like bass frequencies and
soothing listening.
Now for rear and center i'm using my nakamichi but i want ti change it with mc.
Any suggestions for the pre and for the amplifier?
Thanks
marco

 

[Robin]

Preamp Recommendations...

marco,

Welcome to the ML Club!

It looks like you have an excellent ML system going on their. :cheers:

I was just wondering what size room your HT / listening room is? In addition, how much money (USD) did you want to spend? Is your amplifier SS or tubed? and if it is SS what class amp is it? What percentage do you listen to music verse HT? This information would go along way in helping me (us) to giving you recommendations for just where you might start auditioning. Ultimately, as you know, your ears must decide what 'sound' is for you...

 

[pilot]

Hi robin and thanks for the answer.
My amplifier for the music is a mcintosh 252 2x250w SS and i listen 20%films and 80% music. The room is 6 meters X 4 meters with a lot of windows and parquet floor with a big carpet.
I'm looking for 3 channel amplifier for central and rear ( not very expensive )
and for a video sound processor good for music listening.( my budget is about 3500 dollars. ( i was thinking bryston but i have never listened to it with mcintosh and ML ).
Thanks for the suggestions.
marco

 

[twich54]

Marco, Welcome ! Given the fact that music is your primary (80%) intrest I would recomend you go with a quality two channel pre-amp with HT processor/pass through. When it comes to two channel music there are far better choices this way, now if multi channel music is your pleasure than that changes things.

 

[benleeys]

..... i'm looking for a pre a/v with a good musical quality because i will use it also to listen music like jazz, classical , pop rock. I like bass frequencies and soothing listening.

marco

Hi Marco,

Welcome. For whatever it's worth, I have just replaced my Classe DR6 preamp and Rotel RSP-1068 av processor with the Anthem Statement 2. It's definitly an improvement over the Classe in analog. Digital-wise, it's way ahead of the Rotel. All digital inputs are upsampled to 192kHz and oversampled to 24.576 MHz. It also incorporates a fantastic video scaler capable of output to 1080p. As a bonus, it also has an AM/FM tuner.

Sorry to sound like specs freak, but the ultimate is in the listening/viewing, of course. All I can say is that I consider it worth the $6,500 paid.

 

[mrmike]

Marco,

You should also take into consideration the new audio/video formats available. Hopefully we will see more av receivers comming out this year that will proccess dubly hd and dts hd.

Personaly I would go with a nice mac pre just because it would sound great and look oh so cool with the other mac gear. Then I would not spend to much on the av proccessor untill mac comes out with the new proccessor.

A wall of mac with Clarity's... is there anything that would look better and still sound great?

 

[asindc]

EDIT: Marco, I just re-read your post. It seems that you are looking for separates, not an AV receiver. In that regard, please take the following as you will.

If you are not aware, Onkyo has just announced its latest generation of receivers. I had an Onkyo receiver years ago that I loved. The sound quality was a huge step up from my run of the mill Pioneer receiver.

I'm sure other like Pioneer Elite, Yamaha, Denon, and Marantz will soon follow suit since the first Onkyos will be available this month. In fact, I spoke with a Pio Elite rep earlier this year who told me they are introducing their next line "sometime in Sept."

I'm in the market for a new HT receiver myself. As the previous poster noted, you should be mindful of the new technologies for HT. Specifically, Dolby Digital Master, DTS-HD, and of course, HDMI 1.3. The new Onkyos have all that and more. I'm going to wait to see what the others do before deciding. By the end of the year, they all should have released new lines.

More to the point of your question, I would personally rank the more well-known HT receivers lines in this order for 2ch sound quality:

1) Marantz;

2) Harmon Kardon;

3) Denon;

4) tie, Pioneer Elite and Onkyo; and

5) Yamaha.

These are among the brands I've owned or heard extensively in recent years. This is not to say, mind you, that I think Yamaha is lacking. On the contrary, I think 2ch sound quality in HT receivers has improved dramatically in recent years. In fact, I'm anxious to see what the new ones will do in this regard.

Happy upgrading...

Anthony

 

[mrmike]

I have to agree with asindc as for Harmon Kardon's 2 channel ability. I own a hk avr 7200 and it sounds very close to my Modwright swl 9.0. Very nuetral and quieter than the Modwright. I am sure some of the more high end brands are probably better but for the money HK is a bargain. The biggest complaint with HK is that they look kind of cheap.

FWIW the rest of my system is Marantz dv8400 source, Classe ca200 power, Aeon i, Nordost and Audioquest cables.