[rjrodders]

Upgrade Dilemma -

Hi all i am ready to hit the button on phase 2 of my HC upgrade and would like some thoughts and and advice from some of the experienced members on here.

Current set up - monitor audio gold GS10 AND ctr with FX silver Rears.
Upgrading to - GS20 floorstanders with GS10 moved to rear duties and silvers on the sides ala 7.1.

Current HC amp 6 YEAR old Pioneer AX5i (cracking amp IMO) and has served me well and not missed a beat.

I have just purchased a Parasound 2205 5 channel amp off the forums
and am looking for a two channel parasound to partner with so that takes care of the amp end of things.

The focus is mainly movies but i wish to have excellent music as well as the latest HD codecs Hence the prefence for brands like Arcam-Parasound etc

So my budget for the the processor side of things is around 2-2.5k max.

Which rules out the AV888 -

So my options are buy a AVR600 to use as a processor only (ex dem)

Or wait for the New UMC-1 - or the new Parasound processors i.e the classic.

Can anyone suggest any alternatives or options within the budget i have mentioned either new or ex-dem or am i asking for too much !!!!

thanks in advance -

Rjrodders

[lbstyling]

with the full features list- the emotiva is likely 'the' choice at the moment.
parasound suggest themselves that theres a long wait for a hd processor from them- have a look elsewhere for now.- they recommended to someone here (cant remember who) the new audiolab due out around feb.

in terms of sq- its a difficult one, the current audiolab has strong support on this basis, the emotiva is a unknown quantity at the moment-but i dont doubt it will be more than passable.
the onkyo pr-sc885 is a known quantity and has all the bells and whistles so a safe bet, and can be had cheap at the moment (1k ex-dem)
the other option being the marantz av8003- reported to be exelent sq, but flawed as it cannot accept bitstream and apply room correction- just one or the other.

or the wildcard, buy nick's heavily modded onkyo that may well sound better than all the above and have all the bells and whistles aswell!!!- too much for me though.

thats it in a nutshell methinks.

[AngelEyes]

There is the Rotel Pre/Pro as well, it doesn't get discussed much but I really liked my old 1096 so would expect it to be pretty good if it follows suit. No EQ though IIRC. It did have some teething problems but I think they have been sorted now.

I will be getting a UMC-1 just for curiosity's sake but my preference would be the HDP70 or C3 if they ever arrive.

The possibility of a Q1 2010 Audiolab is also intriguing but only if they get the connectivity/featureset right.

Adam

[KelvinS1965]

I'm in a bit of an upgrade dilema myself, but I could offer that you might be fine using your receiver for back surround power amp duties, which would save you the cost of another Parasound. Should you find an AVR600 for £2.5k then you could carry on using the Parasound for the main speakers and the '600 for whatever is left (maybe even biamp the front left and rights with the Parasound perhaps and single wire the centre for example). This all depends on whether the AVR600 is musical enough for your tastes (haven't heard one myself yet).

I recently dug out my old NAD C540 CD player and have been enjoying music much more, even though I'm using my 2808 as a preamp (Pure direct mode for what it's worth). I've been using either my Arcam P90/3 or my recently purchased Arcam P1000 (can't deceide if I can really hear any difference for stereo....must have cloth ears. ). Compared to CDs played back from my BDP-S350 via HDMI the NAD is a noticable step up, so your new Marantz should be a joy, regardless of your final amp choice.

[rjrodders]

Thanks for the replys guys -

Some interesting feedback -

I think Ibstyling is spot on with regards the UMC-1 with regards latest features and a strong reputation for excellent products at a sensible price point. I have put myself on the pre-order list on the basis if it does not suit my needs i can always sell on without it being an exspensive experiment.

The audiolab is interesting although not convinced they have invested as much in the HC side of things compared to the music side which i know it is rated for.

As for the Onyko's again the balance seems tipped heavily in the HC side with a weakness on the musical performance. Although following Welynick - proccessor shoot out thread revealed a a tweaked version could produce stunning results in both area's (this would interest me) any thoughts Nick ?


The Rotel option does not appear to have translated in a major sucess sales wise going by the forums - although that is not to say its not a quality performer - i think i need to demo this option !!

And Finally good advice regards the AVR600 coupled with the parasound amp
this was my preffred option but i am now having secound thoughts mainly because of reliabilty and the cost !!!


As much as i love Arcam kit - i would not have been best please paying 3k odd on a amp that was clearly still in beta version when it went on sale.

I am not a fan or wish to be off firmware "upgradititus " just to have normal operation - no thank you. So any 600 owners can you advise if firmware 20 or whatever the latest number is has fixed 99% of said issues then i may just order and be done with it - as it does sound great