Addition of alpha amp to AVR300?

proux

Established Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2006
Messages
1,098
Reaction score
64
Points
218
Location
London
OK, it was late, so I rewrote this - see below...
 
Hello :hiya: , advice would be much appreciated as I am a bit new to proper hi-fi!

I am enjoying my DV79 (also for CD replay) and Project Debut T/T fed through my AVR300 (stereo direct) to Castle Compact column speakers (and the rest of 5.1 system).

The speakers are great :thumbsup: , except that they can't be biamped (I didn't think I would buy an AVR300 when I chose them, and I didn't like Monitor Audio looks). They are fairly demanding- 87 db, 6 ohm, but nearer 4 and "lumpy" impedance according to HiFi World.

So, the question is, would spending a little money to add an Alpha 9 stereo amp improve the sound from my front speakers? It seems that some people are using this, or a similar combination. For surround sound, I would then run the AVR front pre-outs into the relevant Alpha input and disable the pre-amp stage on it. What would be best for stereo- input source directly into alpha, or still go via the AVR300 and use the alpha as a power amp? There is a post by Andy Dutton suggesting the former, and he should know- so this old amp on its own can give better stereo!?


I hope this makes some sense...:confused: I don't want to buy anything more expensive than an alpha 9, and I need advice on whether to spend money on something that I can't audition, and which doesn't match my Diva range visually ;) . (... would I be better off spending money on a good second hand stand alone CD player, perhaps, even if it cost more than twice as much:rolleyes: )
 
Hmmm :confused: ... 79 views and no replies- maybe it is a boring question, maybe I have made it complicated, or maybe nobody thinks it is a good idea?

Anyway, another option might include getting a second hand P80/P90 (to match!), and then obviously use the AVR300 preamp.
 
I've never heard an AVR300 so can't really say if an Alpha9 would be better. Have you considered an Alpha 10 as they can be had cheaply too these days?
 
Thanks, I may just decide how much cash I will put on this and go for a 9 or 10, and resell if no big difference.

I know someone in USA uses the 10 with the AVR300 with similarly rated speakers and thinks it is well worth it- and also uses a 9 for the rear channels and something else for the centre, don't think I'll go that far!:D
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom