AV Separates vs AV Receiver

wayden

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I have owned separates (Yamaha CXa5000/Rotel RMB 1555) and AV Receivers ( Yamaha 2700,Denon 3808, Denon 4520, Onkyo NR 696,Marantz SR4500, Marantz 7010,Marantz 7013, Onkyo NR 686).
That has been alot of equipment, I was least impressed by the Onkyo, it was OK but was not impressive, I guess to be expected as it was at a much lower price point than all the other equipment I had.
When I had the Yamaha/Rotel combination it was good, but at times, I felt myself being a bit disappointed as it was not the night and day experience I had expected.
I actually really liked the Yamaha 2700, Denon 4520, Marantz SR 4500 and the Marantz SR7013. Based on my experience with these AV Receivers , I often wonder if really makes sense to buy AV separates.
First of all Separates are more expensive then AV Receivers, secondly they may also need to be replaced when newer formats are released, so the argument that separates have a longer shelf life is not true. I still don't understand why the Separates cost so much more than even the most highend AV Receivers.
I would always now recommend, getting the previous mid to highend model that has been greatly reduced rather than buying the latest model.


Wayden
 
Hi Wayden,

That’s partly why I have always had AVR’s over the counterpart Processors. They’re also better for resale imo.
 
There maybe a need for separates if you have really inefficient speakers where the AV Receiver cannot manage the load. I just finished watching Skull Island using the Marantz SR7013, and it was simply great. At no time did it sound as if it was struggling to push all 9 speakers. Over the last weeks, I have been contemplating if moving to separates would be better, so I drew upon my own previous experiences. Separates maybe could be better but in my opinion not worth the 4000 Euro Premium over what I bought the Marantz SR7013 for.
 
A lot depends on how big your room is, how efficient your speakers are as to whether you really need to go to a separates route or add in more external power. You sound more than happy with what you've got. An AV amp makes more sense than a processor and separate power amp as the AV amp will be easier to sell on if and when you want to.

There are times when adding an extra dimension bears fruit and that is when you want to share the front speakers with a separate stereo amp for a better music performance. An AV amp and an integrated stereo amp with HT by-pass is my choice of set up. The AV amp then gets changed whilst the stereo amp is a long term keeper.
 
You can add additional external amplification to mid range and better AVR's (with pre-outs).
 
The law of diminishing returns.....
 
After years of AVR only I’ve been looking at the subject this year. This summer I was using a Yamaha 3080 but have now moved to an Anthem AVM 60 powered by Nad C268 for centre channel and JBL Synthesis 7200 for the other main six. The combo leaves the Yamaha in the dust and is a very noticeable improvement with the same speakers. There is a bolder excitement factor and more spine chilling moments in movies. Makes the Yamaha seem tame by comparison though it’s a decent amp.
 
After years of AVR only I’ve been looking at the subject this year. This summer I was using a Yamaha 3080 but have now moved to an Anthem AVM 60 powered by Nad C268 for centre channel and JBL Synthesis 7200 for the other main six. The combo leaves the Yamaha in the dust and is a very noticeable improvement with the same speakers. There is a bolder excitement factor and more spine chilling moments in movies. Makes the Yamaha seem tame by comparison though it’s a decent amp.
I am glad you had such an improvement, as long as you are happy with the investment which is the most important thing.
 
I have always used AVRs and I am currently thinking about what to do now. Planning on getting either the Anthem 1140 or the AVM70. Leaning towards the 1140 and if I need more power I can always grab a 7 channel amp for my main speakers.
 
I've gone seperates for a while, not impressed with low midrange avrs. I may not change processing for a while, I'm still using DD/DTS.. however with the ATI amps I can change av whenever I want and have the high end amps.

To get similar amps in avr I have now would be impossible, the issue I have is if you buy a high end avr you lose a lot, and the amp stages are still way inferior to dedicated amps.

I'd rather have that 12ch creation that the amps built into a avr.


My speakers are 4ohm also
 

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