Best AV Amp (with Apple Airplay) to power B&W MT-50 surround speakers?

D

Davy Clelland

Guest
Hi,
I'm in the process of choosing 5.1 a home cinema system. I have a budget of around £1500 (give or take a few hundred pounds).

I'm looking to get an AV amp with both Apple airplay and internet radio functionality, although I may consider an amp without Airplay and just buy an Apple TV box instead.
I would like the amp to be a current/new model, not a discontinued product. I would also like the amp to have plenty of oomph! and an emphasis on good sound quality in order to get the full potential from the speakers.
My living room is 5m x 4m and i'm looking for the speakers and sub to be quite small and discrete.


I will be using the amp for around 40% music, 50% TV, 10% gaming.

Connected to the amp will be:
Playstation 3
Virgin V+ box
Apple TV box (maybe)
Panasonic 50" TV (1080p / not 3d)
5.1 surround sound speakers

I am going to have the AV Amp and all the input devices situated in a cupboard, just through the wall behind where the TV is mounted.


The speakers which are currently top of my list are the new B&W MT-50 package, it comes highly recommended to me, and apparently nothing comes close with regards to size and sound quality.

The questions I have are:
  • Would you agree with the above speaker choice?
  • What AV amp would suite me best? (i've saw some Denon and Pioneer ones with airplay, links are below)
  • The Onkyo amps have been highly recommended, but I heard they are not great for music. i was thinking something like the ONKYO TXNR616 (although I would need to buy an Apple TV box, as it does not have Airplay functionality.

http://www.denon.co.uk/uk/Product/Pages/SubCategoryLanding.aspx?CatId=AirPlayproducts

Airplay | Pioneer Electronics USA

  • What remote control solution would you recommend to work all these devices through a brick wall? I am considering the Logitech Harmony 900 (with RF functionality and PS3 adaptor). I prefer this idea to a standard IR blaster, due to only having to use 1x remote.

Your opinions will be much appreciated!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
My Brother in Law has the older B&W M1 set with a Denon 2308 and it sounds pretty good with movies to me. Not the best with music but considering the size of the speakers they are not too bad really. It may also be worth checking out the Monitor Audio Radius and Apex ranges.
The Denon 2312 would be a great reciever if you do decide to go for the B&W speakers and it is also great value for money at the moment.
If you do get the B&W speakers I would suggest saing some money and not getting the B&W sub as you are paying more for the style than the substance. Instead get a BK Electronics sub (XLS400 or Monolith) which are not only cheaper but will also perform better as well).
 
If you do connect up an Apple TV then you may as well forgo the requirement for AirPlay on the AV amp. The Apple TV will provide you with AirPlay and iTunes access across your LAN and negates the need for AirPlay on the amp.


Denon, Marantz and Yamaha AV amps are all equally at home with B&W speakers.

What is your budget for the amp?
 
Thanks for the advice guys.

I'm aware that the Apple TV gives you airplay, that is the main reason I want it and will only get it if the amp I choose doesn't already have Airplay functionality.

My Budget for the Amp is around £600 (max)

The Denon 2312 has been recommended to me, but as it's now discontinued i'd maybe rather wait to get the equivalent from Denon's new range. (i think it's the 2313). Does anyone know when this will be available?

The Onyko TXNR616 (£599 richer sounds) was also recommended. But, I also heard about poor reliability on some Onkyo amps, and I also heard they are not so good with music. Would anyone agree with this?

On the amp, how much wattage should I be looking for per channel to be able to get the most from the M1 speakers?

Thanks
 
Why wait to get the 2313 and pay more? There are no new killer features on the new models so why not get the same quality receiver, brand new and with full warranty but for less money? For your £600 you get close to the price of the 3312 at the moment. It does not seem to make any sense to wait to get the xx13 model.
 
I see your point PSM1. I just read the spec of both new and old models and they are much the same (as you can tell I don't know much about home cinema stuff).

What are the Pioneer range of Airplay AV Amps like compared to the equivalent Denons? Or would you recommend an Onkyo and separate Apple TV box?
 
What are the Pioneer range of Airplay AV Amps like compared to the equivalent Denons? Or would you recommend an Onkyo and separate Apple TV box?

I'd stick to the Denon option. Pioneer AV amps have a distinct audio signiture to them that doesn't suit everyone's tastes. The Denon amps basically sound better.

You could also consider the Yamaha RXV771 or the RXA810 if opting to use an Apple TV for its AirPlay. AirPlay is better via the Apple TV anyway so I'd suggest you get this even if purchasing an AV amp that includes it.

I think the best option available to you and your budget is the Denon AVR2312 or even the AVR3312.
 
Last edited:
For B&W, Denon or Marantz would be where I was looking.

Further to Dante above, the Marantz SR6005 or SR7005 are available for sensible prices and they fit between the two Denon models (SR7005 is slightly better specced than the 3312)
 
Does anyone know if the pioneer VSX-S500 are good enough for the MT-50s?
 
Thanks for all the advice guys. I think i've decided on the Denon AVR2312 or AVR3312.

Just to turn the discussion around a little- What are the best 5.1 speakers to use with the above Denon amps?? As previously mentioned, I'm currently looking at getting the B&W MT50 package. Can anyone suggest a better alternative.

The speakers must be both discreet and stylish. I would also like them to sound as good as possible when listening to music, as I will be listening to internet radio and streaming music from my iPhone frequently. I will be definitely be using the speakers more for music, than I will for watching movies.

My budget is around £1000 for the speakers

Thanks
 
The problem you have is your two requirements do not sit well together. Small speakers, for a given budget, are never going to be as good with music as conventional speakers. Since your main use is music you should really try to get speakers that are going to give you best performance in this area.
If it has to be design orientated the the monitor audio r270 would worth a look or the monitor audio apex range or maybe the radius.
 
***I should also have mentioned I will be wall mounting the speakers.***

I saw the Dali Zensor 3/5 package on Richer sounds website for £999 / £1299.
These are the most attractive "conventional" speaker set up I've saw around my budget.
A set up like this is a bit more intrusive than what I initially had in mind, but I will give it some thought.

What do you think this would sound like in comparison to the B&W MT50 set up?
 
The apex a40 are wall mountable and supposed to sound very good for their size.
 
The Apex 5.1 system does indeed look cool, although it costs over twice my budget :(
 
Focal Dome... Musically about the best you can get in that price band for sub/sat. A little over budget.

Work well with Yamaha/Denon/Marantz but not so Pioneer.
 
Just get the front 2 or 3 speakers to start and then get the rest as funds allow. Could even get some a10 as rears and then get the sub later. You could save one money by not getting the monitor audio sub but getting a bk electronics one instead. Just as good but much cheaper
 
Focal Dome... Musically about the best you can get in that price band for sub/sat. A little over budget.

Work well with Yamaha/Denon/Marantz but not so Pioneer.

Do you think these would sound better than the B&W MT-50 System?
 
Just get the front 2 or 3 speakers to start and then get the rest as funds allow. Could even get some a10 as rears and then get the sub later. You could save one money by not getting the monitor audio sub but getting a bk electronics one instead. Just as good but much cheaper

I have the funds, I'm just restricting myself to a budget of £1500 - £2000 for the entire system. I just don't want to spend any more than that to be honest.
I will be making the purchase within the next month once I have made a final decision on the equipment.

My living room is getting fully plastered and decorated in around 6 weeks time, so i would like to purchase the system before then. This will allow me to work out the positions of all the speakers and get the wires ran before the decorating takes place
 
I would go and listen to the different options to make sure the sound is acceptable. Although the apex is over budget speakers last a long time. Would be a shame to spend £1k on speakers to be disappointed and then spend more replacing them in the future. Spend wisely now and you only need to spend once.
 
I have demo'd the MT-50 package and thought it sounded pretty good, but i've nothing else to compare it too.

What stylish 5.1 (wall mountable) speaker package would you go for if given around £1k budget? Using the Denon 2312 amp (to suit 50% music use and 50% TV use).

Would the B&W MT-50 package be a bad choice? or could it be quite a good all-rounder?
 
The b&w speakers are pretty good. Would be worth listening to the monitor audio radius especially the bigger versions which are still wall mountable.
 
I am considering the MT-50, but have noticed there is slightly better amp called the ASW610, but not as expensive as the PV1D.

Anyone have the ASW610? Is it worth the £200 odd extra over the ASW608?
 
Do you mean sub?
Personally I would save some money and get a BK Electronics sub instead. You will lose no performance but save a fair bit of money.
 
Which model of BK sub? Is it better than the ASW610? How much? Also, will it work seamlessly with the M-1's as the B&W Sub?
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom