Help choosing amp for MA Radius

[Keithst]

Hi all,

Just about to move house and as part of the deal I've been given license to buy a new 5.1 surround set-up. Having read plenty on this forum and demo'd a couple of sets I've decided on MA Radius speakers as they look great and the wife is happy due to their size.

I've heard them with a Denon 2807 which sounded great but am pretty keen on the Sony 5200ES too - having problems getting a demo though.
Can anyone give me some advice on differences between the Denon and Sony in this set-up or let me know how to demo the Sony?

The MA package I'm going for is R270 fronts, R225 centre, R90 rears and RSW12 Sub.

Am in SW London if that makes a difference.

Cheers

 

[tahoe joe]

Sorry to change the path slightly, but have you thought of Marantz amps at all? I've heard MA radius on Denon, Sony, and Marantz, and in my opinion they sounded best with Marantz. Have a look at the SR4001.

 

[Dr Force]

Its surely hard to compare unless you have been involved in the calibration on all the amps before listening.

Each amp has various settings and is difficult to obtain optimum settings in an optimum environment so there is always gonna be an audible difference IMO.

The only way is to demo them at home, which I understand is difficult

So check out the STR 5200Es & 3200ES thread as well as any other that you may find interesting and go on hearty recommendation.

If you dont need upscaling and 3x HDMI inputs then I would recommend the 3200 which has brilliant sound.

I am going for the radius (see my amateur review thread) which I think are outstanding form the price point

 

[Canti1982]

It might sound a bit overkill but I think my money would be on an Arcam AVR 250. These things are going cheap at the moment beacuse of newer models, in fact if you have a look at Sevenoaks in brighton they can do you one for a very low price.

Now the Arcam might not have all the latest features but at the end of the day its all about how it sounds and If you demo one Im sure you will know what I mean.

I like the radius speakers, my parents use some R90's in their kitchen and for little speakers they are very impressive.

If you are keen to get the latest features the I would try to hold off getting an AV amp until sept/oct when more amps supporting dolby true-hd will be released.

Good luck finding your amp of choice