Which Amp?

P

Paul.T

Guest
I am about to buy my first amp/receiver and am looking at:

Yamaha RX-V630RDS
Marantz SR5200 or 4200
Pioneer VSX-811 S
Denon AVR-1803

This will be used with a Pioneer DV636 DVD player.

Would welcome any views on the above or alternative options.

Is 6.1 really worthwhile?

What speakers would you recommend?

Thanks
 
I personally have a SR5200 which I wouldn't hesitate to recomend to anyone. I've never done a side by side comparison with any of the others though.

What I can say is that it is great with movies and music alike.

As for speakers ... I have B&W 602S2 Front, LCR60S3 Centre and 3x 601S2 for the rears.

This package has worked well with the SR5200 and is also capable of partnering much higher end equipment.

If you're on more modest means however (my B&W package - with Series 3 instead of S2 would cost around £750) I've heard good things of the Gale and Eltax speakers that RS sell - considering their price that is. Other good kit to consider are Mission M7 range and Wharfedale Diamond 8.1/2/3 range for good quality lower price speakers.


Victoria
 
Yamaha is brill. But I dare say the Marantz and the Denon are good too. Pioneer was disappointing.

Re speakers - how much do you want to pay? My budget ran to Tannoy Mercury Mxs (4x MX1 + 1 x MXC = £210 +10 P&P) - I think that they are very good value for money & fine for a 20' x 16' lounge
 
I've a Denon 1802, Mission 701 front speakers, rear speakers swiped from an old sony mini-system and a centre swiped from a wharfedale centre/rear boxed set which suits my (student) purposes fine.

My experience with 6.1 is that it's a luxury which is only really worth having if you can afford it, and most of all, have the room layout suited to it.

Sorry - I've a habit of unhelpful posts!
 
Is 6.1 really worthwhile?

Having bought a 3802 last Autumn and now have the pleasure of DTS ES in all its glory, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

As for speakers, so much is down to personal preference, cost and perhaps some female influence (don't tend to like large speakers for some reason, mine especially). Try asking Uncle Eric in the speaker section for some sensible recommendations. ;)

Rgds

Paul
 
I can certainly recommend the Denon,having had an 1802 before having a clear-out last year....very nice,easy to use,good sound for the price,and the 1803 is better all round.
 
I don't think you'll find anything wrong with any of your suggested amps as the replies you've got indicate.

You should listen to 2 or 3 of them if possibly before buying.

I would say the Marantz will probably be the best for straight stereo - if this matters to you - with them closely matched for AV 5(6/7).1 perfomance.

I think maybe the low end Pioneer falls behing the Marantz / Denon / Yamaha trio though.

One negative of the 1803 is that it doesn't have 6.1 outputs so can't be enhanced with extra external power amps in the future - though this probably isn't that important. The Marantz and Yamaha can iirc.


Victoria.
 
Thanks All, very useful advice. Sorry I didn't twig the "Search" thing... have now read many threads on the same question.

Decision:

Marantz SR4300 (Same as 5300 bar a little less power, HDCD and on-screen)
Mission Cinema 72 set for now. My room is tiny (3.6 x 3.2m) so I don't think I need a sub yet. Will probably put the M7c1 as rear centre and add an M7c2 for the front centre. Any thoughts?

Now which new TV????, interconnects????? etc????

More searches I think.

cheers :cool:
 
Interconnects ...

1x Co-ax digital from DVD to Amp (£20)
2x Analogue stereo pair from DVD to Amp and TV to Amp (again £20 each)
1x Fully wired SCART from DVD to TV (£30 - Thor from Maplins)

Speaker cable either ...
Single wire QED Silver Anniversary (around £5 per meter) esp for fronts
and/or
Gale XL315 or XL189 - think those are right (£2 - £4 pm) XL189 is especailly suitable for 2 (or 3 or 4) rears.

You can obviously spend a lot more ... but those are good all round cables suitable for the Kit you're looking at. All are avaliable from Richer Sounds except for the SCART.

wrt your choice of Amp ... if you're not bothered about DTS-ES Discrete decoding, also look at the SR4200 and SR5200 as these are avaliable at good prices due to the new range being launched. The OSD is also handy for setting up, etc ... much easier than peering at the little display from the other side of the room while sitting down listening to your speaker levels.


Victoria
 

The latest video from AVForums

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