cribeiro
Novice Member
Hi!!
I did it, finally... I couldn't wait more, and since I have found a so good offer, I didn't think it twice... Ok, I didn't think it more than 6 times...
I have been told by many people that my speakers cannot deliver all the quality of the yamaha 630, harman kardon 2550 or Marantz 4300, so I decided to save money (100 euros, actually, enough for cables...) and go for the Yamaha 530. I found it for 350 euro, which is the best price I have ever found for it, and 110 euro under the original price. I could save another 60 euro, and take the 430. FRom the point of view of sound they are identical. The only differences are remote control and input/output. The 530 has a better remote, and more optical, and more video inputs. This is why I decided in favour of it, because when you want to plug all together, you are really in trouble, and if I started buying adaptors and cables to plug here and there, I would end up spending more money. In addition, I got a better remote. And I really like it.
Since I will not upgrade my speakers in a long time, it didn't make sense to buy a higher model, because in some years (say 4 or 5), any of them will not be enough to compete with new models, I think...
The first thing I made was to compare the stereo sound with respect to the old one, a sony str-de 135. Since I have 4 speakers all the same, I could actually switch between them easily, playing the same song in 2 cd's in both (and I used the worse cd player for the yammy), and syncrhonized. Yes, I am very very picky... I can say that I am very satisfied. The sound is much clearer, defined, and it positiones very well the instruments in the space between the speakers. The SONY is warmer, although. This new sounds a little bit clinic, like if the receiver took the sound and disectioned it to be shown to you, and a little bit lacking in bass respect to the sony, but since I also have a sub now, no problem. Good points: very well defined sound, richer and present. With a song of Queen I tought I had Freddie in front of me! It sounds more REAL than the sony.
then, I tested some movies... The prefect storm, and Ocean's eleven. Here, I entered in the 5.1 world, and could feel how the waves were shaking my room. I was sinking in the sound! I come from the coast, and I can tell you that they were quite close to real ones. The voices of people are also well performed, indeed. The effects travel smoothly, as far as my ear can realize, and I felt one plane shaving my head, so close it passed.
In the casino, Las Vegas... Sound of chips, voices all around... very good, I felt there, and that is the important point.
In addition, it comes loaded with features, more dps modes than I will use, for sure. In certain way, it is nice to know they are there, but I don't take them much into account, I think that if they recorded it like that, that is what you should hear... They may be useful if the recording was not good, to enhace a too poor sound, so they are welcome.
The tuner is also better than the one in the sony, the reception was noticeably clearer.
All the parameters are adjustable, from the input/output asignation to the level of each speaker, balance, etc. Ah! Maybe I am missing a balance switch in the front panel, but it is a minor detail. And the balance you can do with the help of the remote control is not full range, you cannot actually silent one of the speakers. Anyway, who wants to do that? Only picky guys like me, when listening a song with the voice in one of the channels, to silent any other thing, just out of curiousity.
Ah! My speakers... I added a sub from Magnat, the alpha 30A, which ranges from 20 to 150 Hz, it is active. I set the crossover at 100 Hz (quite a matter of taste, I think) and the level pushed up a little bit from 1/4... It really rocks, actually you have to be careful, or you will only hear that. I checked how good the bass of my speakers is, they are rated at 20-20000 Hz, and I have to say that it is quite true, although of course the lowest levels were a bit stiff, of course. I think I could manage quite good without it, but when you really want to feel the movie, you need it, like one guy told me, you feel it in the guts, which is the thing that makes it so vivid.
The center speaker is a Magnat Vector 13, it is not the same serie as my Magnat Motion, but it was recommended as good tonal matching. I could actually buy a Motion Center, but it was only 50 w rms, not enough to complete a 120 w rms set of speakers. This one has 100 w rms, and the sound matches perfectly as far as my ears feel it. I also spent a little bit more money than expected, because I read that it is a very important speaker, since it has to bear all the dialoges. Now I can tell you how true it is. If you don't have a good center, you don't have anything.
About comparisons HArman-Yamaha-MArantz, I finally didn't do it (as soon as I can, I will do it anyway), but if I gather all the opinions, from very different sources, I have to say:
1- Yamaha better for movies
2-Marantz better for music
3-Harman, more balanced, between them both, better in music than Yamaha, and better in movies than Marantz.
I am talking about a comparison between models in the range of 500 euro.
What else? I still want to see, better say hear, how it behaves with headphones, I will buy a good ones. It is supposed to make a kind of surround to enjoy movies...
Ah! Quite hard to plug all the speakers, but not as much as I have read, nothing you cannot do with patience and care.
Then, lengthy to learn all the functions and settings, etc. I read the spanish version of the manual instructions, and it is 60 pages! I think that it is the general case in av receivers, and anyway, I really enjoy discovering all that this little baby can do. I actually haven't finished it... I have the receiver for 3 days already, but I am quite busy with my PhD thesis now... In fact, I haven't finised with the settings, I have to put a delay on the rear right channel, because it is closer than the others... But that is one of the last chapters of the "book". I usually read them partially, only the parts I need, but this time I don't want to miss anything.
So, I really like it, and the only disavantage I can find is that the sound is not warm enough when you choose the dsp modes. The bass lacking is a minor detail that you can only slightly feel without the sub and in the picky conditions I checked.
I would give it 9/10, but don't take it into account because I don't have enough experience with many receivers.
Thank you very much for your advices, help and patience, specially if you have read so far...
Greetings everyone, Cribeiro
I did it, finally... I couldn't wait more, and since I have found a so good offer, I didn't think it twice... Ok, I didn't think it more than 6 times...
I have been told by many people that my speakers cannot deliver all the quality of the yamaha 630, harman kardon 2550 or Marantz 4300, so I decided to save money (100 euros, actually, enough for cables...) and go for the Yamaha 530. I found it for 350 euro, which is the best price I have ever found for it, and 110 euro under the original price. I could save another 60 euro, and take the 430. FRom the point of view of sound they are identical. The only differences are remote control and input/output. The 530 has a better remote, and more optical, and more video inputs. This is why I decided in favour of it, because when you want to plug all together, you are really in trouble, and if I started buying adaptors and cables to plug here and there, I would end up spending more money. In addition, I got a better remote. And I really like it.
Since I will not upgrade my speakers in a long time, it didn't make sense to buy a higher model, because in some years (say 4 or 5), any of them will not be enough to compete with new models, I think...
The first thing I made was to compare the stereo sound with respect to the old one, a sony str-de 135. Since I have 4 speakers all the same, I could actually switch between them easily, playing the same song in 2 cd's in both (and I used the worse cd player for the yammy), and syncrhonized. Yes, I am very very picky... I can say that I am very satisfied. The sound is much clearer, defined, and it positiones very well the instruments in the space between the speakers. The SONY is warmer, although. This new sounds a little bit clinic, like if the receiver took the sound and disectioned it to be shown to you, and a little bit lacking in bass respect to the sony, but since I also have a sub now, no problem. Good points: very well defined sound, richer and present. With a song of Queen I tought I had Freddie in front of me! It sounds more REAL than the sony.
then, I tested some movies... The prefect storm, and Ocean's eleven. Here, I entered in the 5.1 world, and could feel how the waves were shaking my room. I was sinking in the sound! I come from the coast, and I can tell you that they were quite close to real ones. The voices of people are also well performed, indeed. The effects travel smoothly, as far as my ear can realize, and I felt one plane shaving my head, so close it passed.
In the casino, Las Vegas... Sound of chips, voices all around... very good, I felt there, and that is the important point.
In addition, it comes loaded with features, more dps modes than I will use, for sure. In certain way, it is nice to know they are there, but I don't take them much into account, I think that if they recorded it like that, that is what you should hear... They may be useful if the recording was not good, to enhace a too poor sound, so they are welcome.
The tuner is also better than the one in the sony, the reception was noticeably clearer.
All the parameters are adjustable, from the input/output asignation to the level of each speaker, balance, etc. Ah! Maybe I am missing a balance switch in the front panel, but it is a minor detail. And the balance you can do with the help of the remote control is not full range, you cannot actually silent one of the speakers. Anyway, who wants to do that? Only picky guys like me, when listening a song with the voice in one of the channels, to silent any other thing, just out of curiousity.
Ah! My speakers... I added a sub from Magnat, the alpha 30A, which ranges from 20 to 150 Hz, it is active. I set the crossover at 100 Hz (quite a matter of taste, I think) and the level pushed up a little bit from 1/4... It really rocks, actually you have to be careful, or you will only hear that. I checked how good the bass of my speakers is, they are rated at 20-20000 Hz, and I have to say that it is quite true, although of course the lowest levels were a bit stiff, of course. I think I could manage quite good without it, but when you really want to feel the movie, you need it, like one guy told me, you feel it in the guts, which is the thing that makes it so vivid.
The center speaker is a Magnat Vector 13, it is not the same serie as my Magnat Motion, but it was recommended as good tonal matching. I could actually buy a Motion Center, but it was only 50 w rms, not enough to complete a 120 w rms set of speakers. This one has 100 w rms, and the sound matches perfectly as far as my ears feel it. I also spent a little bit more money than expected, because I read that it is a very important speaker, since it has to bear all the dialoges. Now I can tell you how true it is. If you don't have a good center, you don't have anything.
About comparisons HArman-Yamaha-MArantz, I finally didn't do it (as soon as I can, I will do it anyway), but if I gather all the opinions, from very different sources, I have to say:
1- Yamaha better for movies
2-Marantz better for music
3-Harman, more balanced, between them both, better in music than Yamaha, and better in movies than Marantz.
I am talking about a comparison between models in the range of 500 euro.
What else? I still want to see, better say hear, how it behaves with headphones, I will buy a good ones. It is supposed to make a kind of surround to enjoy movies...
Ah! Quite hard to plug all the speakers, but not as much as I have read, nothing you cannot do with patience and care.
Then, lengthy to learn all the functions and settings, etc. I read the spanish version of the manual instructions, and it is 60 pages! I think that it is the general case in av receivers, and anyway, I really enjoy discovering all that this little baby can do. I actually haven't finished it... I have the receiver for 3 days already, but I am quite busy with my PhD thesis now... In fact, I haven't finised with the settings, I have to put a delay on the rear right channel, because it is closer than the others... But that is one of the last chapters of the "book". I usually read them partially, only the parts I need, but this time I don't want to miss anything.
So, I really like it, and the only disavantage I can find is that the sound is not warm enough when you choose the dsp modes. The bass lacking is a minor detail that you can only slightly feel without the sub and in the picky conditions I checked.
I would give it 9/10, but don't take it into account because I don't have enough experience with many receivers.
Thank you very much for your advices, help and patience, specially if you have read so far...
Greetings everyone, Cribeiro
