2Ch or 5.1 Ch for music?

[wnrao]

Dear friends,
I am looking for a 2Ch stereo set up with reasonable SQ for the past few months and going through this forum. I have recently auditioned Yamaha AVR 363 (price 18K) and satisfied with its SQ which made me look at AVR also for music.
I have noticed that the integrated amps are more expensive than AVR for the same power and there availability is limited for auditioning. May be with better volumes and competition its easier to get a good deal for a multi channel amp than a 2 Ch amp.
I heard above Yamaha 363 with Yamaha speakers and I am sure if they are paired with better speakers they will sound better. There is a 2Ch mode in above amp, does that mean it will switch off other channels and become a 2Ch amp only, does that improve SQ in anyway.
I am planning to buy an AVR with best SQ and pair it with reasonably good FS speakers for front and use it in a 2Ch mode. Does this set up make it close to 2 Ch set up in terms of SQ. I am not looking at pure sound but something better than ordinary SQ.its difficult to judge AVR SQ most of the time as they are paired with ordinary budget speakers to keep price down.
Subsequently I may add rear and center for movies. This way I can slowly upgrade.

Pl give your opinion of transition to a multi channel from a 2 Ch set up.

Also suggest best 5.1 AVR in terms of SQ with 100W/Ch. Yamaha 363 is ok but are there any other choices.

regards

 

[smedhavi]

The power rating for AVRs are highly hyped, so do not read too much into that. It is widely accepted on this forum that an AVR will be no match to an analog stereo amp at the same price.
I have personally compared integrated amps with AVRs playing stereo, after switching off all other channels. If your goal is to listen to music in stereo mode there is absolutely no point buying an AVR.

Thanks,
Sharad

 

[rajan2008]

Dear Rao,

Ever since the arrival of the multichannel digital amplifier, this has been a question asked by many, who want a single point, convenient way to listen to music and also enjoy multi channel sound tracks, without having to switch between different amps and speaker systems.

To begin with, stereo is analog and has just two channels. The left and the right. The dedicated stereo amps is capable of handling this very well and you get excellent sound quality. Ideally, you should hear the same sound as in a recording studio, from your speakers. Digital multi channel amps on the other hand are digital and can handle many channels. However, you will not get the same sweet sound quality from a digital multi channel amp (unless it is really good)as that from a 2 channel stereo amp. The digital amps try to process the sound and you have many pre-set models or DSP as they call it to re-shape your sound. However, the gap is closing fast. The new digital amps are really good and come up with real good quality sound. Yamaha has the 'Pure Direct' mode which has no digital processing involved, which is the closest you can get to stereo sound in a digital amp. Depending upon the amp features, you can switch to 2.1, 3.1 or 5.1 to listen to your music. Normally, music is played in 2.1 mode.
So if you are very particular about the sound quality and insist on having audiophile grade sound from your music, then you need to have a dedicated stereo amp + good CD player ( not DVD player) + Good speakers. This set up can also play your multi channel DVD's in 2.1 mode. However, if you are willing to comprise a bit on the sound quality of your music, then you can go for a decent digital amp. This will cater to your music needs as well as your movie viewing needs. You need to have a decent DVD player and speakers to match.

Coming to the choices, Yamaha is an excellent choice, especially if you want more musical sound. You can also try the Cambridge Audio CA 340 or so. This may not be very powerful, but is an excellent multi channel amp. I would suggest that if you can afford, buy a slightly powerful amp like the 663 and then pair it with good speakers. As you have suggested, you can start of with a pair of good floor standers and a sub. Then you can add on the other speakers. 7.1 I feel is an over kill and makes hardly any difference in small rooms.

Hope this helps.

 

[wnrao]

Dear Rao,

Ever since the arrival of the multichannel digital amplifier, this has been a question asked by many, who want a single point, convenient way to listen to music and also enjoy multi channel sound tracks, without having to switch between different amps and speaker systems.

To begin with, stereo is analog and has just two channels. The left and the right. The dedicated stereo amps is capable of handling this very well and you get excellent sound quality. Ideally, you should hear the same sound as in a recording studio, from your speakers. Digital multi channel amps on the other hand are digital and can handle many channels. However, you will not get the same sweet sound quality from a digital multi channel amp (unless it is really good)as that from a 2 channel stereo amp. The digital amps try to process the sound and you have many pre-set models or DSP as they call it to re-shape your sound. However, the gap is closing fast. The new digital amps are really good and come up with real good quality sound. Yamaha has the 'Pure Direct' mode which has no digital processing involved, which is the closest you can get to stereo sound in a digital amp. Depending upon the amp features, you can switch to 2.1, 3.1 or 5.1 to listen to your music. Normally, music is played in 2.1 mode.
So if you are very particular about the sound quality and insist on having audiophile grade sound from your music, then you need to have a dedicated stereo amp + good CD player ( not DVD player) + Good speakers. This set up can also play your multi channel DVD's in 2.1 mode. However, if you are willing to comprise a bit on the sound quality of your music, then you can go for a decent digital amp. This will cater to your music needs as well as your movie viewing needs. You need to have a decent DVD player and speakers to match.

Coming to the choices, Yamaha is an excellent choice, especially if you want more musical sound. You can also try the Cambridge Audio CA 340 or so. This may not be very powerful, but is an excellent multi channel amp. I would suggest that if you can afford, buy a slightly powerful amp like the 663 and then pair it with good speakers. As you have suggested, you can start of with a pair of good floor standers and a sub. Then you can add on the other speakers. 7.1 I feel is an over kill and makes hardly any difference in small rooms.

Hope this helps.

thanks for the info, it gave more clarity

 

[moserw]

The higher end new range of AVRs from 663 onwards are more musical, but also more expensive. I am not really sure you would be satisfied with the musical abilities of the entry level AVRs especially if you are looking to achieve the SQ of a stereo amp or at least near to that. You would best of all be served with a stereo amp especially for music. No point in going for something that's a compromise from the very start. You will be regretting it down the line or very soon itself. Better to save up on money and go for something that will satisfy you.

 

[prakasse]

Dear friends,
I am looking for a 2Ch stereo set up with reasonable SQ for the past few months and going through this forum. I have recently auditioned Yamaha AVR 363 (price 18K) and satisfied with its SQ which made me look at AVR also for music.
I have noticed that the integrated amps are more expensive than AVR for the same power and there availability is limited for auditioning. May be with better volumes and competition its easier to get a good deal for a multi channel amp than a 2 Ch amp.
I heard above Yamaha 363 with Yamaha speakers and I am sure if they are paired with better speakers they will sound better. There is a 2Ch mode in above amp, does that mean it will switch off other channels and become a 2Ch amp only, does that improve SQ in anyway.
I am planning to buy an AVR with best SQ and pair it with reasonably good FS speakers for front and use it in a 2Ch mode. Does this set up make it close to 2 Ch set up in terms of SQ. I am not looking at pure sound but something better than ordinary SQ.its difficult to judge AVR SQ most of the time as they are paired with ordinary budget speakers to keep price down.
Subsequently I may add rear and center for movies. This way I can slowly upgrade.

Pl give your opinion of transition to a multi channel from a 2 Ch set up.

Also suggest best 5.1 AVR in terms of SQ with 100W/Ch. Yamaha 363 is ok but are there any other choices.

regards

Yamah 363 doesn't have pure mode or direct model like 663 or 863 where the extra circuits are switched off for 2 channel stereo. but if you are happy with performance of 363 you can still go ahead and purchase it.

I prefer Music in 2 channel mode than 5.1 mode. 2 Channel Stereo music is best for Music and 5.1 & Above is good for movies. (This is my personal opinion). When you want to relax yourself listening to Music you don't want sounds flying over your head .

If you are planning to use AVR for music too then you can try Yamaha 663, Yamaha 863.

Tell us the budget for this? then we can recommend you suitable options.

 

[wnrao]

Yamah 363 doesn't have pure mode or direct model like 663 or 863 where the extra circuits are switched off for 2 channel stereo. but if you are happy with performance of 363 you can still go ahead and purchase it.

I prefer Music in 2 channel mode than 5.1 mode. 2 Channel Stereo music is best for Music and 5.1 & Above is good for movies. (This is my personal opinion). When you want to relax yourself listening to Music you don't want sounds flying over your head .

If you are planning to use AVR for music too then you can try Yamaha 663, Yamaha 863.

Tell us the budget for this? then we can recommend you suitable options.

my budget is 50K amp+speakers, i suppose yamaha 663 and 863 is above my budget.