Need help selecting a mid-range reciever. Onkyo/Denon/Pioneer/Sony/Marantz???

off course separates win..thats a diff issue.
but a pre pro will alne cost you around 1 lakh and a power amp another 70k..

It is not just about winning. It is to get the best possible sound for the money.

The landed cost for a Emotiva XPA5 is 55K. You have 45K left to get the pre amplifier from them. Sounds like it can be done in one lac.
 
if a prepro and a power amp set up is avilable within 1 lakh..i agree fully yes thats the way to go.

just one question.

emotiva is no doubt good power amp makers...but at the decoding area i mean the pre pro device...is it at par with the market leaders like onkyo/denon/marantz/yamaha....??

no offence,I want to know it as i have no idea...the discussions and knowledge will help me a lot for my future plansa.
thank you
 
emotiva is no doubt good power amp makers...but at the decoding area i mean the pre pro device...is it at par with the market leaders like onkyo/denon/marantz/yamaha....??

To get an idea about Emotiva, their products and what the company stands for, you might want to read about this...

I have heard the XPA5 extensively and there is absolutely nothing I have heard that can better this power amplifier.

Emotiva: Good Deal or the Real Deal? | Home Theater

this...

Emotiva UMC-200 Preamp/Processor | Home Theater

and this...

Music in the Round #51 | Stereophile.com
 
if a prepro and a power amp set up is avilable within 1 lakh..i agree fully yes thats the way to go.

just one question.

emotiva is no doubt good power amp makers...but at the decoding area i mean the pre pro device...is it at par with the market leaders like onkyo/denon/marantz/yamaha....??

no offence,I want to know it as i have no idea...the discussions and knowledge will help me a lot for my future plansa.
thank you

Hi prosenjit,

A very good question indeed !!! I have just started hunting for a good home theatre from the scratch and so even I am curious to know the details ...

Though I don't have any answer for your question, I would like to re-iterate a point here and I am sure you must be also aware of this. After reading so many articles, what I have understood is that the processing unit (either as a pre-pro seperate -or- as a receiver being a pre-amp) is very much important in determining the sonic quality and sound signature (this is apart from the speakers). I was reading one article on NAD T748 (receiver) and it has been rated very highly more for it's processing unit (though it has only modest power). In fact the reviewer said that one can buy T748 only for the purpose of using it as a pre-amp just for it's processing unit.

From the Internet, I found these two dedicated pre-pro to be cheaper.
1. Outlaw Model 975 - MRP:$549
2. Emotiva UMC-200 - MRP:$699

I am not sure of their performance though. Other alternatives of budget around 1L (+/- 10k) are :-

1. Marantz 5007 (7.1/5.1 channel pre-amp) + Emotiva XPA-5 power amp (5.1 channel)
2. Marantz NR1604 (2.1 channel pre-amp) + Emotiva XPA-2 (2 channel pwer amp)----> 2.1 pre-outs connected to 2 channel power amp and rest of the 3 channels connected directly to speakers.
3. NAD T748 (5.1 channel pre-amp) + Emotiva XPA-5 power amp (5.1 channel)

Best would be to audition them, but what are your thoughts with the above combinations in case if there are doubts about the performances of pre-pro belonging to outlaw and emotiva ?

I am sure option#1 and #3 would be the best, but option#2 seems to be meeting the requirements (may be mine :) ? what do you say ?
I am more curious to see option#1 vs option#3 and I guess T748 is around 65k.

NOTE: Apart from Marantz/NAD, I am finding all other AV receivers's with pre-outs to be too costly (I need to confirm it again .. anyway)
 
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NOTE: Apart from Marantz/NAD, I am finding all other AV receivers's with pre-outs to be too costly (I need to confirm it again .. anyway)

I will stick to Emotiva, Outlaw and Sherbourn (Emotiva's father). They are such value for money products with no compromises.

I heard the XPA5 paired with a Marantz SR7005. The Marantz used to do the job of powering the speaker too before the Emotiva arrived. Though not fair to compare the performance of a integrated av receiver to a power amplifier, once the Emotiva started driving the speakers, its as if they came alive. The SR7005 is a model you can buy eyes closed but to pair it with the partnering power amplifier MM7055, you will need your entire savings and I don't think that is worth.
 
I will stick to Emotiva, Outlaw and Sherbourn (Emotiva's father). They are such value for money products with no compromises.

I heard the XPA5 paired with a Marantz SR7005. The Marantz used to do the job of powering the speaker too before the Emotiva arrived. Though not fair to compare the performance of a integrated av receiver to a power amplifier, once the Emotiva started driving the speakers, its as if they came alive. The SR7005 is a model you can buy eyes closed but to pair it with the partnering power amplifier MM7055, you will need your entire savings and I don't think that is worth.

I understand ... So coming to the same question as what prosenjit also asked - Say, I have these combinations :-
1. SR7005 (as pre-amp) connected to XPA-5
2. SR5007 (as pre-amp) connected to XPA-5
3. NAD T748 (as pre-amp) connected to XPA-5
4. UMC-200 (as pre-pro) connected to XPA-5.

Which of the following combinations will sound great ? I understand it will be tough to answer without doing the actual audition, but just in case if you have any thoughts, please share ...

For me, I see combination#1 on the higher side of the price. Combination#2 seems to a very good balance between price and performance. combination#3 is still a mystery for me. From what I heard, combination#3 might outclass combination#1 and #2. combination#4 seems to be economical too, but I am not sure how it performs against other combinations ... Going by the review, combination#4 also seems to be good. Any thoughts ?
 
thanks shanmune for such useful question.
in fact i am thinking the same...
combinations like a pre out avr+emo power amp
or
emo pre pro and emo power amp...

which is good..

i think emo pre+emo power is very very economical...as in a pre out avr we wont use its amp section so why pay for it..in fact i did not know pre pro can be of 599 usd...thanks to sandeepmohan for opening my eyes..

persons using emo pre pro can answer it perfectly....about the sound quality/signature
 
i think emo pre+emo power is very very economical...as in a pre out avr we wont use its amp section so why pay for it

It is not just economical. It is superb sound quality. With a XPA5, you also have a lot of quality power to drive difficult speaker loads.Couple of years down the line, if you choose to buy better speakers, you may never have to upgrade the amplifier.
 
Well pre is very important & characteristics of sound is determined by it.Power amp will only boost it.Still one should hear a combo in person.
I tried Rotel power amp connected to Yamaha 667 & found sound became more warm than 667 itself.When I connected Marantz AVR as power amp,things were better.So again only adding power amp wont do,but a neutral one is good one to sound better.
 
@C Sivajegan - Get the 5007. Sounds better and has pre outs for future expansion. Pretty soon, it would be well neigh impossible to get that quality of AVR at this price range.
 
Its slightly more powerful vis-a-vis the 2113. You see, I have both with me.

Which speakers do you intend to pair with the AVR?
 
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