Suggestion on AV Receiver

[tulsiyan]

Hi everyone,

I have been looking around to buy a Home Theatre setup for my living room for the past 2 months. After a lot of demos and reading reviews, I have narrowed down a few speakers which are Dali Fazon F5, Paradigm Reference Studio 60 v5, Tannoy Revolution DC6T SE, Tannoy Precision 6.2, PSB Image T6, PSB Imagine T2 and Revel Concerta F12. I am still in the process of deciding on which set of speakers to finally buy depending on the AV Receiver I finally narrow down on and try these speakers after pairing them with the AV Receiver. I would also appreciate everyone's views on these speakers and which according to everyone would be the best.

As for the AV Receivers, I have narrowed down the Pioneer SC LX-86, Denon X4000, Yamaha Aventage RX 2020 or 3020, Marantz SR 7008 or 6008, Anthem MRX 500 or 700, NAD T777 or 787 and Cambridge Audio 751R. I have not considered Arcam since it does not have 3D pass through. Ofcourse the NAD and the Anthem have superior sound to all of the rest but are really low on features whereas the others are heavy on features (with the exception of CA) but the sound quality cannot match what the Anthem and NAD can produce and that's where lies my confusion. Therefore, I request suggestions on the AV Receiver I should finally opt for out of the above or any other AV Receiver which everyone may throw into the list.

Thanks

 

[elangoas]

I guess you have left the market leader Onkyo :licklips:..

You can consider TX NR 818 & upwards models.... All of them have very good video processor if you like that feature... 1080p video upscaler processor

Else in the 2013 model range, you can look @ Onkyo TX NR 929... 9.2 channels of amplification.. Not sure abt the price.. Guezz should be in the same league as Yamaha RX A 1020/2020

 

[bhavin.patel]

Hi everyone,

I have been looking around to buy a Home Theatre setup for my living room for the past 2 months. After a lot of demos and reading reviews, I have narrowed down a few speakers which are Dali Fazon F5, Paradigm Reference Studio 60 v5, Tannoy Revolution DC6T SE, Tannoy Precision 6.2, PSB Image T6, PSB Imagine T2 and Revel Concerta F12. I am still in the process of deciding on which set of speakers to finally buy depending on the AV Receiver I finally narrow down on and try these speakers after pairing them with the AV Receiver. I would also appreciate everyone's views on these speakers and which according to everyone would be the best.

As for the AV Receivers, I have narrowed down the Pioneer SC LX-86, Denon X4000, Yamaha Aventage RX 2020 or 3020, Marantz SR 7008 or 6008, Anthem MRX 500 or 700, NAD T777 or 787 and Cambridge Audio 751R. I have not considered Arcam since it does not have 3D pass through. Ofcourse the NAD and the Anthem have superior sound to all of the rest but are really low on features whereas the others are heavy on features (with the exception of CA) but the sound quality cannot match what the Anthem and NAD can produce and that's where lies my confusion. Therefore, I request suggestions on the AV Receiver I should finally opt for out of the above or any other AV Receiver which everyone may throw into the list.

Thanks

AAAhhh I am also in same boat. But till my knowledge one should invest in better speakers than AVR. Speakers will surely stay for 5-8 yrs without any issue but AVR will become obsolete within year or so with upcoming technology. If you are much serious about music listening you should go with Anthem or NAD...no question asked...but if you require balance between music and movies...I will recommed X4000/marantz or Onkyo as per your wish.....This is all about individual perception.

Personally I had narrowed down on PSB T5/ POLK A9 and KEF Q700. As these are within budget. I had made budget of 1.8L max so wont be stretching it. what about your budget....Do let me know what AVR you prefer and looking to purchase....

This world of AVR is having no roof to it and sky is the limit

 

[aakashr]

when selecting speakers / AVR you need to look at sound signatures. That is more imp than looking at other tech features. You should listen to the various combo and then decide. Eg NAD & PSB go very well together, so do denon and polks................

 

[bhavin.patel]

when selecting speakers / AVR you need to look at sound signatures. That is more imp than looking at other tech features. You should listen to the various combo and then decide. Eg NAD & PSB go very well together, so do denon and polks................

So pairing PSB with Denon would be disaster !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I see that you are certified person and advice from you guys are always appreciated.... what is your opinion for Denon with KEF Q700 ???

 

[tulsiyan]

AAAhhh I am also in same boat. But till my knowledge one should invest in better speakers than AVR. Speakers will surely stay for 5-8 yrs without any issue but AVR will become obsolete within year or so with upcoming technology. If you are much serious about music listening you should go with Anthem or NAD...no question asked...but if you require balance between music and movies...I will recommed X4000/marantz or Onkyo as per your wish.....This is all about individual perception.

Personally I had narrowed down on PSB T5/ POLK A9 and KEF Q700. As these are within budget. I had made budget of 1.8L max so wont be stretching it. what about your budget....Do let me know what AVR you prefer and looking to purchase....

This world of AVR is having no roof to it and sky is the limit

I started with a budget of 4 but have ended up stretching it to 6 assuming I do opt for the NAD or Anthem. Otherwise I guess it will end up being somewhere in the region of 4.5-5. NAD seems like a good option considering it won't face the issues of obsolescence since it has a modular design which can be upgraded as and when new technology arrives (theoretically). I haven't considered Onkyo because the 828 and 929 are both inferior to 818 both in power rating and the features offered which seems quite absurd.

 

[tulsiyan]

I guess the more relevant question to ask for me should have been that which AVR Brand is most compatible with the various speaker brands I have identified for my home theatre needs. PSB & NAD are perfect together bcos they belong to the same group. But Which AVRs pair best with Tannoy, Dali, Paradigm, Revel.

 

[tulsiyan]

AAAhhh I am also in same boat. But till my knowledge one should invest in better speakers than AVR. Speakers will surely stay for 5-8 yrs without any issue but AVR will become obsolete within year or so with upcoming technology. If you are much serious about music listening you should go with Anthem or NAD...no question asked...but if you require balance between music and movies...I will recommed X4000/marantz or Onkyo as per your wish.....This is all about individual perception.

Personally I had narrowed down on PSB T5/ POLK A9 and KEF Q700. As these are within budget. I had made budget of 1.8L max so wont be stretching it. what about your budget....Do let me know what AVR you prefer and looking to purchase....

This world of AVR is having no roof to it and sky is the limit

Bhavin,

I would suggest that you opt for the PSB over the KEF and Polk. PSB are really good speakers and the quality of speakers offered at the same price as other brands is usually far superior and comparable to more expensive speakers from those brands. That's my personal opinion. PSB are also very neutral speakers and that's what you want in a good speaker. Now you should try and find a good pairing of AVR with it since the cheapest NAD available is for about 1.25 lakhs which has hardly any features including even a lack of a USB port.

 

[tulsiyan]

when selecting speakers / AVR you need to look at sound signatures. That is more imp than looking at other tech features. You should listen to the various combo and then decide. Eg NAD & PSB go very well together, so do denon and polks................

I'd be grateful if you can suggest the best pairing for the speakers I have identified since you are a THX certified professional. Thanks

 

[aakashr]

I guess the more relevant question to ask for me should have been that which AVR Brand is most compatible with the various speaker brands I have identified for my home theatre needs. PSB & NAD are perfect together bcos they belong to the same group. But Which AVRs pair best with Tannoy, Dali, Paradigm, Revel.

Now you get the idea ................even if you get the most expensive AVR and pair it with the most exp speakers, it might be a total disaster if they don't mate well together!!!

 

[tulsiyan]

Now you get the idea ................even if you get the most expensive AVR and pair it with the most exp speakers, it might be a total disaster if they don't mate well together!!!

So can you pls suggest which brands of AVR mate well with the Brand of Speakers identified by me ? What's the other option to mating NAD with PSB since NADs are extremely expensive and lack most features which are standard on either Denon or Onkyo or Marantz, etc

 

[bhavin.patel]

Now you get the idea ................even if you get the most expensive AVR and pair it with the most exp speakers, it might be a total disaster if they don't mate well together!!!

Hmmm I have little disagreement to this statement as in this case PSB has to work with NAD only...POLK can only be paired with Denon and list goes on....

In case if PSB are stated as neutral speakers then they should pair up and perform with all AVRs. I had heard about sound signatures and amplifiers sound coloring and till my knowledge it is personal perception of sound hearing.

Hope I haven't offend anyone here

 

[bhavin.patel]

Bhavin,

I would suggest that you opt for the PSB over the KEF and Polk. PSB are really good speakers and the quality of speakers offered at the same price as other brands is usually far superior and comparable to more expensive speakers from those brands. That's my personal opinion. PSB are also very neutral speakers and that's what you want in a good speaker. Now you should try and find a good pairing of AVR with it since the cheapest NAD available is for about 1.25 lakhs which has hardly any features including even a lack of a USB port.

What do you think about below combination:

T5+C5+Alpha1 (surrounds) + 200Sub (PSB)
T6+C5+Alpha1 (surrounds) + 200Sub (PSB)

 

[tulsiyan]

Hmmm I have little disagreement to this statement as in this case PSB has to work with NAD only...POLK can only be paired with Denon and list goes on....

In case if PSB are stated as neutral speakers then they should pair up and perform with all AVRs. I had heard about sound signatures and amplifiers sound coloring and till my knowledge it is personal perception of sound hearing.

Hope I haven't offend anyone here

Bhavin, It is not true that a neutral speaker mated with any receiver would sound well bcos receivers too have their sound signatures. Which is why NAD, Arcam and Anthem would be preferred over Denon, Marantz or Onkyo since the latter 3 add their signature whereas the earlier 3 are again more on the neutral and musical side. Ofcourse at the end of the day its all about each person's listening preference since some people may like their music bright, some prefer warm and some neutral.

 

[tulsiyan]

What do you think about below combination:

T5+C5+Alpha1 (surrounds) + 200Sub (PSB)
T6+C5+Alpha1 (surrounds) + 200Sub (PSB)

Why aren't you opting for the 300 in the PSB Subs ? Have you tried the SVS subs ? They are really good at the price at which they are offered.

 

[elangoas]

I haven't considered Onkyo because the 828 and 929 are both inferior to 818 both in power rating and the features offered which seems quite absurd.

Yes very true...

You can consider TX NR 1010 & upwards models.. as the top range hasn't been refreshed for 2013...

Regarding the sound signature for AVR excluding Marantz (warm), others (Onkyo, Yamaha, Denon) have almost neutral to very little variation in sound signature...

Now talking about the big stereo brands that are in to AVR, Marantz, Cambridge Audio, NAD, Arcam will carry their sound signature o AVR's too...

 

[bhavin.patel]

Why aren't you opting for the 300 in the PSB Subs ? Have you tried the SVS subs ? They are really good at the price at which they are offered.

Can you let me know offering price of SVS subs. Anything within 50K can be opted for if they are better in their category...

Thanks for information

 

[tulsiyan]

Can you let me know offering price of SVS subs. Anything within 50K can be opted for if they are better in their category...

Thanks for information

The SVS PB-12 NSD & PC-12 NSD are both priced at somewhere around 55k if u can factor in a discount with the dealer. They both have 12 inch drivers and the only difference is that the PB-12 is a conventional ported sub design whereas the PC-12 is a tall cylinder and therefore smaller footprint. Ofcourse that also means that they sound slightly different from each other. Try them both out and I am sure you will love them.

 

[bhavin.patel]

If you had auditioned KEF Q series and RTiA series can you elaborate your experience listening them?

I found KEFQ on warmer side and RTiA series to brighter side with bommy bass. KEF towers were surely lacking bass range.

http://www.hifivision.com/what-should-i-buy/44657-advice-needed-setup-ht-3.html#post511978

 

[tulsiyan]

If you had auditioned KEF Q series and RTiA series can you elaborate your experience listening them?

I found KEFQ on warmer side and RTiA series to brighter side with bommy bass. KEF towers were surely lacking bass range.

http://www.hifivision.com/what-should-i-buy/44657-advice-needed-setup-ht-3.html#post511978

I didn't like either the KEF Q or the Polk TRiA. I had demoed the KEF Q900 and they just weren't good. Didn't get any impact from them when listening to rock music and the likes and even in movies they just didn't have the grunt u expect. I'll give u an example. In The Dark Knight opening sequence in the bank, the sound of the glass breaking didn't have the clarity nor the effect it should have. I agree that they were too warm.
The Polks were even worse. Everything sounded high pitched. Just too much impact on the sound. The ears hurt when the music was loud or any scene in a movie had a lot of drama.
That's why you will find that my list does not contain either of those brands. I didn't like Klipsch either.
I think you shoud definitely audition the Tannoy DC6T SE. Should retail for around 75-80K if I remember correctly and are really good speakers. Remember the SE cause there is a Tannoy DC6T too which are good too but the SE is much better.