Yamaha Yht 299 versus Norge pre/ Power amp 1200 with Norge Tower spk Mk II

[guptapankaj22]

Hi Friends, this is my second post on this forum.

I want to know your opinion along with reasons( if possible) regarding the system to buy for listening to music ( mainly) and at times to movies as well...

On one side is Yamaha home theater system YHT 299 ( having Yamaha RXV375 receiver and 5 speakers of Yamaha NS- P40 type with a sub woofer) . the cost is near 32k.
following is the link to its site.

YHT-299 - Home Theater Packages - Yamaha - India

On the other side is non branded ( but acclaimed Indian manufacturer ) Norge Stereo Amp system in which i have zoomed on to Norge's highest model ie Norge Pro/Pre amplifier 1200 along with matching floor standers ie. Norge Tower spk Mk II having 180 Watt RMS at 90 db sensitivity and 4 ohm Nominal Resistance. Cost will be near 44k. + ( freight extra ;-) )

Site address Norge Audio

In forum experts opinion, which product will give better pure pleasant musical sound considering the Brand value in consideration also. and also considering that i will only be getting 2 speakers on front in later option as against 5 in other.

Btw , I also have option of getting the speaker and amp made customized for my requirements from few popular local speaker and amp makers . Is this also a worth considering option in your opinion. ?

This is really confusing me and only you can help in it. Thanks in advance !!

 

[efernand1]

Hi guptapankaj22

In the past..thats about 15 years or so back...almost everyone owned integrated stereo amplifiers and tower speakers...Bose came with their AcoustiMass series of cube speakers and subwoofer..we had then SPACE audio and PANDAM copying the style of Satellite speakers with woofer to replace those bulky towers we once had....as time passed by...nearing to the 90s..we see the entrance of AV receivers which are manufactured by the same big brands we used in the past...the inthing today is HOME CINEMA....sadly the fact of the matter is that there is no True Cinema experience anymore except for the big screen...almost everyone now is owning a proper home theatre...some have dedicated rooms for the same to enjoy the same theatre like experience...at the comfort of your residence.....these home theatres are connected to projectors to enjoy the big screen experience or either to a large LED or plasma.....

Coming back to your actual use....I moved to AVRs in the late 90s...used big brands for 11 years and kept upgrading...being a DJ my first choice is MUSIC and so I would expect the AVR to deliver that performance...currently I use the NR 1402 Marantz + Boston Acoustics Soundware XS 5.1 speakers....completed a year and the experience is awesome...it is better than Bose, Denon, Yamaha. Harmon Kardon, Pioneer etc......

If this is your first home theatre and budget is a constraint....go for the YHT299 it is an entry level Home Theatre which will work well for music and movies...all you need to do is get the settings done correctly...later perhaps you can upgrade the speakers and get better sound from the amp....

If you want to go for my setup....it would cost around 51k (Marantz NR 1504 + Boston Acoustic Soundware X.S 5.1) on HiFiMart....you can check if you can purchase the same cheaper elsewhere....

Click on my user name for related posts on Home Theatres which would perhaps guide you to take the right decision...hope this helps

 

[guptapankaj22]

Hmm. Thxs buddy. thats an interesting option Bro. because anyways , i am near 50k in the above set up . so adding few thousands to get a near good system fulfilling home theater as well as music need is a good option.

the only thing i am worried about is the music quality out of AVRs as compared to stereo amps as is mentioned in various threads of Hi Fi forums. so thought of sacrificing HT. but ur explained set up has interested me and i am gonna explore it and its reviews too. Thanks indeed !!

Any other suggestions by other members too !!

 

[Prakash Kumanan]

Guptaji, IMHO comparing home theatre with a stereo system is like comparing apples with oranges. Also Yamaha YHT 299 doesnt include RXV375 as an AVR in the package, I guess its another model, not 100% sure though.

HTiBs cannot do justice or compete with stereo systems for music and the stereo systems may not be good for watching movies as dialogue and surround effects wont be that great!

Weigh your usage and make up your mind to finalise on a HT or stereo system. I've auditioned the Yamaha 299 and found it to be good in comparison with competing models from other companies for music and movies. Norge also has very good reviews with regards to their amplifiers and speakers, i've know of people who have paired norge amp with wharfedale diamond bookshelfs and are happy with the purchase.

HTiBs are not 100% upgrade proof, stereo systems are.

 

[guptapankaj22]

Thks Prakash ji for your reply. My primary aim is music. but as i have an LED 40 inch with very poor sound. and the placement of the speaker system to be bought is also planned next to Tv . so will attach the TV audio to those new speakers is an added advantage apart from the main usage of system for music.
I thing buying stereo amp for music will suffice and at least there will be tolerable or moderate betterment in Sound quality of movie running through the speakers of stereo amps as compared to TV speakers.
you are of the view that having both the world together with HT is not possible much. so seek preference according to importance . this is slight in contradict to the opposite view expressed by anopther member above ur comment. anyways, getting more insight as the thread evolves. Thxs a ton , bro !!

 

[prepress]

I want to know your opinion along with reasons( if possible) regarding the system to buy for listening to music ( mainly) and at times to movies as well...

First and foremost, make sure about your usage. what you prefer : Music or Movies? if both then what would be the ratio e.g.
Music 20% Movies 80%, vice a versa
or
50-50

After that go for your purchase and spend money accordingly.

On one side is Yamaha home theater system YHT 299 ( having Yamaha RXV375 receiver and 5 speakers of Yamaha NS- P40 type with a sub woofer).

This is not true, YHT 299 doesn't include RX-V375, it has HTR-3066. However Yamaha sellers say that this is same unit as RX-V375 but I am not sure if it is 100% true (you have to compare the specs and features).

On the other side is non branded ( but acclaimed Indian manufacturer ) Norge Stereo Amp system in which i have zoomed on to Norge's highest model ie Norge Pro/Pre amplifier 1200 along with matching floor standers ie. Norge Tower spk Mk II having 180 Watt RMS at 90 db sensitivity and 4 ohm Nominal Resistance. Cost will be near 44k. + ( freight extra ;-) )

Another note, it is proved that reputed Indian brand will sound much better than any international brand comes in same budget (yes, BUDGET). As in 44k the sound you can get from Norge, you can't get better or similar sound from International brands in 44K.

My view > I have checked YHT-299 and it is not bad for Music and Movies both, but it is not good if you play loud and some effects may not feel smooth like in the movie "Death Race 1-2-3" or other War movies.
But definitely it is much better for most movies in which all speakers never work at same time. Subwoofer has small driver so it may not sound awesome is some blast effects but don't consider it is not good.
It is very good for small rooms.
Checked some songs (wave format) and it was pleasing, you can use its features/sound presets or just sound enhancer (which increases the dynamics but still keeps the originality) to make sound better.
Overall it is very good if you are in movies and music both.

 

[guptapankaj22]

First and foremost, make sure about your usage. what you prefer : Music or Movies? if both then what would be the ratio e.g.
Music 20% Movies 80%, vice a versa
or
50-50

After that go for your purchase and spend money accordingly.




This is not true, YHT 299 doesn't include RX-V375, it has HTR-3066. However Yamaha sellers say that this is same unit as RX-V375 but I am not sure if it is 100% true (you have to compare the specs and features).



Another note, it is proved that reputed Indian brand will sound much better than any international brand comes in same budget (yes, BUDGET). As in 44k the sound you can get from Norge, you can't get better or similar sound from International brands in 44K.

My view > I have checked YHT-299 and it is not bad for Music and Movies both, but it is not good if you play loud and some effects may not feel smooth like in the movie "Death Race 1-2-3" or other War movies.
But definitely it is much better for most movies in which all speakers never work at same time. Subwoofer has small driver so it may not sound awesome is some blast effects but don't consider it is not good.
It is very good for small rooms.
Checked some songs (wave format) and it was pleasing, you can use its features/sound presets or just sound enhancer (which increases the dynamics but still keeps the originality) to make sound better.
Overall it is very good if you are in movies and music both.

Thank you so much for taking time to answer my query point by point. My primary aim is music, movies will only be once in a while , and for that , i think floor standers may not be that bad as my TV speakers are. so , yes, i think i should go for stereo amp only for pure music. Thxs bro !!

 

[hildebrand]

Yes, I also had similar requirements and went for a Norge setup (2060 amp +Millenium speakers) as per my budget. (For music stereo is best in my opinion and not HT).
I connected my set top box to it too and with good MX cables I am happy with playing of the TV sounds too.
I mostly wanted it for the music with which I have no issues and am more than impressed. I agree that Norge gives you more bang for your buck.
I had auditioned Yamaha setups at a mall before buying and frankly wasn't very impressed (to my ears it left something to be desired).

 

[elangoas]

Good that you chose stereo amplifier over An AVR... There are options for stereo as well...

There is a traditional stereo amplifier which doesn't have digital inputs, DAC & USB port which is good if you have a dedicated CD player and a good collection of CD's....

Modern stereo amplifier (Onkyo TX 8050, Yamaha RN 500) have digital inputs, in built DAC, USB input & network functions (with ethernet port)... This is good if most of your content is Digital (Either on phone/Tab in MP3/WAV/FLAC formats)....

The good thing abt network enabled amplifiers are you don't need to have a dedicated CD player if you will be playing the songs from mobile/tab thru home network....

 

[logmein]

Good that you chose stereo amplifier over An AVR... There are options for stereo as well...

There is a traditional stereo amplifier which doesn't have digital inputs, DAC & USB port which is good if you have a dedicated CD player and a good collection of CD's....

Modern stereo amplifier (Onkyo TX 8050, Yamaha RN 500) have digital inputs, in built DAC, USB input & network functions (with ethernet port)... This is good if most of your content is Digital (Either on phone/Tab in MP3/WAV/FLAC formats)....

The good thing abt network enabled amplifiers are you don't need to have a dedicated CD player if you will be playing the songs from mobile/tab thru home network....

The Onkyo 8050 does sound like a steal. Especially if someone can get it down from the US.

Will be researching on it more tonight.

 

[guptapankaj22]

Yes, I also had similar requirements and went for a Norge setup (2060 amp +Millenium speakers) as per my budget. (For music stereo is best in my opinion and not HT).
I connected my set top box to it too and with good MX cables I am happy with playing of the TV sounds too.
I mostly wanted it for the music with which I have no issues and am more than impressed. I agree that Norge gives you more bang for your buck.
I had auditioned Yamaha setups at a mall before buying and frankly wasn't very impressed (to my ears it left something to be desired).

thxs bro !! ur reply has solved one of my problem of knowing as to whether stereo amp system connected to set up system will give better than TV audio for movies (though not like HT). Since u have attached it that way too. so my basic aim of 80% music listening is solved through stereo amp and rest 20 % of movie watching is also solved this way.

 

[elangoas]

The Onkyo 8050 does sound like a steal. Especially if someone can get it down from the US.

Will be researching on it more tonight.

US happens to be the cheapest price for this stereo amplifier....But you will need to add step down transformer...

Try to get them from Middle East/Europe/ Asian countries where it has the same voltage 220 - 240V...

I got my 818 AVR from kuwait...

 

[hildebrand]

thxs bro !! ur reply has solved one of my problem of knowing as to whether stereo amp system connected to set up system will give better than TV audio for movies (though not like HT). Since u have attached it that way too. so my basic aim of 80% music listening is solved through stereo amp and rest 20 % of movie watching is also solved this way.

You are most welcome Pankaj!