Multichannel AV receiver/preamp suggestion?

I second the speakers' suggestion. I used to have a pair of Paradigm Studio 60v4 as fronts, a pair of Studio 10v5 as surrounds, a Studio CC490v5 as center and a PDR-8 as sub, all powered by a Denon 3808CI and those things rocked, great sound, then I moved back to my home country and sold them all, just kept the sub. Fortunately I was able to get a used Denon 4310 for 250 bucks on one of my trips to the US and the MA I bought them used too locally so I came out ok but boy I miss my Paradigm 5.1 system.

 

The Paradigm Studio is already discontinued by manufacturer a few years back. So most likely I will need to buy used. : )

v5 version of Paradigm Studios do not show up frequently and can get expensive even on ebay. I saw a pair of Paradigm 100 and it is close to $2900 including shipping. Brand new costs about $3600 a pair. Not much of a discount.

Even the Paradigm Studio 10 is already bid up to $830 including shipping, more than my original purchase price brand new. : (

I will continue to pay attention and hopefully find a good deal on a pair of Paradigm floor stander.

Thanks again for your input!

 

Haha, $11k is currently not something I would like to spend for now. Looks impressive though.

I read yesterday that a local dealer is selling a used Anthem D2V3D (retailed for $9500) for $3k. So, processor losses a lot of its value fast and I prefer not to spend too much on processor for now.

Thanks for the suggestion anyway!

 

I have an older Denon 4308ci which is fine for watching movies and TV but isn't satisfying for 2 channel audio music. Instead of replacing it I added a dedicated stereo amplifier with a HT bypass connection which is connected to the pre-amp section of the receiver. The result is very satisfying so far.

 

That's not a disc I have right now. But I think any comparison regarding "mid-range purity" is going to be way more impacted by speakers, room, etc., vs. a single component like an AV processor.

 

I thought my speakers and room are good enough, but apparently not enough with my chain of equipments. Steve did mention changing from ss amp to tube amp helps. He also mentioned changing cd player could also help. So, it looks like many things in the chain could help. I was curious if my missing link is the preamp.
Anyway, I see that DENON AVP-A1HDCI is about 10 years old model and was retailed for $7500. A local dealer is selling a used one for $2000. Is this a reasonable used price?

Thanks!

 

Hard to say.. there is no magic bullet. Half the fun is experimenting

That's probably "fair", but only if it has the 3D/Audyssey XT32 upgrade installed. That was a $1K upgrade in itself. Check eBay closed auctions for most realistic prices. Keep in mind that Denon is one of the only "fully balanced" AV processors ever released. That output design leads to serious sound improvements, in my experience. And I've had a lot of A/V processors, including many top of the line AVRs used a pre-amps.

 

Yup, no doubt.

But if budget is an overriding concern, I'd suggest that you don't need ANYthing at this time. As noted above, your Pioneer receiver leaves little to be desired.

Currently, AV receivers are mature technology, and have been for several years. When new models are rolled out, 99% of upgrades are concerned with computer / internet / wireless connectivity. Certainly NOT sound quality; that plateau topped out a long time ago. Most modern AV receivers are excellent performers for music as well as movies.

 

My issue with my current receiver is that it is lacking adjustability and lacking room correction adjustment capabilities.

For example, it can't crossover each speakers individually. All speakers need to crossover at one frequency. The crossover points also limited to 50hz, 80 hz, 100 hz, and 150 hz.

It also does phase alignment down to 200 hz only. Its ability to adjust bass for all speakers below 200 hz is very limited to a few eq points.

Then there is the ability to do dsp without degrading the stereo signals. It seems like mine would degrade the stereo quality with eq on.

Unfortunately, it appears that only those much more expensive av receivers offer what I desire.

 

Understood. Those are definitely legitimate reasons to upgrade your AVR.

And this is the tough one.

It has a lot to do with your expectations of how stereo should sound. And also the fact that fewer and fewer AVRs feature a true Pure Analog bypass; this is also difficult to research and confirm.

DSP and/or room correction processing necessarily alter your stereo listening experience. If you need a subwoofer as part of that, it's doubly arduous. Choice of speakers is important as is your willingness to experiment (which will likely not be free of charge).

If short-signal-path stereo is supremely important in your system, the best bet is to install a separate stereo integrated amp that can control the front left-and-right speakers. One that has HT Bypass input. It's a chore to figure out. It may require new front speakers and/or a separate sub that can connect to them via speaker-level cables. But it's pretty much the only way to ensure best performance of stereo and 5.1 in one system.

 

I've been happy with my Onkyo 876/906 which does have the Pure Analog bypass or at least it is called that. I'm sure you could find today's equivalent.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. Yes, my Pioneer has pure mode (only output to front pair without any additional processing) and direct mode (it would include the sub, but with minimum processing). It sounds just fine to me. I was playing back music in direct mode for my friend yesterday. He said my system sounds really good. But, he also said that if it was him, he would get the bigger Paradigm for the front and get highest end receiver offering from Yamaha or Marantz. Then I should hear more details like what he gets from his setup. Thus I am curious if I can further improve the details retriever of my setup.

 

I'm a big fan of preamps with HT Bypass. I've owned 8-10 different ones over the years both solid state and tubes. It's like having two systems in one. You have the 5.1 capability of the AVR/prepro and the 2 channel performance of a dedicated preamp. I used them with Onkyo and Denon prepro/AVRs with excellent results. Since getting the XMC-1 I've found there is no need to add one as the 2 channel SQ is excellent.

 

It looks like Emotiva is not going to offer xmc-1 anymore. It is listed as out of stock on their web site. RMC-1 should be out soon and it is priced at 5K.

 

Out of curiosity I called Emotiva and they said there will be more XMC-1s available the end of this month or early March. Definitely not being discontinued. Part of the delay could be waiting for the latest HDMI boards but that's just a guess.

If you're really interested in the XMC-1 check out The Emporium classifieds over at the Emotiva Lounge. Every now and then a used one will pop up. You could also post a WTB ad over there as well. You'd need to join the forum though.

The Emporium | The Emotiva Lounge

 

Update:

I bought a used Marantz av8801 AV processor last week and got it setup over the weekend. I believe it was top of the line Marantz processor from ~5 years ago. It lists for ~3K on Marantz's web site.

I don't have much time to listen. My first impression is it is not bright/harsh. Still has lots of details in the high, but songs that used to made me cringe due to harshness in the high no longer sound harsh. Interesting. May be this is the typical Marantz's sound?

I listen to one electronica CD this morning loud and it sounded great (playing back with just plain 2.1 with all sound enhancements turned off.). I don't think in all this years I have heard the songs sounded this good. I can't believe my tiny Paradigm Studio 10 can sound this good. Just wow!

Based on limited listening sessions, so far I agree with my friend that indeed I could do better with higher end AV processor.