£18000 FOR AV AMPLIFIER AND SPEAKERS

[Anonymous]

Don't buy anything without auditioning the Pioneer SC-LX90 with the PL300's - I know a guy on the LX90 forum has this set up and says its incredible - from my experience I can say comfortably that the LX90 (or Susano as its otherwise known) is well worth the money - probably the most muiscal AV amp you're ever likely to hear. Let me know how you go with the speakers etc - I'm considering a speaker upgrade and can't decide whether to plump for MA's GS20's or wait and get the PL300's when I have more cash.

The best thing with the LX90 is its flexibility - the amps can be configured in a lot of different ways - I have mine running 5.1 bi-amp but you can effectively run 9.2 if you want with it.

Incase you get anyone suggesting the LX90 hasnt got enough power for the PL300's, its tosh - the LX90 has mountains of power - some guys on the forum suggesting that in direct stereo mode it can put out up to 400W/c

 

[Frank Harvey]

The only drawback of the Susano is that the Arcam AV888/P777 isn't much more, and Arcam pretty much have the audio side sewn up as far as musicality is concerned. And the Arcam/Platinum combo is a great match....

 

[Anonymous]

Haven't seen/heard the Arcam combo so can't comment on the performance but it does look well specified indeed and there will be pro's/con's either way - but I'm sure either set up at this level won't fail to please.

There is of course the convenience of the one-box solution with the Susano and 10 channels to the Arcam's - which for most wont be an issue - unless you want to bi-amp 5 channels or bi-amp the front 3 as I do.

Careful on the cost angle though - the cables alone to connect the Arcam units could easily add another grand especially using the balanced connections.

I guess if cost isn't the main factor, it would have to go down to a listening test. I would be happy either way with these two options and have a Susano because I was lucky enough to have a dealer who REALLY needed to move their demo model : )

 

[Anonymous]

FrankHarveyHiFi:
The only drawback of the Susano is that the Arcam AV888/P777 isn't much more, and Arcam pretty much have the audio side sewn up as far as musicality is concerned. And the Arcam/Platinum combo is a great match....

I have the arcam platinum combo and can vouch that there is nothing more you could want. It is so flexible a set up. Bugs seem to be sorted also. I have the AVR600 powering 2 rooms also.

 

[jokerpaulonline]

tvspecv:

£18000?

this guy if not a footballer must be false (my opinion)

well tvspecv in your pic, it shows smoking, well if you smoke 40 a day as some people do, then at £5 for 20 over 5 years it would cost over £18000, and after that 5 years I am sure that legit will still have the full benifit of his £18000 system while all you would have is a pile of ashes and a smelly house. (not that i am saying you do smoke 40 a day and have a smelly house, just an example on heavy smokers) I sure know what I would rather spend my £18000 on lol

 

[Anonymous]

popped into a local dealer to audition some speakers and AV amps home theatre speakers set up.

the speakers i listened to was the PMC PB1I and Pl300 on a 5.1 set up.

the AV amplifiers used was the Susano(lx90). The PMC were the first to be hooked up. Master and Commander was the blu ray chosen at the back of a pioneer lx91 blu ray player. it sounded crisp and fast and every detail of gunfire was obvious.

bass reproduction was tight and controlled to my surprise as i was expecting it to be boomy.the pb1i looked the deal and was in black which is the colour i have chosen for speakers to be purchased..

the subwoofer used was the TLE from PMC which was punchy for the size and it did the job admirably.

the Susano amplifier drove speakers with ease and from the AV angle scored full marks.Stereo purposes it was alright but i have to decide whether i want the best of both worlds or have a dedicated 2 channel set up at a later.

The Platinums were then connected to the Susano with the massive Centre(PLC350) placed right in front of the rack housing the Susano.i must stress here that i have never seen a centre speaker so big and wide.

The first scene of Casino Royale sounded really full with gun shots and car crashing and the PLW15 did impress as initially i did not notice it was even in the set up. i asked the dealer whether there was any sub in the set up and he pointed the sub to me.he stressed that i needed to decide how low i wanted my sub to go as it only needed a play around with it for it to sound just right.he tweaked the sub a bit and boy i felt the vibration and the impact of the blast all over the demo room.

The Platinums were smoother to listen to but could produce the bass if need be which give me a different option to think about in my search for speakers and Av amps.

All in all it was a fruitful day at the dealer even though he did not have the Arcam 888/777 to demo with these two speakers.

This week wil be ringing up a few dealers to find the possibility of demoing the 888/777 with Kef Reference,Platinums,Pmc.

will share my thoughts after my next demo.

 

[bigboss]

jokerpaulonline:

well tvspecv in your pic, it shows smoking

Actually, that's the pic of a top Bollywood actor.

 

[Anonymous]

FrankHarveyHiFi:

Ok, so I assume you'd like your music to sound better than your movies? Or do you want the best from both worlds? I know many will say that's the same question as music/movie ratio, but they are quite different questions. I watch more films than listen to music, but I still want the very best I can get as far as music is concerned.

If you're looking at the current £4k or £5k integrated amplifers, then definitely yes. Below £5k, you're looking at the Arcam AVR600, Yamaha DSPZ11 and Denon AVCA1HDA. Above £5k, you're looking at the Arcam AV888/P777 pre/power. Depending on your priorities and preferences, some would go with one of the one box amplifiers over the pre/powers.

The Platinum range sounds fine on the end of the Z11. Personally, as previously mentioned, the KEF's beat them for immediacy, attack, and being more neutral, so these would be my choice on the Z11. The Z11/Platinum combination works well enough for many to be happy with it.

For me, movie reproduction doesn't get much better han the Z11 without spending silly money, and music is very capable - it's certainly better than most people are used to, it just depends whether it's up to your demands.

As mentioned above, I think the Z11 is better with the KEF's, but it's whether you think so. The Z11 and Platinum comination is 'nice', but it's a little laid back, and lacks the more informative nature of the KEF's. I did a demo recently between all the hi-fi speaker manufacturers mentioned in this thread (and a couple of others), and it was surprising how different these speakers were. They were so different, I'd be pretty confident in picking out the brand in a blind listening test! It was just so obvious how much more attack the KEF's had over the rest, making many of the others sound too laid back. The PMC's were the next best in my opinion.

The Arcam certainly beats the Yamaha and most others for that matter, as far as music is concerned - this is Arcam's strong point. Movies are great too, but Yamaha's exclusive processing tends to keep tham ahead of the field. One option is to mix and match a pre/power to suit you - Rotel, Arcam, Onkyo and Lexicon all produce pre-amp/processors. They can be partnered with multi-channel power amplifiers from Rotel, Arcam, Lexicon, Bryston, ATC, and Denon. So you could make a pre/power to suit your price point and needs as far as the speaker package is concerned - one thing you need to get right is to make sure the speakers are driven properly - if they're not, you may as well spend £5k.

Hi David,

wanted to know how well the Rotel 1575 and 1582 will work with the Arcam AV888 and the PL300/Kef Reference?

many thanks.

 

[Frank Harvey]

legit:Hi David,

wanted to know how well the Rotel 1575 and 1582 will work with the Arcam AV888 and the PL300/Kef Reference?

many thanks.

They'll work very well. Probably the best man to ask is Force,as he used Rotel amplification with his KEF Refs. I think it depends how loud you'd like to play it - I think he's witnessed a couple of amp trips....but he can best tell you with this as he uses it day in day out. My recommendation for the KEF's would be Bryston, ATC, Arcam or Cyrus amplification. One of our customers bought a P777 to drive his KEF Reference 205's for his 2 channel system - correction, he bought two to tri-amp! So they do work extremely well together.

 

[Anonymous]

bigboss:
jokerpaulonline:

well tvspecv in your pic, it shows smoking

Actually, that's the pic of a top Bollywood actor.

I'm impressed Doc

 

[Anonymous]

FrankHarveyHiFi:

Probably the best man to ask is Force,as he used Rotel amplification with his KEF Refs. I think it depends how loud you'd like to play it - I think he's witnessed a couple of amp trips....but he can best tell you with this as he uses it day in day out.

Lol no I had a dodgy experience which my Harmony remote caused ! The Harmony's 'volume up' button got stuck and sent the volume into overdrive ! Luckily, the Rotel's protection circuitry kicked in and switched 'em into standby. I was extremely glad to know that this feature worked as I really thought I might have damaged my speakers.

Legit, adding the Rotel's into the mix did help to give a bit of oomph to the Kef's lower mids as opposed to just using my Denon AVR to drive them - they seem to like a bit more juice. But overall, the Rotels are simply enabling the Kef's to be driven louder without fear of distortion. They don't change the sound, they're just amplifying it - so as long as your processor sounds nice, then it will still sound nice.....

On a personal note - if you're running the AV888, I'd try it out with the P777.

 

[ear]

Oh my Just clicked on your name The_Force...you live in a model flat! no wifey?

 

[Anonymous]

Lol No wifey no....but a very understanding partner !

 

[Anonymous]

ear:
Oh my Just clicked on your name The_Force...you live in a model flat! no wifey?

Too garish and bourgeois if you ask me.

 

[Anonymous]

Octopo:ear:
Oh my Just clicked on your name The_Force...you live in a model flat! no wifey?

Too garish and bourgeois if you ask me.

What a lovely word bourgeois is.

 

[Anonymous]

THE_FORCE:Octopo:ear:
Oh my Just clicked on your name The_Force...you live in a model flat! no wifey?

Too garish and bourgeois if you ask me.

What a lovely word bourgeois is.

You'd have to be a member of the bourgeoisie to think so I guess.

 

[Anonymous]

THE_FORCE:Octopo:ear:

Oh my Just clicked on your name The_Force...you live in a model flat! no wifey?

Too garish and bourgeois if you ask me.

What a lovely word bourgeois is.

bourgeois could be another 'posh' word for jealous .... I'd donate my bolloks to science to own a home like that

 

[Anonymous]

dim_span:

I'd donate my bolloks to science to own a home like that

Science don't need bolloks, it needs brains.

 

[Anonymous]

dim_span:

bourgeois could be another 'posh' word for jealous .... I'd donate my bolloks to science to own a home like that

PMSL dim_span if I typed 'that' word it'd get removed in a flash !

Remember.... Music makes the bourgeoisie and the rebel......

 

[Anonymous]

 

[ear]

The_force.lovely decor, minimalist beautifull you spend some cash in audio video equipment though

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers ears ! Ermm I mean ear. Thank you kind sir.

*wonders how legit's getting on with his demo'ing and decisions?*

 

[Anonymous]

Respect to The_Force, a great abode you have, almost like living in an advertising world with all those lovely gadgets!

I found this thread really interesting and it's such a shame how some peoples jealousy starts to creep in hey?.

Getting back on topic i hope that "legit" does give fellow members his final decision, it's seems so much effort has been put into this that it would be a shame not to know the final outcome.

 

[Anonymous]

THE_FORCE:

Cheers ears ! Ermm I mean ear. Thank you kind sir.

*wonders how legit's getting on with his demo'ing and decisions?*

been a hectic weekend demoing and deciding what to go for.

Finally just placed an order for the PMC pb1i,C6 centre,fb1i and the TLE1 subwoofer.

with the matching amplifier i decided to go fot the Pioneer Susano and lx91 blu ray player.

it was a tough call as i narrowed the speakers system to two (kef and pmc)

decided on going for chord cables all through and my dealer will be in next Saturday to do the installation and set up.

Finally its the end of the road in achieving my dream setup.

Many thanks to all who advised me in making a choice for my all in one seup.

 

[Anonymous]

Nice one legit - that should be a kick *** system !

and many thanks Tonyroolze. Respect also.