AV/Hi-Fi upgrade any advice please?

[admin_exported]

I am currently planning a major upgrade to my AV/Hi-Fi and looking for advice on what to buy. Out of my current system I only plan to keep the speakers (KEF Reference 103/4 or 104/3... can never remember which, plus KEF centre/rears, REL subwoofer). I would love to buy the Naim n-Vi but I'm concerned at the lack of hdmi switching and paying so much for a dvd player before the blu-ray/HD video format wars are sorted. I'll probably hang on to my Pioneer dvd/hd player until then.

I'm looking for good stereo sound and a solution to make the most of the KEF's. AV sound is also important but there is a lack of rack space under the LCD display. With this in mind I've been considering a Cyrus 6 amp + CD but I'm not sure how well they would drive the KEF's. The new Audiolab AV processor (due Nov?) seems interesting (due to price & size) but I would need a power amp to drive the center/rears/subwoofer and I suspect that would take up too much room. I would like the AV part to have auto-setup.

The rack also has to house a SKY Freestat box and I'd like to add some sort of media player. At the moment I watch a lot of Internet TV using Miro on my PC and it would be good to be able to watch that in the living room, as well as listening to Internet radio. For some reason the media players I've seen that play video expect you to turn on the TV to select internet radio stations but I'd prefer an LCD display.

Any suggestions? Would an n-Vi give me the sound I'm looking for, would it be better than the Cyrus, and should I live with the lack of hdmi etc?

 

[Anonymous]

What does it take to get a reply on here and could someone please tell me why the blank lines in my message were removed but other postings have blanks lines. I'm using Firefox.... is that the reason?

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="DLD"]What does it take to get a reply on here[/quote]

A little less attitude probably helps.

[quote user="DLD"]And could
someone please tell me why the blank lines in my message were removed
but other postings have blanks lines. I'm using Firefox.... is that the
reason?[/quote]

No, not the reason - I'm using Firefox too, and it works fine.

Regarding your system, I think it's best not to get too hung up on HDMI switching, as your TV seems to have enough inputs for your current needs. I reckon the Audiolab 8000AV/8000X7 package will suit your needs very well indeed.

 

[Anonymous]

Ouch! I did say please

For some reason I'm suddenly getting a whole different interface to posting with font controls, smilies etc. Wasn't getting that before but I've not changed anything in Firefox!

I've considered the Audiolab, especially as it is discounted right now, but I don't physically have the room for the power amp, hence the reason for looking at a Cyrus solution for stereo and a small surround amp for the rest. The SKY box and DVD/hard disk recorder take up too much space and I still want some sort of AV extender like the Apple TV or something. Do you not rate a Cyrus solution? The magazine seems to like the amps & cd players.

 

[Andrew Everard]

IMHO - and I mean strictly IMHO - I'm not as convinced as some by a lot of the Cyrus stuff, especially when it comes to multichannel systems.

There aren't any really small surround amps that would suit, so I think a compact power amp and a processor might be the way to go. If you really want to go Cyrus, then maybe that is the way to go for the stereo end of things, perhaps with just the Audiolab processor - or even better a used TAG AV32R if you can find one - and a slimline multichannel amp such as the Rotel RMB-1066 (about £600), or just a couple of Cyrus Linkpowers, at about £300 or so each. AFAIK they may be discontinued, but there seem to be a few of them about.

To come back to your original point, I'd still have no problem with buying an n-Vi if you want a really compact solution - I tested one some time back and found its video output broadly comparable with that of the Naim DVD5 I still use at home. That's an 'old school' standard-def player running into a 50in Fujitsu plasma, and I'm still not tempted to switch to HD disc players yet - and I've seen a lot of them in action...

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew, I think I have given you the wrong impression. I'm completely open on which way to go and I've actually always disliked Cyrus and aspired to own a Naim system. But a while back I bought a pair of Quad 11L's to go with a Linn Classik and was so impressed that I bought another pair (in a sale) for an office system. My plan is to copy my CD collection to my PC and listen to it in the study, so I needed a very small amp and after reading the What Hi-Fi reviews I bought an end-of-line Cyrus 6VS. I still haven't copied any CD's to my PC so to test the Cyrus I plugged in a DAB tuner and was amazed to find that it sounded at least as good, if not better, than the Classik, even with a poor signal.

If the n-Vi was £1500 then I would buy one like a shot, and I don't doubt it is the best one-box solution out there. But I am driven to Cyrus 8VS2 + 6CD with something like the Azur 540 V3 (it's the smallest of the latest AV receivers) because it is so much cheaper, does not take up too much space, and as the AV technology advances I'm not throwing away a £3k box. Even if audio technology changes I'm not going to replace all my CD's and so I'm happy to invest in the audio side. My constraints are both budget and cabinet space under a 32" LCD screen. But if I was totally convinced this is the way to go I wouldn't be seeking advice from people with far more experience than me

. At the moment I'm totally unsure and confused.

I know in theory I should go listen to all these things, but I don't own a car, and my local dealer does not have most of the kit I'm interested in. They also tried to sell me a £10k+ video server when I asked how to watch TV programs recorded using Miro (give it a try if you haven't already!) on my main TV downstairs and said I was not treating video seriously when I said that was not what I wanted to do. If I had £10k to spare I'd have a car

!

So I am reliant on What Hi-Fi for reviews but find it hard to work out how one 5 star product compares with another. For example, the Naim DVD5 is a 5 star DVD player but how does it compare with the latest blu-ray players? The latest Onkyo AV receivers are getting great reviews but how do they compare with the n-Vi? Is the 875 better? How does the 875 compare to the Audiolab? It is all so confusing and complicated.

All I want is really good stereo out of the KEF's with CD and the ability to watch TV/movies in surround sound and listen to DAB, Internet radio and MP3's when not listening seriously. The emphasis though is totally on good CD audio. Ideally I'd like something like a Naim Nait with another Naim box containing an AV processor and 3 power amps. Unfortunately, Naim haven't produced one!

 

[Andrew Everard]

Arcam Solo Movie? Linn Classik Movie, which is available for around £1300?