AV Reciever/Amp and Speaker Advice

[admin_exported]

I am looking to buy an AV Receiver/Amp and speaker package and have around £1000 to spend. I don’t know whether to go for a separate speaker package and amp or one of the ‘in the box’ solutions?

I don’t currently have a blue ray player but will probably get the latest Panasonic offering soon. I do have Sky HD though. I want something that is future proof and that supports HD audio.

I would also like it to handle music pretty well, although this wouldn't be my main music system.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks

 

[professorhat]

For a grand I'd definitely look at a separates solution. Something like the Onkyo 606 / Denon 1909 / Yamaha AX763 plus a good 5.1 package like the Q Acoustics 1010i or, if you can stretch your budget a little, the Tannoy Mercury F1 Custom package.

 

[Pistol Pete1]

Hi

I agree with the professor.

I have the onkyo 606 and q acoustic 1010i 5.1, and am really pleased with it.

I bought the onkyo before the denon 1909 came out, otherwise I might have bought that instead as it upscales to 1080p rather than 1080i on the onkyo (Useful if using freeview box, perhaps. Or even Sky HD, as it is only broadcast in 1080i, I think?).

The denon is meant to be slightly better for cd player useage too (music playback).

You can get the q acoustic package for £450, if you shop around, so you will have £100 spare for cables, mains conditioner (tacima cs929 is excellent! £24 off ebay)

Hope that helps.....

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks - I'm not so keen on the look of the Onkyo but I like the Denon and the Yamaha... What are the main differences between the two, apart from the Yamaha only having 2 HDMI inputs?

I'm not sure which speakers to go for... the Q Acoustics 1010i 5.1 package sounds like a good bet, although I'm not sure if I like them in black. Do they come in any other colours?

Wish I could afford the B&W 685 Theatre speaker package.

 

[lobby]

For amp i would look at the Yamaha AX863se for £495 has 3 hdmi 5 star award and good allrounder or a cheaper solution would be the older Denon 2808 for £400 has only 2 hdmi sockets , available in silver only.Partner these with the Tannoy customs, Monitor Audio Radius r90 for £500-600 in silver or look at the Mk k1 series for £650. These are alternatives to the Denon 1909 and Onkyo 606 which are great budget amps, but i feel you will get more out of the earlier ones as mentioned.Imo i would go for the Yamaha AX863se and MK k1 speakers.

 

[professorhat]

Definitely worth waiting for the Awards issue of WHF next Thursday - this will have a showdown of all of those amps to find out which one they recommend and why.
The Q Acoustics website shows they come in Cherry, Beech and Graphite Black. The B&W 685 Theatre package is awesome, but yes, it is quite a bit above your budget I'm afraid...

Again, the Awards issue may help out with your speaker package choice as well.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice - I will buy a copy on Thursday.

The B&W package does look amazing... maybe I will save for a bit longer.

 

[highfidelity]

Does anybody know which receivers apart from the too expensive Pioneer SC-LX90 has Wolfson DAC's that can decode DSD to Analogue directly without any LPCM conversion ? . This info seems to be missing from Manufacturers literature

 

[Anonymous]

professorhat:For a grand I'd definitely look at a separates solution. Something like the Onkyo 606 / Denon 1909 / Yamaha AX763 plus a good 5.1 package like the Q Acoustics 1010i or, if you can stretch your budget a little, the Tannoy Mercury F1 Custom package.

What about the £300 Sony STR-DG820 and the £600 Q-Acoustics Q-AV or the £600 Tannoy Mercury F1 Custom? That makes the total system only £900.

 

[professorhat]

Nothing wrong with the Sony as far as I can tell (haven't heard it mind) - as I say, the Awards issue should reveal WHF's favourite and why. As always, let your own ears be the judge when it comes to your own system.
Not a fan of Q-AV package personally as I don't think it's as good as the proper traditional systems like the 1010i package or indeed, even better, the Tannoy system we both mentioned.