can a surround amp be good enough for hifi

[admin_exported]

I have the B&W MT-25 surround speakers that i intend to keep. i am looking for a AV amp that can give me hifi sound from CD or I pod, i know Onkyo do a dock and there 608 has won awards. i have a new Samsung 3D TV and blueray,

 

[Anonymous]

what model is your 3d blu-ray player?

 

[grdunn123]

You're going to use the B&W MT25 for 2 channel stereo?

 

[Gerrardasnails]

kirkpeter4:I have the B&W MT-25 surround speakers that i intend to keep. i am looking for a AV amp that can give me hifi sound from CD or I pod, i know Onkyo do a dock and there 608 has won awards. i have a new Samsung 3D TV and blueray,

The B&W speakers are great for home cinema but even with a stereo amp you would be lacking for stereo sound. An AV amp will be fine with them, just don't expect too much.

 

[moosey]

I know i risk ridicule from our hifi experts

, but i do think you can get decent hifi sound from a style AV setup.

I have a marantz6004 and kef3005se, and I now listen to more music than ever before. I just can't be bothered to move to the other room with the hifi. Feed your system with good quality source (i now use alac via sonos and tos connection) and use decent connections and i think you'll get a very listenable sound.

I tried many sources; bluetooth from laptop, usb hard drive and cheap ipod dock. The sonos via optical is best, but direct usb was also excellent. If you amp has a decent dac, i think you might want to feed a digital signal.

good luck

 

[Anonymous]

i dont think it will be a bad sound - yes, its similar to lifestyle systems and can in some cases sound better than the usual stereo from currys.

When you ask a hifi forum - they are probably thinking audiophile quality.

 

[JoelSim]

moosey:
I know i risk ridicule from our hifi experts

, but i do think you can get decent hifi sound from a style AV setup.

I have a marantz6004 and kef3005se, and I now listen to more music than ever before. I just can't be bothered to move to the other room with the hifi. Feed your system with good quality source (i now use alac via sonos and tos connection) and use decent connections and i think you'll get a very listenable sound.

I tried many sources; bluetooth from laptop, usb hard drive and cheap ipod dock. The sonos via optical is best, but direct usb was also excellent. If you amp has a decent dac, i think you might want to feed a digital signal.

good luck

You're right. The system will provide decent sound, but yes you can get much better. In the scheme of things I would imagine it will sound ok to anyone who isn't a (sad) audiophile.

 

[Anonymous]

A surround amp for stereo sound ? NAD t785, pure and simple . I don't Know about your speakers . Are they small life style speakers ? If so , it might be a problem . The t785 works very well in stereo with my system and if this is out of your budget look into the less expensive models. Good luck !

 

[Anonymous]

I think you can get an enjoyable Hi-Fi sound off a decent AV amp.
To get the most for your money I would consider buying a better specked discontinued model.
You will never get the same performance off lifestyle speakers that you would off full size ones, but hey if it means you listen to more music than you would otherwise that's a result!
Another thing.....feeding your AV amp with a clean Mains supply certainly gives improved clarity to music with a clearer signal path through the amp.

 

[scene]

trevor79:I think you can get an enjoyable Hi-Fi sound off a decent AV amp.
To get the most for your money I would consider buying a better specked discontinued model.
You will never get the same performance off lifestyle speakers that you would off full size ones, but hey if it means you listen to more music than you would otherwise that's a result!
Another thing.....feeding your AV amp with a clean Mains supply certainly gives improved clarity to music with a clearer signal path through the amp.
Agree with all of this. One of the older AV amps from Arcam would be a good choice - their two-channel stereo is as good as many dedicated stereo amps.

An alternative is to get an AV amp which has pre-outs for at least the front left and right, and a stereo amp that can be used in "processor mode" (i.e. fixed gain) on one input. Then you can have surround sound from your AV amp, with the front pair powered by the stereo amp and put 2-channel sources straight into the stereo amp.

Unfortunately, this plan only really works if you have a pair of full-range speakers for the front pair, rather than lifestyle sats.

 

[unfocused]

I have an Arcam AVR350 and am more than happy with the stereo performance.

 

[scene]

unfocused:I have an Arcam AVR350 and am more than happy with the stereo performance.
As is my avr250, which is why I made the comment - actually it is Arcam's forte and they tend to go down the audiophiles at the expense of AV extras...

 

[scene]

unfocused:I have an Arcam AVR350 and am more than happy with the stereo performance.
As is my avr250, which is why I made the comment - actually it is Arcam's forte and they tend to go down the audiophiles at the expense of AV extras...