DENON AVR-1910 any good with stereo music?

[admin_exported]

Hi

Im planning on getting a pair of B&W 685's and an amp. I mostly listen to music (80-90% of the time) but i do enjoy watching a movie now and then on blue ray so i cant really decide on one of these 3 amps. NAD 326, CA 650A or the Denon avr-1910. Im guessing the the two pure stereo amps gives me better performance with music, but just how much compared to the denon? The additional digital inputs it offers sure would be great even if i wont use more than 2 channels. If it is "good enough" for music im going for it, but if i have to sacrifice too much stereo performance ill take one of the amps

Any thoughts from anyone who has the 1910 and uses it for music?

 

[j4mm3r]

I cant comment on the above products but i have the denon avr-2310 which is replacing my arcam a80 as my universal amp for music & movies and i have to say im really impressed with the sound quality with music, even connecting an ipod to the front (not the best way) the sound is quality, fed with my arcam cd player and the sound is very very good indeed, more than adequate for the casual listener.

I sampled the onkyo 607 (similar price to denon 1910 - although im aware 1910 is a 5*) for a couple of weeks previous to getting denon and it was good with movies but poor with music.

Think you need to spend a bit on a receiver to get adequate music quality, see if you can try out a reciever for a week before buying, if your budget is less than £450 and your more keen on music you probably need a stereo amp.

 

[Anonymous]

Thx for your input.

Im sure you are correct and a stereo amp is the way to go. I guess i was just hoping that the 1910 would be one of those rare gems that could do music too. Ive pretty much settled on the 685s so that should get the job of finding a matching amp that much easyer.

I used to be a real hifi gear nut back in my younger years but found that more and more i started listening to the quality rather than the music. Ended up selling my entire system and has spent the last 10 years just listening to music rather than the quality and been happy as a clam. I used to be one of those guys with 10 cds and gear worth about 50k. Now i have a music collection of just over 4000 cds but a rather basic system. The time has come to upgrade abit though.

 

[j4mm3r]

yeah ive found my listening habits have changed, ive had a £2000 stereo system for about 8 years and enjoyed it early on but find i listen less to cds nowdays, what with the digital age but i have to say cds sound so much better than compressed files obviously, but its just easier to create playlists on an ipod or pc rather than changing cds, you have to like the whole album!

Personally i think you should go somewhere like richer sounds, see if they can get all three amps you want, then take one home for 14 days & try it out, thats what i did but you have to pay for the amp, they let you return it for something else if you dont like it within 14 days, so i think you should get the 1910 and try it out only you can say if its any good.

it depends on your lifestyle and how you listen to the music, if your gonna sit down with a glass of wine and listen to a cd then stereo amp is the way forward. i like the convenience of a good quality receiver, you can use it as your media hub, play bluray/consoles/cd players/ipods/sky tv through it, my arcam stereo amp didnt quite cut it with modern tech although its obviously great with cds.

 

[Hendy00]

j4mm3r:Think you need to spend a bit on a receiver to get adequate music quality, see if you can try out a reciever for a week before buying, if your budget is less than £450 and your more keen on music you probably need a stereo amp.

I have to agree with this. You could be spending twice as much or more for a good music quality.

Since you are looking at the CA650, you might want to consider the Nad C355 or Marantz PM7003. Both are excellent stereo amps (sorry to add more confusion to your dilema). They were all in the same price range only a few months back but both has had price increases, the Marantz considerably more. Or you could save youself £50 and look at the CA640. Still a class product.

However, if you can a demo of the Denon, then that would be best. Even beter if you'got 14 days to play with it . Let your own ears decide.

BEWARE!! RS do not give refund unless under extreme circumstances, So make sure that they have your alternative avaiable before handing over the cash.

 

[proffski]

It is not often that I wax lyrical about cheap AV products, but the Denon AV 1910 is a true exception.

I always cast an eye of suspicion on claims that some products need "Burning in", well how wrong can you be!

At first the device was rough round the edges and my disappointment initially was high.

Within a day or two things improved markedly and continue to do so. I cannot believe the grip, the authority that the amplifier has, the sheer wealth of detail can be jaw dropping for an AV product, each evening I marvel at what I am hearing this is a stunner!

Do not misunderstand me, my ears have been honed on Quad Electrostatics, Musical Fidelity KW1, Krell, KEF reference and other high end audio and I know the limitations of affordable AV amps.

I thought that I was going deaf with my older but better built Sony, that fear was soon dispelled with the Denon, and a new home found for the Sony.

This is a seriously good amplifier and my tastes are wide, jazz, blues and soul, opera, classical orchestral and 1960/70s popular, vocal and so on. Given time this little bruiser will boogie at lightning speed and amaze you with it's ability to portray the coherence only found in stuff costing much more and certainly give some god dedicated Hi-Fi separates' a good run for their money and even show some a clean set of heels A BARGAIN!!!

 

[Anonymous]

CA, Denon, B&W and Nad are sold in the same store chain over here so i will be able to listen to all three with the 685 speakers. I just wante to go in there with abit of input from other users who may have well burned-in units and the same requirements before i listen. Not sure if they let me take them all home for a real test but i can always ask. It is an enthusiast chain so maybe..

 

[Anonymous]

I was going to upgrade my stereo + cheap AV amp for an ARCAM AVR250 as this was meant to be good for stereo and home cinema. The ARCAM wasn't that good at stereo compared with the stereo amp I already had costing a third of the cost. The dealer then suggested a Cyrus stereo amp and that the difference was light and day.

My brother has a Denon 1905 (IIRC) for both and is very pleased with it but in my opinion he could do better with a dedicated stereo amp.

I would buy a decent stereo amp and save up for a cheap AV amp later!

 

[smuggs]

i was listening to my music through the denon1909 which after hearing the 1910 i not better really. I thought it sounded great until a bloke who is into his music said try an old amp from ebay and have a play i have a rotel rx202 mii £20 1970's and its so much better i have now just bought a a rotel rx 402 mii from ebay 25 pound, so i would guess that a new stereo amp would kill them 1910.

 

[cloud7]

joestone:

Hi

Im planning on getting a pair of B&W 685's and an amp. I mostly listen to music (80-90% of the time) but i do enjoy watching a movie now and then on blue ray so i cant really decide on one of these 3 amps. NAD 326, CA 650A or the Denon avr-1910. Im guessing the the two pure stereo amps gives me better performance with music, but just how much compared to the denon? The additional digital inputs it offers sure would be great even if i wont use more than 2 channels. If it is "good enough" for music im going for it, but if i have to sacrifice too much stereo performance ill take one of the amps

Any thoughts from anyone who has the 1910 and uses it for music?

My Denon 1909 sounded great with music! I really love it! For listening music, I prefer turn off the subwoofer!

I think the 1910 would work fine too!