Help on new £800 amp

[admin_exported]

I am looking to replace my ageing Yamaha RXV657 amp with one of the following:

- Yamaha RXV3900

- Denon AVR3310

- Onkyo TX-NR708

I know that the Onkyo has just been released so am going on its predecessor in terms of sound quality.

I am just about to order a 7.1 speaker system to go with the amp (Monitor Audio's new Apex speaker system).I have stone floors so was thinking the Yamaha amp might not be best suited (it always sounded a little "bright"). I have an old Denon amp (AVC-A1) in the other room which still sounds superb (with Mission 753/751/75c speakers) and works well with the stone floors.

Any suggestions?

 

[Anonymous]

F2F:

I am looking to replace my ageing Yamaha RXV657 amp with one of the following:

- Yamaha RXV3900

- Denon AVR3310

- Onkyo TX-NR708

I know that the Onkyo has just been released so am going on its predecessor in terms of sound quality.

I am just about to order a 7.1 speaker system to go with the amp (Monitor Audio's new Apex speaker system).I have stone floors so was thinking the Yamaha amp might not be best suited (it always sounded a little "bright"). I have an old Denon amp (AVC-A1) in the other room which still sounds superb (with Mission 753/751/75c speakers) and works well with the stone floors.

Any suggestions?

With respect

Have you never considered researching room treatment to address your room acoustics i.e. the floor rather than blaming any particular part of your kit?

 

[Anonymous]

Relationships are always a compromise. I have stone floors because we like stone floors (although with rugs in the lounge). I am not "blaming my equipment" - my amp is getting on (it dosnt even support HDMI) and I would like to upgrade. In my personal opinion it sounds a little bright (and I have a much more expensive amp to compare it against). I am asking for an opinion with the amps I am looking to purchase - having had experience with Denon and Yamaha but not with Onkyo. I am not however prepared to "carpet" my floor!

 

[Anonymous]

the latest yamaha amps are generally considered warm , not bright ...

 

[Anonymous]

F2F:Relationships are always a compromise. I have stone floors because we like stone floors (although with rugs in the lounge). I am not "blaming my equipment" - my amp is getting on (it dosnt even support HDMI) and I would like to upgrade. In my personal opinion it sounds a little bright (and I have a much more expensive amp to compare it against). I am asking for an opinion with the amps I am looking to purchase - having had experience with Denon and Yamaha but not with Onkyo. I am not however prepared to "carpet" my floor!Obviously misinterperated my post I was and would in no way suggest Carpeting you floor , but point taken

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi F2F

Apart from Chord Electronics DSP8000/SPM3005 i have also recently listened to Monitor Audio's new Apex sub/sats with Yamaha's RX-V2065, RX-V3900 and DSP-Z7 and all three have (in their own way) worked admirably with the Apex speakers. I detacted no brightness with any of the four models.

Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Frank Harvey]

A little reflection is good, as it helps to 'disperse' the sound a little - if a room is too dead you can hear where the speakers are. In this respect they'll all work, but obviously you'll want to go for a smoother one to not exaggerate this too much.

I find the Pioneer SCLX82 has a nifty little feature called X-Curve, which can cut the treble by 3dB to all channels at the same time - that's effectively halving the treble - which should mean it can be accommodated into almost any room. The Apex system isn't exactly smooth either, so extra help would be a good idea. Using the THX settings will help too - this has an immediate effect of rolling off the HF of the speakers - so the Onkyo and Pioneer have an advantage here.

At the price point you're looking at, none will match up to the AVCA1's amplification, and the better the amp you can get, the better the Apex's will get. I would either look at the Pioneer SCLX82 or one of Onkyo's outgoing models (1007/3007), which will get more out of the Apex's than the 708.