Hello,
I am the (lucky) owner of an Denon AVR-X4500H which I use to experience surround sound from TV or BluRay, drive 3 audio zones (living room, dining room and hobby room), and stream music from my NAS using HEOS.
I currently have my old QUAD 99 amplifier driving the L and R speakers (Monitor Audio Gold series). The Quad amplifier however is slowly deteriorating and I am looking to replace it.
My final goal is to have the 'best of both worlds', meaning: being able to enjoy surround sound for video content, but also listen to hifi music (mainly film scores).
2 questions:
1) is it worthwhile replacing the Quad 99 with a good quality stereo amplifier (I was e.g. thinking about the Cambridge Audio CXA81) or is the quality of the native Denon amplifiers in the AVR comparable (I doubt they are)?
2) would an external net player (like the Cambridge Audio CXN V2) with a high-end DAC bring more definition and vividness to the hifi experience for listening to music? Or is the quality of the DAC in the Denon AVR-X4500H good enough for that purpose?
Any comments or advice are welcome!
I am the (lucky) owner of an Denon AVR-X4500H which I use to experience surround sound from TV or BluRay, drive 3 audio zones (living room, dining room and hobby room), and stream music from my NAS using HEOS.
I currently have my old QUAD 99 amplifier driving the L and R speakers (Monitor Audio Gold series). The Quad amplifier however is slowly deteriorating and I am looking to replace it.
My final goal is to have the 'best of both worlds', meaning: being able to enjoy surround sound for video content, but also listen to hifi music (mainly film scores).
2 questions:
1) is it worthwhile replacing the Quad 99 with a good quality stereo amplifier (I was e.g. thinking about the Cambridge Audio CXA81) or is the quality of the native Denon amplifiers in the AVR comparable (I doubt they are)?
2) would an external net player (like the Cambridge Audio CXN V2) with a high-end DAC bring more definition and vividness to the hifi experience for listening to music? Or is the quality of the DAC in the Denon AVR-X4500H good enough for that purpose?
Any comments or advice are welcome!