new AV receiver or old integrated + power amp??

[martinbarnes]

hi, i wonder if anybody can answer a question or two for me?

with all the good reviews that AV Recievers get nowadays, will the sound of such an amp (at around say £500 - £1000) be better than my antique (20 years old!) Audiolab 8000A and 8000P combination? I'm using these in bi-wired and bi-amped configuration

I've also got a Sony STRDA2400 ES that i use for video source switching and to drive center, rear surround and sub-woofer speakers, and by using the pre-amp outs to my 8000A/P to power the front left and right main speakers (another antique - 20 year old Monitor MA14s, weighted with sand). So a fairly standard (but very old) hi-fi set-up in that respect.

Would i get a better sound by buying a new AV receiver, and parting with my old faithfull Audiolab amps? I've also got 20 year Meridian 206B CD player, so it would need to sound okay with that, and a Rega Planar 3 turntable, so would need an input for that.

and i presume new floorstanders would sound a lot better than my old MA14s, but is that the case?

So, do i stay with what i've got, or will i be blown away by newer equipment?

Any advice, suggestions, ideas would be very welcome!!

thanks,

 

[his dudeness]

hi, i wonder if anybody can answer a question or two for me?

with all the good reviews that AV Recievers get nowadays, will the sound of such an amp (at around say £500 - £1000) be better than my antique (20 years old!) Audiolab 8000A and 8000P combination? I'm using these in bi-wired and bi-amped configuration

I've also got a Sony STRDA2400 ES that i use for video source switching and to drive center, rear surround and sub-woofer speakers, and by using the pre-amp outs to my 8000A/P to power the front left and right main speakers (another antique - 20 year old Monitor MA14s, weighted with sand). So a fairly standard (but very old) hi-fi set-up in that respect.

Would i get a better sound by buying a new AV receiver, and parting with my old faithfull Audiolab amps? I've also got 20 year Meridian 206B CD player, so it would need to sound okay with that, and a Rega Planar 3 turntable, so would need an input for that.

and i presume new floorstanders would sound a lot better than my old MA14s, but is that the case?

So, do i stay with what i've got, or will i be blown away by newer equipment?

Any advice, suggestions, ideas would be very welcome!!

thanks,

[/quote your audiolabs will not be beat for stereo,you might get close with a high end arcam or other very expensive av amp,i used to have the sony and it was always rated very good for stereo but im sure if you,ve compared it to your pre-power you,ll see a big gap in stereo performance,if you want to reduce box count you can get decent sound from some av amps,if you just fancy a change then new speakers will certainly improve your sound.

 

[7760]

So, do i stay with what i've got, or will i be blown away by newer equipment?

Stay. It'll take far more money to _noticeably_ better it - unless perhaps you look for used bargains (and have quite a bit of time available to experiment).

 

[martinbarnes]

thanks guys for the replies and advice.

I'll stay with my old Audiolab amps & upgrade the speakers when the boss decides what finishes will be permissible when the room is redecorated.

 

[cloggy27]

Yes this forum tends to ignore a vital component of the audio setup - what the wife will let us get away with!