New surround amp or pre wanted

[cheyworth]

Hi all, I currently have an Onkyo TX-NR818 and am wanting to upgrade as i now have a 4k TV. I have the choice of either a reciever and use the pre outs with my Arcam P7 and Leema Tucana in a 9.2 setup (front height) or a Processor and remove the height speakers to make a 7.2 system.

Speakers are MA PL300 and PLC350 front, GSFX side and (old)sfxi rear, with 2 GSW12's.

I am looking at Marantz 7702 mk2 as the pro (£1200) or SR7011 (£1200) or save some cash with the SR6011(£700).

1) Any other models to look at?

2) Will the 6011 do aswell as the 7011 as a processor or will the 7702 be way better?

3) unlikely to go to atmos but you never know.

Thanks, chris

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

6011 will do 9.2 with internal amps and 11.2 using a stereo power amp for last two channels OR your front left and right via your "proper stereo". OR any other channel pair you pick. The older 6010 will do seven channels internally plus two extras via a power amp, so it might be worth looking around for a "last in stock" deal on the 6010. Both are as "future proof" as anything else on the market with 4K upscaling and pass-through, HDMI 2.0, HDCP2.2, HDR, etc. compatibilities.

You can use the P7 to drive seven channels and use the Marantz to drive your front heights. With your P7 power amp you'll have plenty of power from either the 6010 or the 6011 to run your current 7 channels plus two or more height channels.

 

[cheyworth]

does anyone know if the av7702 or the sr7011 will give better surround processing? Looking for something that will last 5+ years. if the AV will be much better then it is money well spent. it will not be used for audio as everything goes direct the the leema.

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

The 7702 has been superseded by the 7703. The only difference seems to be the addition of HEOS multi-room capability. HEOS is, I think, kind of like Bluetooth, maybe a bit more sophisticated.

Given you've already got an Arcam P7 power amp I'd say go for the processor only, but in reality there's not likely to be much to choose between them as far as sound decoding goes. It's kind of like a pre + power or integrated choice for stereo. If you go for the pre-processor 7702 (or 7703) you're limited to the 7 channels of your P7 unless and until you add another power amp. If you go for a 6010 / 6011 / 7010 / 70`11 you have the ability to go to 11 channels without adding a third box. Don't get fooled into thinking any of them will decode 13 channels, though. What they do is pick 11 of the 13 playback (not decode) channels made available according to the source codec.

As for longevity / compatibility with the future, who knows? All your choices have Atmos, DTS:X, and Auro-3D, HDCP2.2, HDMI 2.0, HDR compatibility, but with the industry's habit of coming out with another "better than" evey ten minutes, who knows what the future holds?

 

[cheyworth]

the max i will go to is 7.2.4. I have the P7 for surround and Leema Tucana for stereo, so i have 9 channels of amplification at the moment.

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

Go for the 6011, 7010 or 7011. Any of those will give you 7.2.4 using your existing stereo for the fronts, your P7 for seven surrounds, and the internal amps for the last two channels. Without adding an extra power amp. If you prefer to use the Leena solely for stereo, you can use four (or six) of the receiver power amp channels instead.

Although 13+ channel AVRs and processors are available (mostly in Japan) or in the pipeline - Emotiva is bringing out a 7.3.6 soon for example - it's hard enough to discern the different speakers in the "point four" bit of my 7.2.4 setup in a 20 ft x 12 ft HT room as it is.

 

[cheyworth]

well just ordered the SR6011, will get delivered on Saturday.

I have a week off from Sunday so plenty of time to setup and play with.

So it will be Samsung K8500 4k bluray, Marantz SR6011, Samsung 55JS8500 or Epson 6100 projector.

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

Excellent.

TBH unless you needed HEOS I saw no good reasons to go for the 7011 over the 6011 or 7010.

Let us know how you get on.