Pioneer SCLX58 or Yamaha RX2040 for B&W CM9 S2?

[dominatorhk]

Hello!

I am not an expert on Hi-Fi and so I really need some advice for this. I have a pair of B&W CM9 S2 and I am thinking to get a good home cinema amplifier to support them. I am now looking at the Pioneer SC-LX58 and Yamaha RX2040. Both of them look good to me. I know that the SC-LX58 won the 2014 best amp award for £700-£1500 and the RX1040 seemed not as good. However, I was wondering if the RX2040 is a lot better than the RX1040. Therefore, I was struggling to choose between the two. However, I also welcome suggestions for the other brands. *i-m_so_happy*

Many thanks in advance!

Nick

 

[bigboss]

To be honest, B&W CM9 would really benefit from the flagships like Yamaha RX-A3040 and Pioneer SC-LX88. Also look at Anthem MRX710.

 

[bigboss]

If you're not bothered about Dolby Atmos, look at Yamaha RX-A3030 and Pioneer SC-LX87 which will be a lot cheaper as they're last year's models.

 

[dominatorhk]

Is it because the Pioneer SC-LX58 and Yamaha RX2040 are not powerful enough? If I am to go for one of those flagship amps, which one would you prefer? The RX-A3040 or the SC-LX88?

 

[dominatorhk]

I mean, the RX-A3040 and SC-LX88 are quite a lot more expensive than the RX-A2040 and SC-LX58.........

 

[bigboss]

B&W CM9 are big speakers and will benefit from superior amplification of the flagship AV receivers. I like Yamaha personally as I find them more musical and warm, but some prefer the Pioneer as it can be quite forward sounding and a bit bright.

Look at 2013 models which are significantly cheaper, and demo both receivers to see what you prefer.

 

[dominatorhk]

Thanks very much for your advice. I will take a look of those models.

 

[Laurens_B]

At the moment I have B&W 683 S2 on a Yamaha RX-A2020, not quite the same equipment, but I think in terms of synergy and sound signature very comparable. I think they are a great match. In my experience, Pioneer tends to be a bit brighter, and for me a bit too bright with B&W, but you might experience something different though. Also, the Aventage series are very well reviewed in terms of musical performance, don't know about the Pioneer on that matter.

As for the RX-A1040/2040/3040: The difference between the 1040 and 2040 is a lot more significant than between the 2040 and 3040, so see for yourself if the price difference is worth it.

As Bigboss already mentioned: look at discounted last years models.

 

[bigboss]

http://www.creative-audio.co.uk/HD.php?_YAM_3030_&CAT=HCAMP&ID=7505&t=gs&gclid=CKacyfnWhMICFUT3wgod0j0ATQ

 

[dominatorhk]

Thanks for sharing your experience Laurens_B. Very helpful advice too.

I agree with you that the difference between the 2040 and 3040 is not as large as the 1040 and 2040. The main concern for me right now is whether the small difference in power between the 2040 and 3040 makes a very noticable increase in performance, or I should ask "Will I use those extra features at all?". I think I really have to find a way to evaluate this.

 

[dominatorhk]

Thanks bigboss!

 

[Sliced Bread]

If it helps, I demoed the CM8’s, CMC and CM1 with the Yamaha RX-A3030 and Pioneer SC-LX87 and both were good.

The Pioneer SC-LX87 as much harder to setup to sound ‘right’, than the Yamaha (which sounded best without any EQ in my opinion) but if the 3040 and LX88 have a similar sound then I don’t think you can go too wrong though I would definitely recommend a demo as they sound very different from each other.

Yamaha: Sounded bigger, yet still detailed and had a warmer sound.

Pioneer: Sounded more detailed with better stereo imaging, but not quite as big and had a more forward sound.

While the Yamaha sounded warmer, the Pioneer had more control over the very deep bass and also felt like it went a little deeper too. The Pioneer was also more punchy in the bass. The Yamaha could counter this with a really nice tonal balance. Vocals were good on both but particularly so on the Pioneer.

It was a difficult decision but the Pioneer topped it for me…but it took almost two months to set it up to sound ‘right’. The Yamaha just worked well out of the box, with levels and distance manually set. With the auto-eq set, in my room at least, the Yamaha lost all it’s charm. The Pioneer was the opposite. It sounded terrible out of the box, but came alive after running the Auto-calibration (plus a lot of tweeking).

Just my opinion though, so you might want to demo. I hear Anthem are good too, and the new Marantz (not sure of the model number) is said to be excellent. I’ve heard Marantz work well with B&W too, though I’ve not heard the combination myself.

 

[dominatorhk]

Thanks for sharing your experience and giving me advice Sliced Bread. It seems that it's really down to personal preference in the end. I would definitely get a demo on these amps and see which one I like.*biggrin*

 

[Sliced Bread]

Thanks for sharing your experience and giving me advice Sliced Bread. It seems that it's really down to personal preference in the end. I would definitely get a demo on these amps and see which one I like.*biggrin*

You're welcome.

Good luck