Pre/Pro advice for mid to high end system.

[admin_exported]

Hello all,

I would like to get some advice on a pre/pro for my home cinema setup that will replace my Onkyo 3008 AV amplifier. I am looking to keep the Arcam P7 amp in place at the moment. My budget new is £1000 to £2000 maybe a little lower if I can get it second hand. However I am not sure where to look I really like the feature list in the Onkyo amp (such as Audessy, THX, although not to fussed about networking) but was wondering if I should sacrifice those for more finesse, however it will need to have HDMI inputs for lossless audio decoding.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

Phil.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Something like the Onkyo 5509 (and older 5508) both utilise Audyssey XT32, which is currently one of the best room EQ systems currently available (which can be furthered by purchasing the Pro Calibration Kit at a later date). It does have THX capability, but this isn't necessarily something you can take full advantage of with your current speaker system, so is a sort of idle feature in a way. This would be the easiest transition to a dedicated pre-amp/processor as you already know the Onkyo's menu system and remote control.

One alternative is the Rotel RSP1572. This is a little more basic than the Onkyo in that it doesn't use room EQ and isn't THX capable, but sometimes a simpler processor can have an advantage as far as music performance is concerned.

I think your B&W's will benefit from something simple like the Rotel, but depending on your room, you may need the powerful XT32 to tame any room issues you have - most users are quite surprised how much it improves their systems, even those that think they have no room issues!

 

[BenLaw]

Abother option in your price range is the Marantz AV7005 or AV8003. It would be down to an audition which you prefer, although if you are happy with your current sound it may be best to stick with Onkyo. The Marantz is likely to be a touch smoother, which might work well with B & W but may not be to your taste.