Setting up: Onkyo TX NR-818, Cambridge Azur 751BD and B&W MT-50

[admin_exported]

This is my first topic, in the hope people can help me with my first real HIFI/surround buy.

I already own a Samsung HT-D6750W/XE, which I want to replace with a 5.1 system with better sound, a better looking speakers. The room is a mere 4x4 meters, so the 7.1 system is kind of an overkill, and the speakers look.... hmm, not nice.

Now I've been looking at the setup in the headline, and it fits within the budget I've set up for it, with the possibility of upgrading the subwoofer to the PV1D at some point in the future and thereby getting the MT-60.

Is there something I should be aware of with this setup? All the components seem to have gotten some nice feedback, but I'd like some too on the setup.

Onkyo TX NR-818, Cambridge Azur 751BD and B&W MT-50

Best regards

Jimi M.

 

[Anonymous]

Okay, couldn't help it. I now own the MT-60D as well.

A quick question, I have a little problem understanding the blu-ray-players, when I have an amplifier, the Onkyo TX-NR18, do I need to spend a lot of money on a good blu-ray player as well? I was thinking about, many of the expensive players have analog 7.1 exits, do I really need a blu-ray player with with an internal amplifier? Or can I go for a cheaper model?

I was thinking about the Cambridge Azur 751BD, but is that an overkill when I have the amplifier?

I feel I missed some of the understanding here, help me...

Regards

Jimi M.

 

[bigboss]

Your Onkyo will do a brilliant job of decoding audio. Blu ray players do not have an internal amplifier. Either the player can decode audio, or the AV receiver can.

Depends on what you want the blu ray player for. If only for blu ray films and your blu ray player is connected via HDMI to your AV receiver, Cambridge Audio 751BD / 752BD is an overkill.

Apart from blu ray discs, what else are you looking to play? How important is music to you?

 

[Anonymous]

The Blu-Ray player is supposed to play DVD, Blu-Ray and CD's, hopefully with good result. The intention is setting it up with HDMI to the amplifier, and have that handle sound to the speakers.

The problem is I don't really understand what the difference really is between a 200 and a 1000$ player? Is it only features that makes the difference?

 

[bigboss]

1) With 1080p/24 blu ray pictures, I found no difference in players at different price points.

2) DVD upscaling can vary between players, although a lot of newer budget players have good upscalers.

3) Some blu ray players have better DACs for superior audio (makes a very small improvement in my experience), but even budget players have decent DACs in them. Besides, if you bitstream audio for your AV receiver to decode, you won't be using the blu ray player's internal DAC anyway.

4) Cost of the player is dependent on the build quality, universal disc playing capability, 7.1 analogue (to connect ot AV receiver without HDMI) and twin HDMI outputs (if you have want 3D but have a non-3D capable receiver).

The budget Panasonics & Sonys are very good players.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the reply, I think I got the "picture" here )

So I simply look for a 3D blu-ray player with good picture quality, and via HDMI let the amplifier handle the sound? That shaved a lot of my budget, I'll look into the Panasonic, Pioneer and Sony players then.

I think I get the bitsteaming as well, you simply send the sound data directly to the amplifier, without having the blu ray player decoding anything, and the amplifier will decode it, correct?

Thanks a lot for helping me understand that little detail )

 

[bigboss]

I think I get the bitsteaming as well, you simply send the sound data directly to the amplifier, without having the blu ray player decoding anything, and the amplifier will decode it, correct?

:cheers:

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks mate

 

[Anonymous]

This thread will be of great interest to me. I have narrowed my new purchase selection down to the Onkyo NR818 with B+W MT60 but I am looking at the Panasonic DMP BDT500. I will be having the demo this Saturday morning