stereo amp to partner avr

[GSB]

Could anyone recommend a stereo amp to partner my yamaha avr please?

I'm looking to bi-amp the R100's and want to take advantage of the oppo's XLR connectors...advice on set-up also very much appreciated :cheers:

No real budget set to date,but having sold on a few older av stuff the ball is rolling

 

[duaplex]

Hey GSB I was going through the exact same dilemma.

Just picked up the 751BD and hooked this up through my LX83 using the 5.1 Analogues (Multi Channel in) It sounds pretty awesome and I do not feel the need for a stereo amp. Have you tried it this way before going down this route? Now my 751 decodes my sound and video and slapping on darkside of the moon SACD it was jaw dropping!

You may find it completely satisfactory and therefore not need a poweramp.

However, should you decide to go down that route then Marantz mm7055 looks tasty and was something I was considering as a future upgrade. Of course the dream would be to buy a Primare amp But they cost more!

Oh yes and my speakers are Bi-amped in case you wondered.

 

[GSB]

Yep...i use the oppo's dacs(analogue leads)and for sacd...DSOM in particular is awsome...WYWH sacd is somewhat scarey :O

I'm very happy with the sound i get in stereo aswell,but cant help but feel i could get even more out of the kefR100's....maybe i'm wrong :?

Hifix advised me not to bother bi-wiring as there would be no real benefit,however bi-amping should yield results!

The oppo has these XLR connectors that are supposed to improve stereo compared to analogue so if i was to add another amp i would like to take advantage of this feature....how it all goes together with the avr i have no real idea,as yet

Was gonna put money on you getting a 105...you were sooo infusiastic :rofl:

 

[GSB]

Iv'e seen a Primare A30.1MKII...would this work well with my avr,is it overkill for the R100'S(Mr John Duncan)?

 

[duaplex]

When I spoke to hifix they said to me not to bother with the 105 get the 103, then later on go buy the primare setup, cd player, preamp etc. very costly but the idea was to do it in stages, hifix is right of course this would be superior.

So by that logic, the 751 was a no brainier at its reduced price. For the tim being.

Yes the primare is probably overkill but view it as an upgrade that will lead you to better things and you don't really need to upgrade amps once you have a good one, you can simply add more.

I doubt you are missing anything, AV amps these days have a good current and do perform well, not hifi amp well, but well enough for your casual music guy

Consider the 751 too, after all it is an oppo 95 right :shhh:

 

[GSB]

I've seen a primare a30.1mkII for £750...no idea if this is a good price(for second hand)..where's Mr JD when you need him :doh:

I don't mind adding another amp...but thats it for more boxes...hence the 105 :rofl:

 

[duaplex]

:rofl: Tell me about it, I had this custom cabinet built and now I dread adding more stuff, no more room. What we need is a rack system!

Seems like a good price to me, why dont you buy one (new), try it and use your 14 days money back gurantee. This way you will be able to judge if its a worthy improvement before you buy second hand.

Now just to really bug you.... You know the best solution is to always keep your hifi and home cinema seperate. The setup for 5.1 positioning of speakers is different to the way hifi stereo should be, that is, for optimum performance >)

I believe David once said the same thing to me, I could be wrong and he will correct me once he see's me soiling his good name!

 

[GSB]

David...what's he know :shifty: :silenced:

I'm not in the position(or have room)for 2 seperate systems,and like i say i'm more than happy with what iv'e got....but :rofl:

Cant get this amp new anymore( i believe it's quite an old model)the newer i32(?) is over 2k,cant justify that...even for a home demo :boohoo:

 

[duaplex]

David is not a real person, its actually a bot :shhh: :rofl:

Ok how about, the Marantz mm7055, its a 5 channel amp that does what you want. That is the one I am looking at for my system..... in the future 8)

 

[GSB]

I'm sure its a very good amp...but it's over a grand :boohoo:

But having said that i'm sure the sound is very similar to my yamaha so defanatly one to consider...at least i should be able to get a shop demo of that one

 

[duaplex]

My thoughts exactly, the demo will be good.

 

[GSB]

Would a Naim Nait 5i work(soundwise and functunatley)?

 

[RobinKidderminster]

I understand that analogue out from a bdp uses the dac in the bdp rather than the avr. My Sony only has 2 line out connectors rather than 5 analogue out but would this connection improve the 2ch cd music sq? And would playing a sacd downscale 5ch to 2ch? Currently I use hdmi for av and music duties. Thanks

 

[duaplex]

have a read of the thread I just posted

 

[RobinKidderminster]

So will the line out 2ch from the bdp be better sq to hdmi?

 

[GSB]

I wouldn't have thought so Robin,i would hazard that the dacs in your avr are better than your bluray,so hdmi would be best

As for 5.1 sacd's it would downmix to 2.1 automatically

 

[RobinKidderminster]

My thanks GSB

 

[GSB]

Cno where ya been :wave:

Youv'e got it spot on,i realy want to get the best out of the 105-R100's...and i think adding an another amp is the way to go.

Not set a budget,but i'm sure i can make a significant improvement without spending 1k+(if its under£600 maybe able to get very soon)

Not having any knoledge of hifi amps leaves me at a disadvantage,and i'm also limited with local retailers so your recomendations would be gratefully recieved

I'm hoping that the amp would perform stereo duties...i'm forgeting the xlr route...and power the L/R chanels for av....gona check out your recomendations now,cheers mate :cheers:

 

[BenLaw]

I've seen a primare a30.1mkII for £750...no idea if this is a good price(for second hand)..where's Mr JD when you need him :doh:

I don't mind adding another amp...but thats it for more boxes...hence the 105 :rofl:

That price is a fair bit too high IMO. Perhaps not surprising if it's the one google throws up, as you're paying a cut to a dealer. I would be looking out for an i30, and at a similar or slightly lower price.

Edit: FYI - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Primare-I30-Integrated-Amplifier-/261186618568?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item3ccfef84c8

 

[CnoEvil]

Hi GSB, I'll bring my thoughts over here.

- IME Whether Balanced i/cs will give a worthwhile improvement varies between different kit and whether the circuitry is "fully balanced". Generally this happens in more expensive models. Some stuff can actually sound better through RCA.

- IMO. Bi-amping L&R has a much bigger impact for stereo.

- If your idea is to improve 2 channel, I think you should use a Stereo Amp (with HT Bypass) purely for music, and provide the L&R for AV. I think the improvement that a dedicated amp should bring will outweigh the benefit of by-amping (for 2 channel).

- I like the MF M3i, but any amp with HT By-pass that you like the sound of would do.

- I apologize if I've got the wrong end of the stick.

Cno

 

[GSB]

I'm weary of buying second hand becouse of the lack of warranty,do you know any trust worthy sites Ben?

 

[BenLaw]

As long as you use PayPal and behave sensibly IMO you have as much protection on eBay as anywhere else. I have also bought from avforums, which has its own trading rating system. The wam and pinkfish among others should be fine with sensible precautions also, but I have no personal experience. If you're collecting something then get a demo before you part with cash. I've not heard of reliability problems with primare so if it looks well treated on the outside it's highly likely to be fine.

 

[GSB]

While i'm saving i would be great to actualy hear a primare,read rave reviews from owners,but no one round here stocks them.I'm selling stuff on av forums as we type...

So are the R100'S abit beneath an i30/32?

 

[BenLaw]

Well they're pretty insensitive and dip to 3.2 ohms (according to kef) so they need some decent amplification. As long as the amp is good enough I don't really buy into being 'above' or 'beneath' other components, so if they sound good together then they're fine. I haven't heard the R100s so couldn't comment on that.

 

[GSB]

If,as it looks at the moment i'm gonna have to spend 1k+,then i'll have to find some dealers for demo.The first avr i got was replaced after only a few months by the yamaha,the difference in sound was massive...as David from Hifix stated,''its all about how the speakers are driven'' and i dont want to make the same mistake twice.