What AV amp for Focal Dome speakers, if 50% music 50% movie ?

[admin_exported]

Hi all,

I am new to here, need some expert help please.

The Focal Dome 5.1 seems to suit my requirements considering its size, style and apparently quite good sound. Do not wish to have a dedicated stereo system, at least not as yet and so the HT system need to double up for music. My combined living / dining room is about 14 feet (also the TV to sofa distance) by 22 feet.

Not sure about which amp to pair. Quite like the Pioneers LX 83 and possibly the upcoming LX 85. Was thinking about the Onkyo 709 and 809 too. What might you guys think if I wish to have the music warmer and richer ? I was listening to the new B&W Zeppelin Air and liked the sound. Using this as some benchmark, what music quality should I expect from the Focal Dome and Pioneer/Onkyo combination ? Any other suggestion that would suit my needs ?

Thanks to you all.

CY.

 

[bigboss]

If you like warmer sound, demo Denon AVR 2311 / 3311 & Yamaha RX-V 2067 / 3067. They're renowned to have a warm sound.

 

[Anonymous]

For 50% music, I'd avoid Onkyo and Denon because they can sound quite thin in my experience. You might want to add Marantz and Arcam to your list if you're looking to widen your search. But you should really audition the Focals before you buy, they definitely do not sound like the B&W Zeppelin. Pairing with Arcam will take the Focals even further away from the B&W sound.

One thing though: be sure to use a receiver that has (at least) front speaker pre-outs. Without them you will not be able to expand your system with a dedicated stereo amplifier, should you ever need/want to. Best to keep your options open

 

[bigboss]

I was part of the Big Question feature on What Hi-Fi last year, where we compared the Denon 1911 and 2311 with Rotel RA-04SE, along with Sony 5400ES for music.

We all felt that the Rotel was superior (obviously), but the Denons performed very very well and the competition was much closer than we expected. The Sony 5400ES was the worst of the lot (easily beaten even by the budget Denon 1911).

I wouldn't dismiss the Denon without a demo.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks very much to both of you indeed.

Went to a few dealers (here in Hong Kong) today, they did not stock the Focal Dome. One salesman substituted two small Elac speakers (do not remember the model), pairing them with the Marantz AV7005, Denon 4311 and 3311, as well as the Onkyo 709. Of the four, music-wise, I least prefer the Onkyo and would probably rule it out. The Marantz sounded good, but the 4311 better apparantly. Before I finished, I asked him to hook up the 4311 with the B&W CM5 and that was still better (to myself, personally).

Have just located one retailer who stock the Focal Dome, will try to listen to it over the next few days. May be it turns out for better or for worse, don't know yet.

I will also find some time to try the Pioneer LX 83, given What HiFi's review.

To Tremon, very kind of you too. I do not know too much about the ARCAM 400, other than that feature-wise it may not be as attractive as the 4311 or LX 83. Not knowledgeable enough to say how different the Focal Dome would be away from the Zeppelin. Will have a better idea after I hear it. I short listed the Dome for its size and style, and what others say about its music quality. All three are just about equally important for my current requirements. That's why although I liked the CM5 music-wise, I may not be able to consider it right now (it being a book shelf). This being the case any other brand/model you could think of ? I've looked at, but not listened to the KEF 3000. Actually, if after auditioing the Dome the music was not what I am after, I would have some headache trying to compromise. What do you reckon ?

What do you reckon, Bigboss ?

Any other opinions from other folks ?

 

[CnoEvil]

CY

Given your 50/50 preference, the Arcam AVR 400 should be on the audition list, as it's usually seen as the best (in its budget) with music. FWIW It would be my pick.

Cno

 

[chrisup]

We have got a B&W Zeppelin and I use my Onkyo 905 with B&W 685 Theatre which sounds fantastic. Quite a few people on the forum have used Onkyos with B&W speakers. I would suggest you add B&W speakers to you audition list. You could use B&W 685 as the fronts, HTM62 Centre, ASW 610 subwoofer and the M1s as rears.

Best Wishes

Chris

 

[chrisup]

We have got a B&W Zeppelin and I use my Onkyo 905 with B&W 685 Theatre which sounds fantastic. Quite a few people on the forum have used Onkyos with B&W speakers. I would suggest you add B&W speakers to you audition list. You could use B&W 685 as the fronts, HTM62 Centre, ASW 610 subwoofer and the M1s as rears.

Best Wishes

Chris

 

[RickyDeg]

First of all, I've auditioned the Focal Dome 5.1 system several times, before eventually turning my head back to Monitor Audio Apex (twice the price - twice the performance). I was impressed by the Dome's musicality for sure. It's a very neat, sexy and stylish package that does plenty. Each time I auditioned them my retailer swithed between Yamaha RX-V3067 and Marantz SR7005 and the latter worked best each time. Atleast to my own ears. Several retailers where I live sell these as a package, since Marantz own musical qualities goes hand-in-hand with the Dome. I could not agree more. But as always, you need to audition them yourself, and hopefully you will get that chance! Good luck!

 

[Anonymous]

Hello everybody,

Do wish to thank you all for your input.

I have just auditioned the dome speakers and felt they were good enough for my current requirements. As for the receiver, I am leaning towards the Denon 4311 and arranging to have the two paired for a demo.

To RickyDeg : Several people have also recommended the Marantz SR7005 to me. Recently I've compared it with the Denon 4311 (though using a pair of small Elac speakers) and thought I liked the Denon better. Would you (and anyone out there) have any opinion on the dome 5.1 pairing with the 4311 ? Any pitfall / downside to watch ?

 

[Anonymous]

RickyDeg,

How's your user expeience with the Monitor Audio Apex ? Would consider it too if it's truly good, is it ? Any suggestion as to what AV amp to pair with ?

 

[ric71]

If you have the funds then I would strongly suggest you demo the Apex.Read the Apex Owners thread here on the forums.They will be much much more musical than the Focals.
As cno suggested the Arcam AVR 400 will sound fantastic for both music and movies.It is far more musical than the Denon.It does not have as many features because it is all about sound quality.It will pair beautifuly with the Apex and give you a serious system that IMO will tick your 50% music and 50% movies requirement.
I too listen to 50% music and hence have an Arcam and Apex set up.I previously had a Denon and as good as it was it was no match for the Arcam. I auditioned the 4311 and as feature packed as it is it is built for movies, at which it excells.
Also consider if you llike the Denon sound the AVR-100 better for music than the 4311 IMO.
Just my views as you are spending a lot of money.

 

[ric71]

cy,

If you can budget for the Apex I strongly suggest you have a demo of them.

Read the Apex owners thread on these forums to see what I mean.

I think you will be astonished.

As cno previously stated if you are going to listen to 50% music then you really need to demo the Arcam AVR 400.It may not be as feature loaded as the 4311 but the Arcam is designed for sound quality rather than all the bells and whistles.Will you need all the features of the 4311? You can add air play via other methods if you so wish to the Arcam.

I too liten to over 50% music and have an Arcam/Apex set up for this very reason.

The 4311 is great but it has the edge for movies rather than for music.If you like the Denon sound then try the AVR-100 Anniversary edition. It is fully loaded but has much more musical sound. It is slightly more than the 4311.

You are spending a lot of money and if you get it right first time you will save in the long run.

Give the Apex a listen!!

 

[Anonymous]

ric71,

Very kind of you indeed.

I was actually going thru' the forum on the Apex, probably while you were posting here. It was revealing and I'll pobably try listen to it.

As to the ARCAM, several people have said the same thing to me as you did. May be I should arrange a demo. Should I worry about their reliability and durability though - some say they have "issues" ? The features on the 4311 are attractive to me. But again may be a demo would sway me one way or another.

Many thanks again.

 

[RickyDeg]

Hey cy028

I've not heard the Dome with a Denon receiver, but am however a Denon fan and honestly cannot see how you'd go wrong with that combination, and especially the 4311 which is a few steps up from my own current 3808. From what I've heard from several corners is also that the new Audyssey MultEQ XT32 does a stunning job. However, the tips you've already gotten from others on the Arcam etc are probably worthy of consideration. Other than that, I've always found Denon to be reliable in basically all departments and has never failed to impress me with several types of speakers, including my current Apex system.

And... in regards to the Apex, as you've probably already read in the Apex Club forum (for example) loads of happy owners will gladly tell you how fantasic they are. Mine are still only a week old, and hardly even half-way run-in, but from the off they've impressed me more with their 'complete' sound top-to-bottom than any other compact speakersystem has ever done, and I've heard tons of them. If you can demo them, please do! And here I can clearly say they will partner very well with a Denon, possibly excellently so with the 4311, or indeed the A100.

Good hunting! Please let us know how you get on and what you choose!

 

[RickyDeg]

BTW, if you want to read some more user-reviews of the Apex, visit Monitor Audio's own website:

http://www.monitoraudio.co.uk/reviews/

They've just made it possible for owners to write their own thoughts, and you will find user-reviews of the A10, the A40 and the subwoofer AW12 aswell, including my own

 

[Anonymous]

Hi RickyDeg,

Thanks so much for your insight which I found very helpful.

Quite a few recommended the Marantz SR 7005, which was good last time in a demo. But after a comparison with the Denon 4311, I seemed to prefer the sound coming out of the latter. So may be we are on th same page. A few more points I've been thinking :

- Should I assume Denon amplifiers to be reliable, i.e. don't want to worry about QC and sending the machine for a repair once in while ?

- Compared with the 4311, would the AR 100 be better only in the music but not features since it is a few months 'older' ?

- Lastly, would the PIONEER LX 83 / 85 be a no no music-wise with the Apex (but What HiFi likes it so much) ?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone,

There is one more issue for me to sort out. I have always assumed that I could use a wireless connection for the rear speakers. Would this be recommended for either the Focal Dome or the MA Apex ? How much of a degradation to the overall sound quality should I expect ? What might be the best wireless system out there ? Grateful for your advice.

 

[RickyDeg]

Hi RickyDeg,

Thanks so much for your insight which I found very helpful.

Quite a few recommended the Marantz SR 7005, which was good last time in a demo. But after a comparison with the Denon 4311, I seemed to prefer the sound coming out of the latter. So may be we are on th same page. A few more points I've been thinking :

- Should I assume Denon amplifiers to be reliable, i.e. don't want to worry about QC and sending the machine for a repair once in while ?

- Compared with the 4311, would the AR 100 be better only in the music but not features since it is a few months 'older' ?

- Lastly, would the PIONEER LX 83 / 85 be a no no music-wise with the Apex (but What HiFi likes it so much) ?

I perfectly understand the 4311 being more to your liking. It probably would for me also. Just know that I've not auditioned/tested the 4311 or A100 at home, in my own listeningenvironment, with my own speakers. I've heard them a few times at my favorite retailer only. But my impressions are strongly that the A100 have the edge because it uses even higher-quality components, better build-quality and the likes which bring the audio-reproduction up a notch or two. This one would probably be a terrific partner with the Apex, especially since you listen to alot of music aswell (just like me). Note that when I mentioned 'reliable' in my other post I was refering to several things: Denon so often has great a/v quality value versus the asking-price, great user-friendliness combined with features. They are reliable in that sense. To me atleast. Never once have I ever had any technical problems with any units I've owned.

In terms of the Pioneer (esp the SC-LX83.... the replacing SC-LX85 I know nothing about as of yet) it's likely an even better match to the Apex and any of the forementioned Denon's - both for film and music - but natually it all depends on your taste. I personally enjoy the slightly "warmer" reproduction the Denon compared to the Pioneer (which is in no way "bright" - just different in it's approach). The Pioneer however will give you a truly advanced room-calibration system, 32-bit DAC's and possibility of utilizing jitter-free HDMI through PQLS (with dedicated Pioneer player ofcourse).

One thing is for sure - the Apex appear to be very "rewarding" speakers in that they will most likely let you hear every step up in quality that you feed them. Upgrades in electronics will simply squeeze more and more out of them, even if we are talking about nuances alot of times. But then again, isn't nuances often what we are after?

 

[bigboss]

Hi everyone,

There is one more issue for me to sort out. I have always assumed that I could use a wireless connection for the rear speakers. Would this be recommended for either the Focal Dome or the MA Apex ? How much of a degradation to the overall sound quality should I expect ? What might be the best wireless system out there ? Grateful for your advice.

You'll need something like this. I can't comment on the sound quality though, as I've never tried it myself; but I'm told that it works quite well.

 

[Anonymous]

Bigboss,

Many thanks. Would this be the best-in-class from what you know / have heard ?

Cheers.

 

[Anonymous]

RickyDeg,

Very much appreciate the insights you were sharing. Surely saw nuance in what you said

.

The 4311 was good enough for me in my last round of comparison. I was waiting to demo the LX 83 sometime this weekend, trying to determine if I would prefer either one of them. Your comments gave me some confidence in my general direction.

Hearing what you said about the A100, though, I think I really should take a closer look at it. I had previously suspected it to be good performance-wise, given it being a "100-year anniversary special offer", and I might be wrong about its features not being as comprehensive as the 4311.

What you said about one's personal taste is very true. And I would be 'tasting' the lot (including the Apex) over the coming week or so. Have yet to locate a retailer who sells the Apex.

I really want to thank you again for your various posts, they are very helpful indeed. Take care.

 

[RickyDeg]

I really want to thank you again for your various posts, they are very helpful indeed. Take care.

My pleasure. I know what this is like. So many options. Decisions. Decisions.

Just let us know how you get on and what you choose!

 

[bigboss]

Bigboss,

Many thanks. Would this be the best-in-class from what you know / have heard ?

Cheers.

I'm not aware of any other audiophile manufacturer making this product which will work with most speakers.

 

[Anonymous]

Bigboss,

Thanks again for your input. Looks like I'll be needing the KEF wireless option.