Which Home Cinema Amp, is also great HiFi/Stereo Performer?

[timbo999]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a home cinema amplifier that I can get equally good HiFi Stereo performance from.

I only need 5.1, I'd like a USB connection for an iPod, the facility to use a microphone for setup and the ability to rival HiFi amps at playing music through a pair of Tannoy V4 floorstanders.

I was going down the Sony route, but then the ONKYO, but I've now been informed that the Yamaha might be the most musical of them all?

In the running is:
Sony STR-DH820
Onkyo TXNR509
Yamaha RX-V471
Denon AVR1612
Pioneer VSX-821

Any thoughts out there? Or do I need to book some time with the HiFi shop?

 

[d4v3pum4]

I would definitely recommend a demo. Some people are happy with the musical performance of lower end AV Receivers, so it all depends on what you are used to using and listening to and also your expectations. In my experience, you would need to up the budget to get decent stereo performance. I would start by looking at the £500 receivers as a minimum IMHO but in the end, it's your ears and your budget.

 

[timbo999]

Thanks for the reply!

I thought the £500 model by the varies companies previously mentioned just had more/better specs? like being 7.1 instead of having 5.1, and having more features like AirPlay etc? I thought the amplification for the 2 front speakers and the sonic performance would be identical??????? Within the same model ranges of Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneer and Sony, right from their £250 to their £600 versions?

Or is this not the case?

Seems a little disapointing that the model that fits my specification requirements made my all of these companies costs between £250 and £380, but I'd have to pay over £500 just for my 2 front speakers to sound better? And, potentially not use any of the extra features?

 

[Anonymous]

Depends on how much of an audiophile you are. I have been on this journey for a long time. My sony 5400ES is, to my ears, totally wonderful for HT. It has a reputation as being good for two channel also, and wasnt cheap to start with.

Many people say that most AVRs can be beat in 2CH by some pretty basic amps. I didnt want to believe it, but I do. I now have a cyrus hi fi, and it totally knocks the socks off my AVR, so much so its laughable. Admitttedly Cyrus isnt cheap stuff, but most people who seek the best of both will agree that getting an AVR with pre outs, and feeding the front speakers into a dedicated 2CH amp from these AVR pre outs, is the way forward.

But you must undertake your own journey and see where it takes you. If its any help whathifi have a "how to" video somewhere on this site explaining how the pre outs thing is done.

My gut feeling for the moment though is, especially if it is your first AVR: choose an AVR you like the look of, enjoy it for home cinema and occasional hifi, then delve deeper into the hi fi side later on.

 

[Xanderzdad]

+1

I agree 100% with krlock3's comments above. That is exactly what I have done and it really does give the best of both worlds without having to have 2 completely seperate speaker setups.

 

[timbo999]

Cheers for the info all!

It just seems a shame to not be able to get everything from one amp, and it seems like something that many peope want. Maybe it's just too big an ask for a home cinema amp to be refined enough for stereo.

As for connecting a 2 channel stereo amp to the home cinema amp, I fully understand the benefits, but you need to have both amps running at the same time which seems like a waste, and you wouldn't be able to run speaker cables from each, would you? Or, is it the idea to always have your 2 main speakers running from the 2nd stereo 2 channel amp? i wouldn't expect the sound to integrate as well like that? or im i not understanding the use and connections here?

I'm going to start out with a fairly good surround amp and go from there. probably a 7.1 amp into 5.1 speakers and bi-amp the 2 front speakers. I'm not clued up on biamping, either, so i'm just about to ask a question in a new post, here in the av-receiver section...... how to bi-amp with a surround sound amp....?

Tim

 

[laserman16]

Yamahas are generally reckoned to be quite good with music, but you must make a selection and try to listen to all in that selection because what sounds good to someone else may sound terrible to you.

 

[ashcorn]

Depends on how much of an audiophile you are. I have been on this journey for a long time. My sony 5400ES is, to my ears, totally wonderful for HT. It has a reputation as being good for two channel also, and wasnt cheap to start with.

Many people say that most AVRs can be beat in 2CH by some pretty basic amps. I didnt want to believe it, but I do. I now have a cyrus hi fi, and it totally knocks the socks off my AVR, so much so its laughable. Admitttedly Cyrus isnt cheap stuff, but most people who seek the best of both will agree that getting an AVR with pre outs, and feeding the front speakers into a dedicated 2CH amp from these AVR pre outs, is the way forward.

But you must undertake your own journey and see where it takes you. If its any help whathifi have a "how to" video somewhere on this site explaining how the pre outs thing is done.

My gut feeling for the moment though is, especially if it is your first AVR: choose an AVR you like the look of, enjoy it for home cinema and occasional hifi, then delve deeper into the hi fi side later on.

This is good advice. After many years & much experimentation. This is the solution that worked for me.

 

[timbo999]

i've heard the same about the Yamaha's and the spec seems to be up there with others in the same price range.

however, i will go and listen to a few just to see what the deal is. Bi-amping a pair of Tannoy v4's with the Yamaha would take the power to 160w, 20w over the recommended max. I'm sure it'd be fine.

as for the future, we will see. this may be ideal for me. HiFi is just one of my many passions and I can't afford to get the TOP notch stuff in any of them.

 

[Xanderzdad]

Cheers for the info all!

It just seems a shame to not be able to get everything from one amp, and it seems like something that many peope want. Maybe it's just too big an ask for a home cinema amp to be refined enough for stereo.

As for connecting a 2 channel stereo amp to the home cinema amp, I fully understand the benefits, but you need to have both amps running at the same time which seems like a waste, and you wouldn't be able to run speaker cables from each, would you? Or, is it the idea to always have your 2 main speakers running from the 2nd stereo 2 channel amp? i wouldn't expect the sound to integrate as well like that? or im i not understanding the use and connections here?

Hi again

Yes you need both amps on for surround sound but only the stereo one for listening to music as you can plug your CD, airport express etc directly into the stereo amp. You only plug the surround sources into the AV amp.

In terms of integration it works perfectly so long as you calibrate your AV amp with the stereo amp switched on (and yes the 2 main speakers are plugged into the stereo amp only).