Would a HiFi setup sound better than a home cinema setup for music?

[R2D2]

Found this which is basically the same conclusion we came to:

Decoding the Soundscape: Is HiFi Better Than Home Theatre? - Audio Champs

When it comes to audio systems, most audiophiles and casual listeners alike grapple with a perennial question: Is HiFi (High Fidelity) audio superior to a

audiochamps.com

 

[Al ears]

I was just looking to use an amp and speakers, and use Spotify or Apple Music from my iPad.

Ok, so you don't really need a dac in the amp itself.

 

[R2D2]

Ok, so you don't really need a dac in the amp itself.

Ok. 👍

 

[Al ears]

Ok. 👍

So, to reiterate, all you need would be speakers suitable for the room you will be using, any amp capable of driving them well and a cheap Bluetooth receiver connected to the amp

 

[R2D2]

So, to reiterate, all you need would be speakers suitable for the room you will be using, any amp capable of driving them well and a cheap Bluetooth receiver connected to the amp

Will the amp be cheaper now? Got 2 Bluetooth receivers, I thought the amp would be capable of Bluetooth though?

 

[R2D2]

Would this amp be good enough?

Cambridge Audio AXR100D - 100 Watt Separate HiFi Stereo Reciever Featuring Built-In Phono Stage DAB/FM Radio and Bluetooth 5.0 - Lunar Grey : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

Buy Cambridge Audio AXR100D - 100 Watt Separate HiFi Stereo Reciever Featuring Built-In Phono Stage DAB/FM Radio and Bluetooth 5.0 - Lunar Grey. Free delivery and returns on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[R2D2]

I believe the Monitor Audio are the same as mine that I'm using in my lounge AV setup.

Really nice piano finish, quality speakers. Long and thin, less footprint. Loved the sound from those, clean neutral sounding, good on detail and less on warmth but it all depends on the amp.

Not difficult to drive and these floor standers are cat proof, because they're thin, cats will avoid jumping on them!

View attachment 9568


Oh BTW, I'm using Dali F9 subwoofers (front firing) with the MA's, these work well together. 🙂

Which amp would you recommend for these speakers?

 

[Jasonovich]

Which amp would you recommend for these speakers?

If you're looking for a AV setup any of the Denon or Marantz receiver's will be an excellent choice.
All depends on your budget.
If you're swaying towards traditional 2:1 setup, there are many to consider.
Other posters will have their personal favourites, mine is the Atoll but you can't do any wrong, if you go for Arcam, Rega, Audiolab and possibly if your budget allows, one of the integrated Hegel models.
A slightly warm sounding amp possibly work best with the MAs.

Also take advantage of dealerships around you.
You can always call the likes of Peter Tyson or Richer Sounds and ask them directly, you have Monitor Audio speakers, which amps work best with it.
If advice is free, use it 😊👍

 

[Al ears]

Will the amp be cheaper now? Got 2 Bluetooth receivers, I thought the amp would be capable of Bluetooth though?

Some are, most aren't. Some only transmit and not receive.
You could find one but they don't tend to be cheap.
i thought you wanted to keep it cheap so an older second-hand amp would do and certainly wouldn't have Bluetooth.

 

[manicm]

In a word, yes, a stereo system will almost always sound better than an equivalent priced AV receiver when it comes to hifi sound.

That said, a few are worthy, look at a leftfield choices which WHF has criminally ignored - look at the Onkyo TX-RZ30. It's a great AV amp in its own right plus, get this, it includes DIRAC for free!!!!!!!!

 

[manicm]

Ok, so you don't really need a dac in the amp itself.

That old chestnut eh? There's virtually no new integrated amp under 1k that will come without a DAC, which I think is a virtuous feature, especially if one wants to quickly dabble in streaming by simply connecting a 100 quid WiiM Mini via optical and job done.

 

[Al ears]

That old chestnut eh? There's virtually no new integrated amp under 1k that will come without a DAC, which I think is a virtuous feature, especially if one wants to quickly dabble in streaming by simply connecting a 100 quid WiiM Mini via optical and job done.

Who mentioned new??

 

[Al ears]

Would this amp be good enough?

Cambridge Audio AXR100D - 100 Watt Separate HiFi Stereo Reciever Featuring Built-In Phono Stage DAB/FM Radio and Bluetooth 5.0 - Lunar Grey : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

Buy Cambridge Audio AXR100D - 100 Watt Separate HiFi Stereo Reciever Featuring Built-In Phono Stage DAB/FM Radio and Bluetooth 5.0 - Lunar Grey. Free delivery and returns on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

Yes

 

[R2D2]

Who mentioned new??

I just mentioned ex-display with the speakers, I was still keeping my options open though. They all seem to be way over-priced for me to consider at present.

 

[R2D2]

In a word, yes, a stereo system will almost always sound better than an equivalent priced AV receiver when it comes to hifi sound.

That said, a few are worthy, look at a leftfield choices which WHF has criminally ignored - look at the Onkyo TX-RZ30. It's a great AV amp in its own right plus, get this, it includes DIRAC for free!!!!!!!!

I already have my Pioneer VSA-LX805 that does DIRAC and if I was looking at another amp I would probably look at the cheap Pioneer’s on PT website, although you do have to pay for DIRAC for the Pioneer’s. Thanks

 

[R2D2]

I get the impression and have my quality Pioneer AV Receiver and people talk about pre-amp what’s that exactly? Could I attach two floorstanding speakers to my AV receiver and not let it interfere with my current home cinema setup through pre-amp? Or is that just nonsense I am now talking about?

 

[James105]

I have always listened to music through a home cinema setup and it’s my main way to listen to music but was thinking what’s the advantages and what to people prefer to listen to music to out of the two? For example would be the quality of this speaker setup against a home cinema setup:

Arcam Radia A5 Integrated Amplifier with Bowers & Wilkins 603 S3 Floorstanding Speakers

When you buy the Radia A5 with these speakers as a bundle, you'll make significant savings. Not only that but we also offer the option to buy on Finance. Free next working day delivery to most UK regions is also included.

petertyson.co.uk

Thanks

Hi

Thats quite an expensive AVR you have there and as you've said later it runs DIRAC full range, when you ran DIRAC did you limit the range of the front speakers and do you keep it switched on when listening to music? I do and even in stereo it makes a difference.
Wall mounted speakers are never going to give you the sound stage and depth of a pair of good floor standers but I don't really see why you'd change your amp if you bought a pair.
Your AVR will also run DIRAC bass control, it's a $299 upgrade have you considered that and using it to integrate your sub better? I don't know if you can find a dealer thats running it with a similar speaker set up to your own.

 

[James105]

I get the impression and have my quality Pioneer AV Receiver and people talk about pre-amp what’s that exactly? Could I attach two floorstanding speakers to my AV receiver and not let it interfere with my current home cinema setup through pre-amp? Or is that just nonsense I am now talking about?

There is already a preamp built into your AVR it is what controls the source selection and volume control also the vas DSP options.

 

[nopiano]

I already have my Pioneer VSA-LX805 that does DIRAC and if I was looking at another amp I would probably look at the cheap Pioneer’s on PT website, although you do have to pay for DIRAC for the Pioneer’s. Thanks

Where in the world are you? In the UK, many of the retailers you've looked at, like Peter Tyson, Richer Sounds, Sevenoaks, etc can all advise you and probably demo those speakers with your AV amp. And, if you wish, compare with a regular stereo amp. A local independent dealer would be even better!

However, Bluetooth, though with the right kit can give good results, I'd personally give that a miss and look to a budget streamer, like Wiim orBluesound. Then you control the streamer *with* your iPhone or iPad, rather than actually streaming the signal *from* it.

 

[JDl]

For music listening, as has been pointed out, I think a good quality stereo amplifier and a pair of good quality speakers, is in my view unbeatable.
There is another debate, about floor standing speakers versus stand mount. In addition the debate can go further into floor standing speakers versus stand mount with subwoofer/s.
As a bass player, I happen to know that a bass player, requires roughly ten times the power of a guitarist, to get a decent sound in the mix and to have the power and headroom necessary to be heard properly with a guitar, drummer, singer, keyboard, etc.
Nowadays though if a band is using a PA, some bass players will use a dedicated preamp and go directly into the PA through a mixer, which can increase the bass level as necessary. Nevertheless, the bass still needs to be given more than the higher frequency instruments. This might be thought irrelevant to the debate but I don't think it is, because understanding these basics, is helpful in understanding how to best reproduce the sound of a recorded band or orchestra in a home audio set up.
For this reason, it makes sense to me, to have good quality stand mount speakers, dealing with the frequencies from around 50 Herz upwards and use active subwoofers, to deal with the bass.
In my view this makes sense because a well designed subwoofer can deliver better, clearer bass than a speaker that's trying to do it all so to speak, which can be done but becomes very expensive if one is after ultimate clarity.
This is simply my own thoughts though and I certainly do not wish to cause arguments or animosity to those with different opinions to mine.

 

[R2D2]

Hi

Thats quite an expensive AVR you have there and as you've said later it runs DIRAC full range, when you ran DIRAC did you limit the range of the front speakers and do you keep it switched on when listening to music? I do and even in stereo it makes a difference.
Wall mounted speakers are never going to give you the sound stage and depth of a pair of good floor standers but I don't really see why you'd change your amp if you bought a pair.
Your AVR will also run DIRAC bass control, it's a $299 upgrade have you considered that and using it to integrate your sub better? I don't know if you can find a dealer thats running it with a similar speaker set up to your own.

I think that’s what I will do, and give up on floorstanding speakers and a new amp. Cheers.

 

[Jasonovich]

I get the impression and have my quality Pioneer AV Receiver and people talk about pre-amp what’s that exactly? Could I attach two floorstanding speakers to my AV receiver and not let it interfere with my current home cinema setup through pre-amp? Or is that just nonsense I am now talking about?

You're not talking nonsense!
A separate preamp is a control management device, allowing connectivity with all other Hifi components, such as your streamer, CD player and if it has a phono stage, it will even connect to your turntable. It's essentially an interface that Outputs to the power amp usually by RCA cable connection.

Your integrated amp already has this functionality. So you don't really need a preamp, not unless you were thinking of upgrading to separate preamp and power amp. To be honest the quality of integrated amps today is of a high standard and almost negates the need for a separate power/preamp and you need to consider also, the additional space for two units.

 

[Al ears]

You're not talking nonsense!
A separate preamp is a control management device, allowing connectivity with all other Hifi components, such as your streamer, CD player and if it has a photo stage, it will even connect to your turntable. It's essentially an interface that Outputs to the power amp usually by RCA cable connection.

Your integrated amp already has this functionality. So you don't really need a preamp, not unless you were thinking of upgrading to separate preamp and power amp. To be honest the quality of integrated amps today is of a high standard and almost negates the need for a separate power/preamp and you need to consider also, the additional space for two units.

This thread has moved a long way from him wanting to stream from an iPad to a stereo integrated amp with floorstanding speakers........

 

[James105]

I think that’s what I will do, and give up on floorstanding speakers and a new amp. Cheers.

"I don't really see why you'd change your amp if you bought a pair."
If you want to add the B&W 603 to your system you can without needing to replace your AVR imo, and move your current fronts to other positions/channels nothing gets wasted.

 

[R2D2]

"I don't really see why you'd change your amp if you bought a pair."
If you want to add the B&W 603 to your system you can without needing to replace your AVR imo, and move your current fronts to other positions/channels nothing gets wasted.

The idea of the thread was to buy something like the B&W 603 speakers and then an amp to go separately from my av system, but it’s change quite a few times throughout the thread on what I could do. 🙂 I will just keep my current av system now and concentrate on getting the most out of that through Dirac and not using streaming constantly.

My system sounds way better being fed quality sources such as CDs instead and Blu-rays than it does through free streaming on Spotify for example. Then I don’t feel I am lacking anything in the music sound department. Thanks guys for your help in this thread. 👍