Yamaha DSP-Z7 - So far, so wow!

pete321

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Just recieved my Yamaha Z7 as a replacement (plus a load of dosh refunded) for my Arcam AVR600. So far it's putting the Arcam to shame given that it's half the price!

My surround sound system with both blu-ray's and SACD's has never sounded so good! The jury's still out with stereo music, definately more bass and a more forthright presentation which sounds better with some tracks. Fast paced rock is not quite what I'm used to at the moment, but I'll give it some more time to run in before making a final judgement. But so far I'm thinking I won't need a stereo amp to make up for losing the Arcam. Well done Yamaha, a superb amp which can be had for £1500!

P.S. ....and it hasn't locked up once yet!
 

Frank Harvey

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As far as movies are concerned, Yamaha's are pretty hard to beat due to their processing. Ok, musically they're not going to match up to the AVR600, but then people don't buy amps like the Z7 and Z11 for their musical abilities :)
 

pete321

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FrankHarveyHiFi:people don't buy amps like the Z7 and Z11 for their musical abilities :)

Music was most important for me when choosing a replacement for my AVR600. With SACD and DVD-Audio, the Yamaha is beating the AVR600 on my system, and not by just a small margin. With stereo 44.1 music, I was expecting to have to use my refund to get a Cyrus or Naim amp, but I'm not sure that I'll have to. My immediate impression is that the AVR600 was more listenable with all types of music. On the limited listening I've done so far with the Z7, it certainly seems to bring better bass out from my Proac's and with some tracks I prefer the sound. But, it's sounding a little too brash with some rock though, although I'm using DNM Reson between my DAC and the Z7, a slightly less open sounding interconnect may help there, some tweaking needed.

When you consider the price difference, the Z7 should be worse in every repsect when compared to the AVR600, it's far from that and even with stereo music, overall, it's not that far behind in my living room. Plus, it's lovely to be able to stay sitting down and not having to get up every time you switch sources to reboot your amp!
 
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Anonymous

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Hi Pete,

Ive been following a lot of your posts closely and im quite interested by your setup. Does your modified DAC magic sound the same or different when connected via analog to the AVR as apposed to the Z7? I know this might be a blonde question, but im guessing that the amps do make a difference to the sound even when being connected as analog inputs.
 

pete321

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Nukzter:

Hi Pete,

Ive been following a lot of your posts closely and im quite interested by your setup. Does your modified DAC magic sound the same or different when connected via analog to the AVR as apposed to the Z7? I know this might be a blonde question, but im guessing that the amps do make a difference to the sound even when being connected as analog inputs.

It sounds very different. My Burson DacMagic with the AVR600 gave a smoother, more refined yet articulate sound, hence I chose the DNM Reson interconnect to allow every bit of detail through. With the Z7 (which hasn't had time to run in yet), the sound is not quite as refined, which can make some recordings sound a little harsh at the top-end and it can be a bit 'muddy' in the midrange with some more complex recordings, e.g. Paranoid Android by Radiohead. The Z7 amplification certainly seems to be driving my Proac's bass better, although not quite as tight as my AVR600, I'm getting bass at low volumes now whereas it used disappear quite rapidly on the AVR600.

I guess I was expecting the Z7 to be not as good with music, but I'll give it some time to run in and try a different interconnect before I decide whether I need a stereo amp. It's fair to say it's better than I expected and IMO it beats the AVR600 with movies and SACD/DVD-Audio. I did have the chance recently to listen to a Roksan Kandy K2 stereo amp using Proac Studio 140's and an Arcam CD player, although I can't do a direct comparison, from memory I'd say the Z7 compares quite well to it. So you've probably got to go to a Cyrus XP or Naim Nait XS to better it.
 

TKratz

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Congratulations Pete!

Glad to hear you like the Z7
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And I can of course only agree, it is an terrific amp. I also agree that where it impress the most is on the bas.
 
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Anonymous

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Pete, great to hear you're happy. Adding a stereo amp for music or even just as a permanent front pair solution sounds like a great plan. I'd consider looking at the second hand market, there are some wonderful bits of esoteric kit out there. I'm running a Meridian 557 power amp at the moment, in a second system and it's fantastic. There is a lot more out there than just the new bits and bobs from the mainstream makes. Cast the net a bit wider
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pete321

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Will Harris:There is a lot more out there than just the new bits and bobs from the mainstream makes.

Not sure that I'll feel the need to yet, but if I do I'd probably err towards Cyrus. I had a top-end Cyrus system with monoblocks in the past with Proac's and it sounded great. At least then the extra shelf won't have to be too high and quite a lot of those lovely small boxes will fit on it!
 
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Anonymous

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There are lots of Cyrus amps on eBay and elsewhere. Can't really go wrong. Could look at getting a Naim pre-pro for the same money. Would also sound lovely.
 
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Anonymous

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Hi Guys,

I'm a newbie here but established on HiFi **. Currently looking to replace my Cyrus 8 kit with the z7. Will probably use my Quad 606/909 combos for front and rears (B&W 801/Artcoustic). Is the z7 easy to configure to get plenty of oomph for the CC (B&W LCR7) I also notice that you guys were using the Oppo BDP83 (another item on my shopping list as I hace a good collection of SACD/DVD-A discs) Just how good is it (in all respects)

Cheers
 

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