yamaha vs onkyo vs marantz vs denon for monitor audio rx 8 av12

[Hamster]

hi,i desperately need advice from others out there that have a similar or same set up,i cant demo where i stay so i have to buy on the reviews and advice of other forum members. i have the onkyo 609 with ma rx8 but it is very bright in the treble and seems to distort at very high volumes,i hear the yamahas are very good match for the ma rx8;does anyone out there have the same set up or know if the yamaha will partner well with the ma andsmooth out the treble,listen to movies and music 50% each,also have marantz ud 7006 and qed silver anniversary biwire and qed hdmi. please if anyone can help mewith this dilemna,it would be much appreciated,i was looking at the yamaha 3020;denon4520;onkyo 5010 or marantz 7007,i want the system to be grat with music and movies,please help

 

[bigboss]

I would recommend the Yamaha. Partners beautifully.

 

[Hamster]

thanks big boss,was leaning towards the yamaha,i assume it will be able to handle the 4 ohm load,i like to crank it uo at times

 

[Ben K.]

Yamaha is a good match and I'm happy with the combo.

Not sure if any of these amps will "smooth out the treble" as it might be that you don't like the sound of the metal tweeter? Some do and some don't. I do not find my system bright but there is certainly a slightly metallic sound to the high frequencies.

For movies yam/MA is fantastic IMO but to really hear the rx8 sound their best, with 2 channel, a dedicated stereo amp is best.

 

[Hamster]

thanks for the reply,do you have the 2 sstems seperate or do you have the integrated amp as a power amp through te pre ouuts of the yamaha?

 

[Ben K.]

It's all one system via pre outs for home cinema and then operates as a stand alone system using cdp as source for stereo. Best of both worlds. You may be happy with the Yamaha stereo reproduction, many are, but for me it was never good enough. IMO my £450 arcam a75 sounds far better for stereo music than my Yamaha rxv2065 and this is what I used until I bought my a38.

 

[Hamster]

sounds like a good solution,is it difficult to set it up with the pre outs,how would it work?

 

[Ben K.]

It's not difficult. Your receiver must have pre outs, connect the front speaker pre outs, using analogue interconnect, to av input on the back of integrated amp (on arcam this is called av in but not sure about other brands). Now you set your integrated to av bypass (again may have a different name with other brands) and run your cinema calibration. Now you can use your cinema as normal as long as the integrated is swiched on and set to av bypass. When you want to listen to music only, turn on the integrated and select cd or what ever source you have connected and use as you would any other hifi, your receiver can remain turned off while doing this.

 

[Hamster]

thanks,sounds simple enough,will definately be looking to go down that roud,thanks once again for all the input and informative info

 

[Ben K.]

No problem. Just make sure what ever you buy the receiver has pre outs (many don't) and the integrated has av bypass or unity gain.

 

[Hamster]

thanks a lot,was thinking of getting the roksan kandy,wonder if that has unity gain,will have to find out.

 

[Ben K.]

The roksan kandy k2 amplifier does have av bypass but strangely the caspian m2 does not which one reason I didn't go for it.

 

[ripz]

Hey mate. I did extensive tests to the RX8 speakers and RX6, i still do. If you want to excel the RX8, you should go Primare SPA22 HD. The Primare will amplify any speakers you throw into it, but specially the RX8 which are 4 ohms and will give you 300W on the fly. I have the Marantz SR 7005, but i m saving for the Primare Hope it helps.

 

[Hamster]

Thanks ripz,are u using the sr 7005 with the ma rx 8? If so what's itr sounnd like with music?

 

[ripz]

Not at the moment. But i did use them for a while, and i will be using them again soon. Music is very good with the marantz, lots of resolution and musicality, but not as good as the Primare. I will have a pair of RX8 in the next few days tho. Are you happy with the speakers ?

 

[Hamster]

I am very happy wirh rx8's,they sound amazing just don't think the onkyo partners well with them.

 

[ripz]

Well, from your list above and with my experience, and i did lots of tests with AV amps and speakers, the Marantz is best for music. Considering that th RX series speakers are somehow very easy to partner with, i find the onkyo satisfactory with music and excelent with movies. The 5000 series from Onkyo is ver very good with both, but no surprise there. This is a very special and different AV receiver if compared with all the other series below. I did not like the Pioneer and Denon. The Yamaha i did like, but not as much as i did like the Marantz. You should consider Anthem and Integra. The AVs i really liked, but are a little more expensive, are the Primare SPA22 HD and the Rotel RSX-1550, both sound very good with music. I did some audition with both amps, the primare with RX8, RX8, RX1, GX200 and GX300, the Rotel, CM8, CM1, 684 and RX6. These two distinguish from all the others by far in very different ways. One of these being the missing features that most of the new AVs have, like USB connection, Airplay, Network, etc. You won t find any of these with Rotel's or Primare's. Specially the Primare, having some annoying problems, mostly related to HDMI, but the quality of stereo will make you forget that