Advise on matching AV receiver for ELAC Uni-Fi Slim BSU5 Speakers

[Abhishek_]

Hi,

I am looking for an AV receiver for ELAC Uni-Fi Slim BSU5 Bookshelf pair. I have already bought the speakers.

1) Speaker specifications :
Speaker type: 3-way, bass reflex
Tweeter: 1 x 1-inch soft dome, concentrically mounted
Midrange: 1 x 4-inch aluminum cone
Woofer: 1 x 5.25-inch aluminum cone
Crossover frequency: 270 / 2,700 Hz
Frequency response: 46 to 25,000 Hz
Sensitivity: 85 dB at 2.83 v/1m
Recommended amplifier power: 40 to 140 wpc
Peak power handling: 140 wpc
Nominal impedance: 4 Ω; minimum 3.4 Ω
Binding posts: 5-way custom
Magnetic shielding: No
Cabinet finishes: White satin paint finish
Accessories included: Magnetic fabric grille
Height: 13.35 in / 339 mm
Width: 7.0 in / 178 mm
Depth: 11.54 in / 293 mm

2) Budget for AV receiver:
Rs. 50000 / -

3) Listening tastes:
Classical/vocal music listener, Jazz, Opera.
The system will also be used for viewing movies on TV with the stereo setup and may be later (at least a year later) upgrade to 5.1 system. ATMOS is not a necessary requirement. However i do require phono input for my turntable.

4) Listening / Viewing area:
The listening area is 11.5 (W) x 16 (L) feet, with a distance of 11 feet from the system / TV to my listening couch.
There is a open dining area of 11 (W) x 10 (L) feet adjacent to listening couch.

5) Location:
Gurugram

I wish i had additional budget, but its a constraint here at the moment. One of my concern is the given nominal impedance of 4 Ω, dont want to end up with an underpowered AV Receiver.

Looking forward to suggestions, Thank You.

 

[tuff]

@Abhishek_ Most mid-range budget receiver's will be under powered for 85db/ 4 ohm speakers. Look for used ones in the for sale section or increase your budget. Or just dump the idea of home theater (5.1) and stick with stereo. Surround setups need enough room on all sides without any obstruction to get the best out of it. Stereo works especially augmented with a Sub-woofer and the audio quality is much better from a stereo amplifier in comparison to AV receiver's in the same price range.
Also you have not mentioned what source you might be using for music. CD Player, streaming from PC or a streamer or just TV cable box.
I am sure other's will contribute. Let me tag a few experienced user's who can help you better. @efernand1 ,@elangoas ,@MaSh

 

[MaSh]

Hi,

Welcome to the forum.

Do you have these speakers with you already? If yes, rest assured they will take you on an extremely exciting journey. Two Primary reasons. First, those are really good speakers and Second, their low impedance.

To get them to sing, you need an amp with balls. A receiver alone will not do them justice. Not even close. That leaves you with 2 options.

First, look for a Receiver with Pre Outs. Hook a Power Amp from Crown or Emotiva to drive the speakers. A Pre-Worshipped Receiver in good condition from Marantz NR Series or similar will be sufficient along with a power amp. This way when you get the rest of the speakers you can hook them up directly to the receiver and complete your setup. For now, with those speakers, you do not need a Sub. Might miss it for moves, but not by much.

Second option is to get a Stereo Amp from NAD or Yamaha or similar which have Separate Pre and Main amp sections. There are others too, however, I have not used or heard them, so cannot discuss them. You can again go the Pre Worshipped route for the Stereo Amp which will act as a Preamp and power amp drives the speakers.

A year later who knows what your upgrade path will be. You may or may not keep these speakers. You may want Atmos or some other new feature. Receivers tend to get obsolete very fast. Depending on those decisions you can take a call on your amplifiers. If you are content with the current features of the receivers, number of HDMI inputs and outputs, decoding formats, Auto Setup variant, etc. go with a receiver+power amp option. If you are unsure about all you need from a receiver, go for the Stereo Amp + Power Amp option.

Good Luck,
MaSh

 

[elangoas]

I wish i had additional budget, but its a constraint here at the moment. One of my concern is the given nominal impedance of 4 Ω, dont want to end up with an underpowered AV Receiver.

Most midrange AVR are 4 ohms capable and they are capable of producing (roughly) 120Watts of power at 4 Ohms.. IMO, it should be enough to drive the pair of speakers that you have now..

2) Budget for AV receiver: Rs. 50000 / -

FM Mash has provided detailed inputs.. Choose based on your flexibility.. Marantz SR 5012 is the least expensive AVR with pre-outs for all 7 channels and close to your budget..

 

[Abhishek_]

@tuff, @MaSh , @elangoas
Thank you all for your valuable suggestions.

I have been looking into mid-range budget receiver's and i also feel that they will be under powered for these speakers.
Regarding the source, I will be streaming FLAC files from PC for music and sometimes turntable. I have considered the option of stereo set up with a good amp, only limitation for me seems to be in streaming content from netflix/amazon prime with 5.1 channel audio. The TV can process the 4k content & optical out from TV will need to be processed via amp, and am not sure if stereo amps will be up to the task for decoding 5.1 formats. I can also use the PC for streaming video content to TV and audio signal to stereo amplifier, but that will be a bit complicated process for my wife when i am not around. Afterall she is the one who gifted me these speakers after going through reviews and few sessions on audiotioning. So that leaves me with option of AV receiver at present with a possibility of dedicated power amp connected to preouts. I am now looking into this setup, will let you guys know if any queries.

 

[Abhishek_]

Hi again,

I have zeroed in on Marantz SR 5012 / Marantz 1608 / Denon X3400H receivers, how do these compare, any insights please.
The Marantz 1608 has preouts for stereo and subwoofer only, rest have pre outs on all channels. Is it possible to compare the quality of pre outs on these receivers.

For power amp i am thinking of Crown XLi 800, Two channel, 300w @ 4 ohms.

Also if anyone could help me with dealer suggestions in south delhi / lajpat rai market / gurugram.

Thank you for looking.

 

[tuff]

What made you decide on the Crown XLi800?

 

[Abhishek_]

What made you decide on the Crown XLi800?

its based on 300 watt @ 4 ohms with Class A/B, it should be sufficient, am open to suggestions.

 

[tuff]

Me a two other forum members are using Crown XLS 1502 which has good reviews for use at home. It is Class D, almost 90% efficient. Just check it out before you take the final call. My Speakers are 86db ,4 ohm speakers that love all the current you can give. A good power amp should double its wattage when going from 8ohms to 4 ohms and to 2 ohms. The XLi series does not. And it's 350 watts per channel @4ohms.

 

[elangoas]

Hi again,

I have zeroed in on Marantz SR 5012 / Marantz 1608 / Denon X3400H receivers, how do these compare, any insights please.
The Marantz 1608 has preouts for stereo and subwoofer only, rest have pre outs on all channels. Is it possible to compare the quality of pre outs on these receivers.

Denon X 3400H is the better among the AVR that you have listed, a comparable model of Marantz would be SR 6013.. Good to have pre-outs on all channels, handy to add power-amp whenever he need arises..

Also if anyone could help me with dealer suggestions in south delhi / lajpat rai market / gurugram.

You said that you budget was 50K max for an AVR.. Almost next to impossible to buy Denon x 3500H with bill & warranty for 50K.. If you are getting it without it, then fine..

For power amp i am thinking of Crown XLi 800, Two channel, 300w @ 4 ohms.

XLS1502 seems a better one as FM @tuff mentioned..

 

[Abhishek_]

@tuff
did you mean XLS 1502 (Two-channel, 525W @ 4Ω) or perhaps XLS 1002 (Two-channel, 350W @ 4Ω) Power Amplifier.
Both are from same XLS DriveCore 2 Series.

 

[tuff]

@tuff
did you mean XLS 1502 (Two-channel, 525W @ 4Ω) or perhaps XLS 1002 (Two-channel, 350W @ 4Ω) Power Amplifier.
Both are from same XLS DriveCore 2 Series.

The xls 1502. The 1002 has higher noise floor than the 1502 and above models.

 

[arunkvivek]

Go for used AVRs like SR7007 with pre outs and decent phono input (even older version should handle fine). One of our FMs posted one for around 28K (skim Olx for the same as well). Use power amps as suggested above. Check if there is match between the pre and power units.

 

[bigron]

I have the elac ub5s. Good for both music and home theater. I had them hooked to a number of amps including the xls 1502 via a pre amp ( stick to the 1502 and above models), emotiva a300 via a marantz avr and with integrateds like the yamaha as500 and the Nad d3020. Yes, the speakers need good power to really shine but even the yamaha at about 85 wpc at 8 ohms ( about 110 into 4 ohms) did a commendable job of powering them. A good 100/120 watt amp into 4 ohms will drive them sufficiently loud while retaining the dynamics. ( the Nad was of course not up to the job given its modest wpc)
Start with 2.1 and then expand. You ll be amazed how well a good 2.1 system sounds even for Netflix/prime.

 

[Abhishek_]

Hi again,
i have been searching the market in delhi for Denon x3400 & marantz 5012 / 6012, i did not come across any supplier for these older models.
now i am looking at x3500 Denon / marantz 5013 / marantz 6013. Not to mention that Olx and various dealers across delhi have been quoting variable pricing.
My query is about after sales support for marantz in delhi / NCR, any experiences ?

 

[Abhishek_]

The XLS 1502 is a Two-channel, 525W @ 4Ω amplifier and my speakers are rated as 150 watts. Do i need a limiter to protect the speakers or there is something inbuilt in the amplifier or the volume control in the amp suffices. I will not be using it at high volumes but want to be sure.

 

[tuff]

The XLS 1502 is a Two-channel, 525W @ 4Ω amplifier and my speakers are rated as 150 watts. Do i need a limiter to protect the speakers or there is something inbuilt in the amplifier or the volume control in the amp suffices. I will not be using it at high volumes but want to be sure.

There are two ways you can do this. Get a preamp like Schiit SYS and control the volume. Or the XLS has gain controls in the front for each channel, which can be used to control the volume. The first way with a preamp is desirable. Or get a DAC with volume control.