audiophile

[Anurag Singh]

Well I am an audiophile and looking to purchase a good music system. choice is obviously between A V Receiver and good quality amplifier. right now i am doing lot of R&D to find out which product will be good. needing lot of help from all friends who keep on writing and advicing through this .
thanks!!

 

[particleman]

If your priority is music over movies then the choice is rather clear -- a stereo setup is the way to go. Your budget and your needs will determine whether this is simply an integrated stereo amplifier, a pre and power combo or even an elaborate setup consisting of monoblock amps.

The only reason for a music lover to choose an AV receiver is if your interest extends to multichannel music as offered on SACD and DVD-A. However titles are limited and the compromise on sound may not be worth it.

Once factors such as budget, room size, listening tastes, and so on become clear it will easier to take a decision.

 

[awedeophile]

I agree with Particleman. Main criteria is budget.

 

[Anurag Singh]

Hi dear particleman , thanks for you reply.i understand that my first preference is music only. I am just novice in this areas of audio gadgets and clearly need more understanding about it.can you help me in this . what is the use of pre / power combo as well as of monoblock amps.

i want to start with a modest budget only. to begin with say around Rs 50,000. Gradually i will go for more accessories . the room size in which i will setup this is 22feet x 10 feets.then which quality speakers i should go for ?

so far I listened to Onkyo TX SR 504 9 AV Receiver which has list price of Rs 24500 but in delhi dealer is offering me the price of Rs 22000. but i am not happy with the speakers of this company.

pls guide and help.
many thanks.

If your priority is music over movies then the choice is rather clear -- a stereo setup is the way to go. Your budget and your needs will determine whether this is simply an integrated stereo amplifier, a pre and power combo or even an elaborate setup consisting of monoblock amps.

The only reason for a music lover to choose an AV receiver is if your interest extends to multichannel music as offered on SACD and DVD-A. However titles are limited and the compromise on sound may not be worth it.

Once factors such as budget, room size, listening tastes, and so on become clear it will easier to take a decision.

 

[dinyaar]

Hi,
If this is ur first audio set up stick to a decent integrated amp+ cd player of if u must a dvd player + decent stand mount speakers. I say integrated as a receiver just cant give u the quality of music nor can a dvd vis a vis a dedicated cdp.
An integrated consists of 2 components in one box(chassis). The preamp which basically lets u select the Source input(tape, cd ,aux etc) , modify the volume level and modify the tone by adjusting the treble/bass controls and the power amp which basically amplifies the chosen source to drive ur speakers. Both these share the same POWER SUPPLY(transformer) and are housed in one box. When they are two seperate components they are called a pre/power set up. The advantage is that they each have their own power supply and hence the muscle(read power amp section) does not and will not interfere with the pre amp circuitry and hence u get cleaner sound. Also its an easier upgrade path.
When i mentioned a power amp i meant a stereo power amp.(Drives both left and right channels). If u want to go even cleaner u get MONO BLOCKS which is basically 2 power amps ,1 for the left speaker and 1 for the right.
So in a stereo set up u have 1 stereo pre amp/ 1 stereo power amp OR 1 stereo pre amp / 2 Mono block power amps.
Look at cdp+ amps from Nad/marantz/CA etc etc and speakers from monitor audio/mordaunt short/Quads/Kefs etc and make a stereo suitable to ur ears and pockets. I suggested stand mounters(earlier called bookshelf speakers) rather than floor standers for two reasons, firstly in a real budget the small stand mount offers better quality and build and secondly is a relatively easier load for a budget amp.
Unless u have a huge area to fill with sound a stand mount will do fine and will be easier to position too.

Best regards.

 

[soundofmusic]

hi anurag

For your kind of Budget i think you can try Marantz PM 4002 along with CD 5001 and Mission M32i Book shelf speaker

regards

 

[ranjeetrain]

i want to start with a modest budget only. to begin with say around Rs 50,000. Gradually i will go for more accessories . the room size in which i will setup this is 22feet x 10 feets.then which quality speakers i should go for ?

Marantz 6001 and Jamo S-708. Look no further. Just audition and rush back to post what you heard

 

[Anurag Singh]

I am looking for good amp and tower speakers, i am based in delhi.

So far liked Denon PMA 500 ( 16 K )and PMA 700 ( 26 K) in combination with Dali concept 6 ( 32K) and concept 8 ( 52K ). I found them good but now some one told me that Concept speakers are overrated and pricy too. Dali Ikon 6 is good speakers but quite expensive ( 64K ). any suggestion?

If I have to make a choice between NAD ( C325BEE ) ( Rs 23.5 K )and denon PMA 500 / 700 what can be best choice . any other option is there?


pls help as more I get into this more I am confused.

 

[ranjeetrain]

So far liked Denon PMA 500 ( 16 K )and PMA 700 ( 26 K) in combination with Dali concept 6 ( 32K) and concept 8 ( 52K ). I found them good but now some one told me that Concept speakers are overrated and pricy too. Dali Ikon 6 is good speakers but quite expensive ( 64K ). any suggestion?

You can ignore Concept series. They look good, and I doubt they sound as good.

Dali IKON are at a different level altogether. If you make up your mind on Dali IKON, let me know, I can help.

 

[Anurag Singh]

thanks for prompt reply. dali is also one of the options .but what price it will cost. at sound and sight at delhi they have offered 10 % over the quoted price. (for ikon 6 ) . than important question is wheather it will go well with Denon PMA 500 or i need to go for PMA 700.


Pls also guide me about the amp. denon or NAD.

kind regards

 

[ranjeetrain]

Either amps is fine. Personally I have more experience with Denon than NAD. So I have a soft corner for Denon.

Dali IKON 6 is 72k, 64k after discount.

 

[bhagwan]

option to consider !!! Tannoy !!

thanks for prompt reply. dali is also one of the options .but what price it will cost. at sound and sight at delhi they have offered 10 % over the quoted price. (for ikon 6 ) . than important question is wheather it will go well with Denon PMA 500 or i need to go for PMA 700.


Pls also guide me about the amp. denon or NAD.

kind regards

http://www.hifi-forum.de/index.php?action=browseT&forum_id=120&thread=134&postID=0#0

Do take a look !!

 

[dinyaar]

Hi Anurag,
Nad over the denon for an integrated anyday with any of the speakers u mentioned.
And even though the Dali ikon is a sensitive speaker i would suggest u look at an amp bigger than the C325 and go for the C352(now history) or the new C355.
Regards

 

[ranjeetrain]

Nad over the denon for an integrated anyday with any of the speakers u mentioned.
And even though the Dali ikon is a sensitive speaker i would suggest u look at an amp bigger than the C325 and go for the C352(now history) or the new C355.
Regards

One serious problem with NADs is that they don't have high quality link (pre-power). Changing that to something capable make their price jump very high.

Also, NADs wouldn't be good partners to Dali. I know someone who is a huge fan of NAD and he preferred a B&W over a Dali for his NAD.

The least you need for a Dali is a Rotel/Creek.

 

[dinyaar]

Hi Ranjeet,
I have heard the dali s and have owned the Nad integrated as well as the pre power and the rotel integrated as well as the pre power. Though i never heard the dali in my set up with either the Nad/Rotel i would wonder why the dali ikon (high sensitivity) would not be driven by the above amps?

I am not a fan of rotel or nad but i do feel they offer much at their price points.

As far as ur friend opting for the B&W/nad combo could it be that the B&W sounded more musical than the Dali to his ears and the purchase was not totally dictated by the nad? Creek i cant comment on but i would say Rotel/Nad are in the same league albiet both have a different sonic flavour but i would not say one is better than the other.(rotel priced higher than the nad in india to my mind would not put it in a higher league)
Regards

 

[ranjeetrain]

Hi Ranjeet,
I have heard the dali s and have owned the Nad integrated as well as the pre power and the rotel integrated as well as the pre power. Though i never heard the dali in my set up with either the Nad/Rotel i would wonder why the dali ikon (high sensitivity) would not be driven by the above amps?

I am not a fan of rotel or nad but i do feel they offer much at their price points.

As far as ur friend opting for the B&W/nad combo could it be that the B&W sounded more musical than the Dali to his ears and the purchase was not totally dictated by the nad? Creek i cant comment on but i would say Rotel/Nad are in the same league albiet both have a different sonic flavour but i would not say one is better than the other.(rotel priced higher than the nad in india to my mind would not put it in a higher league)
Regards

Hi dinyaar,

I wasn't disagreeing to you. I just pointed out a big flaw in NAD amps that puts me off.

Wrt power requirement, NADs you mentioned are powerful enough to drive IKON2/6. I was talking about the amplification quality. Dali speakers are not forgiving. They will make you hear the noise pretty easily if amp puts it out.

But I'd disagree on NAD/Rotel comparison. They are very different and I rate Rotels higher (and thats not based on the price alone). Just my opinion.

Regards.

 

[dinyaar]

Dear Ranjit,
Its perfect to disagree. In fact it makes this forum more interesting and the originator of this thread gets all the diverse opinions.
I dont follow when u say the nad does not have a high quality link(pre/power).
As far as the rotel/nad comparison i had at different times the NAD c350 integrated and the C162/272 and the rotel Ra 03 and the RC 1070/RB 1080 combo. While i preferred the rotel integrated i thought the nad pre power scored over its rotel counterpart. The speakers for both the pre/powers was a B&W 704. I found the rotel more revealing but also caused more fatigue. When i cranked it close to the half way position it was pure noise(in spite of a damping factor of 500) where as the nad in spite of being less detailed was a more musical experience. When i played the rotels on the 805s it was even more apparent. In my opinion the rotel pre was the weak link but i just did not want to shell out 80K for the RC 1090 and instead sold of the combo.I do respect ur opinion i just thought i would share mine on the above rotel/nad gear.
Best regards

 

[Anurag Singh]

I request all friends on the forum , who have any information about the performance of Cambridge audio amps.

Are they better than Denon ?

I have almost settled for denon PMA 700 ( 27k) + Dali ikon 6( 64k) , but one dealer at delhi redicules my idea.

According to him denon is crap amp and dali has no market for their products.

He is suggesting that I should go for Cambridge Audio amp 640Av2 ( 23 k ) + Avant 908i ,mordaunt short ( 38 K per speaker)


Can some one help me out from this and comment on this as well as their experience with these product.

Are Avant speaker ( Mordaunt short ) are better than dali.

please help.
help
help

 

[dinyaar]

Hi Anuraag,

Dont get taken in by dealer comments of one product being crap while the other is excellent.
Dali for speakers is good.
Am sure u can do better than denon/CA for amps in ur budget.As i said earlier the offerings from NAD/Marantz would be better.
Regards

 

[ranjeetrain]

Hi Anuraag,

Dont get taken in by dealer comments of one product being crap while the other is excellent.
Dali for speakers is good.
Am sure u can do better than denon/CA for amps in ur budget.As i said earlier the offerings from NAD/Marantz would be better.
Regards

Agreed. Dealers tend to suggest what they sell.

I will not suggest the CA. My recommendation would be a Harman Kardon HK 3380/3480. Excellent amp, will kick the Denon in the ass coming and going. Excellent VFM.