AVR and Stereo Amp

[Ankit Fedex]

How to find the balance between AVR and Stereo Amp? Shall I buy AVR with pre outs and then add Stereo Amp later? Or Higher end AVRs can give good quality output in stereo through pure direct mode when compared to Stereo Amps? If not, which AVR I should buy with pre outs that cost me the least so as to finance Stereo amp conveniently? And which Stereo Amp to choose that should have HT bypass?
I want to power Concept 40 + concept centre + Q B12 Subwoofer. Surrounds to be added later.

Kindly advise

 

[Ankit Fedex]

My use is 65% music and rest movies.

 

[chander]

Hey!

1 - It is always advised to buy an AVR with Pre-outs - it always helps and gives you flexibility for the future - so definitely do that.

2 - Best audition, if you can't however audition, Marantz AVRs in general are considered a better compromise between the Stereo +HT setup. In your place I wouldn't bother with a stereo amp addition yet. Get the best AVR your budget allows with pre-outs and get going. I am biased towards Denon (having used both Denon and Marantz) for HT implementation so I would say - go for a 3700H or 4700H or alternatively go for the marantz 5015 or 6015 - whatever your budget allows. Going higher in my opinion won't make sense, as then you should rather invest in the dedicated amp or go into the Anthem category.

3 - In my personal experience it depends a lot on the speakers and your choice is pretty easy to drive. Don't get hung up on a power amp, you will be surprised what most good AVRs can produce. A power amp definitely helps in making the stereo and even HT sound more dynamic, but it helps a lot more in case of power hungry speakers. In an easy to drive speaker, the difference will be noticeable but in my experience it won't be night and day. I used my C20s with and without a power amp with a receiver and the difference was not worth spending almost 95K more (Power Amp + upgraded AVR), similar story with C40s the power amp made a difference but not worth the cost increase in my humble opinion. The story will be very different with lets say a pair of Quad Z2s/S5s or KEF R3s or something else that benefits a lot from the additional power.

4 - For power amps again your budget will define where to start, some people here on this very forum are very happy with Class D professional amps like Crown for additional power to the speakers and some will go into the Audio Control/Anthem category. A good power amp only (instead of integrated) will be the best choice.

Please note - a power amp helps but how much depends on your room, integration, listening preferences and speakers. A good AVR will in most cases be satisfactory, so build with that as a starting point and add as you can.

 

[Silencer]

A dedicated stereo amplifier is the way to go if you're in to music.

That said, high end receivers can 'almost' perform equally with music.

Some FMs have independent setups seperate for music and HT.

Many use separates. It depends on your taste and budget.

I suggest you to get a good avr with pre-outs and an Integrated Amplifier to power the stereo.

Please mention your budget, the types of music you listen to, and how long you listen. So we can try to help you make a decision.

Fine choice of speakers.


​

 

[ssf]

A good receiver with pre-outs will be a starting point. In the Marantz series, the SR6xxx and equivalents in Denon / Yamaha could work nicely. I have a Marantz SR 7010 and I use it in pure direct and also with the crown xls 2502 power amp. I further have a separate DAC - Pre - Power setup. The Marantz on it's own does not fall short as far as its ability to drive my Quad S2's go and I am pretty happy with all three setups. The sound signature will be different of all three but all three work just fine and to my satisfaction.

The concept 20's are easy to drive speakers, so a decent AVR should not have problems driving it. You could always add a power amp in future if needed.

Lets assume that you have this integrated amp that you really like and you want to use it in your setup for stereo, if this amp has a HT-bypass, then you could connect all your stereo music sources to the integrated and use it in stereo mode as well as use it's HT-bypass feature to use it as a power amp to drive your Left/Right speakers for Home Theatre use.

 

[Pratyush J]

@Ankit Fedex, in order to get a better help from FMs, please share the budget. Otherwise, you will get varied suggestions across price points that might not be applicable to you.

Directionally, stereo amps are preferred for music and movies need AVRs for multichannel processing. I started with a music setup of Towers + Stereo Amp and now upgrading it to HT setup by adding Marantz 6015 to the chain.

 

[Ankit Fedex]

Budget for AVR is 1.2 lac max. I don't have much idea about stereo amp with ht bypass. It will be okay if it is under 70k.

 

[Ankit Fedex]

A dedicated stereo amplifier is the way to go if you're in to music.

That said, high end receivers can 'almost' perform equally with music.

Some FMs have independent setups seperate for music and HT.

Many use separates. It depends on your taste and budget.

I suggest you to get a good avr with pre-outs and an Integrated Amplifier to power the stereo.

Please mention your budget, the types of music you listen to, and how long you listen. So we can try to help you make a decision.

Fine choice of speakers.


​

Budget is 1.2 lacs for AVR. I don't have much idea about Integrates amplifiers but my budget can be around 70k. I listen English rock, alternative and some heavy metal bands in addition to hindi pop and folk music. I like bands such as Beatles, U2, Metallica, Foo Fighters, Queen, Nickelback, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, The Who etc. I am naming the bands as maybe that will give better picture to the kind of music I listen to. Listening time will be around 2 hrs a day.

 

[Ankit Fedex]

A good receiver with pre-outs will be a starting point. In the Marantz series, the SR6xxx and equivalents in Denon / Yamaha could work nicely. I have a Marantz SR 7010 and I use it in pure direct and also with the crown xls 2502 power amp. I further have a separate DAC - Pre - Power setup. The Marantz on it's own does not fall short as far as its ability to drive my Quad S2's go and I am pretty happy with all three setups. The sound signature will be different of all three but all three work just fine and to my satisfaction.

The concept 20's are easy to drive speakers, so a decent AVR should not have problems driving it. You could always add a power amp in future if needed.

Lets assume that you have this integrated amp that you really like and you want to use it in your setup for stereo, if this amp has a HT-bypass, then you could connect all your stereo music sources to the integrated and use it in stereo mode as well as use it's HT-bypass feature to use it as a power amp to drive your Left/Right speakers for Home Theatre use.

Yaa.... That's what I want. Which integrated amp having HT bypass would be suitable for that purpose if I use denon 3700 or marantz 6015 as AVR?

 

[amrutmhatre90]

You would get both Denon x3700 and Marantz SR6015 in that budget. Bang for the buck and if you pair it with a amplifier it will be a great, try to audition both.
Integrated amplifier with HT bypass will cost 70-80k upwards I suppose or more than that.

Even I was looking for IA earlier to power front speakers, but got crowns at a mouth watering price.
I have paird a Crown XLS 2002 with x3700 and i am loving the sound but I don't have great speakers like you people have, using Taga Harmony Tav606 floor standing speakers.

 

[ssf]

Yaa.... That's what I want. Which integrated amp having HT bypass would be suitable for that purpose if I use denon 3700 or marantz 6015 as AVR?

Here is a compressive list of integrated amps with HT-Bypass. But most of these are expensive. I would still suggest that you get your AVR with pre-out and try it out for sometime before thinking of adding an integrated.

http://www.audiophile.no/en/articles-tests-reviews/item/426-amplifiers-with-processor-input

 

[chander]

but I don't have great speakers like you people have,

Whatever speaker you have is the best speaker! Enjoy!

I would still suggest that you get your AVR with pre-out and try it out for sometime before thinking of adding an integrated.

I00% agreed.

 

[Silencer]

Budget is 1.2 lacs for AVR. I don't have much idea about Integrates amplifiers but my budget can be around 70k. I listen English rock, alternative and some heavy metal bands in addition to hindi pop and folk music. I like bands such as Beatles, U2, Metallica, Foo Fighters, Queen, Nickelback, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, The Who etc. I am naming the bands as maybe that will give better picture to the kind of music I listen to. Listening time will be around 2 hrs a day.

Fm @amrutmhatre90 has a decent setup involving a Crown power amp and a Denon 3700. I will suggest that route. 3700 is a solid avr which should be 'sufficient' for your music needs.

You can save up a bit and go for Cambridge Audio CXAxx or Marantz PMxxxx integrated amplifiers.

The avr prices are inflated now. I will suggest you to wait a while before you get any.​

 

[ssf]

I don't have great speakers like you people have,

I have seen your setup. It's very nice. The Taga's are not to be underestimated !!

 

[amrutmhatre90]

Whatever speaker you have is the best speaker! Enjoy!

Agreed, this is so true. Be happy with whatever you have.

I have seen your setup. It's very nice. The Taga's are not to be underestimated !!

Thank you, they just sing a lot better after I added the x3700 and Crowns. I do not use the subwoofer at all when listening to the music. Just enough bass and I like it that way.

One thing about these new age AVRs I like is to have preset settings, x3700 has 2. I keep the following:
Preset 1 - For movies or gaming, audyssey on and its equivalent settings.
Preset 2 - Specifically for Music, fronts as Large and Audyssey OFF.

I soon would be testing by adding a integrated amplifier too how different does it sound.

 

[jsmithe]

Budget is 1.2 lacs for AVR. I don't have much idea about Integrates amplifiers but my budget can be around 70k. I listen English rock, alternative and some heavy metal bands in addition to hindi pop and folk music. I like bands such as Beatles, U2, Metallica, Foo Fighters, Queen, Nickelback, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, The Who etc. I am naming the bands as maybe that will give better picture to the kind of music I listen to. Listening time will be around 2 hrs a day.

For integrated amp with HT bypass you could consider the well regarded Audiolab 6000A if you can stretch your amp. budget by about 10%.

 

[Murty P N]

How to find the balance between AVR and Stereo Amp? Shall I buy AVR with pre outs and then add Stereo Amp later? Or Higher end AVRs can give good quality output in stereo through pure direct mode when compared to Stereo Amps? If not, which AVR I should buy with pre outs that cost me the least so as to finance Stereo amp conveniently? And which Stereo Amp to choose that should have HT bypass?
I want to power Concept 40 + concept centre + Q B12 Subwoofer. Surrounds to be added later.

Kindly advise

Please try for Anthem or Arcam avr they sounded good in stereo also

 

[Lizard King]

Budget for AVR is 1.2 lac max. I don't have much idea about stereo amp with ht bypass. It will be okay if it is under 70k.

Almost all AVRs these days have pre-out, even entry level NR series of Marantz.
Cheapest Stereo Amplifier with HT bypass is possibly Audiolab 6000A, check that out. It will just be around your budget, especially if you buy both from same guy at same time and haggle a bit.
Alternatively you can attach a power amplifier like Crown or Emotiva. Please check out the D class ample yourself. They are cheap and popular, but not universally liked.

 

[Ankit Fedex]

Thank you members for informative messages. I will be going with 3700 for now. Will see later to add power amp or stereo amp.

 

[Amitdubey]

Thank you members for informative messages. I will be going with 3700 for now. Will see later to add power amp or stereo amp

This is a copy and paste from ASR and very relevant for you to consider. You will also save some money by considering the 3600

The AVR-X3600H measured better than the X3700H and X4700H in most categories based on ASR's measurements.

All 3, X3600H, X4500H, X3700H, X4700H have 11 channel preamp outputs and 2 subwoofer outputs.

The X3600H and X4500H do not have a full preamp mode, but it has the amp assign feature that allows you to disconnect the front left and front right channel preamp outputs to those two internal power amps, and that would allow the preamp output for those two channels to remain pristine up to 2 V and higher.

The X3700H and X4700H have a "full" preamp mode that allows you to disconnect the preamp output for all channels, to the internal amps, but obviously the preamp mode is only useful if you are prepared to use the AVR as a preamp/processor only. If you intend to use even one of the internal amp channel, you cannot use the preamp model

I hope that is clear.

ASR (Audiosciencereview.com) has the bench test measurement of the X3600/3700/4700/6700/8500, and the Marantz SR6014 as well:
ASR review AVR-X3600H
ASR review AVR-X3700H
ASR review AVR-X4700H
ASR review SR6014

If the X3600H has all the features you need, and if you can get a good price on it, it may be the best value for you.