B&W 683 5.1 theatre vs CM9 theatre for 221 sq.ft. bedroom?

[newlash09]

Hi....

That was a long post , and I read it in a rush. So sorry if I missed something. If I were in your shoes, I'd keep the denon amp around, and use it as a external amp from the pre-outs of the Yamaha 1070. The Yamaha has 7 channels of amplification. And to go to 5.1.4 Atmos, you need 2 channels of extra amplification which the denon can provide.

I'd also connected the Apple TV via its optical out to the oppo, and then the oppo into the Yamaha via RCA.

If you were listening to mainly music, I would have encouraged to spend good.money on source and amplification. However for movies, all it matters is vocal clarity from the centre speaker and large thuds from the subwoofer. Most of time, it's just the centre channel doing all the lifting, lightly aided by the front L&R. So you don't need to really go to a pre +pro for that room size. Though you have some excellent speakers there. Movie sound tracks except some good English ones just don't deserve that kind of investment.

However if you are still itching for seperates, then both Yamaha and marantz have their pre+pro combinations. The pre processor will get outdated in a few years. But the power amp will always remain timeless. So if you also like, you can keep the Yamaha 1070 and just add a 5 channel power amp to it. Marantz have a 5 channel power amp in the 1.5 lakhs region if I remember right.

 

[DS123456]

Hi Eddie/Akash,

Sorry been out of action for long. So did you buy separates? I am bitten by same bug which infected you, goes without saying its contagious . In view therefore, may sell both systems I got.

Now coming to specifics -

1. Denon & Marantz as we know are from same stable. However, always preferred Marantz over Denon as its "supposedly" more balanced & musical. Having with recent announcement of SR 8012, Marantz is in diff league. SR7012, though has similar features, its more of an extended version of SR7011. I am not impressed much by progression story like: (9.2 -> 11.2 -> 13.2.. ) or 100W -> 125W -> 200W. At times these specs are meaningless! So keeping eyes on 8012 - that's different! However, waiting for more hands-on reviews, since as of yet only that from Audioholics is available.

2. Alternatively, if I look for other AVR, will go with Arcam. Period. Let alone Denon, Yamaha, Marantz, even Anthem don't stand to compete. But its pricey.

3. If the path is Separates: PrePro/DAC/Amp.
A) For Processing capabilities, I'd rely on Japanese. Hence Marantz. Name a tech and its there! Recent announcement is 7704 I believe, or else 8802a.
B) For Amp, its got to be British. Arcam is one of my shortlisted ones.

Lets talk sometime over phone, saves time for both of us. Drop me a pm message!

Cya!!!

 

[Eddierockks]

Time for some updates to be shared!

I got the Marantz AV8802A and MM8077 pre power almost 3 years ago and have been enjoying them ever since with my B&W CM9 theater.

I have been in the process of building a small cozy TV room/Lounge at my home along with renovating almost all of my house except my bedroom. So areas under renovation are as follows:

1. My son’s bedroom
2. Lobby (Zone 3)
3. Lounge (Zone 1)
4. Kitchen
5. Outdoor Lawn (Zone 2)

We are expecting our 2nd baby next month and hence, the construction is in full swing. Not to mention, we are running late.

We often socialise with friends and family and that’s why, we have thought of moving the HT out of our bedroom to the Lounge. It is going to be a 12’x24’ space with 12’ being the viewing distance from the tv. It’s not ideal but its the best we could squeeze out of our little home. Now, I am looking at the following:

1. 2 ceiling speakers in the Lobby
2. 5.2.4 speakers setup in the Lounge
3. 2 outdoor speakers in the Lawn

I want to be able to control

1. Whether to play music only at the lounge, which is basic.
2. Whether to place music at the lounge (Zone 1) as well as the lawn area (Zone 2)
3. Or play same music at Zone 1 and the Lobby (Zone 3)
4. Only play music out in the lawn when chilling with lesser number of people (Zone 2)
5. Lastly, at the time of a bigger party/get together, play music in all 3 zones simultaneously

I have never really played around with Zones but thought it was doable easily with the gear I currently have. I thought I only had to add another power amp, maybe a 7 channel in the mix to power all these speakers.

But my local HT guy, also a friend, has suggested me against making Zones. He suggests strongly to add an AVR receiver to my pre-power combination. I think he wants to use the AVR as a power amp and has suggested this route as the AVR’s are easy to sell later on compared to pre-power as per him. What do you guys think? What is the best route to be followed to enjoy music when hosting parties with proper sync and almost no delay? Please excuse the poor editing that I have done in the attached screenshot. Thanks!