Help me to choose between these MEGA MONSTERS!!!

[anm]

sorry, playing devil's advocate here. Z9 would be difficult to sell as anyone going for an AVR at that price (quite high according to me for a used one) and not going for a 2 channel amp instead - would be more bothered about movies than music.
You already have one from yamaha for music that you write about in your other thread.

7 channel/ 9 channel stereo is just about playing all channels together - gives lot of SPL but nothing more.

Or better still, you go for Z9 and I will take the Z11.

 

[rishiguru]

sorry, playing devil's advocate here. Z9 would be difficult to sell as anyone going for an AVR at that price (quite high according to me for a used one) and not going for a 2 channel amp instead - would be more bothered about movies than music.

Don't worry Musical Fidelity A5 will be present too in the audition, I will do direct comparison between it and the Z-9, Z-11 & AVC-A1SRA.

As said before, I will get a through audition and the person seems a true gentleman, if he had any false plans he could have shown just Z-9 & AVC-A1SRA. But he is not doing so and will leave the decision to me.

7 channel/ 9 channel stereo is just about playing all channels together - gives lot of SPL but nothing more.

Z-9, Z-11 & AVC-A1SRA does not belong to the group you are indicating. This amps are designed to challenge separates.

AVR's below INR 1 lakh fall to this group.

Or better still, you go for Z9 and I will take the Z11.

If I had the option I would get both for me. But unfortunately I can have only one.:sad:

Audition will be tomorrow evening, and if I fail to come I will not be able to audition Z-9 anymore. I have to be content with Z-11 & A1SRA since Z-9 will already be sold by then to his friend who previously have auditioned these three.

I was the first caller so I get the first chance to pick.

 

[rishiguru]

Some photos of the two babies side by side:

Left: DSP-Z9, Right: DSP-Z11

Left: DSP-Z9, Right: DSP-Z11

Left: DSP-Z11, Right: DSP-Z9

 

[rud3dawg]

They are just ..... OOoooooo.. beautiful!!!

 

[Vinod.R]

WUNDERBAR!!!!

Buy all!

 

[rishiguru]

For audition I have been confirmed that Axiom Audio speakers will only be used. I do have no idea about this loudspeaker company and their products. Are they even good enough to judge these high end amps?

The guy have 5 pairs of M80 v3 floorstanders & 4 pairs of M3 v3 bookshelves. M80's are rated at 400 watts @ 4 ohms for a pair, & the M3's at 175 watts @ 8 ohms for a pair.

Axiom Audio M80 v3

Link : Axiom Audio M80 v3

Axiom Audio M3 v3

Link : Axiom Audio M3 v3

Speaker placement will not be so perfect, since he is moving out of India and half of his goods are already on the way to USA.

No sub-woofer present here, so have to do with these speakers only. The room is said to be very big at over 2000 sqft.

Speaker Configuration will be:

1) Denon AVC-A1SRA: A pair of M80's for the fronts while the rest five channels gets M3 bookshelves.

2) Yamaha DSP-Z9: Four pairs of M80's for the fronts, surround, surround back & presence channels. The center also gets a M80 floorstander.

3) Yamaha DSP-Z11: Two pairs of M80's for the fronts & surround channels & a M80 for the center. The two surround backs & four presence channels get M3's each.
------------------------------------

Allowed: Insane volume levels. He loves to listen loud.
------------------------------------

Limitations :

1) Denon AVC-A1SRA: No changes in speaker arrangement, only two channels are allowed to have 4 ohm loads while the rest gets 8 ohms.

2) Yamaha DSP-Z9: Any kind of configuration is allowed since he not worried about Z-9's 4 ohm driving capacity at full loads for sustained periods. The toroidal transformer is said to remain super cool even at 4 ohms loads on all channels.

3) Yamaha DSP-Z11: He said the configuration as stated will be followed until the amp becomes too hot near the transformer region(front center part). If this region becomes very hot he will replace the center floorstander with a bookshelf. Prior he had once blown his other Z-11 in USA by using these floorstanders on all channels & repair was quite costly with a new transformer.
-------------------------------

Are these setup ok for audition? It surely looks quite strange to me with the center speaker replaced by a hulking floorstander.

Helpful comments are really appreciated.

 

[rishiguru]

Bump...

Guys help regarding speakers used for audition will be really helpful. I have until tomorrow noon.

 

[avidyarthy]

ehehe ... where in 'poor' Calcutta is this place .... the 'small' pic you provided on the 2 beasts side-by-side suggest it is "Birla House' or something like that ...

 

[Flash]

Bump...

Guys help regarding speakers used for audition will be really helpful. I have until tomorrow noon.

Axiom Speakers are very good. and very well received in the US. Alan Loft is again well respected

I've heard Axiom once in Singapore . I cant remember the model number. however was very impressed with the Price to performance ratio. I would actually like to own a pair :licklips:

 

[rishiguru]

ehehe ... where in 'poor' Calcutta is this place .... the 'small' pic you provided on the 2 beasts side-by-side suggest it is "Birla House' or something like that ...

avidyarthy long time no see.

Glad that you are participated in this thread. These pictures are taken from web and do not denote the amps I will be auditioning today.

I will be taking my trusty Canon to get some good shots during audition & post as soon as possible.

 

[rishiguru]

Axiom Speakers are very good. and very well received in the US. Alan Loft is again well respected

This is all that I wanted to know. Many many thanks Flash.

I would actually like to own a pair

I will talk to him. If he is interesed I will PM you.

 

[rishiguru]

Guys we have been discussing about these three monsters for over three pages now, and thanks to all to pour in and provide invaluable comments/ suggestion which will defenitely help me to choose.

Anyway I will love to run a final poll regarding his/ her choice regarding these three.

Please feel free to drop in and provide the name of the A/V amp our choice.

 

[rishiguru]

Truly memorable audition, the best I ever had lasting for over five hours.

The person was a true gentleman & a great person by heart, so energetic even at 50 years of age it was just unbelievable. Requesting him if I can shoot some photos while auditioning I was politely refused to do so. So no pictures of auditioning.

After auditioning all three in every conceivable audio/ video formats inputs & outputs (analog/ optical/ co-axial/ Component/ HDMI) and speaker configurations possible and watching movies in the projector ..

I finally went with my heart .. and decided to go for Yamaha DSP-Z9.

Dont get me wrong guys DSP-Z11 is equally good if not better, but DSP-Z9 undoubtedly has an edge in very department except HD formats.

In the end I found the DSP Z-9 is a like a jack of all trades and master of all, it will be a Musical Fidelity A5 during critical stereo listening, provide you a live concert environment with gut wrenching power & fidelity and at the same time provide REAL movie theater experience in your home. The Z-11 was just there with the Z9 just a step behind, but as mentioned I went with my heart

My Yamaha DSP-Z9

HARDWARE USED IN AUDITION:

CD Player: Yamaha CD-S1000
DVD Player: Denon DVD-1930CI

Stereo Integrated:
1) Musical Fidelity A5 Stereo Integrated
2) Yamaha A-S1000 Stereo Integrated

A/V Amplifiers:
1) Denon AVC-A1SRA
2) Yamaha DSP-Z9
3) Yamaha DSP-Z11
4) Cambridge Audio Azur 650R
5) NAD T-757

Speakers:
1) Floorstanders: Axiom Audio M80 v3
2) Bookshelves: Axiom Audio M3 v3

Projector: Epson PowerLite Pro Cinema 9700 UB

I later asked him whether I made the right choice or am I a real fool in choosing the Z-9 over Z-11 lying around; he just smiled and provided me a very good perspective.

He said the HD audio/video technologies are evolving so fast that the current medium quality LCD/ Plasma TVs (for him medium quality are 1 lakh plus LCD/ Plasma Tvs ) will do better up-conversion than Z-11. So rather than running behind HD audio/ video formats of Z-11, I did the right thing and ran after the A/V amp with the best pre-amp & power-amp section. At least I got the audio section covered.

I also requested him if I can have both, and was again politely refused. His friends need to be satisfied too.

Stay tuned for my detailed analysis and auditioning experience.

 

[Audiodoc]

Cool. Now is the time to upgrade the speakers from the sony ones to go along with this monster. A good floorstander will work great to begin with later you can add matching centre channel, surrounds and subwoofer.

 

[avidyarthy]

Settle for my speakers ... serious. No need to run after 'firangi' maal .. shotti. Let me know if you have any plans for the upgrade, so that I can put you on to the right man.

Congrats for the amp! Yes, video capabilities normally take a back seat while deciding on such beaus. Musical capabilities always need to be in the forefront ... :clapping:. My teeny weeny HT is gathering dust ... ends up playing music, that too in 2 channel whenever I am in that location! So, 'right' choice!

BTW, who is this gent? Like to meet such benevolent guys who have such a soft corner for the have-nots. I am one big one!

Forgot to ask ..... where do you intend to run a 9.2 ? It requires a HUGE place with extra powerful air conditioning due to the immense heat generated from the monster! Buy an AC first! You need good neighbours too!

 

[rishiguru]

Cool. Now is the time to upgrade the speakers from the sony ones to go along with this monster.

My quest for a good stereo/ AV amplifer ends after buying the Yamaha DSP-Z9. I do not need anthing more.

A good floorstander will work great to begin with...

+1 year

The previous owner advised me to get nothing less than a 1 lakh a pair floorstander for the fronts. Anything less will not do justice to DSP Z-9, four or six ohm speakers with lots of power handling capability will be preferable or else Z-9 will turn them into crispy roasted turkeys with 580 + 580 watts dynamic power output capability in stereo mode.

I have been WARNED!!!

....later you can add matching centre channel, surrounds and subwoofer.

+2 years

He said A/V amps like DSP Z-9 does not require active subwoofers at least for music. The power amps section is so powerful one should harness that power and use floorstanders on all nine channels!!!

Subwoofer is only required while watching movies in 5.1 & 7.1 formats.

 

[anm]

congrats Rishi. So does he have all FS for surround channels? It would have been great if you could click some pics.
He is partially right about the formats - but upscaling of video is another thing, and ability to decode HD audio is another. You can always buy an HDMI splitter/ switch and connect your display to your source directly, while audio going to your AVR. But if AVR doesn't have HD audio decoding, you would need multichannel analog inputs, and you can they use only one source.

 

[olly42]

Congratulations Rishi, awesome deal like i mentioned - Neighbors envy owners pride

 

[rishiguru]

congrats Rishi. So does he have all FS for surround channels?

For Z-9 all nine channels had FS, for Z-11 max of five channels or else the transformer region was getting stupendously hot. Mind you Axiom Audio M80's are rated at 4 ohms.

In 9-channel stereo mode with Z-9s big volume knob turned all the way up to 80% in a two thousand sqft hall produced a magnanimous feeling in my heart. It can be best described as being repeatedly swept away by a succession of gigantic tidal waves created by those nine bare-chested M80 floorstanders containing endless reserves of crystal clear water. It is like attending a TRUE live concert with a zero drop in SQ. I just cannot believe an A/V amp can produce these levels of power along with refinement, it is just INSANELY high.

The Z-11 produced the same feeling with its 11 channels at 80% volume levels but this time the tidal wave seemed not as enormous as created by Z-9. It was JUST enormous enough to eat some 1 lakh plus Azur 650Rs for lunch & some T-757s for dinner. This is mainly due to Z-11 inability to drive 4 ohm loads on all eleven channels, five being the max for sustained high volume listening while the rest must be 8 ohms. But one can easily team up 6 ohm floorstanders with Z-11 on all channels. This is where the Z-9 has decisive advantage over Z-11.

And yes I auditioned the Cambridge Audio Azur 650R & NAD T-757 in the same place along with the same speakers and found they are not even half of Z-11 in terms of SQ, fidelity & soundstage. I leave the Z-9 out of the equation right now.

Also the TRUE concert feeling was really TRUE, I was hearing less after an hour of ultra high SPL exposure and came back to normal hearing levels after 15-20 mins!!!

 

[anm]

good investment

btw, aren't 2 channels in 9.x setup height channels? were the FS wall mounted for height channels?