time for an upgrade. but not sure what to go with or what else is out there.

[vaa]

I think it's time to upgrade the reciever in my system.

My current system consists of:
Marantz SR8000 Receiver
Marantz CD17MkII Cd player
Toshiba SD-H400 DVD/TiVo
Marantz MV510 VCR
Sony PS2
X-Box

Hitachi 36" TV a few years old and lots of life left.

Speakers:
Paradigm Ref. Studio 20's L&R on matching stand filled w/lead shot
Matching Ref. Studio CC Center
Mirage OM-R2 Rears
CSW P1000 Sub

A mix of Audioquest, Monster and Ultralink cables
Universal MX-700 Remote
Monster HTS2000 Power Center.



I'm not sure what I want to spend but I'll limit suggestions to a max $7000 retail. I was considering a few different pieces at various price ranges.


Parasound Halo C2
Sherwood Newcastle P-965 (cheapest by a wide margin but reviews I've read make it out to be a killer pre/pro with excellent everything)
ATI ATP8500.1
Rotel RSP 1098
Anthem AVM-30


are the pre/pro's I've been looking at. I have contacts biz so I can get a few of them a dealer cost. I'd also need an amp or two to go along with the pre/pro. I want a warm, smooth amp that still retains as much detail as possible.

I was looking at:
Marsh A200S and HT500S
ATI AT-3005
B&K 200.5
Sunfire Cinema Grand 200 Five



I'll be upgrading the speakers eventually so the amp must have plenty of power to drive whatever I get later on (I'm thinking Theil, Revel or Legacy).

Any suggestions or coments would be great and helpfull.

Thanks

[David Meek]

One thing to consider is that when you upgrade your speakers, you may very well wind up with a more efficient speaker to drive.

If it was my money, I'd go to Audiogon and pick up a demo or maybe a used pair of Parasound's Halo JC-1 monoblocks and then get a new Halo C-1 or C-2 with the money you have left.

[vaa]

Thanks for the suggestion but H.T. is a must. My listening/watching is 70% movies and 30% music.

Thanks

[purplepeople]

If I had $7000 I'd start with three Mackie HR626 actives for the front and move the three Paradigms to the back. Then throw a huge party with the remainder (but this is just a suggestion).

ensen.

[SpOoNmAn]

mmmmmmm yummy

Halo :T

[pinball_wizard]

speakers- Von Schweikert
they do awesome ht and they are maybe the best regular speaker I have heard- they truly excel at both.

[David Meek]

Thanks for the suggestion but H.T. is a must. My listening/watching is 70% movies and 30% music.

Oh, that's an easy one then. I'd recommend the Halo A51. BTW, I'm not an owner or dealer - they're just extremely fine amps.

[Andrew Pratt]

If movies are a priority then you've got to do something about your display. Does your room suit front projection? If so its something I'd strongly suggest you look into...there's no bigger impact for HT then a huge screen. From there I'd add a much stronger subwoofer and a newer progressive scan DVD player to feed the projector.

[SpOoNmAn]

Oh, that's an easy one then. I'd recommend the Halo A51. BTW, I'm not an owner or dealer - they're just extremely fine amps.

agreed. I have the 51's smaller brother, but very nice indeed, cant go wrong with them.