Prepro for B&W/Krell combo?

[dmccombs]

I have 803S Fronts, 804S Rears and a HTM1 for the Center channel. For amp I have a Krell 3x250 for the LCR, and a Krell 2x200 for the rears. Upgrading the fronts to 802D is possible in the distant future.

My room is treated a bit with acoustic panels, and I have my furniture setup as well as I can from an audio perspective while still allowing it to be used as a living room.

Currently I am using a Denon 3806 as my Prepro. It has all the features I want right now, but I think I could improve my sound with a nice Prepro.

Of course the B&W/Krell combo is quite detailed so a Prepro with a little warmth may be good. In addition the following features are:

Must Haves:
New or Used price $2500 max.
DTS, and 96/24 DTS.
Analog PassThrough for 5.1 OR Audio HDMI (for high res audio).
5 or more XLR outs.
1 XLR In.

Nice to Haves:
7.1

Do you have any recommendations that fit these requirements?

Thanks,
Darrell

[musman]

Hello,

You are correct you can get better sound by replacing your denon, however your requirement for HDMI is the only thing that is going to hold you back. Whell for a little while anyway. Small companies like Rotel, Classe can't afford to put HDMI in there pre-pros right now. You may want to give it a while & wait until you can get this feature in a unit in your price range.

Another thought is to forget the HDMI in the processor. If you have a programmable remote that can do macros you can hook up the HDMI directly to your TV (better connection anyway) & program the remote to switch the input on your processor & your TV at the same time. That would be like having HDMI switching.

Just a thought.

[dmccombs]

Musman,

Thanks for the reply...

HDMI Audio is not a requirement if the Prepro does Analog 5.1 bypass.

I don't care about HDMI Video as I already have my remote setup as you suggested.

Thanks,
Darrell

Must Haves:
Analog PassThrough for 5.1 OR Audio HDMI (for high res audio).

[ShadowZA]

Hi Darrell

Take a look at my system specs by viewing my profile. My system is not too dissimilar to yours. I went with the Krell Showcase processor (previous Surround Processor was a Rotel RSP 976). Huge sound improvement. More detail. Clarity great, etc.

Regarding new formats: I only plan to upgrade again once the following are available:

1. A new high resolution hardware format is generally and widely accepted and being produced.

2. Artists are recording their music in lossless audio (MLP lossless; Dolby True HD; DTS Master Audio; some other lossless format which might be relevant here) ... and such recording studios are using decent reference-quality equipment to record.

My point is that I'm extremely satisfied with the Showcase & should continue to be for the forseeable future ... that is ... until something else comes along which might just grab my interest :twisted:

Good luck

[dmccombs]

Shadow,

Yes, your setup is very similar to mine, and that makes for a good reference. Thanks for replying.

The Showcase is on my shopping list, and I would like to listen to one. My pre listening thought was that using a Krell Prepro with the other Krell/B&W gear I have, may be too detailed/bright. If you are happy with it thought that makes me more optimistic.

Do you listen to DVD-Audio, SCAD, or 5.1 DTS? If so,how is the Showcase 5.1 analog pass-through?

Thanks,
Darrell

[ShadowZA]

I only have a few DVD-A's and some DTS 5.1. I listen to mostly cd's ... for now, anyway.

For DVD-A's I am satisfied with sending the 5.1 analogue from source to the analogue-in's on the Showcase through to amps. Way better than the previous processor which I owned.

The Krell's DACS are superb imho. Playing cd's, I'm satisfied to run digital composite cable from the cd player & let the Showcase convert the data to analogue - thereby using the cd player as a transport. I find the sound to be detailed and yet not too bright. That's a personal preference though. You might need to listen before you take the plunge.

For DVD-V movies with DTS 5.1 tracks (even some well put together Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks) the detail is : superb ... especially vocals through the HTM2D. To me, it's as if a veil has been lifted compared to my previous setup.

Good luck & please let us know what you decide to do.

[dmccombs]

Shadow,

Thanks for the feedback. For DVD-A and SACD, I will start with the config you have if I get a Showcase.

For my HD-DVD though, the only way to pass the new TruHD uncompressed audio is to either use HDMI (which the Showcase doesn't have), or the Analog outs. That is why I was curious about how well the Showcase does analog pass-through.

It sure would be nice to be able to pass the Showcase, a digital TruHD signal and let the Showcase DACs do thier work. Fortunately, the HD-DVD DACS are pretty good.

Regards,
Darrell