Need advice on Receiver & Amp for B&W 804s + 805s

[rusbikes]

I have following as my HT :

- Front speakers B&W 804s
- Rear speakers B&W 805s
- Center B&W HTM-1
- Subwoofer B&W ASW 850
- Receiver Marantz SR 7300

I am looking for better receiver or combo of receiver-amplifier to drive these speakers to their true potential. I still need a receiver for other equipments in my entertainment center.

I will highly appreciate if someone can suggest some good receivers or Receiver (that I can use as pre-amp) & Amplifier upto $2000-2500 range ?

I was looking at :

Receivers:
Denon AVR-4306 (Around $1600-1700)
Pioneer Elite VSX-74TXVi (Around $1200-1300)
Any other good receiver ideas please ?

Amplifier:
No Idea :roll: (upto $2500 or so)

Thanks for reading my post and any advice about possible combinations will be highly appreciated.

[LikeCoiledSteel]

Hi rusbikes,
There really are no receivers that can truly drive the higher end B&W's to full potential. Have you thought about getting a surround preamp and amp instead? I would not waste your money on a receiver at your level of equipment.
Steel

[wca156]

I had the Rotel 1068 and 1075 combination, but had problems with the 1068 (although, before I had the problems it sounded great.) I replaced it with the B&K AVR 507 S2 and have had a great experience with HT. I run B&W 803S's in the front and the HTM3S for my centre. My rear speakers are CCM 60's, with a ML Depth for my sub. I had the B&K special ordered to run a second zone outside. It sounds great to me and I think that it has plenty of power for my purposes. The pre/pro is the same as the REF 50 and has a larger amp than the REF 125.7. I prefer to listen to my music through analog. More umpf that sending it through the processor.

Good luck in your quest and trust your ears!

[rusbikes]

Yes, I am also looking at pre-amp + amp combination.

I will appreciate if someone could suggest some good pre-amp + amp brands and approx. price ranges, that I can use with these speakers.

I was looking at using receiver as pre-amp since some of latest receives like Denon AVR-4306 and Pioneer Elite VSX-74TXVi provide THX, HDMI ports, i-link etc.. which are not available in pre-amps and other older receivers.

What is your opinion about pre-amp + amp vs. receiver (as pre-amp) + amp ?

[LikeCoiledSteel]

Hi Rus,
I would forget the receiver idea altogether, your equipment is too good for that. Hooking a receiver to your equipment is like having a corvette with the emergency brake always on. I have done the receiever only, receiver as preamp with amp, and pre/pro with amps. Pre/pro with amps give the best performance and flexibility.

As far as recommending brands, you asked this question in the B&K and Harman forum. If other brands are mentioned the moderator/s will probably chime in. In my opinion THX is worthless. It is a marketing gimmick created by one of the masters, George Lucas. None of my equipment has THX and you will see that most high end equipment does not. Your B&W's dont either. George gets a fee to certify his stuff. It is just a certification about certain testing parameters. There is THX certified drywall(give me a break). The one THX piece of equipment I had broke before its time. There are some Pre/pro's that do have all the bells and whistles you listed, those brands however cannot be mentioned in this forum. Try reasking in the B&W forum.
Steel

[Dmantis]

Hi Rus,
I would forget the receiver idea altogether, your equipment is too good for that. Hooking a receiver to your equipment is like having a corvette with the emergency brake always on. I have done the receiever only, receiver as preamp with amp, and pre/pro with amps. Pre/pro with amps give the best performance and flexibility.

As far as recommending brands, you asked this question in the B&K and Harman forum. If other brands are mentioned the moderator/s will probably chime in. In my opinion THX is worthless. It is a marketing gimmick created by one of the masters, George Lucas. None of my equipment has THX and you will see that most high end equipment does not. Your B&W's dont either. George gets a fee to certify his stuff. It is just a certification about certain testing parameters. There is THX certified drywall(give me a break). The one THX piece of equipment I had broke before its time. There are some Pre/pro's that do have all the bells and whistles you listed, those brands however cannot be mentioned in this forum. Try reasking in the B&W forum.
Steel

I agree with some of this post but whats incorect is THX is on most High end gear. For better or worse(opnions will vary) THX is apart of this hobby and if you look past the marketing, there are alot of useful info and help that THX brings to the table.
As far as the speakers you own, B&K seperates would be a starting place to look at. There AVR507 series 2 receivers are about the best in the bussiness. As said in the last post, you do have very good speakers/ gear so matching is what I get out of it. I agree with it.

A general post or a post in the B&W forum may help you more.

Good luck with your search,

Dan

[LikeCoiledSteel]

Perhaps I am wrong, but I have never seen THX on any type of equipment except for Receivers. All of which I do not consider high end, just mid-fi. B&W avoids THX. B&K is good stuff, but I think you will be wanting more since your system can handle it.
Steel

[Dmantis]

Perhaps I am wrong, but I have never seen THX on any type of equipment except for Receivers. All of which I do not consider high end, just mid-fi. B&W avoids THX. B&K is good stuff, but I think you will be wanting more since your system can handle it.
Steel

Look at Proceed, Krell, McIntosh, B&K seperates, Rotel amps, Lexicon, etc. All considered high end and all have THX .

Dan

[lvhung]

My recommend is simple : Rotel RSX-1067
then you save alot of wasting on I/C

[LikeCoiledSteel]

McIntosh does not do THX. Krell uses it only in their processors if they need to use a 3rd party chip that happans to be THX, no Krell amp is THX. B&W has said that the THZ certification decreased sound quality in thier designs, so they avoid it. Rotel and B&W are the same company, along with Classe.
Proceed and Lexicon is the same company under Harman, they use THX only because HK does. HK needs it because they compete on the mid-fi level against Onkyo who does THX...
The higher end companies listed have said in the past that they have "moved past" THX and do not need the certifications.

The bottom line is listen for what you like. The THX is marketing only. A high quality used amp will make the 804's sing.
Steel

[comeup]

If $$$$$$ are an issue you can buy a power amp now and run it with your Marantz using it as a preamp until you get a dedicated preamp. A good power amp would be a huge improvement. You need real power to drive those great speakers you have. I've heard cheap receivers combined with good power amps that sounded amazing.


Take your time and do it right

[audioqueso]

I agree with comeup. I have a Marantz 6400 that I use as a pre-amp. I power my 805s with a Parasound 200 watt amp. Very nice match. Search around the forum to see what kind of amp would suit you best.

[Shane Martin]

HK needs it because they compete on the mid-fi level against Onkyo who does THX...

HK doesn't do THX.

The THX is marketing only

False. The level of ignorance shown to THX is baffling. They single handedly changed the way we see films in the theater. As far as HT gear they have a certain set of specifications and demand atleast that much. What's wrong with that? It doesn't mean and has never meant that if you don't have THX certification you get the best or better than those w/o. It has meant that this piece has achieved a certain level of specifications and you will get that when you use it.

McIntosh does not do THX.

They did at some point.

Even those that did do THX and don't anymore credit THX with alot of things because when they come in and say "that's not going to work for thx certification" it forces a change to occur on their manufacturing line which leads to improvements. Just ask Paul Scarpelli of Triad if they felt THX was a waste of their money.

That all being said, going with a receiver(given todays market and future technologies) is a good financial idea. You are using the power amp section because you want external amps. The power amp section of todays receivers are where the most compromises are.

The HK 640 and 740 are due out soon. Those are worth looking into. They have features that even the Lexicon 12b doesn't have.

Amp wise: Lots of options. B&K has a couple of good ones, Rotel does as well. I would listen to the various amps and go from there. Despite what some might say they have a sonic signature and you might not like the result.

You might also want to keep your Marantz as a pre for now until the dust settles on the whole HD DVD stuff and then upgrade that portion. For now just buy a good amp to power the speakers. That's your biggest issue at the moment.