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I agree with Mark R O. All those high-dollar amps from boutique manufacturers really contain about $500 worth of parts and the rest of the price supports their high-margin, low-volume business models. IMHO, what you should really be looking for is an amp that can drive your speakers at your...

If you have any kind of dimmer swithches (such as those found in halogen floorlamps) in the same room (thus most likely on the same circuit), this can cause a ground loop with subsequent humming/buzzing. I was hearing a loud buzz with my speakers before switching to a normal bulb lamp. Now...

Besides the great sound, the real value of the Bryston is it's TRANSFERABLE 20 year warranty. You can pick up a 4 year-old used 3-channel 5B-ST on Audiogon like I did for about $1500 plus get a 16 year warranty to boot. Let someone else take the hit on depreciation. Matched to my Sony DA5ES...

Eric, I was trying to say the exact thing in an earlier topic but was run over by the flagship receiver owners :D. IMO, it's a much more cost effective (especially if you go flagship + amp)route to: 1. Buy a mid-level receiver (e.g., DA5ES or HK 520)+ separate amp; or 2. Buy a mid-level...

Maybe because there aren't any differences between the pre-outs to make real-world differences in sound :D. Exactly. Same argument goes for >$3K flagship receivers too when people attach separate amps to them.

Are you using halogen lighting with a dimmer? Make sure there are no dimmers on the same circuit. I eliminated a very loud buzzing/humming emanating from my speakers by changing floor lamps to one that uses standard bulbs. Evidently the triac device used by dimmers will cause ground loops.

Are you using halogen lighting with a dimmer? Make sure there are no dimmers on the same circuit. I eliminated a very loud buzzing coming from my speakers by changing floor lamps to one that uses standard bulbs. Evidently the triac device used by dimmers may cause ground loops.

Ricky T: Luckily I don't need AC3 demodulation and only have room for 5 speakers ;) What will be the upgrade cost of THX2 certification for the O-989? I'm actually surprised the street price of the O hasn't gone down even more for a 20-month old box. To me, the $2200 NIB street price seems...

I can't believe this thread is still going....:D Anyway, I'm glad the tone of this thread has mellowed out somewhat. The previous posts by Elbert and Dave M. were the kind of responses I originally intended to provoke as opposed to the knee-jerk reactions that came out earlier. It's very...

There are some people on this board that seem to think upgradeability is the sole domain of their expensive flagship receivers. At least that's what salesmen tell them.;) It will be great marketing move by Sony to continue upgradeability and fixes via the RS232 port for their affordable...

Jack F, B&K AVR 202, 307, and Sony STR-DA5ES:)in my house. Denon 4800 and 5800 and Integra 9.1 at store-auditions. The question is not whether I've demoed every single flagship receiver, it's really a matter of value to me. Can I achieve the same sound with a cheaper solution? You bet. Can...

Flagship owners, My apologies for the pricing errors. It's easy to get a little mixed up with all these prices and components. Still it doesn't take away from my original post. The bottom line is that a DA5ES receiver + separate amp represents a tremendous value in today's market whereas...

Chaz,

Mike, Thanks for your comments - you make some valid points. Jeremy,

Mike,

Ricky T, My point is to get the important features you mentioned like DPLII, DTS-ES, etc. than an upgraded flagship has will cost only $750 for the Sony compared to the $3500 + ??? cost for upgrading an older flagship. And how do you know the Sony's can't be upgraded via the RS-232 port?

Mike,

Ricky T,

Jack F, No one is attacking the flagship receivers or their owners. We're just discussing the value of them compared to other much less costly solutions and still getting the same sonic performance. Ricky T,

John, Would you say that the Sherwood's pre/pro section and features is comparable to the Denon's at $1200? If not, is it ~$2300 less of a receiver? MiltK

Jeremy, I think you're fanaticism about flagship receivers caused you to attack my comments and me personally without thinking about what I'm trying to say...

Chaz and Sheldon, My whole argument is based on the merits of the Sony ES as a standalone pre/pro for music (and for powering the surrounds in HT). By adding external amplification, you are bypassing what has been traditionally perceived as Sony's weakest point(their amps) while taking...

Hey Robert, Read the posts. My whole point is to use the Sony as a pre/pro and to use a decent outboard amp. You can easily achieve or in some cases better the sonic fidelity of a "flagship" receiver at a cost of hundereds of dollars less with all the "bells and whistles" and possibly more.

I believe that instead of 20Hz steps it is now 10Hz for -each channel. Let me double-check.

Thanks for the compliment, Jeremy. It has really made my day...I'm always available to help my fellow audiophiles/golden-ears concerning monetary matters :D

Hey Jeremy, Give me list of the pre/pro features in the Denon that you think are head and shoulders above the Sony. I bet you'll be more than a little surprised that the Sony in most cases has the equivalent. In addition, the Sony ES receivers are just as well-built as the flagships you...

Very minimally?? What does the Denon have over the Sony that can justify the $2700 price difference?? Okay I guess THX-Ultra II certification is more important than separate crossovers AND eq for individual channels...:D

So you guys think spending $3800 dollars for a receiver including an upgrade is no problem??? You can get basically the same pre/pro features of the 5803 by buying the Sony STR-DA5ES for $750. My point is that plus a decent 2 or 3-channel amp is still hundreds of dollars less than an upgraded...

Exactly Kevin. I would even venture to guess that a 777es + said amp would perform the same as a separate $2000 pre/pros + said amp. Plus it will have a lot more features.