Cinenova 3 channel questions (1 Viewer)

[Andrew Pezzo]

This amp is the frontrunner so far. I have also considered Outlaw monoblocks and the B&K 200.3 but with the cinenova putting out 300 wpc compared to 200 wpc I like the cinenova better. Plus I can get a better price on it than the B&K. There are no local dealers for it so it would essentailly be a blind buy (deaf is more like it).

Are there any owners out there that can give some impressions? How is it for movies - can it deliver it a split seconds notice when all of a sudden a bomb goes off? This would be my first "seperate" so I welcome any thoughts/suggestions/advice.

My current setup includes:

Denon AVR-3803 - will be used as pre/pro along with the amps for surround duty

Def Tech BP7001's and CLR3000 - the benefactors of the new amp.

 

[Roger Kaufmann]

Andrew,

I have had a Cinenova Grande 5 channel for almost 3 years, my guess is this is probably longer than anyone else on this forum has owned one. The Cinenova has a small but from all appearances loyal following, this is a terrific piece of equipment! Do searches on it and you will find several threads, I've yet to run across any durogatory comments about it.

When I orignally bought mine I was in a similar situation, this was my first separate. I was pairing mine to a Sony ES reciever that I have since upgrated to a B&K Reference 50. My guess is you will notice immediate improvements and when you upgrade to a true Pre/Pro even more.

That's my .02 or .03 cents!

 

[Andrew Pezzo]

Thanks for the input. I went ahead an placed an order for it. I was able to get such a good deal that I couldnt pass up.

Once I spend some time with it I will give my impressions.

 

[John Robert]

You will be surprised (and amazed!) at the impact this will make on your system. Big improvement with music, but HUGE change for HT. I'll look forward to your comments...

 

[Andrew Pezzo]

With any luck it will arrive early next week. Once I get some cables and a friend to help get the beast from my car to the apartment I can do some critical listening.

 

[Mat_M]

Hey Roger,

Does your Cinenova have the famous "thump" that the amp is known for at powerup? I'm curious if it's a problem with all the Cinenovas, because mine does it also (Grande 5). And do you know by chance if it's fixable?

 

[Roger Kaufmann]

Mat,

Nope mine is pretty quiet. I leave it on 24/7 and only turn it off if I'm going out of town for awhile. Because mine doesn't have it I've never investigated on whether it's fixable. My fix would be to turn it on before your Pre/Pro.

 

[Ernest Yee]

Mat_M - Maybe it's just b/c you're powering up your sources incorrectly? I believe you are supposed to power up the processor before the amp.

 

[Roger Kaufmann]

Looks like Ernest and I see things differently on the power up sequence.

Ernest, if the noise comes when the amp is powered up wouldn't it make sense to power it up first? I think I see what you mean, the signal is going from the Pre/Pro to the amp and then to the speakers but if there isn't a signal going through the amp there shouldn't be a thump. I tried powering my system up a couple of different ways, did the Pre/Pro first then the amp and then did the opposite. Both gave me identical results, oh and I made sure the capacitors in the amp drained before I powered up anything.

 

[Mat_M]

Yes, the pre/pro is on first. I tried it the other way also, both times yielding a thump. I'm almost ready to email Earthquake and ask what the heck is going on. I've read over on avsforum.com that this is a common problem. One Cinenova user contacted Earthquake and was told the "thump" was part of a design parameter. If the thump was removed, performance would be sacrificed. A little vague to me.

And yes, I leave it on all the time. I'm just curious if I was given a B-stock item.

 

[Roger Kaufmann]

I think it's a good idea to contact them and see if they have any input. What are you using for a Pre/Pro, I don't think this has any bearing on it, I'm just curious.

 

[Mat_M]

The pre/pro doesn't have an effect on it. I have an HK AVR300 right now. I've even disconnected in the RCA inputs and tried it, still a thump. No matter what I do in terms of order-of-turning-on-components, a thump still occurs.

Roger I saw you had some posts over on AVSforum concerning the same issue. The screen name of the guy who was having the problem was Spearce. I've gotten a hold of him and he still has the same thump going on. He's the guy I mentioned earlier who contacted a guy at Earthquake (Jason), and Jason told him that the thump shouldn't be a problem.

What I'm concerned with is that if Earthquake thought the issue was important enough to put new circuitry into the amps to combat this thumping, then it must be at least SOME sort of problem.

 

[John Robert]

The 5 must be different than the Grande 3, because mine is more of a satisfying "WHUMP". To me it says "Let's get ready to RUMBLE". I find myself looking forward to the sound...

 

[Kevin.KGD]

I think the "Thump" is on all of the Cinenova Grande amps except the very newest ones which include a circuit. I'm guessing the circuit is some type of relay which doesn't enable the outputs until the amp has fully powered up or something. I don't think any sequence of turning components on or off is going to get rid of the thump.

I talked to a hardware engineer awhile back and he said this type of circuit wasn't that difficult to implement and if implemented properly doesn't hurt the sound.

However, I don't think the thump actually hurts anything. I think Earthquake did the new circuit because consumers don't like hearing the thump when you turn on the unit because they are afraid it might hurt the speaker. Even if it doesn't do any harm whatsoever to speakers, consumers having a perception that something might be harmed will hurt Earthquake's sales. I would bet threads like these have caused some people to not purchase the Cinenova, and that is a good thing because it is apparently is getting them to address the problem. Almost every amp today has some type of circuit to prevent the thump problem, and Earthquake should have done the same, even if it isn't "needed."

I'm still not convinced that if you purchase a Cinenova today, you will get one that doesn't thump. It seems like people are still purchasing units which come straight from the factory and have the same behaviour. They likely phased in the design change but are still shipping amps and building units which don't contain the change because they probably had boards and amps in inventory without the change.

My Cinenovas thump when I turn them on, and they are less than a year old (which is supposedly after they made the change to prevent this). I wish they didn't, but I'm not going to worry about it too much. It used to bug me, but now I just leave them on all of the time so I never hear the thump. They always remain amazingly cool when not in use (and don't get that hot even when being heavily used). Alot of people say that leaving the amps on all of the time extends their life, so I might would have left them on anyway.