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Best (reasonably affordable) receiver for Vienna Acoustic Beethoven

post #1 of 6
1/5/12 at 11:10am
Thread Starter 
Hi,

I bought a set of used Vienna Acoustic Beethoven speakers (left, right, center channels) and a B&K 507 amp/receiver from a colleague for a steal of a price. Unfortunately the receiver may not work (and I'll get my money back), but now I'm deciding what kind of receiver I need to get at least reasonable sound quality. The speaker manual says driver units should have a power range of 40-250 watts. I'm willing to spend ~$700-800, more if it's really worth it. Also, I'm wanting to connect TiVO, DVD, Sonos, and Apple TV.

Any comments appreciated.
Dennis
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post #2 of 6
1/5/12 at 4:33pm
Might wish to look at accessories4less.com and get a factory refurb with an extended warranty.
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post #3 of 6
1/5/12 at 5:22pm
Those are supposed to be excellent speakers but they are 4 ohm. You're going to need a real good freceiver, or a seperate amp, to drive them.Popular receivers in that price range are the Obkyo 809, http://www.crutchfield.com/p_580TXN809B/Onkyo-TX-NR809.html?tp=179&avf=N&nvpair=FFBrand%7cOnkyo

Denon 2312 http://www.crutchfield.com/p_033AV2312C/Denon-AVR-2312CI.html?tp=179

Yamaha RX-A810 http://www.crutchfield.com/p_022RXA810/Yamaha-RX-A810.html?tp=179&avf=N&nvpair=FFBrand%7cYamaha

Pioneer 1121 http://www.crutchfield.com/p_130VSX1121/Pioneer-VSX-1121-K.html?tp=179&avf=N&nvpair=FFBrand%7cPioneer

Marantz 5005/5006 http://www.crutchfield.com/p_642SR5006/Marantz-SR5006.html?tp=179&avf=N&nvpair=FFBrand%7cMarantz / http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARSR5005/MARANTZ-SR5005-100w-X-7ch-3-D-Home-Theater-Surround-Receiver/1.html

Avoid the Marantz 6004/5004!

As Phil said, factory refurbished, and last years models, can save you some serious money. Not afraid of buying used. Audiogon is a great place to look for quality gear. The prices are sometimes a little high (people there really no the value of their gear) but you can find some nice deals. I just bought a two year old Pioneer Elite SC-27 ($2200 msrp) for $660 shipped!

The Onkyo 809 is the only receiver I mentioned that is certified for 4 ohm speakers but they accomplished that by adding a 4 ohm switch that cuts the power in half. But the Elite SC-27 I just bought isn't a 4 ohm receiver either but I wouldn't hesitate to hook them up. But i bet these speakers need a real good amp to drive them properly.

Too bad about the 507 frown.gif .
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post #4 of 6
1/6/12 at 5:57am
I hear that NAD makes an excellant A/V reciever and you may want to give them a look as well. ADCOM used to make good seperates for relatively little money, you may find used ADCOM equipment for a steal if you don't want to drop the coin for new. Going along with the other posters above; I think that I would stay closer to the 250 watts than the 40 watts with those speakers. Sounds like they require an amp with some motivation to move them.
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post #5 of 6
1/21/12 at 5:21am
I love the sound of Vienna speakers. They sound so very musical to me. I have the Vienna Theatro center w/ other L&R musical audiophile speakers, until I make the switch to an entire Vienna system.
My experience with them in my home, at a retailer, and from talking to owners is Vienna excels with a detailed amps, especially class D amplifiers. I'm using a Yamaha, which is clearer than some other brands, and it makes the center come alive. An overly warm and soft amp can make Vienna sound dark and overly soft. I've heard Yamaha/Vienna at a retailer and the combo made them sing, while other brands offered a more muted presentation. That being said owners that have paired Vienna with good class D amps like Wyred4Sound have extolled the virtues of an amp like this driving Vienna Acoustics. A consideration, and one I plan on following, Is start with a midrange Yamaha AVR w/ 5.1 output, then add a class D multichannel power amp as an upgrade down the road.
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post #6 of 6
1/21/12 at 5:34am
If you don't need HDMI and the latest audio format deciding, Perhaps another B&K 507, or a Ref 50 and external amp. I recently went from a B&^K Ref 20 to a Pioneer VSX-32 and when it comes to music, I would give the B&K the slight edge. I am using the same external amp, a Parasound 855 and compared to the amp in the Pioneer, rated at 110w, the Parasound is fuller sounding, more dynamic and more powerful
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