Wow! I didn't expect this: I think I'm done w/ analog amps (receiver or separates) (1 Viewer)

[Danny Tse]

Nick and Dave,

According to the audiocircle.com threads, the Panasonic receivers keep getting better as they get broken in. Perhaps you guys can update us whether your receiver's sound continues to improve.

 

[Dave_vega]

will do Danny..I am glad to see that they do get beter sounding..better is always good..

and Nick..

EDIT..sorry I don't know why i thought the XR25 has fewer inputs..looking at it now it has 4..weird..anyway..cool beans

 

[NickSo]

hmm, running Saving Private Ryan DTS just now, the reciever went into autoprotect and shut down by itself... only once though, i switched it back on and let it run, didnt shut down at higher volumes...

Its running quite warm though, the fan doesnt seem to be kicking in... does the fan suck into the unit or blow out?

 

[NickSo]

Initial impressions:

Music - Outstanding... It just sounds so damn good... Detailed, clear, smooth. With Norah Jones' Come Away With Me, amazing how little harshness there is with the "S's", no sibilance at all. Insturments, upright basses were full and lush.
I was most impressed with The Beatles. I have these CD's which were bootlegged from mint BEATLES vinyls (by a guy known as Dr. Ebbets). They're just amazing. Paired with the XR25, i have never heard the Beatles sound that good.

Movies - Unfortunately, so far its not up to snuff. Compared to the Yamaha, the Panny didnt have much oomph, it was very thin sounding (though detailed). I think the yamaha, though rated at 85w/ch has more power than the panny (100w/ch). Sound seperation from each speaker sounded.. messy. Where the yammie everything blended smoothly and sounded clear from which direction sounds were coming from, the panny just sounded all jumbled up and thrown at the audience.

I will convince my dad to keep it a few more days, let it burn in a bit, just MAYBE the movie situation improves.

However, i might be tempted to crack open my wallet (fueled by a minimum wage retail job :p) ) and buy it for myself for my room system (currently using a vintage kenwood amp borrowed from my dad's friend).
My speakers are only a pair of Radioshack Minimus 7's, I haven't the heart to upgrade since they still sound so damn good in my small bedroom. The little guys just have so much high end detail in them. I cant imagine how it would sound paired to the panny.

Last final exam on friday... so close, yet so far...

 

[Danny Tse]

Thanks Dave.

Nick....the 100 watts/channel being advertised for the Panasonic is into 6 ohms, which is different from the power rating Yamaha gives, most likely into 8 ohms. Here is a link to a comparison test between the Panasonic XR25, Yamaha RX-V440, and the Onkyo TX-SR501....

Lab results of comparison

Comparison review of Yamaha, Panasonic, and Onkyo HT receivers

 

[NickSo]

Danny: Yeah i realized it was only for 6ohms after i posted that... And i've seen the comparison, which initially piqued my interest in the first place.

 

[Kevin Alexander]

Nice reviews Nick & Dave! Nick, if I were using the XR25, I would probably use it strictly for a bedroom system. If you want to use one of these for a dedicated/main HT system, I would look into the newer XR50/XR70. I have a fairly large HT room, and I drive my system (w/ XR50) to reference levels w/ juice to spare, and a nice full sound as well. Anyway, glad you liked the sound and I hope the HT side of things can improve for you.

My advice is to double check your speaker settings and your speaker inputs on back of the receiver. It is unusual to be blown away w/ the musical performance, yet seriouly disappointed w/ the HT performance. You should be impressed w/ both. Also try a few very familiar DVDs, these receivers are so revealing that they pick up things in bad DVD mastering that are not evident in the processing in analog receivers. The "messy" sound you are getting sounds like it could be a "messy" recording, and not a fault of the receiver's processing.

 

[Todd_B]

I bit...

I orderd the TEAC today. At that pricepoint it's easy to justify the experiment.


Todd B

 

[Danny Tse]

You want digital amp? You want it cheap?? How about $75.00???

Sharp digital amp w/ CD player

 

[Kevin Alexander]

Don't laugh. I've heard that Sharp digital amp, and it's a Krell Killer.

 

[Danny Tse]

Really, the Sharp digital amp is legit. Pretty good predigree considering Sharp's high-end digital amp costing more than US$10,000.

I am considering the Sharp as a X'mas gift for my mom.

 

[Danny Tse]

Nick,

The Radio Shack Minimus 7's are power hungry speakers....sensitivity somewhere in the low 80 dB's. You should try it with the Panasonic receiver.

 

[NickSo]

I really doubt it would be, as these DVDs ive heard many times with an older entry-level underpowered kenwood, and my new Yamaha. It might be just that its running out of juice powering all channels (sound was somewhat reminscent of the kenwood unfortunately). Or just that its not burnt in yet.

Im trying to burn it in as much as I can the next few days, as the return policy is only 15 days.

I installed it into my bedroom last night. As suspected, again, very clear and detailed highs, esp in high details like high-hat hits, cowbell hits, and the like. I can hear a noticeable difference, but other than the high end, the rest of the frequency spectrum didnt improve much (though the minimus barely have any low-end extension).
Quite nice for softer rock, jazz, vocals, etc. The difference is even less with harder rock stuff, like Green Day's American Idiot.

Im gonna let it burn in the next few days in my room, then put it back into the HT and give it a listen to see if we hear any improvement.

Well, Im crossing my fingers signs of burn-in improvement will show within the next 14 days, or else i may be inclined to bring it back.

 

[FeisalK]

It's great when tech trickles down to affordable levels

 

[NickSo]

EDIT: how bout a Sharp Vs. the amp Feisel mentioned earlier:

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/sonicimpact/t.html

$39 USD MSRP!

:b

 

[FeisalK]

Nick, oh... how soon you forget (see post#90 in this thread)

 

[NickSo]

d'oh!!! my bad lol

 

[FeisalK]

heh no worries. I'm getting one of each in the new year (XR50 and a T-Amp)

 

[Danny Tse]

Regarding the $39.00 Sonic Impact digital amp vs. the $79.00 Sharp....the Sharp is a much better deal considering it has a build-in CD player and a proper power supply. Not to mention real binding posts and that IEC power socket, allowing possible tweaking via an aftermarket power cord.

 

[Dan A]

I just conducted a very simple test at J&R between the xr70 and a Yamaha 2500. I couldn't really be too picky so the saleman chose a pair of bookshelf speakers and A/B'd the recievers

The detail out of the Panasonic was amazing. In a jazz piece I heard a level of detail in the cymbals and bells, and strumming the guitar that was really not present (albiet maybe not missed either) in the Yamaha.

It's hard to say if my expectations colored my perception but this certainly makes me want to take a much closer listen.