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Question regarding power amp vs. AV receiver for home theater build... (1 Viewer)

skhan007

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Hello All,

I'm thrilled to be making my first post here and hope to tap into your expertise for some guidance and consideration. I'm hoping to update/upgrade my home theater set up and am considering two scenarios, based on my extensive on-line reading and review.

A bit of background- I'm a former professional musician with a great deal of experience in live audio, but by no means am I of audio engineering caliber. I do have a firm grasp of power amps, impedance, phase, current, capacitance, resistance, signal chains, and all aspects of analog technology, as it had applied to my experiences as a musician. I have quite the tube amp collection for electric guitar and have built tube amps from kits.

That being said, I'm hoping to obtain, very soon, the Oppo 105D, which will be the main component from which I will build around. I have a great appreciation for the audiophile Sabre DAC's being used and feel quite convinced, from reviews, recommendations from musician friends, and on-line research, that I should be quite happy with sound quality for movies and music. For the home theater, I'm using a UHD/4K Samsung TV, and Verizon Fios.

I envision that the HDMI out from the Fios TV box will go into the Oppo 105D and the HDMI out will do to the TV. I'll take advantage of the Oppo's video processing and Darbee feature. Now, for audio, I'll use the 7.1 analog outs (downshifted to 5.1) into either a dedicated power amp or integrated AV receiver. My options/dilemma:

My audiophile friends insist that it's absolutely imperative that I use a power amp and not an AV receiver. Suggestions have included Parasound HALO or Anthem. I know there are much savings buying used, so that is likely. On the other hand, my research has indicated that a nice, late-model, AV receiver, like the Marantz SR5009 or similar, will take the analog outs from the Oppo 105D and go into the 7.1 analog inputs and no further processing/conversion will occur; in other words, analog in, amplify signal, and analog out to the speakers. I called Marantz tech support and they confirmed this. There would be zero processing/altering of the original analog signal from the Oppo. I would use the subwoofer out on the Oppo 105D and go directly into a powered subwoofer.

Do you all recommend a dedicated 5-channel power amp or an integrated AV receiver for what I'm describing?

Still undecided on speakers, but am liking Paradigm or Triad at the moment. Thanks in advance for your (analog) input!
 

MasterAudio

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I'd recommend to go into a power amp. You already have the BDP that's going to be doing the decoding for you, so I don't see the reason to pick up an AVR for power..that's unless you want some of the convenience features. Oppo>Power Amp>Speakers is the way I'd go. If it's in the budget, grab Marantz's MM7055 and you'll be more than happy.
 

Phil A

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There are lots of choices. Don't forget accessories4less.com or emotiva.com. Much depends on your budget and speakers (efficiency, impedance, etc.). You can always go with the 2-channel amp for the left and right channel as well or a home theater processor (no amps) and a multi-channel amp.
 

Phil A

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skhan007

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Brilliant! Thanks Gents. I'm looking at some good deals on dedicated power amps in those links. I'm unfamiliar with Axiom speakers, but if I can hear them in-person, I'd like to see if they'd compete with Paradigm or Triad.
 

Phil A

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skhan007 said:
Brilliant! Thanks Gents. I'm looking at some good deals on dedicated power amps in those links. I'm unfamiliar with Axiom speakers, but if I can hear them in-person, I'd like to see if they'd compete with Paradigm or Triad.
Many direct to consumer companies offer in-home trials - such as - http://www.axiomaudio.com/guarantee

You can also do web searches and find stuff like (and some of them are really long threads so it may take you a bit to read and sort out):

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/home-audio-speakers/73340-official-3-000-speaker-evaluation-home-audition-event.html
http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/home-audio-speakers/5834-paradigm-monitor-11-vs-axiom-m60-m80.html
 

schan1269

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You still need some form of pre-amp stage.You "can't" go 105D -> amp directly...unless said amp has gain controls(which I don't think the Para Halo does).If using a pre-amp...use it for the sub as well, even though almost all subs have gain control(there are some that don't).Edit:Yes, the Halo A23 has rear mounted gain. If you want individual volume control...or one single one...
 

skhan007

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Hmmmm. Not sure about this. I'm told the Oppo has the ability to control the gain of each analog speaker out. I'm told to go the power amp route by a current Oppo owner. I'll call Oppo on Monday to confirm.

schan1269 said:
You still need some form of pre-amp stage.You "can't" go 105D -> amp directly...unless said amp has gain controls(which I don't think the Para Halo does).If using a pre-amp...use it for the sub as well, even though almost all subs have gain control(there are some that don't).Edit:Yes, the Halo A23 has rear mounted gain. If you want individual volume control...or one single one...
 

MasterAudio

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You can go straight to a power amp. Pre amp can clean the signal and provide gain control if the source device can't. The 105D can.
 

Phil A

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skhan007 said:
Hmmmm. Not sure about this. I'm told the Oppo has the ability to control the gain of each analog speaker out. I'm told to go the power amp route by a current Oppo owner. I'll call Oppo on Monday to confirm.
The manual and reviews indicate you can (as noted in the prior post)

http://download.oppodigital.com/BDP105/BDP-105D_USER_MANUAL_English_v1.1.1.pdf
http://www.cnet.com/news/oppo-bdp-105-not-your-average-blu-ray-player/
http://www.soundstagexperience.com/index.php/equipment-menu/457-oppo-digital-bdp-105-blu-ray-player
 

skhan007

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Thanks for the clarification! Yes, I had read a few sources (reviews, other owner's posts, etc.) stating you could run directly into a power amp. I just saw the owner's manual for the 105D, confirming the same.

Here's an oddity: I went to a high-end audio store today, you know, the kind that sells stuff so expensive that it's more than putting 3 kids through college. Any way, I was there to check out Paradigm speakers (which are fabulous!! The new Prestige series sounded incredible). I told the salesman about my Oppo into power amp idea and he said it was flat out wrong. He stated I must either use a preamp component or an integrated AV receiver. He also went on to tell me the Oppo is average and the Marantz Blu-Ray unit had better DACs and was over all better. Well, that's a first. I told him about all my on-line research and direct correspondence with kind folks on the forums and he told me that I shouldn't believe the internet hype or the experiences of people who post on forums. After all, he said, how much experience do they have? I left feeling dejected, which is not a good way to win my business.
 

schan1269

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I was not aware the 105D had that trick up its' sleeve.Which Marantz BD player?The stupid expensive one...or the "cost of a decent used car" expensive?
 

skhan007

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I was shown the UD7007. He insisted it was superior to the Oppo, however, now that I'm surfing around, I'm just not seeing how it is. Outputs are limited, no mention of DACs, not necessarily geared towards an audiophile audience. Looks to be a fine player, but I'm not seeing people doing backflips over it, unless I'm looking in the wrong places. A side by side vs. the Oppo 105D shows the Marantz with less outputs, no 4K upscaling, and no Darbee processing. I suppose if one doesn't care about those features, it won't matter. But they are about the same price, so I still think the Oppo is the winner. Then again, what do I know?
schan1269 said:
I was not aware the 105D had that trick up its' sleeve.Which Marantz BD player?The stupid expensive one...or the "cost of a decent used car" expensive?
 

Phil A

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Jason Charlton said:
I would never expect a salesman to agree that a product available only direct from the manufacturer is superior to one that he can sell himself.
+1 on that one. I've heard many bad mouth things and then I'd ask them if they had the direct product in their showroom at any point for comparisons and there is dead silence
 

skhan007

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I'll tell you, the worst part was that he made me feel like an idiot for even suggesting Oppo into a power amp. He was insistent upon the need to use a preamp/power amp set up or a integrated receiver. He kept calling it "just a blu-ray player" and minimizing the stellar reviews. He also said something to the effect of DACs are not important and are all basically the same. He whole-heartedly attempted to negate everything I had read and studied prior to conversing with him. I always do my homework and read/learn as much as I can before I contemplate purchasing. It was not a good experience and I don't think I'll go back. If I do, I should talk to a different sales guy. Oh, and he said he had previously owned an older Oppo BDP unit and thought the Marantz was superior and sold the Oppo. Whatever. He's entitled to his opinion, but I don't want to be made to feel like an idiot for having my own opinion (based on factual data).

I'm likely going to start another thread on 5-channel power amp recommendations.
 

Dr Griffin

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If I had a nickel for every time I knew more than the audio salesman...
For serious 2 channel SACD listening, I run two XLRs from my OPPO 95 straight to my Sunfire (1995). I set the OPPO volume at about 67/68. Sounds fantastic.
 

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