Denon 5800/4200 or add external 5 channel amp? (1 Viewer)

[Sean_B]

Hello. I'm getting the upgrade itch. I am pondering on whether to upgrade my Yammy 995 to one of these newer Denon receivers or just adding external amplification. I was thinking along the lines of the Outlaw 750. I am an apartment dweller so I don't know if adding an external amp will benefit me? I'm told that the pre-outs on the back of a receiver are poorly made and that the receiver doesn't really serve as a good pre-amp. Is this true?
I currently have paradigm studio 20's and will be upgrading the mains to either 40's or 60's.
Thanks for the replies

 

[PatrickM]

Sean,
IMO, I think you'd be better off upgrading to a new receiver instead of using your 995 as a pre/pro but I am biased towards Denon and against Yamaha. I don't find the Yammy's to be as clear sounding as the Denon's and you are talking about a pretty big jump up in price for the two units your talking about.
Now, if your thinking that you'd prefer to stay with a pre/pro, power amp setup and upgrade your pre/pro later then the money you'd spend on a 5800/4802 could get you a pretty nice 5 channel amp. The advantage with the 5800/4802 is that you do get 7 channels if that's important to you.
Just some thoughts,
Patrick
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[Sean_B]

I had a Denon 2700 one time with an enery take 5 setup. I found the Denon to be very mellow or laid back sound with 2 channel music. Would the amp in the 5800 be much better sounding for music?
I'm leaning towards the power amp and upgrade later with a pre-pro down the line. more than 5.1 channels are not viable for me right now because of my room setup. I figure the 5 channel amp I won't have to keep replacing like I would a receiver.
Thanks for the input!

 

[Hubert]

Well, it depends. I agree that you can do better for a pre/pro than your current receiver. However, if it was me, I'd do this. I would add a multi-channel amp such as an ATI, B&K, Parasound, or any comparable brand. That would not only give you a huge boost in sound quality, but you would spend far less money on the amp than you would on a high end receiver, and I'd argue the amp would give you better sound and more distortion free slam and output. Then later, you can replace the 995 with an inexpensive pre/pro. Then you've got full blown seperates for about the same price as a high end receiver. In fact, that may be even cheaper than a high end receiver. You can get the ATI AT-1505 for probably $1300. And it's quite a bit more powerful and is just better than receiver's amps. It will also last you longer, as in 5 years you'll be itching to upgrade your receiver again.

 

[Sean_B]

Hubert,
I agree. I wanted to be reassured of my thinking on this. I only have a 5.1 setup now anyways but will want to expand to 6.1 or 7.1 in maybe 2 years from now when I can move into a new house. Because right now my room won't allow for more than just the 5.1 I have now.
I wanted to improve the quality of sound now and getting the 5 channel amp maybe just what I need along with the upgrade to studio 40's as my mains.
You mention the ATI 1505. I'm told it is a lot like the Outlaw 750. Is this true? Which one is better and why?
I was under the impression that the ATI wouldn't be a good match for Paradigm as it is on the bright side. How accurate is that? A lot of people say Yammy is bright but I like the sound that I get from this combo.
Thanks for your input!!