External amp and "Cheap" receivers with pre-outs (1 Viewer)

[jack x]

Hi Guys,

Based on a lot of opinions I have read on this site, I have decided that instead of buying either the Rotel 972 5.1 redceiver or the forthcoming new Rotel 1055 6.1 receiver (w/ dolby PLII), I would like to stay in the same budget of those receivers (i.e.

 

[David_Stein]

i cant tell you anything else, as ive never used this or any competing product, but the outlaw 1050 has 6 channel preouts and is in the pricerange you are looking at.

 

[Paul Clarke]

Get yourself an H/K 520 or 320 and a an H/K PA4000 amp. You will be very happy.

 

[ChrisAG]

I was thinking of doing the same thing with my Marantz SR6200. I'm on a budget, and the internal amps are fine for now, but in a couple of years I may get a Rotel 6 or 7 channel amp to use with it. Others on this board seem to like the Marantz/Rotel combo.

You can get the 6200 in the US for about $550, but since you don't care about amplification the 5200 can be had for about $450. Both feature 6.1 decoding and DPL-2 (though the 5200 is missing one surround mode, Circle Surround 5.1, which I like).

HK is another brand that gets good reviews for sound, though I haven't heard them.

 

[jack x]

DavePaulChris:

Thanks for your suggestions.

I haven't even considered H/K because I thought there were some reliability issues with their products due to excess heat and other quality issues. Maybe I should give h/k a look.

Assuming I went with a 5 channel amp (approx. 100 watts) from rotel, or Parasound, should I expect similar sound quality from an outlaw 1050 receiver compared to a marantz 5200/6200 or similar onkyo or denon?

However, the more I ponder, it would seem to be a waste of money to buy a “cheap” receiver to be used a a pre/pro and an external 5 channel amp because in a few years, I’ll probably want to ditch the receiver for a pre/pro.

Of course, if I wait a few months, I could have an Outlaw 950.

 

[Paul Clarke]

Of course, if I wait a few months, I could have an Outlaw 950.

Months? Maybe years OK, just say 'some time in the distant future'. :frowning:
All kidding aside...do see about giving H/K an audition. You might be pleasantly surprised.

 

[mubashir]

I would get a reciever with good bass managment and a lot of pre-outs.Currently I'm using a Sony STR-DB1070 as my pre/pro and using a cambridge audio power amp to drive my hungry fronts.The sony has one of the best bass mangments and 8 pre-outs which are gold plated.The sony costs about 600 bucks which is ideal for your bugget.

 

[StevenK]

I chose the H/K AVR520 to go with my 5-ch amp. It's very nice so far and the main amp inputs are a really nice feature. Between the H/K and my amp, I have 10 channels of USABLE power...and I'm using ALL of them (for bi-amping and a passive sub). That might be a feature that interests you.

BTW, the receiver can be had for aroun $620.

 

[Chris PC]

As far as amps go, for the money, the Marantz MM9000 5 channel amp sounded good to my ears. 5 x 150 watts. maybe couple that with a pre-pro or sub $600 receiver.