Have a Clarion 9255, want an HT to match (HK 65? 125?) (1 Viewer)

[EmetW]

I have a Clarion 9255 CD player in my truck and it is by far the best sounding CD player I have ever heard-raised my soundstage a good 4-6 inches above where it was with my old Eclipse and Alpine preamp decks (my friend's Cary home CD player is probably about the home equivelent as they both possess a presence to them that presents the music as the way the artist recorded it-lots of midrange, very live sounding and not flat).
I have owned newer Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer Elite, Sony ES, Technics, you name it, I probably had it at one time or another. They all possess one thing-flat sound. No life, no clarity. Maybe they do to some people, but I am critically comparing their sound to that of a $1400 "when new" car CD player, so perhaps I am being unfair, but music doesn't have to sound like this! Oh yeah, if you haven't heard a Clarion 9255 and like car audio, do yourself a favor and find someone with one
I should mention that I listen to a lot of music, but want something that will handle movies as well in both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 (I will go 7.1 in five years when movies with actual 7.1 soundtracks make up more than 5% of the total circulation).
SO, I have heard from many people that HK will satisfy my needs. My budget allows for an HK AVR-125 or an HK AVR-65...maybe even an AVR-320 if there is one for $300 or less anywhere. Both seem to have similar features minus things like DPL II which I will never use. Should I go HK? I have no where within four hours of my home to audition one, so I am willing to take the chance with buying one outright online. I would also be interested in a matching DVD player-does HK make a 5 disc that plays CD-R's and CD-RW's? MP3 and WMA support is not needed (as they sound like you know what!! ) Someone or everyone try to talk me into it-any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Jose G]

AVR 65. Is that a newer model or older one? You can get a 320 for that price or close to it. Right now-, I understand the 520 to be at $499 at JandR.com and someone said on the west coast for $399 at Fryes (sp?) Increadible machine for that price. Do a search- the thread was up today I believe. I have the 225- great machine and does just what you need, including PL II (so does the 125 by the way)- and purchased it for about $350 at the time. I know it's less now. Check out jandR.com- some of the best prices for HK stuff. All the HK stuff is good- even the 125 is making people smile. HK makes one of the warmest sounding receivers out there. My .02 Good luck!

I don't know much about the CD players but ask around about the Sony SCD-CE775 or the Denon DCM-370.

 

[Jose G]

By the way, don't forget- the speakers you use are even a bigger part of the equation, so it may be that that car audio of yours is slamming just because it's that good as an entire package- speakers and all.

 

[EmetW]

Haha, you'll laugh when you hear what speakers I was stuck with for a while Toyota Tacoma's have almost no depth in the doors so I was forced to use only some Ultimate Audio 6 3/4" coax's until I could build some MDF baffles for component 6.5's and kickpanels for tweeters/mids (of course that changed a ton as well when I went from the Ultimates to Audax Aerogel 6.5's, LPG titanium mid domes, and Vifa XT tweeters, all triamped, but even before, the 9255 killed all previously owned decks; even Pioneers fancy shmancy $800 940mp ).
Now that I think about it, the DVD player or CD player that I get won't matter because the receiver will be processing it no matter what with its own DAC's, so the warmth will be retained.
The AVR-65 is quite a bit older-'99 or so I believe. Still has DTS and DD 5.1 but not the newest styling (I for one am a fan of the older styling).
Thanks!

 

[Jose G]

Thought you might be interested in this from an article about the HK125 and HK225:

"The AVR 225 and AVR 125 feature 192kHz/24-bit audio capability using a premium Cirrus Logic® DSP processor and leading-edge D/A converters, for state-of-the-art audio playback with the highest possible resolution, dynamic range and fidelity. As an added benefit, feeding the digital output of most CD players to the AVRs will provide dramatically improved sound quality."

But just in case:

"Both receivers provide a choice of stereo music listening modes. In Stereo-Direct analog bypass mode, analog stereo signals bypass the receivers' digital signal processing circuitry and remain pure analog from the input to the speaker terminals, for maximum signal purity that preserves all the detail and subtlety present in the original recording. As an option, the Stereo-Digital mode allows users to take advantage of the receivers' bass-management and multichannel DSP processing capabilities when listening to stereo music sources."

Take care!

 

[EmetW]

Jose-
Well, there you have it. I'm sold on HK now. Considering you have to pay twice that for a similar brand to have 192khz processors. Woohoo!!!