receiver for an avid music listener (1 Viewer)

[JackS]

David- Integrated stereo amps are designed with much more emphisis on total seperation of the amp / preamp section than receivers since the sole purpose of integrateds is the reproduction of music. This is why a seperate amp/preamp is considered the absolute best way to insure this seperation. Stereo integrateds are generally more successful than receivers due to the associated on board electronics present in receivers. My guess would be that some of the better integrateds are the very close equivilents to the seperates. An integrated could be a very good choice due to the relative cost of going to complete seperates. If the bankroll is tight, this could be the way to go.

 

[John Garcia]

You can also consider the fact that if you get a decent integrated (full pre-outs), you can use it how it is for now, add a nice amp/amps to it later, and eventually just swap it out completely for a dedicated pre/pro... then use the integrated as a stereo tuner for the pre/pro, sell it, stick it in the bedroom etc...

 

[Craig_Kg]

Stereo integrateds are generally more successful than receivers due to the associated on board electronics present in receivers.

True for HT receivers - not necessarily for stereo receivers. They are totally different animals.

 

[JackS]

Craig- In the world of seperatisim, any electronic device placed in the same box as the pre-amp would be considered a negative. If you look hard enough, you will find a few who regard the power on/off and volumn indicator LED's as necessary evils. Seems pretty extreme to me considering that the pre-amp is its self an electronic devece.

 

[Saurav]

My 'preamp' (technically a linestage, since it doesn't amplify anything) doesn't even have a power supply. And what on eart is a volume indicator LED?
Seriously - yes, a preamp is an electronics circuit, but it deals with electronic signals at audio frequencies. Throw in a tuner or video switching or something like that, and now you have radio frequency signals being handled in the same box. Anyone who's lived close to TV/radio transmission towers knows that RF can be a pain, and almost all designers go to some lengths to build products that are effectively shielded against RF.
From an engineering standpoint, it is not impossible to get the same performance out of a single box as from separate boxes. Theoretically, you could build your one-box solution as separate boxes - give each circuit its own independent power supply, put in metal plates inside to shield them from one another. This single box would end up costing as much as separate components though, and most components I've seen do not go that far. So, when the power amp section demands a high current peak, the power supply sags a little, and that affects the preamp section. With separate components, this does not happen. Does it matter? Do you care? Can you hear the difference? There's no one answer that fits everyone, so we get back to "go and listen for yourself".

 

[David Walker]

Okay, from all the information you guys have given me, I'm definitely going to stay away from an A/V receiver (even though Marantz makes it so tempting). I think I'm leaning toward the integrateds market since you guys seem to have come to the consensus that the sound is superior than A/V receivers (which makes sense obviously). Apparently going the pre/amp route would be too pricey for my current situation, so that's why I'm leaning the way I am.

Also, getting an older analog tuner sounds like a great idea, so I'll do that.

With all that in mind, got any suggestions on a GREAT unit? Or do I need to decide on speakers first?

 

[Saurav]

You do need to decide on speakers first, at least broadly. That will determine whether you can spend your money on getting 10 watts of power that sound fabulous, or 100W of power that sound maybe not so fabulous.
So...
* What's the size of the room this will be set up in?
* How loud do you normally listen? If you know the average SPL level in dB, that's perfect. Otherwise, for me 70dB is soft, high 70s/low 80s is normal, anything higher is when I'm feeling like cranking it up.
* What kind of speakers do you think you'll get? Bookshelves? Towers? Planars? Horns? Subwoofer - yes or no?
Once you know the answers to those three questions, you'll know how much power you need. Then you can decide what to try out. And don't rule out a pre/power combo - I'm using tube monoblock amps which cost me $250 for the pair. They're only 8W, but they drive my speakers as loud as I want them to, and IMO they sound much better than any $250 amp has any business sounding. You can get excellent preamps for around $300 too, so... don't make any assumptions at this point about what you can or cannot afford

 

[David Walker]

Room size: 12'x10'

As for the average sound level, I like to keep it around the high 70s and low 80s (using your values as reference). Sometimes (and probably rather often) I'd like to crank it up so I can hear all the highs and lows clearly. I'd like some kind of speaker & amp combo that can give me some power. (But then again, I AM in a small room, so I might get a lot of sound from something less powerful.)

As for speakers...this could be the drawback to it all and may totally limit my selection. There's no way I can accomodate towers in my size room, so I've got to go with bookshelf speakers. I've heard some out there in Best Buy/Circuit City type places and needless to say they didn't leave me with a good impression. So hopefully there's better ones to be had!

Subwoofer? I doubt it. If the mains can put out good bass, no need for one. I'm actually not a big fan of really bass heavy music, so probably not.

pre/power combo? Ahh, well they ARE in my price range! Well shoot, I'm torn then! Suggestions?