Upgrade Advice (1 Viewer)

[Jimmy Gonzalez]

Hi guys,
This is my first post Yay!
I currently own
Denon AVR-3200
Rotel DTS decoder
B&W 601's main speakers
B&W 601's rear speakers
B&W CC6 center Speaker
Cambridge Sound Works Power Sub
I am looking to upgrade and was wondering if I can get some advice.
How is the Denon AVR 3802 compared to the Yamaha in the same range? Is there any other receivers I should be looking into?
As for speakers I a looking into:
NHT VT-2.4 Audio
B&W CDM 1NT for fronts/rears and a CDM CNT for the center.
Def Tech BP30
Which of the above speakers would be the biggest improvement from what I have now? I would love you guys opinion.
Thanks,
J. Gonzalez

 

[BryanZ]

Jimmy,
Welcome to HTF! Our own little hideout in the web where we all (or most of us) suffer from occassional spouts of upgraditis.
The one thing that sticks out on that list to me is the sub. I'd recommend upgrading it prior to anything else. What is your budget for the upgrade? For subs to look at, SVS, HSU, Paradigm Servo or PW-2200, ACI Titan II, and Adire Audio Rava and Dharman all come to mind. How big is the room? Any openings?

 

[Juan Horvath]

I would advise also looking into the Marantz models if you listen to much music. I would recommend the 7200 in particular. Not to mention that it is cheaper then the 3802 and when I demoed these two models together I liked the 7200 better hands down. By the way, how much did you pay for your B&W set-up?
Juan

 

[Jimmy Gonzalez]

Thx for the quick reply.
BryanZ,
Back when I was looking for a sub I tried some of the brands you mentioned(not all) and found the Cambridge one to be better for my taste. I found out about this sub from a shoot out that Home Theater Magazine had and they raved about it so I decided to give it a shot and it was great.
I have a decent budget, looking to spend about $3,500 to $4,000 on speakers and about $1,200 to $1,500 on a receiver.
My condo is not very big I will measure it when I get home from work. I would love to upgrade my sub in the process. The size of the sub is not important since the Cambridge Sub is a monster. Which one would you recommend most?
Juan,
I will listen to the Marantz 7200 tonight. I am going on a tour to my favorite HT shops tonight and I believe they carry the Marantz brand at Century Stereo.
I paid about $900.00 for two pairs of B&W 601. I forgot how much I paid for the cc6 center.

 

[Jimmy Gonzalez]

I went ahead and listened to a number of great receivers and for my taste I picked up the Denon AVR 3802, Sounds great and is packed with useful features.
I am still undecided about which speakers to get. I did narrow it down to the NHT VT-2.4 and the B&W CDM 1NT. Any one have any opinions of the two?
thx,
J.G.

 

[Dustin B]

My new favorite advice on a sub is consider DIY. If you have or have access to the tools you'll be amazed at what you can build with a little effort. Not to mention something you build that sounds great to others sounds just a little bit better to you since you built it. Go to the DIY area of this site and do a search on the Adire Tempest driver and the Stryke HE15. You'll get an increadible sub and save a bunch of money that you can then put towards better speakers.
For speakers I'll add to the fray the Paradigm Reference Active series as something else to consider.

 

[Jimmy Gonzalez]

Thanks Dustin,
I am looking up some info now.=)