Upgrade or not? (1 Viewer)

[JimmyK]

All this talk about the great pre/proc out there has me wondering what I may be missing. I'm considering a possible upgrade, but am not sure if I will get much improvement in sound quality.

First, a little background. I've been using separates since about 1981 and have been very happy with the flexability that approach affords. As a matter of fact, I am still using some components from back then.

Some of the key components I am using include a Hafler DH-101 analog pre amp (circa 1981), 2 Hafler DH-200 power amps (circa 1981), Yamaha DSP-1 sound processor (circa 1987), Denon AVD 2000 dolby digital decoder, Audio Control 10 band EQ (circa 1982), a/d/s L1290 L&R speakers, NHT speakers for center and surrounds, and an SVS 16-46PC+ powered sub.

Movies played on my Tosh SD6200 look/sound great and CD's played on my Rotel RCD 961 sound great through it's analog outputs (the D/A converters in the Denon DD processor don't sound as good with CDs as the Rotel, hence the use of the Rotel's analog outputs).

My current hookup arrangement looks something like this (this applies mainly to listening to analog sources. Digital sources such as DVD are hooked directly to the Denon decoder {front set to large, center and surrounds to small} and then passed to the appropriate channels):

source->analog pre amp->Yamaha DSP1->Denon decoder->powered sub->EQ->L&R amps->L&R speakers.

In their day, the older pieces were considered high quality and still perform like new.

So my question is, do you think by replacing my pre amp and 2 processors with a new pre/proc would improve things much? I'm am pretty satisfied with the way my system performs with movies, but wonder if I could much improve the otherwise excellent sound I get from music?

I've looked at products ranging in price from the Outlaw pre/proc to the Anthem AVM 20. The reviews have been great, but it seems most of the experiences I've read are from those who went from receivers to separates.

I would appreciate any suggestions/advice/experience you have in this area, especially if you are familiar with the components I currently have.

Thanks!
JimmyK

 

[chung_sotheby]

In the cast of HT listening, you would definately improve the quality of sound if you bought almost any quality pre-pro, from the lower end of Outlaw and Rotel to the higher end of Lexicon and Meridian. Any of these pieces will provide you with a whole different level of movie listening. As for 2 channel, if you are happy with your rig, I would keep it, but if you are looking for a pre-pro that can do both 2 channel and HT, then you will have to go to pre-pro's in the $3k+ MSRP to find units that can match the 2 channel performace of your present set up. It just depends what you want out of your system right now. The added benefit is that the DACs in the higher end pre-pros are significantly better than the dacs in your Toshiba, so you could use your Toshiba as a transport only, limiting the amount of cords you have coming out from your DVD player. Just some food for thought

 

[JimmyK]

Thanks for the response.

As for 2 channel, if you are happy with your rig, I would keep it, but if you are looking for a pre-pro that can do both 2 channel and HT, then you will have to go to pre-pro's in the $3k+ MSRP to find units that can match the 2 channel performace of your present set up.

Interesting. Some music I like to listen to strictly 2 channel (with the sub), and other music I use some customized sound processing in the Yamaha DSP-1. The Yamaha has 16 memories where you can store many different sound fields that are easily customized using it's many,many adustable parameters.

In situations were I would like to use multiple channels for music, would the new pre/proc's provide a superior listening experience?

So let me see if I understand you correctly....

1) Sticking with what I have will give me good movie performance and excellent 2 channel performance.

2) Upgrading to the Outlaw or Rotel would give me much better movie performance, but not as good in the 2 channel dept.

3) Upgrading to something like the Anthem AVM20 (or something similar), would give me much better movie performance, and about the same 2 channel performance I have now.

Keep the suggestions/info coming!

Thanks!
JimmyK