WHat is the best Pre/Amp combo for 4K? (1 Viewer)

[etsoi]

Hi I am thinking whether I should get a Pre/Amp instead of a receiver. Can you somebody please give me some suggestion which is a good combo for around US $4,000? And by the way, I live in Canada, where is a good place to buy? I looked at the Rotel 1066 with 1095 today, the salesman said that CAD $4,799.00 is the best they can do (which is around US$3,130.67) Good price? Thank you very much guys!

 

[Kevin. W]

Best thing to do is check a couple of prices and a couple of shops. Where are you located in Canada? Use Rotels dealer locator to get a list of locations. You may also want to checkout http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/ and http://www.audioeden.com/ for used equipment.
Kevin

 

[Rob Rodier]

Home Theater Magazine just reviewed an anthem duo, that beat both the flagship receivers from pioneer and denon in terms of performance. That package goes for around $4700us

-rob

 

[Andrew Pratt]

what was the price break down on those Rtoel items? You should be able to get the 1066 for around $1800 cdn but I'm not sure what the list is on the amp.

 

[Claude M]

Get the 1066 and an Anthem or Outlaw power amp. That should fall well within your price range.

 

[DonJ]

Anthem AV20 with the PVA 7 amp.

 

[etsoi]

The list price for the Rotel here is (BC Canada):

1066 CAD$2199 store after discount CAD$2000

1095 CAD$2999 store after discount CAD$2799
And how much discount do they normal give to Anthem in Canada?
I am looking at AVM20 CAD$4500 and MCA50 CAD$3000 or PVA7 CAD$2250. Thank you for your replys guys! You guys are very helpful!

 

[BobRoulier]

I run the Pioneer elite 49tx/parasound 2205 combo for $4000.00 that's pretty hard to beat. Btw I would like to see a comparison with the anthem, denon and pioneer with separate amplification then well see the denon and the pioneer outperform the anthem its obvious the avm 20is a nice pre pro but can not compete with the flagships as far as features and processing goes the article said it clear
good luck Bob

 

[Orin Dym]

I am a big fan of Audio Refinement gear. The DSP Pre-2 goes for list $1400, and the Multi-5 Amp lists for $2250. This is a no frills set up, but the musical quality is among the finest I have heard.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

You should be able to deal on the Rotel more then the price you were quoted. The Anthem is about $4500 cdn and I'm not sure how much the average sale price is.

 

[Scott Quick]

etsoi:
I really don't know why you would get anything other than the Outlaw 950 Preamp. It is available in Canada for shipping - you just need to put in your Province rather than state, etc, etc. The 950 is $900US. My ex-roommate bought one - UNBELIEVEABLE. As soon as I get a steady paycheck, that'll be my next purchase.
I'd recommend an ATI-1506, or perhaps the new 770 amp from Outlaw to cover all your surround channels. No, I don't work for Outlaw.... I've just witnessed they're unbelieavable dedication to the end-user customers. They're loyalty, performance, follow-through, dedication, and value make them one of my favorite companies - period.
Check it out on the websits: www.outlawaudio.com
And search around the forum on the website and use some search engines to do your research.
HTH,
Scott

 

[Marc_E]

I will second the Anthem vote (I am ordering mine tomorrow!!!!). Those rotels you should be able to get 15% off list which would be about $4400 Canadian ( $2900 US). I strongly prefer the Anthem AVM-20 to the rotel. Everytime I read a review about it (the secrets review is REALLY good) I love it even more.
Marc

 

[etsoi]

Thanks guys, I am going to audio the Anthem AVM20 this Thur or Fir, but it does have Balanced output, so is it better to use it with MCA50 amp instead of PAV7? And one quick questions, I was using a old Sony setup with a new RM-AV3000, will it be able to learn all the functions of the Anthem remote? Hopefully the salesman will give me a good deal, I am not good at talking to salesman. Thanks again.

 

[Bob Wilson]

The choice of the MCA50 vs the PVA7 comes down to how much power you need and whether you will need 7 channels of amplification. The MCA50 puts out twice the power per channel. I am using a PVA 7 with Thiels (somewhat hard to drive but nominally 4 ohms so more power is available). They play very loud in a 14 by 25 room.

 

[Brian Vaughan]

etsoi, I just noticed that someone has put a new B&K ref 30 & 7270 amp combo up on Audiogon for $3900US. It might be worth investigating.

Cheers, Brian

 

[wayne p]

I would add another vote for the AVM 20. I power mine with a MCA-5, which I have had for a couple of years and plan on adding the MCA-20 when I go 7.1.

 

[Rob Rodier]

I was using a old Sony setup with a new RM-AV3000, will it be able to learn all the functions of the Anthem remote?

I am about 99% sure that the 3000 will have no problem with the anthem gear. Post the question on www.remotecentral.com someone in that forum will be able to answer for sure.
BTW, anyone who has universal remote control questions or is looking for reviews, this forum cannot be beat.
-rob

 

[etsoi]

Thanks guys, I am going to listen to Bryston gears at the end of the week too. How does the AVM20 compare to Bryston SP1.7? AVM20 has more features rite? And is Bryston 9B SST better than MCA50? I think I will go for AVM20 and 9BSST. Any idea? Thanx! O by the way, do you guys know what is the list price in CAD are the Bryston SP 1.7 and 9B SST? Thank you again.

 

[Gil D]

I strongly prefer the Anthem AVM-20 to the rotel.

Marc,
Who has the Anthem locally that you have had the opportunity to demo the AVM20? The nearest Anthem dealers that I know of are Maine and Conn...gasp!

Have you demoed both the Rotel amd Anthem and can you tell me what you liked about the Anthem better?

Thanks,
Gil

 

[Patrick Williams]

Etsoi -

Bryston SP-1.7 lists for $6295 in Canada.

You say you are going for the Anthem AVM-20, then say you will listen to the Bryston 1.7. I think you should determine what your budget is, and listen to the contenders with an open mind BEFORE you think of what to buy.

Also,you should know Bryston INTENTIONALLY left "features" out of it's SP-1.7 (such as dual zone outputs, a tuner, video switching) because they feel they introduce noise into the audio signal. Included, though, is an audiophile quality 2 channel bypass, discrete output stages, a 20 year warranty, and terrific user support. It's up to you to decide if these "features" that Bryston has intentionally omitted knock the 1.7 out of contention for use in your system.

Good luck and good shopping!