# Stereo hifi performance with 5.1? Suggestions?



## fusionman (Mar 16, 2010)

Hi all. 

Long time lurker here but need your help, thus the post.

I'm sure the audiophile-stereo thing has been discussed before but I'm not digging up a huge amount of satisfaction from the web. Forgive me if this is in the wrong section or has been discussed before.

The equipment situation summed up:

Denon 2105 Surround receiver running pre-out for main L/R into a NAD 319 powering some tasty floor standing speakers.

The surround sound makes some reasonable quality noise and that's good enough for me (I feel some of you cringe already), but I listen to stereo music through the NAD only.

So, the question? How do I simplify! 

I'm sick of maintaining 2 amps; The NAD is beautiful sound but very unreliable and I think the Denon needs some work now as well.

Also, really I don't want to turn on and deal with audio input selection on 2 deveices, along with the manual volume matching of the NAD when I movie-up and use the surround.

Why don't I just hook up the Floorstanding speakers to the Denon 2105 surround amp and use this to play stereo music? Because, in short, it's sounds like garebage - just doesn't compare to powering those babys with the NAD.

So is there a one box (single amp) solution here? Other options?

Any help or thought provoking discussion appreciated.

Cheers,
FM


----------



## Kal Rubinson (Aug 3, 2006)

fusionman said:


> Hi all.
> 
> Long time lurker here but need your help, thus the post.
> 
> ...


Sure. What are your budget and specific requirements?


----------



## fusionman (Mar 16, 2010)

Hey there. Thanks for your reply.

Budget? No budget, it's free scope! Having said that, I don't think I need to invest in the $37,000 Musical Fidelity AMS50 Class A Power Amplifier. 

Really, I'm taking a pragmatic view and just getting "decent sound" so I'll just say keep costs low. I can say that safely in this kind of forum since I doubt people here would recommend cheap and nasty stuff.

Specific requirement was the "one amp" solution, although I don't know of there is a Surround sound amp that will supply quality stereo sound given shared power source and quality deteriorating digital sound processing. I thought I'd get ideas here for another solution.

Really, it's all about installing a sonos system in the house... and for the loungeroom I just want to be able to turn 1 amp on, and select sonos as an input and walk away.

Currently I'd have to switch on 1 or 2 amps , potentially flick 2 speaker switches and adjust volumes - along with reversing all that to sit down and watch some TV.

Cheers,
FM


----------



## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
The Arcam AVR600 might be just up your alley. While certainly not cheap, it is decidedly cheaper than $37,000. Many believe the Arcam offers the best 2 Channel performance of any AVR out there. 

Truth be told, Onkyo's upper tier AVR's also offer a very solid amplifier stage. The TX-NR3010 and 5010 both are THX Ultra2 Plus Certified and weigh around 60 lbs which is close to triple what your Denon weighs. 
Cheers,
JJ


----------



## fusionman (Mar 16, 2010)

Arcam AVR600. Definitely a serious beast.

Ok, yes, I should have specified a budget. If I can spend $1K to $1.5K on top of quitting the 2 old boxes then that could be a one box solution - if they make good stereo performance for cheaper amps. Looking atthe price of the QArcam mentioned above, I don't hold a lot of hope here.

Good thinking and suggestion thank you, but out of my budget. 

Cheers.
FM


----------



## Kal Rubinson (Aug 3, 2006)

Marantz AV-8801 prepro and a multichannel power amp. Bryston SP-3 would be even better.


----------



## 8086 (Aug 4, 2009)

Jungle Jack said:


> Hello,
> The Arcam AVR600 might be just up your alley. While certainly not cheap, it is decidedly cheaper than $37,000. Many believe the Arcam offers the best 2 Channel performance of any AVR out there.
> 
> Truth be told, Onkyo's upper tier AVR's also offer a very solid amplifier stage. The TX-NR3010 and 5010 both are THX Ultra2 Plus Certified and weigh around 60 lbs which is close to triple what your Denon weighs.
> ...


:T:T

I'd consider Emotiva with maybe a Nad Preamp or even Marantz AVR.


----------



## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

8086 said:


> :T:T
> 
> I'd consider Emotiva with maybe a Nad Preamp or even Marantz AVR.


Hello,
That sounds like an excellent plan of action.
All the best,
J


----------



## jevans64 (Dec 24, 2012)

If the Denon AVR-2105 sounded like you-know-what in stereo, then you probably won't be happy with ANY modern receiver offerings in the $1000 to $1500 price range. They are really skimping on the audio portion in AVRs to provide more convenience features and digital connections. Only the top two Denon units even have pre-outs these days. Onkyo does a little better and provides pre-outs on their top 5 receivers stating at their TX-NR7xx and up.

Something your old Denon doesn't have is room correction. Both Onkyo and Denon use Audyssey, which is pretty-much the standard in automated room correction. That alone could make a difference in your situation. All you have to do with Audyssey is set up the included mic on a tripod, start a measurement, and step out of the room for about 10 minutes per location.

Check Accessories4less or Amazon for the best deal on Onkyo TX-NR709, NR717, NR809, or NR818. These should be $450 to $780 refurbished plus another $70 or so will get you a 5-year extended warranty. I'd only look at the Denon AVR-3312ci/3313ci or 4311ci since only those have pre-out. $670 to $1150. All of these should get you roughly the same power output as your NAD at 8 Ohms

I'd just start with a new receiver first and try that out. You can integrate your NAD with it and probably have better control of it with a new AVR. Not sure if your NAD has a 12v trigger. If you want to try another amplifier, then the Emotiva XPA-200 is proving to be a decent stereo amp at $420. Looks like it does about 125w x 2 with a decent THD.


----------



## 8086 (Aug 4, 2009)

Marantz does pre-outs on many of its receivers and is well regarded for its musicality.


----------



## jevans64 (Dec 24, 2012)

8086 said:


> Marantz does pre-outs on many of its receivers and is well regarded for its musicality.


Marantz is essentially part of Denon and I'm sure they share at least some R&D. They don't have nearly the spread of AVRs as Denon has but they have a lot more pre-pro and amp options. I did notice that Marantz added pre-outs on the SR5007. They weren't on the SR5006. The SR5007 is probably similar to the Denon AVR-2313ci but has preamp outs.

Years ago my Denon AVR came packed with a Marantz remote. LOL


----------



## 8086 (Aug 4, 2009)

jevans64 said:


> Marantz is essentially part of Denon and I'm sure they share at least some R&D. They don't have nearly the spread of AVRs as Denon has but they have a lot more pre-pro and amp options. I did notice that Marantz added pre-outs on the SR5007. They weren't on the SR5006. The SR5007 is probably similar to the Denon AVR-2313ci but has preamp outs.
> 
> Years ago my Denon AVR came packed with a Marantz remote. LOL


I'm not too surprised. Onkyo and Integra share the same remote, just different silk screening of the logos. Both are about 70-90% interchangeable.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/t/199026/marantz-vs-denon


----------

