Home Theater set up... Processor & Multichannel power Amp or AV Amp ?

While it is quite obvious that the separate Processor with Power Amp general win handsdown in power handling and probably Sound quality, for both Movie and Music, I would like to hear from the existing user's opinion.

While I have time to search around, I would like to find out if there is anyone who are selling their MultiChannel Power Amp, able to compliment AV Processor.

Thank you.

hi peter..u already got Home theater system or not..? or u just want to upgrade..
give us ur details (speakers,room size etc..etc..) if u have to..then a lot of our friends can give the opinion..

At present I have had a 1990's Kenwood AV6050, just plain prologic. I have another vintage Marantz 2252 which drives a pair of ES11. Centre speaker is JPW Gold Monitor (smallish) and a pair of standard bookshelves as surround (add: its Jamo Cornet 40A).

I would want to change the basic setup.

I am looking into changing into a decent AV processor which has a good DAC onboard ,and able to give good music reproduction for standard music listening. The genre of music is mainly instrumental and vocals. But with good processor, hopefully above average HT sound reproduction as well.

My aim is either a separate AV processor (used item) with good quality sound, not the typical Onkyo sound. eg. those from NAD, Arcam or the like. Power amp could be from either too.

I don't mind the system does not come with latest HDMI upgrading etc.. or the lossless HD sound. For me, a really good sounding AV processor with decent power can drive a good system very very well.

I have another choice, which is the AV Receiver from good maker, eg. NAD or Arcam etc.

Room size, standard household sitting room, which may not be ideal for really really good set up. But I will try my best.

In due course, the speaker will be changed as well.

hi peter..my opinion better go for AV amplifier is enought already..buy a good AV amp from our member like ARCAM-AVR280 RM2.8k from fordpiggy,PRIMARE SPA20-RM4.8k from CMY,,DENON 2808-RM3.8k from CMY and a lot more..using pre and power amplifier will cost u near 10k..better the money used to buy 5.1/7.1 good speaker system,cable-power cord,speakers,digital coaxial/fiber optic and power conditioner/filter...for listening music slowly upgrade to CD player n Interconect..thrust me its sound much more better then pre power combination...but if u got a BIGGG MONEY $$$ to spend no harm beb!!
our member BRAD also want to sell a very good PRIMARE SPA 21 for RM6k if i not mistaken...

thrust ur self to making any choise...Welcome to the clubs

hi to all members...lets help our member..a lot lot lot more ideas....a lot lot lot more we will learns...

we can learn and benefit to all from ours AV SIFU`s

Fizi, thanks for your info. I will look into your suggestion for sure. I am not in a hurry though. Sometimes the other advantage of a separate Poweramp is to allow an upgrade either at the level of a good future Bluray player which may have a good built-in decoder to decode other future digital format. Power Amp will remained unchanged for many more years to come.

I remember there is this NAD 12 channel power Amp, ideal for this sort of future proof setup. Nonetheless, I read about the Primare just now and it seems to be an excellent unit for sure.

peter,for info blu ray is much more to picture quality..if next time u want to use bluray player can still manage using ur av amp direct through analog output and conect it to analog input from ur av amp...same sound quality from DTS HD and DOLBY TRUE HD ..only thing at ur amp not display laa the dts hd signal hehhehe but who cares we only want the sound not the display signal from the amp...not many people know about it..one of my friend want to upgrade the av amp MARANTZ SR7500 to latest MARANTZ SR7002(same watts only things upgrade to latest software DTS HD/DOLBY TRUE HD)...He wanted to upgrade because already buy the bluray player..dealer ask him to top up another RM3k after trade in the SR7500..I told him no need to spend another 3k I borrow him 5 coaxial cables and WAAAUUU!!! the dts hd sound from the SR7500..I told him if not my friend I already charge consultation fee!!! just joking .....SORYY LA ALL THE DEALERS!!!!

LOL, I am learning something here. Thanks a lot.

peter..if u dont mind what is ur budget??

well.. it would be at around 3K or slightly above. Not inclusive future speaker upgrade.

thats mean the RM3k only for the amplifier it is?...for the budget i
think difficult to buy pre power combination..better go for good used
av amplifier..on future still can upgrade to power amplifier..remember
buy av amp with pre out specification..the ARCAM AVR280 that i mention
before dont have pre out but ARCAM still the best compare to
marantz,denon and onkyo..my arcam only 70watts per channel but easyly
beat others amp 130watts above..arcam good for MOVIE and MUSIC but lack
of bass(can cover with subwoofer)

Arcam seems like a good bet. Frm your opinion, which of these three: Arcam, Marantz and NAD offered best sound quality?

peter,my av amp exprience using sony,3 models of marantz amp and rotel
pre power..the last once i used marantz SR7500..NAD never used
before..from my exprience im prefer Arcam already compare side by side
with DENON 3808,MARANTZ 8002 and ONKYO 805...Arcam still the best!!
movie and music maybe because my speaker also mordaunt short both
also europe company..but from i mention before the BASS!!!

Im not sure point of view from others...
p/s--peter u read my personal msg to u??

Thanks for your msg.

I have listened to NAD and to be honest, I think its worth listening to.

I haven't listen to an Arcam before, so thats why I need some of your opinion.
Which model is yours?

ARCAM DIVA AVR 250... ...which model of NAD u talk about

u guys talking about av amp isnt it? from my experience all of them are almost similar (not 100% same dont get me wrong). still need stereo amp for music, for movie u still need subwoofer no matter how the av amp is

Fizi, the one I did audition was an NAD T753, older model at a shop. Comparing with an old Denon (used model), and a Marantz (not sure the model no.)

Mustafa, thanks for your advice. I still have a vintage old Marantz for the music if I need to, it sounds warm and good enough for me.

peter..hopefully a lot more comments and review from our AV guru's will benifits to all of us..

hi mustafa..agreed with u stereo amp still the best for music but sometimes all about RM$ RM$ RM$ factor...

Fizi, no doubt.

But AV system is very much a spin off from the usual audiophile sound system, not many existing hifi'er would even consider AV system a hifi per se.

not all can have both system in one house..lot off factor like space/room,family,budget n etc etc..but i believe good set up of av amp+speaker+cd player+cables still can beat stereo amp...like our member BR@D he also have primare av amp 30i still can beat primare stereo integrated 20i..like me im enjoying both movie+music..if the serious audiophile off coz they will choose typical audio set up..same goes to videophile..but still different ears different taste

lets thrust our EAR's

trust your ears.. 100% agree on that. thats why people out there still happy listening music thru mini hifi that worth 1k, while audiophile cant even buy an interconnect with that amount.
there are av amp that i have to admit can play music as good as integrated, av amp that using torodial transformer which is cost more than 8k (ex. denon 48XX series or marantz 800x/900x). for 5k u can get Naim or Primare stereo amp, then <2k for av amp u'll get better sound for both movie n music. trust me, dont bother too much on ht, its much much easier to get satisfaction compare to music. spend more on hifi. on top of that, av gears have no 2nd hand value, but hifi..... >15yrs old Audiolab 8000A still worth 1.2k

U r right mustafa...AV amp dont have 2nd hand value at all even to trade in at the same av shop we bought before..

Thanks to to blog adminstration..at least can sell our equipment
throught out malaysia..benifits to both party seller and buyer

For my self blog members equipments come first..dealers second

Best AV Amps for Music Then Movies are :

ARCAMs
ROTELs
My personal fav that I have sold : PRIMARE

BEST AV AMPS for Movies then Musics
YAMAHAs
DENONs
Coming up the New Onkyos

Music----preamp+power amp + speakers >>integrated amp + speakers
Movies + music----processor having preamp function+ av power amp + speakers and woofer.
Movies>music-----av receiver + speakers and woofer

If you prefer most of the time watching movies , then sound quality requirement is not priority , picture quality stuff likes projector .screen , blue ray, hdmi will be important. Sound effect in movies is in few seconds only , so av amp is enough to set up the system.

I would agree with robinlcc.

For music priority, good arcam or rotel would be good.

hi peter...now u got idea which amplifier that suit to u..now only how much $$$$$ to take out from ur pocket....

peter..marantz sr-18 check it out...

fizi, true indeed.

In fact, I have acquired a used NAD T763.

There are some problem with the unit, so see how it turns out. Will send in to service centre first this weekend.

I plan to use all my old speakers, without the sub. Hopefully I can build up a Sub in due course.

frust la like that..how much ur pay for 763? still need subwoofer la friends..baru ada ummphhh!!!!

Got the NAD at less than 3K. Hopefully the problem is minor. So its still not conclusive yet.

Subwoofer is not urgent due to the fact that I need to move house in future. Than I will decide which size of Sub will be suitable.

But from my prelim listening, I agree that sub is crucial for HT. Will try to make sure that the future sub is controlled and not boomy.

hi peter..u read my personal msg o not??

Haha.. got ur msg. Replied. Was out for a while.

hi peter..hows ur amp?

too late to join the discussion, i recommend you Sony, great sound and best of all you can plug your Turntable in it...Worst come to worst easily send to midvalley for repair. Good repair service...

hi, just notice this thread. interesting to read thus i have my own experience, im using 3 integrated yamaha amps the rx, 2a series to drive my ht setup. my source is pioneer dv626.

from the source, i use the 5.1 output to connect to those amps. center & sub to the a-09 (high dynamics eq amp), L/R connects to a760 mark II, & surround connects to rx730. the result.. well before this i use the yamaha rxv av series, popular av amps but for entry/mid level the sounds starts to crack on center & surround output when u blast to high volume. this happened the same to my friend who bought an rxv461 & match with jamo s506 5.1 speakers (off course with all the cables etc). after trying the setup above (1st) mentioned, im satistfied!!. i get true integrated sound to listen to movies & it even gets better with a dts dvd movies like James Bond's QoS!!

i did some research, those av amps that claimed 100wrmsx5 were actually just around 32wrms per channel !!

if u want to try sony, go for the ES series. it has upscaling function, so u dont have to change ur players, just use component out to this receiver & u'll get 1080p pict quality thru hd connections to ur lcd.

above all these, processor with 5 power amps beats the rest!!

Hi to all, tq sifus and bros with all the ideas and suggestion. I hv a modest setup. for those friends whos asking about nad system, i have complete NAD AV amp combined with separate power amps.

I believe with good processing and good separate power amps, u will achieve the best in movies and music.. NAD -first in music.. my setup NAD T753 -powering only to surround speakers, NAD 2700 thx amp- for my front flrstanding speakers, NAD 2100 amp bridge to run my center speakers..
I leave my amp for Audio functions only, all videos straight from DVD player to Plasma 42 inch via hdmi.

To achieve its full potential of course i've invested in various power cords e.g.audioquest, xlo,cardas golden cross,transparent, speaker cables -cardas golden cross, ps audio power conditioners, velodyne subwoofers and much much more..
level setting, room condition, sound reflection, speaker positioning, speaker selection, power plugs, all plays a major role in making surround really surround. it realy takes patience, investment and hard work as I started on mod at one time.. and the result? simply marvelous!clarity,detailed, dialogue focus, attack, ambient surround, deep thumping low bass, really amazing and the lists goes on. you cant get this if from the AV amp alone.

The ability of NAD T753 and the whole setup if I wanna upgrade to HD/BR player, i just buy xtra interconnects and connect directly to 7.1 input and hdmi straight to my Plasma as I'm doin now. if no budget, i just plug my audioquest coaxial to the player and wallah got HD/BR performance (but no Dolby HD)
my humble opinion..

Aminmh, I am interested in your set up. Right now my AV amp is NAD 763, with its usual 6.1 configuration, even though I only just hook up the 5.1 config.

May I know which Subwoofer do u use and how many of them? What about the speaker you used etc..

As for me, I mainly need the amp to power my slowly but progressively upcoming DIY speaker set up. Right now I just hook up the old set of speakers with it. Nonetheless I am keen to get connect to other NAD users out there. Thank you for sharing.

Dear Peter32, Nad t763 is a good powerful AV intergrated amp. You can do lots of configuration and upgrades but it all depends on your taste and budget. But these series lacks the HDMI input people craving about.

t753 and t763 has 6.1 configuration but dont let it fool u. even with 5.1 setup it still can achieve good performance. as mentioned by other sifus, you need to know exactly what do you really want actually..Pure surround music? movies? love stories? action movies? both? hows your room/living room setup? big,small?glassy? concrete wall?.. these criterias will dominate your setup and speaker/subwoofer selection.

I'm using ONE modest Velodyne CHT 12R,but i think now velodyne has come with new series. but this model if combined with the right power cord and interconnects, and positioning, it will perform deep nice, rumble bass. U still need a subwoofer for movies. 2 or more are better if you have suitable room and budget of course.

for speakers, ive used so many brands/models,but now I settled with my humble PSB T65 as front, PSB C40 as center, and jamo speakers as surround (no budget yet to upgrade)

NAD T series and other NAD amps have almost the same sound characteristics. compare to my old pioneer amp, it has big soundstage with emphasis in mid, some say warm..

what i'm trying to share is if you keen on DIY speakers, and maintaining t763 you have to match with its characteristics. maybe I suggest you to borrow from friends other brands loudspeakers just to get how NAD feels and sound with other speakers... my personal opinion.

before using nad 2700 thx power amp, ive used nad c272 amp to power up my front speakers. just to let u know i've used various model from NAD to mix match into my system.

I know some friends will disagree with me, but I used my setup also to enjoy cd's and music (due to space /budget constraints).Some may say it is better to hv separate setup..
of course it will not have the sweet sound as tube/vlv amp, but the detail & punchiness is unbelievable.

I prefer processor + good power amps

AV technology changes very fast

After sometime, the AV amp will be obsolete

If you are into high end AV, better go for processor + several good power amps

Later when new things come out, just change the processor

peter32 wrote:Aminmh, I am interested in your set up. Right now my AV amp is NAD 763, with its usual 6.1 configuration, even though I only just hook up the 5.1 config.

May I know which Subwoofer do u use and how many of them? What about the speaker you used etc..

As for me, I mainly need the amp to power my slowly but progressively upcoming DIY speaker set up. Right now I just hook up the old set of speakers with it. Nonetheless I am keen to get connect to other NAD users out there. Thank you for sharing.

Peter32, what type of subwoofer are you using?

hmmmm.... If you watch more movies with the new HD sound processors from the source like the original blue-ray, better off buying the lastest amp with all the new HD shit marketing names like HD dolby, True bla bla bla and so forth.

If you mainly buy Malaysia Boleh Pirated DVDs . Just the normal new or used top of the line (3-5years)Receiver will do le wei! Depending your budget

Downloaded movies via streaming via your hard drive... Normal receiver in the market to your budget. Mainly most movies you d/l also no HD true surround unless its huge huge file.

If You listen to music more than movies anything above 60% music, my recommendations go for a secondhand Arcam (considering if you have a member who fixes amp), Rotel, Primare etc from Europe with a pre-out output connected to a power amp for a better music production without sacrifice your movie viewing.

HD latest amp quite pricy if you are gonna buy from NAD.

Rotel, Arcam, NAD are goof choice for music and movie watching

aminmh wrote:

peter32 wrote:Aminmh, I am interested in your set up. Right now my AV amp is NAD 763, with its usual 6.1 configuration, even though I only just hook up the 5.1 config.

May I know which Subwoofer do u use and how many of them? What about the speaker you used etc..

As for me, I mainly need the amp to power my slowly but progressively upcoming DIY speaker set up. Right now I just hook up the old set of speakers with it. Nonetheless I am keen to get connect to other NAD users out there. Thank you for sharing.

Peter32, what type of subwoofer are you using?

I am sorry for late reply, as I just manage to follow up the thread today !

I am currently not having any subwoofer at all. Just relying on the front two speakers for its limited bass production for the time being. I will look into the subwoofer once I manage to move house hopefully at the end of the year.

I am looking at several DIY sub at the moment, all of which can be found online. But until then, I have not made any decision as yet.

aminmh, I would love to test my 763 with the fuller speaker setup cum sub to get the glory of the system. But lack of contact and time put the attempt off for now.

Currently my speaker setup is suboptimal but I don't mind. I got a pair of EposES11 for fronts (notoriously lack of good punchy bass, but great for vocal and instruments), a pair of Jamo Cornet bookshelves Concert (17 years old I think) as surrounds, and a DIY Fostex Fe167E shielded bookshelved made according to recommended 15L cabinet size to tap its great vocal as centre.

If you ask me, I think the system does not match that well in general.

Peter,

Well it depends on individual taste.. hmm I think the EPOS will not match well with the JAMO. but then again if you like it, why not..

you will still need a decent subwoofer that can handles clean good lows and grumble. if you rely on to the front speakers, lots of bass information is loss.


to do DIY SWoofer is good but you have to know what kind of subwoofer can match with the whole system.

I can help you to test your amp at my friends shop at PJ or Bangsar.. kindly see your PM for my contacts.

Thanks Amin and noted. The jamo is actually quite ok for pop songs and rock music. The reason I used it as a pair of surrounds is that its just there for me to use it, rather than my own choice. I would agree that a match surrounds for All 4 are very important indeed.

I still have an unused speaker driver (fostex, which comes in a pair, I used one for centre speaker, left one unused) which I was thinking of using it to complement as the 6th surround for the NAD. But it does not go well with other surrounds so I give up the idea for the time being.

dear all,


I am new to this forum and have been reading this interesting thread. I hope I can get some advises from all the sifus here. I am currently looking for options to further up upgrade my current AV system. My current setup is Onkyo 875, and Denon DVD-1940. As for my front speaker, I am using a pair of old TDL RTL3 floor-stander. As for my surround, I am using Audio-pro Sonic Series for center, surround and sub-woofer.

I am more towards music but yet still sometime want to play some good movies and concert. I know it is kind of greedy to have best from both world.

My first priority to change my front speaker, and i need some advises on this. As I have not listen to many speaker, my current choices are either Pro Ac Studio 140 or Usher Mini Dancer One. Is there any other choices that worth exploring?

My second question is since I already have the 875, I believe by adding a power amp, it will improve the sound quality. But it is worth to do it this way? And what type of power amp that worth buying and can best match the 875?

Hope to get some advises, and thanks.

hi leo..u r really CMY regular customer..for my opinion for listening music u should buy cd player with good interconect...quite a good budget u got for speaker both also expensive stuff

bro ur 875 already 140 watts..how bout u bi amp ur 875..take ur extra 7 channel for front speaker..im sure right now u using only 5.1??..

my opinion..

i would consider a new cd player. any recommendation?

I am only using 5.1., and my current setup is already bi-amping config.

Helo leofric32,

Are you not satisfied with the Onkyo and your current speaker performance? just wondering..