Pairing Receiver w/ Ascend CBM170 System

[johnnylongwood]

This is my first HT system, so any help would be appreciated. I have decided to go with the CBM 170's for front and surround and the CMT 340 center. In addition, I will be placing a pair of CBM 170's in built in bookshelves in our LR (adjacent to our den) and a pair of Niles OS 25's out on my deck (also adjacent to our den). For a sub, I will make use of an existing Klipsch KSW-12 (for the time being).

As I've never had a HT system, I'm going to guess that we will use the receiver 50% for music and 50% for TV/Movies. The Den is approximately 9'x12' with a sloped ceiling from 7' to 10' high.

In terms of sources, I plan to get the Denon 2910 universal disc player and I have a Scientific Atlanta HD DVR cable box.

I would be curious to for any feedback from people who have listened to the above ascend speakers with any of the following receivers:

HK 435
Sony DA3000ES
Denon 2805

Both the HK and Denon have the room EQ function, where the Sony does not. The Sony is a digital amp, so the power rating may not be apples to apples with the others. All run about ~$600, which is about the price range that I am considering. All have the multi-zone capability, which I intend to use for the LR and Deck speakers. None of the recievers have HDMI connections, but I don't know of many recievers that do for this price.

Any comments/suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks - Johnny

[Nicholas Mosher]

My vote is for the Denon. I heard the 3805. Not sure how it compares to the 2805 though. I think Denon makes pretty decent stuff.

Alot of people recommend HK for the Ascends though, so I would also consider them.

I guess my only advice is not to buy the Sony when you have products from companies such as Denon and HK...

Good Luck!

[jojo]

Whats going on james. well i have the system 2323 minus one pair of 170 they are still in customs. any way i have them paired with h/k 335 and this recieve is great i upgraded from denon 1803 and the h/k sounds much better to me and they also tamed most of the brightness of my old klipsch sb1.1s that are surround duty right now. i know the 435 has the room eq. the 335 doesnt have the full function room eq like the 435. my listen room is 12x14x8 which opens to a smaller pc area about 10x8 and as i type this im enjoying the music in the pc area. i dont think you would be dissapointed in either. but imo i would recommend the h/k line

[johnnylongwood]

thanks guys. the HK and Denon are on my short list. normally, i would steer well clear of Sony, but i must confess the idea of a digital reciever intrigues me.

the reviews are spotty though people either like it or hate it. those that like it swear that using the "small speaker" setting and digital inputs sounds incredible. those that dislike it, say it sounds too bright. also, it presents a problem for 4 ohm speakers.

a criticism of the denon is that it can also be bright. is there any rule of thumb for burn in times for ss amps?

thx-J

[Lee Bailey]

The Sony ES series are very good performers. I still have my DA1ES, though I replaced it with a Denon 3803. The DA1ES was the entry level of the ES line. It offered some adjustments that the Denon does not, which surprised me, since the Denon retailed for twice the price. The one feature I miss, was the ability to configure different crossover points for each speaker. The Denon has a feature that I did want, and that was the ability to up-convert all video inputs to component-out. So, I feed all my video signals, even my DVD player component ones, into the reciever, and only have to feed my TV with one set of cables.

As for the auto-EQ feature, be sure to go back and check that it did not set your speakers to LARGE, when you know they are supposed to be set to SMALL.

[jojo]

thanks guys. the HK and Denon are on my short list. normally, i would steer well clear of Sony, but i must confess the idea of a digital reciever intrigues me.

the reviews are spotty though people either like it or hate it. those that like it swear that using the "small speaker" setting and digital inputs sounds incredible. those that dislike it, say it sounds too bright. also, it presents a problem for 4 ohm speakers.

a criticism of the denon is that it can also be bright. is there any rule of thumb for burn in times for ss amps?

thx-J

soory for calling u james i was talking on the phone earlier. i notice on my 1803 that it was bright when i started to crank the volume up somes. but then agian i think the 1803 might be the entry level version.

[metalaaron]

i am quite happy with my denon 3805 purchase. their x805 series is very good. i remember way back when i was just a young tyke. my grandfather always had denon gear and it was constantly on my dream list as i grew up. denon was the best because that's what he had. i always thought, when i grow up, i want to have a stereo setup with what he had. well, i finally got the denon components.

many, many people adore their dvd players.

[shane55]

No regrets with my Denon 3805 either. It takes care of the 340's and 170's just fine.

Some really great DAC's in this unit. I have the Denon 3300 as well, and the 3805 just sounds better.

shane

[johnnylongwood]

thanks guys for your help.

Lee you got me thinking, what freq do you set the crossover for your sub. It's been a while since I've played around with mine, I recall someone telling me that it should be set 2 octives above the lowest range of the speakers.

I've seen lots of glowing praise for the Denon 3805, which is a bit more than I was looking to spend. Any thoughts about going with a refurb from Ecost.com? They periodically have 3805's for just over $700 shipped.

cheers - J

[Lee Bailey]

I use 80Hz for my system. Though the recommendation is to go 1 octave above the low end response of your system. (where it's -3db frequency is)

There's nothing wrong with a refurb unit, as long as it has a warranty, and the dealer is listed at Denon as an authorized one.