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Thread: Receiver/Amp recommendation for Sierra 1s

  1. #1
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    Apr 2013
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    Default Receiver/Amp recommendation for Sierra 1s

    Hey All,

    So I've been a life long music addict and dj but just now dipping my toe into the high end audio realm. I've been looking for some great bookshelf speakers for awhile and have settled on the Sierra 1s given all the reviews I've seen and price point.

    However, at this point I'm starting with nada so want to see what sort of a receiver or amp I should get to go with the speakers. Some details about how I will be using it and other data points. Again I'm a newb so could use guidance on not only which spefic device to get but also if a receiver or amp makes sense.

    -It will be setup in my living room next to TV. However, i plan on using speakers mostly for listening to music and don't care as much on TV front.

    -I'll be hooking everything up to Sonos (I already have Play 3 for my kitchen) so almost all of the music I will be playing on my system will be digital (via my NAS library, streaming audio, etc). I do also have vinyl but that will be setup in different room at least for time being.

    -I do not have the ears of an audiophile so I don't need a ridiculous top of the line setup. If I could spend under $500 - $1,000 on receiver/amp and not sacrifice a ton of sound that'd be ideal.

    I really appreciate any advice. thanks.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
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    194

    Default Re: Receiver/Amp recommendation for Sierra 1s

    Hi,

    An Emotiva XDA-2 DAC and UPA-200 amplifier would both fall right within your budget, $748 total. Free shipping, too.

    http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/...products/xda2/
    http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/...roducts/upa200
    Last edited by choirbass; 04-22-2013 at 12:55 AM.
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  3. #3
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    Apr 2013
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    Default Re: Receiver/Amp recommendation for Sierra 1s

    Thanks for the response. Any others out there, perhaps on the receiver front?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
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    157

    Default Re: Receiver/Amp recommendation for Sierra 1s

    Anthem MRX-300 would be at the top of your range and is a great avr and the cambridge 551r is known to be very musical avr but its a tad above your price by a 100 or 2, there's a nad that u can get for about 700 and their music first type of company.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
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    27

    Default Re: Receiver/Amp recommendation for Sierra 1s

    Are you looking for an AVR or a stereo receiver (since you mentioned the tv/movies not being as important)? The Outlaw RR2150 stereo receiver is within your budget at $699. It features 100Wx2, bass management and a USB DAC. If you think might occasionally watch movies, one of last year's AVR models such as the Denon 2113 or Yamaha 673 might be a better fit for you. Both of these are on clearance prices right now and well within your budget.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
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    Default Re: Receiver/Amp recommendation for Sierra 1s

    Hello!

    For someone who is somewhat new to high end audio and home theater, but has a keen interest, such as yourself, this can be a confusing choice. Personally, I am of the opinion that there is no particularly good reason to limit yourself, or the capabilities of your system. If you are someone who is absolutely sure that you only want 2-channel stereo, and you only want your audio system to handle strictly audio, then, by all means, you can pour all of your resources into products that are dedicated to strictly 2-channel audio.

    But if you have even the potential interest in venturing into other aspects of home theater in the future, there really is no reason to avoid a fully featured, option-filled, audio-video receiver.

    The Sierra-1 bookshelf speakers are an superb start. They are wonderful sounding speakers. And they are also quite easy to power. You do not need a massively powerful amplifier in order to get great sound out of them. And many of today's AV Receivers can offer excellent 2-channel sound quality when you are first starting out, but then also give you the option to expand your system in the future, should you ever want to!

    Personally, if you are new, and not entirely 100% sure of what you want, I like to recommend starting with a full, surround sound AV Receiver, regardless. Obviously, in the beginning, you won't be using anywhere near all of its features! But you will have the option to greatly expand your system, if you ever decide that you want to. If you get only a dedicated 2-channel integrated amp or other 2-channel only system, should you ever decide that you want to expand to surround sound, or use your system to switch between multiple audio AND video sources, or venture into more online services, chances are, you will need to replace everything except for your speakers, and any separate amplifiers that you might have purchased.

    Clearly, if you know for certain that you will never want to even possibly expand to surround sound, or have multiple HDMI sources connected, or do video upscaling and switching, or use automated room correction and EQ, or connect directly to the internet for vTuner radio and other online music streaming services, or any of the other features that a full AV Receiver can offer, then keeping your system as simple and dedicated to just 2-channel audio makes the most sense.

    Personally, I think that the price point for a very capable AV Receiver makes having all of its expanded optional capabilities worth while. And if you choose wisely, you can still add external amplification if you want to try for even better sound quality (although, in reality, unless your speakers are difficult to drive, the actual audible differences between amplifiers is very small in all but the most extreme circumstances).

    I would recommend that you go to www.accessories4less.com

    They are the authorized online retailer for "refurbished" Onkyo, Denon, and Marantz brand Receivers (as well as many other brands and products). Do not let that "refurbished" label deter your in the least! You get a full 1 year manufacturer's warranty, since the products are coming directly from those manufacturers. And, in many cases, the products are actually brand new, and simply on clearance. Accessories4less is a terrific way to save money, which you can then put towards a higher end model that you probably wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise.

    My favorite "affordable" pick for a full-featured AV Receiver would be the Onkyo TX-NR709 . At $430, it is the least expensive AV Receiver that offers full pre-outs on the back, which are the plugs you need in order to add a separate power amplifier, if you should ever want to in the future. As I say, in reality, amps do not sound or make nearly as big a difference to the final sound as you might imagine. But it's still nice to have the option! Especially if you ever move to a much larger room, or purchase speakers that are much more difficult to drive than the Sierra-1.

    The TX-NR709 is a few years old now, but, strangely, it still has a better feature set than the newer 717 and 727 Onkyo models that have come out since. The 709 even include Audyssey MultEQ XT, which is a very advanced auto room correction and EQ program that really does quite a nice job of "polishing" the final bit of sound quality after you have everything nicely set up and optimized. I always recommend thinking of auto-room correction programs as being a "cherry on top". They are not really "room correction". You should avoid thinking of them as a "fix" for a bad room, or bad acoustics and setup. But a good program - such as Audyssey MultEQ XT - can take a very good system, and make it "great". It can squeak out just a little better performance when things are already good. So, to me, that's worth while. And, to me, it's worth getting a very good auto-EQ program. In my opinion, Audyssey MultEQ XT and the top-of-the-line MultEQ XT32 programs are the best available at the moment.

    One slight drawback of the Onkyo 709 is that it doesn't have the best Apple product support natively built in. You can plug in your iPod or iPhone via USB to the front port, but - unlike many of the newest AV Receivers - the 709 does not show a nice display of all your songs and playlists on your TV screen. It just does very basic controls - like skip, pause, FF, etc. It also does not have AirPlay built in. Personally, if you're a big Apple products user, I think the easiest solution is to get an AppleTV. You can easily plug the AppleTV into one of the 709's eight HDMI inputs!

    I really like the Onkyo 709 for its price point (at accessories4less, anyway), it's ability to expand easily to accommodate virtually any source you could ever think to plug into it, and to send out its signal to external amplifiers if you ever decide that the 7 amps built into the 709 aren't cutting it, and its selection of online service that you can access directly by plugging in an Ethernet cable. It's got a ton of features. The Audyssey MultEQ XT that I mentioned, but also things like Dolby Volume, THX Select2 Plus Certification and listening modes, multiple zones, dual HDMI outputs, and full decoding capabilities for all of the newest audio formats that you will find on Blu-ray discs.

    All of that said, it's not the only choice. Another great choice, with a little bit higher end look, and slightly higher quality amps built in would be the Marantz SR5007 . The 5007 is a current model that came out within the last year. And if you use Apple products, it has AirPlay built right in! At $600 from accessories4less, it's a very good deal.

    It actually has slightly fewer features than the 709...one of the reasons why I still like the 709 so much. Gone is the THX certification (although the 5007 would likely easily pass if Marantz had wanted to pay THX for their sticker ), and so are a couple of HDMI inputs and the dual HDMI outputs. You still get Audyssey MultEQ XT, though. And you still get a nice selection of online services built in that you access via Ethernet.

    I think the Marantz looks a bit nicer than the Onkyo. And it definitely runs cooler. One knock against Onkyo, in general, is that their Receiver do tend to run quite hot. I can confirm that, having owned several Onkyo Receivers. I've not had any problems with the Onkyo units that I've owned, thankfully. But Onkyo does have somewhat of a worse track record when it comes to bad units vs. brands like Denon and Marantz. And a lot of it seems to be heat-related issues.

    All-in-all, I'd say Marantz has the better reputation for reliability. Onkyo is just very tough to beat in terms of the sheer number of features at any given price point. Especially getting the pre-outs for adding external amps, the number of online services included, and if you want THX, Onkyo has many THX certified models, while Denon and Marantz do not.

    Anyways, I'd point you towards those two models - the Onkyo TX-NR709, and the Marantz SR5007 - as two very good potential candidates. Have a look at all of their features. I'd recommend downloading their respective manuals from the product pages:

    Onkyo TX-NR709 Product Page

    Marantz SR5007 Product Page

    It might seem overwhelming, at first. But have a look. I think you might find yourself getting idea for the future once you see everything these AV Receivers can do!

    And, of course, these are just two models out of hundreds that are available! But for your price point, I think these two are a good starting point

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2012
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    Default Re: Receiver/Amp recommendation for Sierra 1s

    Hey! Sorry to barge in on this thread but i'm pretty much in the same boat

    Right now I have Sierra-1s for L/C/R, MTM-200s as rears and a Outlaw LFM-1 Plus Sub.

    My current receiver is a Pioneer Elite VSX-03txh. I've been fairly happy with this receiver but the lack of features is starting to hurt a bit.. specifically only 3 HDMI inputs. I've had to resort to splitting HDMI to my TV and optical to the receiver to get everything to fit. Plus the 03txh lacks an integrated phono input. Once again i've got work arounds in place but my setup is pretty complicated to operate which annoys the wife.

    This Pioneer is my 3rd elite. Back in the day Elites were a given due to the necessity of having the modulated dolby digital support for Laserdiscs but obviously thats no longer a concern. So I'm thinking maaaybe it might be time to look at other brands especially when they seem to offer more features for the price.

    This thread here has got me looking at the 709. I like the feature set.. it has phono inputs, 7 HDMI inputs, a nice interface (the interface on the 03txh isnt much better than my VSX-99 from '96!) and a bevy of cool features like the learning remote and the ability to pass a signal through to the tv without power up the receiver fully.

    So a few questions.. Is the 709 going to be a step down in terms of sound quality from the older elite? They are similar in original price points plus the 709 has a few years of extra technology in its favour but i've never had an onkyo so i'm not sure if i'm stepping down. I know many people say receivers aren't really important for sound quality and its all speakers but i have definitely heard an improvement in SQ in my receivers over the years.

    Secondly.. the 709 pushes about the same power as the Elite.. @ 110w per channel. The Onkyo 809 bumps this to 135w per channel. The 709 is available for $399 and the 809 is around $549. Is the extra power worth the $150? The only other difference i can see is the 809 has better 4k upscaling but i seriously doubt i'll have a 4k TV anytime soon so this is a bit of a moot point to me.

    My living room isn't very big so i dont need the power to fill the room or anything but was wondering if that would make a difference in sound quality. If its not major i'd rather stick with the 709 as its cheaper and a bit smaller dimensionally which would be nice as my cabinet isn't huge.

    I've also been looking at a Denon 331x series. Not sure how those rank against the Onkyo.

    Anyway, any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

  8. #8
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    Mar 2013
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    Default Re: Receiver/Amp recommendation for Sierra 1s

    I had a Denon 1913 that I got on sale for $280 awhile back. It worked decently with the Sierra-1s.

    However, I ended up buying the Pioneer 1522k which was onsale at Costco for $599. The amps on the 1522k are more than enough to power the sierra-1, and I really like all the features on the 1522k. Also, for what it is worth, I personally think the 1522k sounds better with music, particularly the ambience in music is much more pronounced, compared with the Denon 1913 (this was done with a side by side test, in the same room, with the same sierra-1 speakers, with no EQ in pure direct modes).

    The Pioneer 1522k's MSRP on Pioneer's website is something like $1699. (not that retail MSRP means a whole lot, but I just thought I would throw that out there).

    I believe some Costco stores are still carrying and selling the 1522k for $599. It is worth checking out. The cheapest Amazon had them, when I bought mine, was almost $1100. But I think people bought extra units at Costco and are selling them on Amazon as "unopened" but under the "used" section. They are selling for around $650-700 (I guess these people are just trying to make a quick buck).

    Anyway, the 1522k has a pretty nice amp for an AVR, and a ton of different DSP, sound modes, and other features. I really do not think you can beat it for $599.

    If you are not sold on the 1522k, a couple other AVR that I would consider are the Marantz 5007 (which can be found for around $599 for refurbished from accessories4less.com, and the Denon 3313 which is also at accessories4less.com but around $750).



    EDIT:


    FYI, the Pioneer 1522k is the same as the Pioneer Elite SC-65. There are not too many professional reviews of the 1522k out there, but there are quite a few on the SC-65. The parts are the same, the only difference is the 1522k does not have the Elite badge, and it has 1 year less on the warranty versus the SC-65.
    Last edited by Goride; 06-04-2013 at 12:12 PM.

  9. #9
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    May 2011
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    7

    Default Re: Receiver/Amp recommendation for Sierra 1s

    I've never been a fan of using HT gear for music reproduction. That's actuality how I got into this hobby. I was using a Denon AVR and my fathers 2 channel setup would always blow it out of the water. I've had good results with Cambridge Audio and Music Hall amps. Excellent results with Parasound Halo, Musical Fidelity & Arcam. A high current 2 channel setup would really wake up the Serria 1's. But, then again that is just my opinion.

    -Zach
    Last edited by zfreiman; 06-17-2013 at 05:00 PM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
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    203

    Default Re: Receiver/Amp recommendation for Sierra 1s

    Quote Originally Posted by zfreiman View Post
    I've never been a fan of using HT gear for music reproduction. That's actuality how I got into this hobby. I was using a Denon AVR and my fathers 2 channel setup would always blow it out of the water. I've had good results with Cambridge Audio and Music Hall amps. Excellent results with Parasound Halo, Musical Fidelity & Arcam. A high current 2 channel setup would really wake up the Serria 1's. Bur, then again that is just my opinion.

    -Zach
    What about multi-channel HT gear that is rated at 150+ W/channel into 8 Ohms with two channels driven. Sierra-1's in-room sensitivity is listed as 87dB @ 1W/1m.

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