Help a New Forum Member Set Up a System That ROCKS

[markie]

Apparently there is a positive correlation between the presence of partly filled liquor bottles and the perception of good sound.

I hope you try out your new electronics on your old speakers, to see if the change from your receiver to your new separates has made a marked difference.

Good luck!
Mark

[Wanger 714]

Apparently there is a positive correlation between the presence of partly filled liquor bottles and the perception of good sound.

I hope you try out your new electronics on your old speakers, to see if the change from your receiver to your new separates has made a marked difference.

Good luck!
Mark

Thanks Mark!!

I can't drink enough beer to like this Denon...I think I'm going to part ways with it (anybody want it?)LOL

I stumbled on a review from digital trends back when it was released and I gotta say..I agree with this guy



HIGHS

Smooth, fatigue-free treble
Good bass clarity and definition
Well-thought out feature set
Outstanding video processor
RATING

Our Score 7 out of 10
User Score 4 out of 10


LOWS

Audio performance outclassed by the competition
Sound lacks dynamics and punch
Recessed, flat, and lifeless-sounding midrange


"Unless the Denon AVR-4520CI’s features are exactly what your system needs, we’d recommending looking elsewhere for a top-tier A/V receiver"

Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/receive...#ixzz3UxjmOtuD
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I don't want to step on anybody's toes, but for my taste...I don't like it. Too bad its taken me 2 years to figure this out. But I really was hoping it was something in my adjustments...I have followed all the suggestions guys....And it IS better. It has a fuller sound, and its.....nicer. But it is a step backwards from my old unit. The Marantz was a warm sound. This is bright and thin... Subs done right or not... I think that's what helped the most, the location and setting of both of them. I think the pre amp section of the Denon is just not for my liking...

So I'm movin on.. I called Audio Advisers and had every intention of purchasing a Marantz 8801 Pre as I keep hearing how good it is musically. This guy wanted to know the whole story, and 20 minutes later he offered his opinion. He said lets hold on to purchasing the Marantz for a little while longer. You can always send my recommendation back if it don't work out, but Id like you to try a Parasound P-7. He said it was built for exactly what your trying to accomplish. It has some downfalls, It does not have automatic equalization like Audyssey, and it only has one sub out.But it was made for music first, theater second . Most all others are just the opposite. He offered his help to set it up and gave me his direct line. We will work together over the phone to get all my inputs and such set up right coming out of my Oppo processors and doing the white noise deal on the system with the Slp meter... Hey I''ll give it a try. I've got 30 days to see. I still may end up with something different. But I'm not giving up. And actually ,its fun try'in new stuff, so what the heck.... I'm thinking the Ascends will be here before "decision time" is here. I'll keep ya posted. Any advise?




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[markie]

Thanks for the update Jeff. Bummer that the Denon couldn't be made to sound to your liking.

I'm curious, did the Outlaw amps represent much of an improvement over the Denon's own amps, or was it more or less a wash?

I've heard many times from people that they find the preamp to make the biggest difference. I guess this might be the case for you. Given that, the Parasound P-7 could very well deliver the goods. Besides the Marantz 8801 I would give eye to Emotiva's XMC-1 which is focused on sound above all else. I''m thinking it would best both the Marantz and the Parasound but I haven't heard accounts of those those may have compared them.

With all the experience you are getting from all your experimenting thus far you might be doing AV installs for your friends at this rate!

Thanks again for keeping us posted, and good luck!

Mark

[Wanger 714]

Thanks for the update Jeff. Bummer that the Denon couldn't be made to sound to your liking.

I'm curious, did the Outlaw amps represent much of an improvement over the Denon's own amps, or was it more or less a wash?

I've heard many times from people that they find the preamp to make the biggest difference. I guess this might be the case for you. Given that, the Parasound P-7 could very well deliver the goods. Besides the Marantz 8801 I would give eye to Emotiva's XMC-1 which is focused on sound above all else. I''m thinking it would best both the Marantz and the Parasound but I haven't heard accounts of those those may have compared them.

With all the experience you are getting from all your experimenting thus far you might be doing AV installs for your friends at this rate!

Thanks again for keeping us posted, and good luck!

Mark

Hey Mark....
I'll look up that XMC. Maybe they don't handle them, and that's why it was not mentioned..I'll see.
On the Outlaw. It changed it. But not in the way I expected. As far a being loud and such, I didn't really try. the Denon is so bright that its just not worth it, or enjoyable to turn it up. I could tell it was going to be really powerful. But it hurts your ears its so bright. Plus my M&Ks are going on 10 years old and I don't want to bust one of them.. That part is just as bad as before. Or at least its not good, Lets say that.. I thought it would have more punch and fill the middle in...But not so. But, what I did notice, was the silence....Its so quiet. In "between" the notes. Hard for a novice like me to explain my thoughts. But its like the difference between a record and a disc. In the quiet parts, in between the instruments and in the less busy parts... I guess you could say, its quieter.
Parasound showed up today. But working the weekend and after work I come home to....no power. Will have to wait till tomorrow.. Will keep posting...Jeff

[Kisakuku]

I called Audio Advisers and had every intention of purchasing a Marantz 8801 Pre as I keep hearing how good it is musically.

Definitely some irony there, as 8801 and 4520 share the vast majority of their internal components and architecture.

[Wanger 714]

I know. You don't have to tell me. Don't make a lick of sense,but the Marantz that I originally had was a very warm, high impact , musical piece. All my issues began when I purchased the Denon. The Marantz was antiquated compared to the Denon but the sound was just the opposite..They might share alot of things, but musical sound is not one of them...

This is a little bit off post. I was a heavy equipment mechanic for 25 of the 35 years that I worked for Ralston Purina. ( Now ConAgra Foods.) The fleet of fork lift trucks that I maintained was 25 Yale lift trucks... and 25 Hyster Lifts. Guess what. Just like Marantz and Denon, they were owned by the same company. And they "shared" many ,many parts. Had the same GM engines, transmissions, valve bodys, electronics, and instrumentation. But they were two totally different trucks. They were on different frames, steering was very similar, but not exact. They drove different. Had different mast assembly's so they lifted differently and at different speeds. . They had the same brake assembly so they stopped the same. But if you didn't know they were owned and built by the same corporation , you would never tell it by their operation...Because the engineering staffs did not do EVERYTHING exactly the same. And they did not have the same goals, or preferences. Engineering staffs...you know, the body count.. were not the same.. And it DOES have an effect..
Now how this relates to other things in this old life I'm not so sure. But I was willing to find out,(and try another Marantz) ...... got talked out of it...at least for the moment that is

[markie]

Very good points Jeff, well put forth.
I can't wait until you try that Parasound. Even though it's all analog and doesn't have equalization it may still be a winner, time will tell!
Mark

[Wanger 714]

Next up is that Emotiva Mark. I looked at it. Nice piece. I Really like its made in USA. I have Wednesday and Thursday off, Ill be a listen'en . I'll let ya know...Jeff

[Wanger 714]

Latest...

Spent from 8 till noon trying out Parasound P-7. The brightness is gone that I hated with the Denon. Mr. Denon went to the state of Washington on E-Bay Ha Ha...The Parasound sounds very smooth. Really clean with out the edginess. But all this manual EQ that I volunteered to do,every time I want to fiddle....... Well,I'm having second thoughts. And it did not have second output for Sub. No tuner and wife wants Sirrius on it... Just too many things.. I knew all this when I bought it ...Oh well.... So back in the box it went, and Audio Advisers paid for the return shipping, and a Marantz 8801 is on its way. I tried my Oppo 103 and my Cambridge 651 C CD player back to back and I still prefer the Oppo. Its just livelier and a little more forward. I know Mark, I said an Emotivia was next. But just really curious about this Marantz. .. To be continued.....

[markie]

Jeff I'm curious as well about the Marantz, whether it is like the Denon in terms of sound or better, more like the Parasound.

Assuming you tried home theatre, did you notice a difference in, say, the clarity of the centre channel with the Parasound vs the Denon? Any other things? Was it as silent as the Denon?

Regarding the XMC-1. It won't have some of the built in features of the Denon or Marantz, like Sirius, but there are workarounds for that. For instance given you have wifi you could plug either a Google Chromecast (about $50) or an Apple TV (about $100) into an HDMI port on the XMC and get Sirius that way, via computer or smartphone. A bit more cumbersome but quite doable. Again, good luck!

Mark