mattcpt
03-13-2013, 04:04 PM
Now that I have my Sierra Towers with RAAL, low profile Horizon and dual Rythmik subs, I’m ready to deal with the next bottleneck in my systems performance. My current receiver is a Marantz SR8200 with 110W x 6 channels (but not 110W RMS all 6 channels driven at the same time). It lacks HDMI capabilities, room correction and any other feature that wasn’t around 10 years ago. My biggest complaint is that the receiver seems to strain when I play classical music and some surround sound SACDs at louder volumes. It has plenty of power for 80% of what I play, but there are definitely times when I can hear and see (the front display lights will darken with dynamic passages) the receiver strain. I never noticed as much as I do now because:
The Sierra Towers play cleaner when loud, so I can tolerate going louder without the harshness that I used to hear from my previous speakers
I’ve heard the Sierra Towers with RAAL on another forum members system with the Emotiva XPA-2 connected, and the sound was clearer, more dynamic and less strained than my receiver.
So, I would like to have a receiver/pre-pro and amp combo with more power, but I would also like to have room correction capabilities in my next receiver/pre-pro. Even if I end up choosing to use it in source direct most of the time, it would be nice to have the option.
My other piece of equipment that I need to upgrade is my current source. This is a Sony DVP NS900V DVD, SACD player. This player once retailed for $1,000 but I bought it on a close-out deal for $500 about 10 years ago. It stopped playing cds more than 5 years ago but still plays DVDs and SACDs. I was using a Rotel DC 945 cd player, but in our new house I don’t have space for it, so it’s in my bedroom. I’m currently using my Sony’s built in Blu-ray player for blu-rays and cds. Of course this is much less than ideal, so I want to address this by buying either an Oppo 103/105 or a Cambridge Audio 752BD. I would consider the Oppo 105 with 5 channel amp and forgo the reciever/pre-pro, but my wife and child listen to a lot of stereo sourced tv in Marantz’s Circle Surrond Cinema mode and it sounds good because it does a great job of putting the dialog and majority of sound in the center speaker. I don’t want to lose the option of having a stereo source be redirected to the center channel for tv watching.
So before I decide between the Oppo 105 or Cambridge Audio 752 as a source, I need to decide if I’m going to get better sound with my system by using the internal DAC of the 105/752 without room correction from the receiver/pre-pro or if I will be better off using the room correction to help with integrating the two subs with my mains. If I decide to use the receiver/pre-pro DAC then I won't pay extra for the 105/752. This becomes a very difficult question for me to answer without the help of those who have done both, because even though I’ve heard the Oppo 95 and CA 751 in source direct mode (in two different locations), I’ve never had the opportunity to hear either of them both with and without room correction. A part of me thinks that the room correction will take away my headache of buying REW software to integrate my subs properly, but I can’t help but notice that some people are getting rid of their receiver/pre-pro to use the Oppo 105 on its own, and many people that have the Oppo 95/105 or CA 751/752 seem to prefer using the analog outs to take advantage of the players DAC. This makes me think that it may be worth integrating my subs for both 2 channel listening and surround sound duties without room correction. I currently have the subs hooked up with both RCA cables for 2 channel and LFE (surround sound). I know that they’re not as well integrated as they could be, but my system still sounds great to me most of the time. Once in awhile I pick-up on too much bass, but it is only with certain source material.
So I guess what I’m asking is for anyone who has heard the Oppo 95/105 or CA 751/752 in both source direct mode (analog outs) and with room correction activated (HDMI) to give me their opinions on what they thought sounded best. I'm currently stuck on my next purchase because I don't feel I can buy one without deciding on the other. There is no sense in paying up for better DACs in the source player if it's preferred to be used via HDMI with a Denon 4520 or Integra 50.4/70.4, etc with Audyssey Multi-Eq XT32, and no sense in overpaying for a receiver when using the analog outs to a more simple pre-pro and power amp such as the Emotiva XMC-1 or Integra DHC 40.2 with Emotiva XPA-5 or Parasound 5250 would sound better.
Thanks,
Matt
The Sierra Towers play cleaner when loud, so I can tolerate going louder without the harshness that I used to hear from my previous speakers
I’ve heard the Sierra Towers with RAAL on another forum members system with the Emotiva XPA-2 connected, and the sound was clearer, more dynamic and less strained than my receiver.
So, I would like to have a receiver/pre-pro and amp combo with more power, but I would also like to have room correction capabilities in my next receiver/pre-pro. Even if I end up choosing to use it in source direct most of the time, it would be nice to have the option.
My other piece of equipment that I need to upgrade is my current source. This is a Sony DVP NS900V DVD, SACD player. This player once retailed for $1,000 but I bought it on a close-out deal for $500 about 10 years ago. It stopped playing cds more than 5 years ago but still plays DVDs and SACDs. I was using a Rotel DC 945 cd player, but in our new house I don’t have space for it, so it’s in my bedroom. I’m currently using my Sony’s built in Blu-ray player for blu-rays and cds. Of course this is much less than ideal, so I want to address this by buying either an Oppo 103/105 or a Cambridge Audio 752BD. I would consider the Oppo 105 with 5 channel amp and forgo the reciever/pre-pro, but my wife and child listen to a lot of stereo sourced tv in Marantz’s Circle Surrond Cinema mode and it sounds good because it does a great job of putting the dialog and majority of sound in the center speaker. I don’t want to lose the option of having a stereo source be redirected to the center channel for tv watching.
So before I decide between the Oppo 105 or Cambridge Audio 752 as a source, I need to decide if I’m going to get better sound with my system by using the internal DAC of the 105/752 without room correction from the receiver/pre-pro or if I will be better off using the room correction to help with integrating the two subs with my mains. If I decide to use the receiver/pre-pro DAC then I won't pay extra for the 105/752. This becomes a very difficult question for me to answer without the help of those who have done both, because even though I’ve heard the Oppo 95 and CA 751 in source direct mode (in two different locations), I’ve never had the opportunity to hear either of them both with and without room correction. A part of me thinks that the room correction will take away my headache of buying REW software to integrate my subs properly, but I can’t help but notice that some people are getting rid of their receiver/pre-pro to use the Oppo 105 on its own, and many people that have the Oppo 95/105 or CA 751/752 seem to prefer using the analog outs to take advantage of the players DAC. This makes me think that it may be worth integrating my subs for both 2 channel listening and surround sound duties without room correction. I currently have the subs hooked up with both RCA cables for 2 channel and LFE (surround sound). I know that they’re not as well integrated as they could be, but my system still sounds great to me most of the time. Once in awhile I pick-up on too much bass, but it is only with certain source material.
So I guess what I’m asking is for anyone who has heard the Oppo 95/105 or CA 751/752 in both source direct mode (analog outs) and with room correction activated (HDMI) to give me their opinions on what they thought sounded best. I'm currently stuck on my next purchase because I don't feel I can buy one without deciding on the other. There is no sense in paying up for better DACs in the source player if it's preferred to be used via HDMI with a Denon 4520 or Integra 50.4/70.4, etc with Audyssey Multi-Eq XT32, and no sense in overpaying for a receiver when using the analog outs to a more simple pre-pro and power amp such as the Emotiva XMC-1 or Integra DHC 40.2 with Emotiva XPA-5 or Parasound 5250 would sound better.
Thanks,
Matt