preamp Sunfire grand IV or Marantz pm8004

gatucar
gatucar Posts: 14
edited June 2012 in Electronics
Hello there,

I have little experience in audio and I am looking for advice.
I am interested in 2.1 audio. Currently have a NAD218 amp connected to a simple denon 379 (as a preamp) to drive my RtiA9 towers.
My questions are:

1) will be there a noticeable improvement by replacing my little denon with a dedicated preamp?

2) I have limited options where I live. My options are: (7 year old) Sunfire grand theatre 4 (at US 800) or a Marantz pm8004 using it as a preamp. The reason I am considering marantz over my denon is that in my denon does not have a main zone preout but a zone 2 preout, leaving me with no tone control, no sub control, no volume knob control (It is operated only via remote control).
The sunfire looks like a great preamp but I will not be using all its functions. I am just looking for 2.1 and it seems overpriced for being 7-10 years old (I could be wrong since my understanding of audio gear is very limited).

Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Regards
Post edited by gatucar on
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Comments

  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,421
    edited May 2012
    The Sunfire will be a very nice piece in a 2.1 setup, but will not be able to support any future upgrades, and does not do HDMI 1.3 very well and 1.4 at all. given that the Sunfire was 4k new, 800.00 seems fair, but still a bit high given the new formats.

    I ran a Sunfire TGP5 for a couple years and loved it, but chose to go with a Pioneer Elite SC-37 as an upgrade over the Sunfire because it does all current formats and works very well as a preamp. The Pio is very well respected for it's abilities and the "ICE" power amps in the power section. I think the Pioneer would be a great choice for what you are trying to accomplish

    I have no experience with the Marantz you are looking at.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • gatucar
    gatucar Posts: 14
    edited May 2012
    Nooshinjohn
    Thanks for sharing your experience. Do you think there will be a difference in sound quality adding the sunfire to my system?
    Regards
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,421
    edited May 2012
    The Sunfire's SQ is very,very good... better than the Pioneer I have now, but not by a huge margin. Certainly not enough to justify the loss of features that the Pioneer brings to the table. I would say if you are able to get the Sunfire for 600.00, give it a shot, otherwise consider other options.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • gatucar
    gatucar Posts: 14
    edited June 2012
    Hello Nosshinjohn,

    I did what you said. I offer 600 for it and I got the old Sunfire!
    Without a doubt there was an inprovement in sound quality. I am hearing details I have not heard before in my favorite songs.

    Cheers,
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  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    edited June 2012
    Congrats and enjoy your new gear.
    Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
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