Need opinions on upgrading from consumer market crap electronics!

Daffypuck
Daffypuck Posts: 17
edited February 2013 in Electronics
OK, Im going to try and be as concise and to the point as I possibly can. I know newbie questions get old really fast. For years Ive been a consumer level A/V enthusiast. I bought my first A/V rcvr in late 1989/early 90'. Since then Ive owned many, many different A/V rcvrs ranging from $300-$1300. Every time Id get a new one, I'd read a review on a better one and want that one. But, no matter what I bought, they always never impressed me. Yeh sure, movies sounded OK on them, but music typically sucked IMO. Oh, I also went through many different speakers as well. So, fast forward to now. I finally gave up and lost interest and just settled for an Onkyo mid to upper level A/V receiver and some Infinity Beta series speakers. I know, crap to an audiophile. But, after listening to my girlfriends set-up (Krell Power amp, Theta pre, B&W mains, 18" Velodyne sub etc) the audiophile bug bit me again. Unlike in the past, I can now afford higher end gear, but I dont wanna spend untold amounts of money. I simply want a pre-amp/power amp set up that will blow the doors off of my run of the mill set-up I have now. I know that everyone has their opinions on different makes and models and what turns them off or on for a certain set-up, I just want some opinions on a good pre/power amp set-up that would address music and home theatre. Ive considered the Marantz MM7055/AV7005 combination. After reading a post or two here on the forums, I know the Marantz arent the most adired gear, but all I want to know is, since I cant listen to it anywhere before buying, will it NOTICABLY sound better than what I have currently? Im looking to spend $2000-$2500. Ill address speakers after Ive settled on the equipment. Thanks for any opinions or help.
Post edited by Daffypuck on
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Comments

  • decal
    decal Posts: 3,205
    edited January 2013
    Going on what you say your girlfriend has,why not ask her to help you out?
    If you can't hear a difference, don't waste your money.
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  • nhhiep
    nhhiep Posts: 877
    edited January 2013
    +1 it looks like your gf should be the first person you should talk to :)
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,194
    edited January 2013
    Where do you live? No shops around to go demo anything? I can help you dial in a really musical theater system. It's going to strongly depend on some factors.

    1) What is going to be your primary source to play music? CD , Vinyl , computer music?
    2) Tell me about your room , furniture , floor , ceiling height , size etc
    3) I see you budget and I think we can put you into a very nice AVR thats very musical and theater like
    4) Gotta know what kind of music you enjoy and what style of movies you mostly watch.


    Start with that and we can move forward. Speakers are the biggest decision before any gear. You need to focus on them first , then build a system around them , not the other way around.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    edited January 2013
    Why are you asking us when it's clear your GF obviously knows her gear. You would be giving her the biggest compliment and boost to her ego to know that you trust her to give you good advice about good equipment for you.

    So go ask her, because some of us DO know what we are doing! Welcome to Club Polk!

    Cathy
    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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  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 5,068
    edited January 2013
    Sell your stuff & move in with the girlfriend!!! Problem solved.
    "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,967
    edited January 2013
    pearsall001 wrote: »
    Sell your stuff & move in with the girlfriend!!! Problem solved.

    Now thats solid advice. :biggrin:
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • dhart86
    dhart86 Posts: 1,594
    edited January 2013
    decal wrote: »
    Going on what you say your girlfriend has,why not ask her to help you out?
    ^^^^^ What he said^^^^^
    BTW, how did she figure out how to put quality separates together? Is she an audio enthusiast?
    Main Rig:
    Antipodes DX > Roon > PS Audio Directstream Jr.>deHavilland Ultraverve 3 >Belles Reference 150a >Harbeth C7 ES3


    Second Rig:
    Roon> PS Audio Directstream Jr Bridge II > EE Minimax pre (Tutay mods) >Belles 150A Ref >Monitor 5 (Westmassguy-modded)


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  • Upstatemax
    Upstatemax Posts: 2,670
    edited January 2013
    pearsall001 wrote: »
    Sell your stuff & move in with the girlfriend!!! Problem solved.

    That was the first thing that jumped into my mind also.

    Put a ring on that girl!
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  • GlennDog
    GlennDog Posts: 3,120
    edited January 2013
    You're GFs got good ear . . . follow the path, my friend . . .

    And WELCOME to Club Polk!

    G
    AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
    Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampizator Baltic 4 DAC
    Pre Cary SLP-05
    Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
    Mains Salk HT2-TL
    Rythmik F12
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  • Msabot1
    Msabot1 Posts: 2,098
    edited January 2013
    Your gal is into equipment like that? She sounds like a keeper to me! Welcome to what some of the guys call the Rabbit Hole!!
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  • Daffypuck
    Daffypuck Posts: 17
    edited January 2013
    Haha, thanks for the replies. First off, if your buddy or GF has a Porsche 911 Turbo, yeh its fun to drive. But you want one for yourself, one that fits your personal nuances. Second, she had a rich ex-husband who had some connections with high end audio and he purchased a lot of the equipment they shared. Dont get me wrong, she has a good working knowledge of audio stuff and what not, but she no longer has any connections and cant really give me a good opinion on a brand she has no experience with. As far as my preferences go, I will be using it for CD's & digital media (Ipod etc). I have a friend who is building a vinyl setup, so Im even considering that for the future, but not right at the moment. I really watch all types of movies, but if I was building a setup with one movie in mind it would be Star Wars I guess. After watching that movie on opening day in 1977, I said to myself shortly thereafter, "Im gonna have my own home theatre and watch this movie over and over". As far as music goes, once again I listen to most everything. But classical, metal and rock would probably be my top 3. As far as layout of the room its gonna be in, thats where I have issues. Its vaulted ceilings, big and open with a lot of reflective surfaces like walls , hardwood floors and windows.

    There are so, so many different makers and models to choose from out there. As an audio/videophile, we're constantly trying out a new piece of equipment. Ive gotta start from somewhere and then see how I like it and keep it for a while or move to something new. Ive been reading up a lot on the Marantz AV7005/mm7055 combo and like what Ive read. I dont wanna drop $2000-$2500 and not notice a difference. Like I mentioned earlier, I noticed a huge, massive difference when listening to my GF's setup, but I dont wanna drop $15000!!!
    Oh, one last thing. One of yall mentioned buying speakers first. Isnt that kind of like trying to hang a picture in a house you haveent built yet? Tell me if Im wrong, but I figured an average to above average set of speakers will sound their absolute best when a really good, clean signal is passed through them. The speakers I have arent high end quality, but theyre not absolute crap either. I just figured Id get a decent pre-pro and amp and see how they make my current speakers sound. If Im happy, then I can save for a few weeks and start looking and demoing different speakers.

    As far as high end dealers in my area go, I dont have much to choose from. We used to have a place called Nicholsons that was very high end, but they closed a few years ago. Now all we have is Hi-Fi Buys. I plan on visiting them this weekend and seeing what all they have for me to listen to.
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  • B Run
    B Run Posts: 1,888
    edited January 2013
    There's nothing wrong with getting the gear before the speakers, but you'll have to keep your gear in mind before making a speaker purchase. If (just an example) you went with all Emotiva gear then you'd prob want to avoid going with B&W or Klipsch since they can both be considered bright and wouldn't play as nicely together. You have a lot of options in that price range: Nad, Rotel, Anthem, Outlaw, Pioneer Elite, etc. Keep in mind you can always buy a nice new pre/pro and pick up a used amp to keep everything in the budget.
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  • dragon1952
    dragon1952 Posts: 4,899
    edited February 2013
    Any way you could either borrow her amp/pre or take your speakers over to her place? If you still don't like your speaks on her rig maybe that's where to begin.
    2 channel - Willsenton R8 tube integrated, Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE DAC, audio optimized NUC7i5, Windows 10 Pro/JRiver MC29/Fidelizer Plus 8.7 w/LPS and external SSD drive, PS Audio PerfectWave P3 regenerator, KEF R3 speakers, Rythmik F12SE subwoofer, Audioquest Diamond USB cable, Gabriel Gold IC's, Morrow Audio SP5 speaker cables. Computer - Windows 10/JRiver, Schiit Magni 3+/Modi 3+, Fostex PMO.4n monitors, Sennheiser HD600 headphones
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  • Daffypuck
    Daffypuck Posts: 17
    edited February 2013
    Ive thought about just buying the Marantz Pre-pro first and using her Krell to power it just to see how my current speakers sound. Then I can decide what amp to buy. I went to my local hifi shop this past weekend and the sales guy was really pushing a JBL AVA7 power amp on me. Thats why I started the other thread here. It seems no one knows very much on this amp other than the fact that its a clone of the Lexicon GX7. Well, it isnt, IMO. If it was, it wouldnt be going for $325 used online. I can find reviews all day long on the GX7 but nothing on the JBL. I just dont want to go spend $2500-$3000 on a bunch of seperates that sound pretty much like my Denon A/V receiver does. I want a noticeable improvement, not a glorified version of what I already have.
    I just found out that Emotiva is built right down the road from me. I see their name thrown around a lot but no real breakdown of their gear. From what Ive see, theyre not high end, but rather mid to upper level consumer market. How good is their stuff?? How good are their amps??
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  • ViperZ
    ViperZ Posts: 2,046
    edited February 2013
    Marantz gear is excellent and great sounding. It just depends, which speakers you'll pair them up with. Personally, I heard these paired up to Paradigm studio references and they sounded too bright to me.
    Panasonic PT-AE4000U projector for movies
    Carada 106" Precision Series (Classic Cinema White)
    Denon AVR-X3600H pre/pro
    Outlaw 770 7-channel amplifier
    B&W CDM1-SE fronts
    B&W CDM-CNT center
    B&W CDM1 rears on MoPADs
    JBL SP8CII in-ceiling height speakers
    Samsung DTB-H260F OTA HDTV tuner
    DUAL NHT SubTwo subwoofers
    Oppo BDP-93 Blu-Ray player
    Belkin PF60 Power Center
    Harmony 1100 RF remote with RF extender
    Sony XBR-X950G 55" 4K HDR Smart TV + PS3 in the living room
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  • Moose68Bash
    Moose68Bash Posts: 3,843
    edited February 2013
    You might want to have a look at the following Perreaux integrated on Audiogon. You might be able to get it for $2,500.00.

    http://app.audiogon.com/listings/solid-state-perreaux-eloquence-150i-integrated-amplifier-to-hear-it-is-to-fall-in-love-2013-01-21-amplifiers-75035
    Family Room, Innuos Statement streamer (Roon Core) with Morrow Audio USB cable to McIntosh MC 2700 pre with DC2 Digital Audio Module; AQ Sky XLRs to CAT 600.2 dualmono amp, Morrow Elite Speaker Cables to NOLA Baby Grand Reference Gold 3 speakers. Power source for all components: Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One with dedicated 20 amp circuit to main panel.

    Exercise Room, Innuos Streamer via Cat 6 cable connection to PS Audio PerfectWave MkII DAC w/Bridge II, AQ King Cobra RCAs to Perreaux PMF3150 amp (fully restored and upgraded by Jeffrey Jackson, Precision Audio Labs), Supra Rondo 4x2.5 Speaker Cables to SDA 1Cs (Vr3 Mods Xovers and other mods.), Dreadnaught with Supra Rondo 4x2.5 interconnect cables by Vr3 Mods. Power for each component from dedicated 20 amp circuit to main panel, except Innuos Statement powered from Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One.

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