I'm thinking about selling out

EndersShadow

So I'm in a massive internal debate about selling off my 2 Carver amps, my Integra and my Interconnects and just moving to a Pioneer SC model. I am just tired of all the wires and crap behind my entertainment center and would love to tidy it all up with less gear drawing less power taking up less room and lastly requiring less repairing.

I am at this point certain that the SC-85, or SC-87 is where I want to land. I think the 85 has enough balls to drive my setup for HT purposes fine, I dont do lots of critical music listening down there, and if I really felt I needed a stereo amp later on I could always buy one.

After selling off all my gear I can likely snag the 85 and have enough cash left over to finally get better HDMI cables and still have some money for my 2 channel system upstairs, or snag a Xbox One.

If I go with the SC-87, may have enough to do HDMI cables and thats it.....

In looking them over here is what I come up with as the differences.

Power:

SC-85

---

SC-87

760

---

810 ---- watts multi channel simultaneous drive
220

---

240 ---- 4 ohms
175

---

190 ---- 6 ohms
135

---

140 ---- 8 ohms

The 87 also adds the following features:

3D Space Frame Construction - do the build the chassis in space??? lol
AIR Studios Monitor Certification
Phono input

So looking them over how big a deal is that extra headroom between the two? Its not enough to make a SPL difference obviously, but is it worth the extra spend to add it? Otherwise from a feature standpoint they are darn near identical. I dont think I will ever spin LP's downstairs at all, so the phono input is moot, I dont really need more than a powered Zone 2 and Zone 2 HDMI output for a future covered porch add on. Both of which the 85 has.

And dont suggest the 89, it doesnt add much more besides a wee bit more power, Zone 4, a USB DAC in (using HDMI for that regardless), ability to send out HDMI over ethernet, none of which I really need.

What would you do?

Sherardp

Do the 85 and be done with it. Not sure what you have for HDMI cables now but not much of an upgrade there, it's just 0's & 1's . I would buy some quality cables from Monoprice or Bluejeans and call it.

steveinaz

There's alot to be said about simplicity. I like that both of my video sources connect directly to my plasma HDTV. I like that I own/use just 1 set of .5mtr interconnects, 1 coaxial, and 1 Toslink cable. I like the "swiss-army-knife" flexibility of my DAC and Oppo player.

EndersShadow

Sherardp wrote: »

Do the 85 and be done with it. Not sure what you have for HDMI cables now but not much of an upgrade there, it's just 0's & 1's . I would buy some quality cables from Monoprice or Bluejeans and call it.

I am running just cheap monoprice stuff. I would like to upgrade to some Audioquest cabling just so I dont wonder "what if". I know some think its a joke and thats fine, but for the lengths I need the cost isnt crazy.

steveinaz wrote: »

There's alot to be said about simplicity. I like that both of my video sources connect directly to my plasma HDTV. I like that I own/use just 1 set of .5mtr interconnects, 1 coaxial, and 1 Toslink cable. I like the "swiss-army-knife" flexibility of my DAC and Oppo player.

Thats kinda what I keep going back to. Less wires, less amps, less stuff to break/fix/upgrade, etc....

Separates are nice, but honestly for the volume level I normally listen at when watching movies in the HT, dont need that much (or so I tell myself)...

I've held out about 6-7 years since my last AVR purchase and there have been enough significant advancements in both power (ICE amps) and features (ARC, 4k, EQ's) to justify the upgrade now.

Especially since my out of pocket cost is nill.

Thats honestly all my wife cares about lol....

The Carvers I have work, are good, but I have a Parasound for upstairs now for the RS-II's so thats covered and my LSi 15's I can cross over higher once I build my DIY sub, so that will lessen the load on the AVR.

Sherardp

SC85 bro.

EndersShadow

Yup, think thats where my head is at.

Erik Tracy

I'd keep the m1.0-t mkII as the last piece to sell off and let the ears decide if it stays or goes.

The m1.0-t mkII is a powerhouse - I'd not give that one up so easy (I kinda regret selling mine).

EndersShadow

Erik Tracy wrote: »

I'd keep the m1.0-t mkII as the last piece to sell off and let the ears decide if it stays or goes.

The m1.0-t mkII is a powerhouse - I'd not give that one up so easy (I kinda regret selling mine).

I agree and thats why I got it initially, but w/o selling that I wont be able to snag the SC-85. Thats where a large portion of the money is gonna come from.

TBH its nice, but its one more set of IC's, one more device to work around, and another piece of gear that may need repair which means 60 bucks to ship both ways.

I think it would make my wife happy to cut some pieces out so it looks "prettier", I may not notice the difference in sound quality, and if it becomes a problem, then I just move the Parasound HCA-1200ii I have down there for the short term while saving up for something decent.

The 15's do need some power, but I've seen more than my share of LSi setups paired with SC models here lately to think I may not notice the difference enough for it to be a problem.

pitdogg2

Sell out.....


time to turn in your audio man card

EndersShadow

pitdogg2 wrote: »

Sell out.....


time to turn in your audio man card

Thats the only one I got left.... I turned in my man card when I got married.....

cnh

You guys are too fickle for me; I love my wires/cables, the more the merrier. Having a bird's nest of cables back there adds to the gravity of the listening. lol

I'm sure the Pioneer will be fine. It's a great AVR. But you may miss the amps?

cnh

EndersShadow

Wife told me to hold off. Said if I can suck it up for about a year we will just by the Pio (at that point the 2015 model) outright. Then I can sell of whatever I want from our current gear and use that money for cable upgrades.

So I may try to hold out, but I dont know... its an itch man...

I prefer as minimal as possible and currently there just is no good way to organize things... and I've run out of HDMI ports on my AVR already so cant add anything without removing something else.

nooshinjohn

You could also get an SC-75 and up... I may be moving on soon from Pioneer to a Yamaha CX-a5000.

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/aventage/cx-a5000_black_u/?mode=model

I am just waiting to see if they will be making a version to support ATMOS

pitdogg2

EndersShadow wrote: »

Wife told me to hold off. Said if I can suck it up for about a year we will just by the Pio (at that point the 2015 model) outright.

careful IF Pioneer is indeed stepping away of the AV business you may be buying "Changsho" Brand and we all know that the QC will go down...

EndersShadow

pitdogg2 wrote: »

careful IF Pioneer is indeed stepping away of the AV business you may be buying "Changsho" Brand and we all know that the QC will go down...

Trust me that factored in since they just announced this years models and next years may indeed be made somewhere else.....

EndersShadow

nooshinjohn wrote: »

You could also get an SC-75 and up... I may be moving on soon from Pioneer to a Yamaha CX-a5000.

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/aventage/cx-a5000_black_u/?mode=model

I am just waiting to see if they will be making a version to support ATMOS

True, but I want a warranty with it and since if you buy online from a retailer you void it (cause they dont sell Elite stuff online legit) its hard to find em here locally, and by the time I move my gear along to save up the funds, they would be gone anyway...

Besides I want Dolby Atmos (:evil:) jk, I think its about as useful as 3D was/is.... marketing ploy. Maybe something I will go to a theater equipped with it for, but otherwise not gonna happen at my house.

Erik Tracy

EndersShadow wrote: »

I agree and thats why I got it initially, but w/o selling that I wont be able to snag the SC-85. Thats where a large portion of the money is gonna come from.

codyc1ark

I donno Dan, I'm running a measly 25 series and I can notice quite a difference when I just had that hooked up when I moved here vs dropping my amp into the mix. Food for thought, I'd sell and look into a midrange five channel amp with a used SC.

tonyb

Yeah, I still think it's wishful thinking to drive a full LSI rig on any receiver. At least keep a 2 channel amp in there.

Dennis Gardner

I don't think you're selling out......I think you're downsizing.

Selling out is getting a Sound Bar.

SCompRacer

Mikey081057

reminds me of

cfrizz

I was about to agree with you for down sizing, but then when I saw you want to put LSIs on a receiver, you lost me! Come on Ender, you have been here long enough to know that you won't be running your LSIs to their full potential without amps! And if you are going to settle for that, then what's the point of even having a system. You might as well get a Bose system and call it a day. But you will certainly have downsized.

Thorton

cfrizz wrote: »

I was about to agree with you for down sizing, but then when I saw you want to put LSIs on a receiver, you lost me! Come on Ender, you have been here long enough to know that you won't be running your LSIs to their full potential without amps! And if you are going to settle for that, then what's the point of even having a system. You might as well get a Bose system and call it a day. But you will certainly have downsized.

+1. The lady has spoken and I agree. If anything, save your money and upgrade the integra with a nice 2-3 year old pre/pro.

EndersShadow

Thorton wrote: »

+1. The lady has spoken and I agree. If anything, save your money and upgrade the integra with a nice 2-3 year old pre/pro.

That defeats the purpose. The goal was to get more features (EQ, etc) and consolidate into a single unit.

Buying a 2-3 year old pre-pro will equal older EQ and likely no ARC or more HDMI ports than I have now.

My 5 channel Carver is in need of some repair, and my 2 channel Carver is acting up on me as well.

I wont be able to afford a newer Sunfire TGA amp or I would and this would be a moot point.

Thorton

I know what you're saying. You want more features. I agree. You want to consolidate to one unit. Yes, this is nice. Personally after upgrading to a very good pre/pro and multi-channel amp, I will never go back to a AVR. That's me. I would rather wait and save till I had enough funds to get exactly what I wanted. I'm also taking into account from what I read on this forum about the power requirement to drive your LSI's. I've learned this with driving my A9's.

You're in a tough situation with your older amps needing repair. Good luck.

BlueFox

I am expanding my HT. I have a two shelf rack on order to sit next to my five shelf rack. The new rack will hold my previous two channel amps, which will power the front. The current Sunfire TGA-5400 amp will power the center and rears. This should really boost the sound quality, especially when used as a stereo.

More gear, more cables, more power cords. Greed is good.

Thorton

BlueFox wrote: »

I am expanding my HT. I have a two shelf rack on order to sit next to my five shelf rack. The new rack will hold my previous two channel amps, which will power the front. The current Sunfire TGA-5400 amp will power the center and rears. This should really boost the sound quality, especially when used as a stereo.

More gear, more cables, more power cords. Greed is good.

A man after my own heart. Go Blue! Wait I'm a Spartan fan.

scottyboy76

I call dibs on the carver 1.0, I will have to sell some stuff, so i encourage you to make the switch as soon as possible,LOL

tonyb

I'd sell everything Dan and start from scratch. Do your research, pick gear used to make your buck go further, even with cables. If your dead set on a receiver, then maybe move up to the lsim series, easier to drive. Or down to the rti or another brand requiring 8 ohms.

mantis

Agreed,
I also further believe the LSIM's are a much better sounding speaker and I already drove them with a SC-07 when they came out and they sounded remarkable. Not to take anything away from Pioneer's ICE amps or now called D3's ability to drive a 4 ohm load, they can and do it very well. We torched tested a SC-68 in our showroom with Magnepan 1.7's which are very hard to drive and they sounded exceptional and much better then anyone expected.
So do what you must man , I have gone between separates and receivers over the years a few times now and with the Elite models , you don't miss much at all.