new setu comments

BAD ASP

Well after reading here about amps, preamps, vintage speakers etc. I found myself lusting after a change in my home theater / music system. I started by replacing my center channel Klipsch with the Polk Lsic. Noticeable difference immediately. The voices were fuller, I guess that is less bright? The new sound from them matched far better with my polk sda-srs 1.2 tls. My kitchen is juxtaposed with my family room and the sound from the previous always had my wife asking if I could turn the sound down. That has now stopped and she even commented that I must have adjusted something because it doesn't bother her now. I guess I can throw the box away, mission accomplished there.
Second I began reading about amps here and through google reviews. I had settled on the earthquake 5 channel or the sunfire signature series 5 channel. I settled on the sunfire and found one and bought it. I just finished setting it up yesterday and I must say the new sound has so much more with so much less volume than what I had. I am now using the denon 5700 as my preamp. I must also say that my hats off to the folks at Denon on the 5700. While the new sound is superior in many subtle ways the Denon with the polk 1.2tl's was appreciably better than some friends of mine who continue to spend money on speakers but never quite match my previous setup. Well now they are going to be really pissed.
Amplifier
First noticeable difference is the new background sounds. Much more noticeable and truly separated providing a wider and deeper sound stage. I believe that the improvement in sound is evident at very low listening levels. I had told my wife that the new piece of equipment was going to improve the sound and make it less invasive into the kitchen space. For now another major mission accomplished.
My impressions so far have me convinced that the sound improvement is as follows:
Much deeper and richer sound at lower levels.
sound stage much broader and deeper than before.
New sounds or sounds much more in evidence possibly from the wider sound stage.
crisper highs without being piercing. The sounds of glass breaking is not pitchy and the sounds fade away noticeably instead of just disappearing.
Music through the Polks is almost remarkable compared to before. The soundstage is so much deeper and wider with much more accuracy. I could hear the separation before but now it's wider and you can feel the separation as well as sense it.
More music fun today. I guess I can put the sunfire box away, this is a keeper.
We watched Departed last night for the second time in two days, once with the aformentiond denon and now with the sunfire. I am Hooked.
Today willl be more music and playing with the sound balances and home theater set up program. I am wondering if this can get even better, perhaps a pre amp? What improvement might i expect, or should I just settle in with this for awhile? We are truly fortunate to live in a time that allows us to have such choices aren't we?:D

engtaz

Pics Pics Pics
Are you already using the Denon as your pre amp?


engtaz

BAD ASP

I will take some pics next weekend. I have one of those heavy cherry entertainment centers which is a **** to pull out from the wall. I hooked up the amp outside of the cabinet, I wanted to make sure it was working correctly before tearing everything apart.I will be disassembling the unit next weekend for a rebuild, can't wait. The light is out on the amps meter so I'll get one this week.
I was using the denon as my avr, it's rated at 170wpc so I was satisfied with it until yesterday.

engtaz

I will be using my 4802 to pre amp 3 - Outlaw M200, 1 for each of the fronts and 1 Outlaw M200 to the center using the pre amp out of the Denon. You can do the same with your Denon to Sunfire setup.

engtaz

tonyb

So is it safe to say another member with a big thumbs up for seperate
amplification? We pretty much around here,stress the need for it,when you have speaks that are up to the task.
Congrats on your new found nirvana !

BAD ASP

Like most things you usually get what you pay for. My previous mindset allowed that the component approach would outperform the avr approach but by how much? Well the answer is without question there is an appreciable difference. Whether there is value for the component versus avr is simply a matter of taste. I for one would now say that the improvement is not cheap and I say go for it. Especially if you hunt and research the used market and bide your time and be ready to pull the trigger when your chosen equipment becomes available. It does require some patience and your research will be rewarded. I would also say that joining this forum encouraged me to look and dive in. The information ya'll share on here is certainly valuable. Talking to high end audio dealers will not clear up those nagging questions as well as reading all of the various posts here. Props to all of you for enjoying this hobby/addiction and sharing your thoughts. I am not as addicted to music as I am to good quality home entertainment but We as a family do enjoy our Sunday dinners followed by sports or a good movie.

cfrizz

Congrats BA!

Yes Tony I would say that this is another big thumbs up for separate amplification.

I still waffle about going to a separate preamp. I was looking at some Sunfires to match my amp. but alas they are also 19 inches wide & won't fit into my rack. BOO HISS!

BAD ASP

Cfrizz, the theater grand IV is 17" wide. Are the older pre's only 19"?If so that takes me out too.
Is it advisable to mix and match these components such as a rotel pre or anyother, or does it make sense to just use the two as a dedicated system?

MrNightly

Bad Asp? Law enforcement may I assume?

Congrats on the fine selection of equipment. It will serve you well for many years.

GO KU!!!

cfrizz

Yes it is perfectly acceptable to mix & match gear. I just like my Sunfire amp so much I figured why not get the preamp as well. Until I discovered that they are 19 inchs wide. And I can't afford a new Sunfire.

I love Rotel gear as well, but their preamps don't come with a phono imput & I want one since I do have a turntable. So that takes them out of the picture.

BAD ASP

I am impressed with this sunfire and how cool it runs. The chassis is barely warm after running it all day.
mrnightly, I am not in law inforcement. I own a couple of old muscle cars that are cobras. My license plate on the shelby reads BAD ASP. I couldn't get anything that said cobra so I settled on ASP.
interestingly my last name is knight mister nightly.
cfrizz thanks for the heads up, yea the cost of the new theater grand is way out of my league for now. I will continue to use the denon as a pre until I can find a sunfire used somewhere.