Ducati Monster Forum

OK, so Dock asked that question regarding engineering software, so I figured I'll ask an audio question from my learned bretheren....anything goes on this forum...

Which AV Receiver to go for ? I've got a choice between a Yamaha RX-V1065 or a NAD T747 ? I'm partial to the NAD because I think it's better from an audio(music playback) perspective, but wondering if the Yamaha might be better for surround/home theatre stuff.

Gonna hook it up to either a Focal Dome 5.1 set of speakers or Monitor Audio Radius set.

Any perspectives ?

my yamaha surround set up has performed flawlessly since it was installed about 8 years ago. i bought it when 5.1 was new, i'm looking to update at the moment and it will definitely be a yamaha, probably an rx-v1900. the 1065 is 7.2 and is very up to date with all the latest technical offerings for home theatre, that said though, with decent speakers that are matched to the size room they're in and mounted correctly depending on floor surface the yamaha is no slouch when it comes to just audio, and the rms output is quite conservative but the distortion values are not.
my opinion? the yamaha offers excellent value with comparable performance to high end brands that are, in my view, overpriced by comparison.

paul.

I run NAD with B&W speakers and Van dul Hul interconnects. Value for money is top for me (my ears can't hear anything better). Been very pleased with it. Yamaha is great stuff too, best mate had an AV and it rocked.

I'm a Denon user.

2807 receiver 7.2
Tannoy front end
Velodyne CHT sub
Yamaha mid speakers
B&W Ovals rear with secondary sub

Rocks the floor boards at my place.
Where are you looking to buy from?

I have also considered NAD in my buying past but Denon won.

All we have is the pig.

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3570/3825756164_22658400f2.jpg)

Did that help?

No, didn't think so ;D

I have the Yamaha RXV3800.
I couldn't tell the audio quality apart from the other brands. The video handling of the Yamaha got me. Upscales all signals to HDMI.
Great home theatre amp.

I have a BOSE sound plus BOSE HDMI switcher in the bedroom & the double cube system. The Yamaha is much more flexible.

Unfamiliar with the NAD sorry.

Enjoy :)

(Edit - flexible in terms of movie sound settings and video input/outputs)

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3309/3606177734_c54b3b6d61.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigiain/3606177734/)

That drives a NAD 1100 preamp which dives a NAD 2200 power amp and finally Boston Acoustic A60 Speakers - the setup is almost 22 years old and still sounds _sweet_ (Thanks to a new stylus and drive belt a few months back, the speakers are on their second set of bass driver suspensions, and the amps had the electrolytic caps replaced a few years back.). I bought some new vinyl to spin just a couple of weeks back (The Mountain Goats and Kaki King, if anyone's wondering).

NAD gear is _very "musical" in 2 channel stereo setups, I've got no advice for new fangled 5.1 or 7.1 home theatre setups tho, sorry.

You might wanna wait a few more days for Zee to get back from overseas and let him chime in before you make any decisions...

big

So which are you going to do more or place a higher importance on, music or home theatre?

The typical answer for this type of question is "listen to then and buy what sounds best to you". Even better if you can listen to them at your house.

I think the speakers are going to make more of an impact to how it sounds then the amp, then get an amp to match your technical requirements.

Personally I would go the NAD as I prefer music listening. The NAD has pre outs which you can use to connect to a power amp if you ever want to upgrade. Allthough the Yamaha would be the way to go if you hook up an iPod to it as it has special bit's to make MP3's and other lossy formats sound better.

I like to listen to music more, so I spent more money on 2 speakers and a cd player, and bought a Yamaha Sound Bar thingy for watching movies. I get away with it as we have a tiny lounge.

What's more important to you? movies or music?

Some have provided good advice on general purpose systems, and most recently, big has shared his music system. I'm no expert in this space, but I do have a better than average understanding and experience in professional audio systems, from reference and translation monitoring systems used in broadcast / studios,  cinema systems, or big stonking PS systems.

Here's a few things i have learnt along the way dealing in audio
- single purpose systems will always sound better (duh!)
- it's all totally subjective, something you love others may hate

in professional circles, theatrical cinema reproduction and music  reproduction systems have two very different outcomes. Cinema screen channels are all about dialogue directivity (making the dialogue and effects follow the action), and without boring you all more than I already am, design is biased toward this at the expense of musicality. Conversely, Music systems are design to reproduce a sound stage of the artist and their engineer / producers (depending on whether we are talking about live or recorded music)

Any system that does both can only compromise between differing goals. In a home environment, for the vast majority of people, the compromises are either too subtle or not important to them (or maybe both).

I've always had a bias for good stereo reproduction in my home systems which fits my purpose; I'm passionate about music, not so much about movies. I'm in the middle of ditching my onkyo 5.1 receiver and relegating it to background music zones in favour of a simple kiddy proof system in the lounge room (where we seem to watch more thomas the tank engine and Cars than anything else!) and take my music listening back to man space..

As I said, depends on what your bias is. Both will more than likely serve you well. If you are a music nut, then go for musicality over video source upscaling and conversion to hdmi 1080p. If you are looking for a entertainment nerve centre, then maybe the reverse. If the second is the case, I'd recommend that if you can, play with the systems and their menu structures in the store - user friendliness will always be a large requirement in my book.

Oh and sorry for the long post!

<edit Dos just beat me to the punch, and in much less screen space!>

thanks Paul, I've got a Yamaha at the moment, but missing the HDMI inputs. Works a treat still. I just remember loving my NAD AMP & Cassette Deck 20 years ago(it was special!). It's the NAD sound I would be looking at, but in terms of the video stuff, I think the Yamaha might be better.

Nice setup - I had B&W 601's. great sounding speakers. Decisions, decisions.

I looked at a Denon 2309, but it didn't rock me, so maybe in a decade! The Velodyne sub's are sweet though. My old one used to loosen the floorboards.

Talking to Len Wallis Audio and a couple of other smaller places.

It's early and individual replies are taking too long! Team Oz Monsters have once again come up with the goods. Such a discerning bunch of people! Yes Betty, even the musical pig is a standout  ;D

Todka - nice AMP, can't afford it though.

DosVerde - yeah, I think the issue I have is that i want it all in the 1 box and there will always(maybe?) be a compromise. I'm probably looking at 80% audio / 20% video, so why I'm leaning towards the NAD. It's got a warmer sound than the Yamaha and just sounds better musically. I've pretty much made my decision, just needed that extra little push from the DMF(go figure - post on a Ducati forum re. music, but we do have some smart cookies on this forum).

Big - if anyone was going to be purist and pull out the turntable. Nice rega too. Actually, someone just asked me yesterday about a vinyl they had found in the cupboard - thought it was a video thing!!! How quickly we have moved on. Yes, will wait for Zee to pipe up.

Goldfish - Thanks for all the details and very good points too. I'm more inclined for the music side, so will go back and have another play re. settings/menu. I'm familiar with the Yamaha thinking and the NAD stuff is generally 'less is more'.

thank you all!


 

This thread has made me grateful I pre-warned Golide of the pig in the lead up to the Recovery BBQ. I had my suspicions that the connoisseurs of the DMF would extend their detailed knowledge, passion and enthusiasm beyond fine motorcycles, coffee, food and photography to music and sound systems.

Seems I was right ... bloody fanatics ... if any of you bring up politics or religion I am going straight to ASIO.

Once again the DMF proves to be the font/fount of all knowledge.

from a simple man and his pig

<interested look>Anything good?</interested look>

big

 :) not really....just some old wog stuff..unless...nope, no old Ducati recordings

Ducati folk do seem to appreciate the finer things! Music is no different!

remember to factor in some money for interconnects and speaker wire too....they reckon 5 to 10% is what you want...and those HDMI cables can cost a pretty $, I ended up importing mine from the UK (Van der Hul again).

do they still do a Sony ES series...remember those, bloody hell, they were the equivalent ok a Nissan skyline, domination through technology....I nearly did my back trying to pick up the amp once

RJ

I have a Rotel system in my garage.

That is all.  :)

Good call super, I almost forgot..

I have a 70's era Rotel powering my studio monitors - 180W per channel! Needs a little love, but that sound!

And if someone offers you Monster Cable for the Hookup leads, Tell them to get Bent, It is Grossly overpriced, and Grossly over Rated rubbish.

If you stick with the middle of the road priced Cables and leads, you won't go wrong.

It's like a fine  [wine], it only gets better.

Actually, my original Rotel system was pinched, with the Aaron speakers connected to it  >:( :'(. It was replaced with another Rotel system with Tannoy speakers. Doesn't have all the bells & whistles that come with other systems (NAD excluded) but it has served me well.  [thumbsup]

nice plana2 iain! i had one but it's now gone, i didn't know what i was doing at the time, DOH! i run Krix floor speakers and they're very nice. i agree wholeheartedly with cairnsduc too, monster cables are rubbish, most of the decent middle of the road cabling you buy off the roll is pretty good these days.
after embracing technology with open arms i feel a twinge of regret from time to time, i stream through an airport express which feeds via rca's to my amp and the quality of music varies so much in digital format. even cd's imported into iTunes vary wildly. it's only the difficulty in restocking my vinyl collection and finding a decent turntable, like a plana that stops me going back! I have already got rid of my trace elliot bass rig for a sensational mesa boogie head unit and 2 4x10 bins.

paul.

"Vinyl ... its the way of the future"

That was the mantra of an ex-workmate. He knew he had committed to living in Australia when he sent for his 400+ (I think it was) vinyl albums from the UK.

yeah, rotel is another good lower priced (in audiophile land) option....and Maranatz too, they did good CD/DVD players at decent price points a few years back.

you boys know that NAD do a phono stage plug in for their amps so you can connect a turntable any time you want.

spin the black circle

As someone who has put together one, maybe two av systems, and owns/owned NAD, rotel, Marantz, Denon, Yamaha, Nakamichi, Perreaux,  Adcom, Integra and a few more receivers and Amps, I reckon I may have a little help to impart..

First, I take audio quality is part of the package. not all of it. No point have the best sounding AV system if it take you 3 hours to turn it on. Unless you have valve amps, but that is different...

I'm currently sitting with a Yamaha RXV3800, running a Boston Accoustics VR2000 sub, a pair of Legacy Victorias for fronts, and a pair of Boston CR8's for rears. have an Integra 6.4 (or whatever) in the bedroom.

My personal choice to sell to clients is Yamaha. The price is fair (compared to the others - the importer of Denon marks up their gear stupidly, so the equivalent Denon models are a class more expensive, if you get my drift).

The reasoning behind this is that the Yamaha remote is probably the easiest of the bunch to use, the amps have plenty of inputs (in their respective classes) and the processing of both video and audio is excellent.

For pure audio power, I'd go for a Marantz, the power supplies are actually rated so that you may get most of the rated speaker power, with all channels on. ie - check the rating of the power supply on your amp (A) - then add up the number of speaker channels you have with the claimed power per channel (B). If A < B, then you don't have enough power to run all the speakers at full power at once. not normally an issue, but for those who listen to movies LOUD, with serious speakers, this is a consideration. Though, for those types I'd recommend proper discrete power amps for the speakers anyway.

I've actually been pretty impressed with Marantz for video too, though I am not a fan of their remotes. Though Denon wins the prize for the worst remote design by a retard award. If you need me to go through why, I'm happy to do it, but lets just say for ease of use, Yamaha is first, then Pioneer, Integra/Onkyo equal second, with NAD and Marantz third, and Denon a VERY distant 571st.

NAD has some nice gear, don't worry about the power rating being lower, numbers very rarely indicate actually power these days anyway.

As for speakers, it's personal, listen to all the speakers you are considering, but if music is your thing, skip the center and the rears, and get a better left/right and sub.

For heavens sake, avoid Harmon Kardon unless you enjoy warranty returns. Also, unless you like limited systems, avoid Bose, sound isn't really great either for what you pay.

Agreed with avoid Monster cables...

Ivan, just let me know, I can organise cost priced cables for you, and I'm happy to see if I can negotiate a good price on gear with some of the shops I deal with, pricing will probably be better than anything you can get yourself, especially if you do go NAD.

If you can, make sure the amp has HDMI, and upconverts the video. Very handy.

OK, back to work...

Z...

^^^^
If that doesn't make it clearer, nothing will.

Don't forget good speaker cables  [thumbsup]

I use QED 80 strand for the living room, and 40 for the roof speakers that are a long run.
Best if you can balance the cable lengths (so I'm told)

If you like Sci-fi movies, a good subbie that does low frequencies is useful. Your neighbours should be on the bridge with you   [beer]
(I like the REL subbie)

Thanks Zee - Pm sent.  [thumbsup]

suffice to say, I bit the bullet on a NAD T775HD.  A little boo-boo by the sales rep, meant I got it for almost half price. Too sweet to walk away from.

yep QED do some good stuff, I've used silver spiral on a few systems and another QED cable on my mothers (longer run, was watching costs). You run equal lengths to ensure exact impedance I believe.

Just checked the specs of the NAD 775HD - you should be very happy, it is a nice amp - especially if you got it at half price (which should be a touch above $2k - just to make sure the sales dude wasn't fibbing...). Actually, I kind of look forward to installing one...

Z...

ahh, yep!

love the industrial look of NAD, just big grey boxes full of nice noise. some people say there ugly, but I reckon they look serious and I'd rather have the money spent n the inside.