Question:
I'm out of touch with the current home cinema market and need :help: !
At the moment I have a multi-region Sony 725 DVD player and a Kenwood Prologic Amp (8500 model I think). Its now time to get myself a proper amp and would welcome advice on whats available. Ive had a quick look around a few online retailers and seen a Sony STR-DB1080QS that looks like it has more than enough features.
Has anybody got any exeperience of this amp? Any others I should look at.
My current speakers are a mis-match of Canon upfront (the domed case type) and Kenwoods at the rear. None of these will be kept, dont know what i was thinking when i bought them.:D
What are good speakers to look at for the above amp?
Domed Canon speakers and a Kenwood K-AV8500 ??? Good Lord man, where have you been since 1991 ???
Only joking, welcome to the forums. Someone will be along shortly to assist you :)
Mike.
And those Kenwoods are fine pieces of equipment.
Anybody??
Yamaha HTR-5540RDS (http://www.richersounds.com/index.php?f=itemdetl.php&p=206534) and a Mission speakerpack ? Just a thought...
Mike.
Flimbs, have you seen any reviews of the Yamaha? I posted about this amp a while ago and didn't hear nuffink.
Is it not the same as the Yamaha RX-V430 (?) ?
Mike.
Yes it is, just a different colour
Welcome,I have the Sony 725 dvd player (great machine).I use budget speakers Tannoy M3 fronts and backs Tannoy MC centre and Tannoy M10 sub with two Toshiba DD tv Speakers for front effects I used this set up on
( I owned Yamaha RXV-795A) replaced by Yamaha RXV-800
I currently have Yamaha DSP-AX2 amp
The sound was fantastic to me and I was very pleased with this set up....I prefer Yamaha over Sony as I bought the older 940 and had problems with hissing which I never heard on either of the Yamaha's also Sony 1080 was at the same time as purchase of Yam AX2 so this is the reason for Yamaha purchase.
You can get much more expensive speakers than the Tannoys but I am happy with them and do not want to change them.
I hope this may help....
swartzy
;)
I'd go for the Sony. I believe the 1080 is highly rated for musical quality compared to the 940 that I've got, but I can certainly testify that the 940 is excellent for films (never experienced any hissing myself, sounds like that must have been a defective amp). Is the 1080 a DD6.1 EX decoder?
Don't know what to recommend for speakers, but I got a set of Mission speakers (Cinema 1 I think it was called), which are a pack. A bit budget perhaps, but they sound pretty cool to me, though lacking a sub. The newer packs are better and get good reviews. Doubt my speakers would be "audiophile" enough for some :dork:s though :p.
I owned the Sony 940 too and I really did think like yourself it was great until I played cds in it and they sounded tinny......
The problem I discovered with the Hissing was experienced with quite a lot of people with the same model both at low and high volumes.Please this is not a dig at the amp but just an observation that I had especially when I changed to the Yamaha RXV-795A which lost the Sony in every department i.e. movies,music and very low distortion levels i.e. hissing was non existent.I then tried the Yamaha AX2 and whilst the Tannoys are mere budget I was still happy with the much clearer sound from the Yamaha compared to Sony.I know this is down to personal taste and opinion but the best test is to try before you buy....
thanks
swartzy;)
Definitely never noticed the hissing, but I know the reviews weren't great on the 940 for music CDs. Does the job for me, but I'm sure if I got something better I'll be able to tell the difference. However, I think the 1080 got praise for it's music quality for the improvements they made since the 940.
I had considered Yamaha, but RicherSounds strangely gave me 100% back on my old amp (Sherwood) when I asked about the Sony (this is with their 50% buyback :confused: :D), so the 940 cost me £99. I'm a bit of a Sony fan anyway ;)
As you say though, try before you buy (or buy with some kind of return policy).
Still got a fair amount of time left on my current 50% buyback with Richer (still on the old system, so I got 3 years 50% buyback guarantee), so can change to another model if I want :D, but I'm happy with the 940 for the moment.
I also like Sony amps. I like seeing the blue 5.1 light on the player as well as the amp. I have a 930 amp and it has served me well over the years. I also think it is good for music if you have the right set of speakers.
I probably go for the 1080 amp if I got onen now (is that the one with two 5.1 phono inputs?)
I recommend the B&W 600 S3 speakers.
Thanks for the replies:clap:
I'm going to take a closer look at the Sony 1080 at my local Practical Hifi - I think they also have some Yamaha and Denon kit it. At least I can look and play there and (perhaps) buy elsewhere.
I bought What HiFi the other weekend and was looking through at the speakers etc. What a choice! I like the looks of the KEF KHT2005, but arent sure how you mount the speakers. If I could find the room for them AE Evo 3B's look a possibility.
I get the impression from reading this site and also the mag, that DVD players dont seem to play normal audio CD's well? I bought a Cambridge Audio CD and seperate DAC years ago which I was going to get rid off, should I keep this for Audio instead of using the Sony?
Can anybody give me an idea of what I should ask for the Kenwood K-AV8500. I note that I cant advertise on this site without an asking price and Ive no idea what its worth.
I get the impression from reading this site and also the mag, that DVD players dont seem to play normal audio CD's well?
DVD players play CD's better than people give them credit for. MY Sony 900 is the best CD player I have heard and is better than a £500 CD player I used to have.
I use the internal DAC of my player and put it though a valve amplifier. The amplifier probably helps a lot though.
What Hi-Fi has it's head stuck up it's audiophile arse when it comes to claims of CD audio quality on DVD players. If the DACs inside the player are of the same quality, there's no reason why it can't be as good as an audio CD player. Magazines like this never do true blind tests, so they go by brand name, price and whether it looks sufficiently 70s enough (and whether you're wearing sandals and have a beard at the time) ;)
If you test a good hi-end DVD player against a good hi-end CD player it'll play CDs fine most likely. Test a cheap DVD player against a hi-end CD and of course it might be rubbish.
Many DVD players have satisfied the market by using better DACs and also dual-lasers (just to convince people, as one laser is "tuned" to CD, though in reality it'll read the data the same).
The audiophiles will of course come out with dozens of analytical graphs of signals to prove some microscopic discrepancy, and yes there are going to be differences, but a good DAC will sort out these issues and under a proper blind test you'd never know the difference.
I traded the Kenwood in for a Sony 1080 today.
I was also looking at the Kef2005 speakers - I can trade in my existing speakers to make the deal more likeable to my wallet.
The shop also had some Infinity speakers which I'm also considering. The Kef's look good but Im not sure about mounting, plus Im not convinced something so small can match a proper speaker enclosure.
Any comments on the Kefs would be most welcome. Can something so small make such a good sound? What happens when you play normal audio CD's with 2 channel sound, can these small speakers recreate the sound and bass, or can I put the amp into a mode where it feeds the subwoofer?
What shop are you able to do trade in's with?
Originally posted by Gavin
What shop are you able to do trade in's with?
My local Practical HiFi do trade in's.
Originally posted by Gavin
What shop are you able to do trade in's with?
Buy from RicherSounds and pay for the incredibly cheap warranty (none of your dodgy overpriced Dixons/Currys rubbish, this is actually worth the paper/card it's printed on), and it'll come with buy-back :clap:. I gather the deal isn't so great these days but I've still got ages on my 3-year 50% buyback (not only that but last time they gave me 100% back for some reason on my previous amp :D).
Originally posted by DeadKenny
Buy from RicherSounds and pay for the incredibly cheap warranty
Doesn't help a lot when I already bought my amp from Richer over 3 years ago and didn't take supercare, doh :brickwall
At the moment I have a multi-region Sony 725 DVD player and a Kenwood Prologic Amp (8500 model I think). Its now time to get myself a proper amp and would welcome advice on whats available. Ive had a quick look around a few online retailers and seen a Sony STR-DB1080QS that looks like it has more than enough features.
Has anybody got any exeperience of this amp? Any others I should look at.
My current speakers are a mis-match of Canon upfront (the domed case type) and Kenwoods at the rear. None of these will be kept, dont know what i was thinking when i bought them.:D
What are good speakers to look at for the above amp?
Answers:
Domed Canon speakers and a Kenwood K-AV8500 ??? Good Lord man, where have you been since 1991 ???
Only joking, welcome to the forums. Someone will be along shortly to assist you :)
Mike.
And those Kenwoods are fine pieces of equipment.
Answers:
Anybody??
Answers:
Yamaha HTR-5540RDS (http://www.richersounds.com/index.php?f=itemdetl.php&p=206534) and a Mission speakerpack ? Just a thought...
Mike.
Answers:
Flimbs, have you seen any reviews of the Yamaha? I posted about this amp a while ago and didn't hear nuffink.
Answers:
Is it not the same as the Yamaha RX-V430 (?) ?
Mike.
Answers:
Yes it is, just a different colour
Answers:
Welcome,I have the Sony 725 dvd player (great machine).I use budget speakers Tannoy M3 fronts and backs Tannoy MC centre and Tannoy M10 sub with two Toshiba DD tv Speakers for front effects I used this set up on
( I owned Yamaha RXV-795A) replaced by Yamaha RXV-800
I currently have Yamaha DSP-AX2 amp
The sound was fantastic to me and I was very pleased with this set up....I prefer Yamaha over Sony as I bought the older 940 and had problems with hissing which I never heard on either of the Yamaha's also Sony 1080 was at the same time as purchase of Yam AX2 so this is the reason for Yamaha purchase.
You can get much more expensive speakers than the Tannoys but I am happy with them and do not want to change them.
I hope this may help....
swartzy
;)
Answers:
I'd go for the Sony. I believe the 1080 is highly rated for musical quality compared to the 940 that I've got, but I can certainly testify that the 940 is excellent for films (never experienced any hissing myself, sounds like that must have been a defective amp). Is the 1080 a DD6.1 EX decoder?
Don't know what to recommend for speakers, but I got a set of Mission speakers (Cinema 1 I think it was called), which are a pack. A bit budget perhaps, but they sound pretty cool to me, though lacking a sub. The newer packs are better and get good reviews. Doubt my speakers would be "audiophile" enough for some :dork:s though :p.
Answers:
I owned the Sony 940 too and I really did think like yourself it was great until I played cds in it and they sounded tinny......
The problem I discovered with the Hissing was experienced with quite a lot of people with the same model both at low and high volumes.Please this is not a dig at the amp but just an observation that I had especially when I changed to the Yamaha RXV-795A which lost the Sony in every department i.e. movies,music and very low distortion levels i.e. hissing was non existent.I then tried the Yamaha AX2 and whilst the Tannoys are mere budget I was still happy with the much clearer sound from the Yamaha compared to Sony.I know this is down to personal taste and opinion but the best test is to try before you buy....
thanks
swartzy;)
Answers:
Definitely never noticed the hissing, but I know the reviews weren't great on the 940 for music CDs. Does the job for me, but I'm sure if I got something better I'll be able to tell the difference. However, I think the 1080 got praise for it's music quality for the improvements they made since the 940.
I had considered Yamaha, but RicherSounds strangely gave me 100% back on my old amp (Sherwood) when I asked about the Sony (this is with their 50% buyback :confused: :D), so the 940 cost me £99. I'm a bit of a Sony fan anyway ;)
As you say though, try before you buy (or buy with some kind of return policy).
Still got a fair amount of time left on my current 50% buyback with Richer (still on the old system, so I got 3 years 50% buyback guarantee), so can change to another model if I want :D, but I'm happy with the 940 for the moment.
Answers:
I also like Sony amps. I like seeing the blue 5.1 light on the player as well as the amp. I have a 930 amp and it has served me well over the years. I also think it is good for music if you have the right set of speakers.
I probably go for the 1080 amp if I got onen now (is that the one with two 5.1 phono inputs?)
I recommend the B&W 600 S3 speakers.
Answers:
Thanks for the replies:clap:
I'm going to take a closer look at the Sony 1080 at my local Practical Hifi - I think they also have some Yamaha and Denon kit it. At least I can look and play there and (perhaps) buy elsewhere.
I bought What HiFi the other weekend and was looking through at the speakers etc. What a choice! I like the looks of the KEF KHT2005, but arent sure how you mount the speakers. If I could find the room for them AE Evo 3B's look a possibility.
I get the impression from reading this site and also the mag, that DVD players dont seem to play normal audio CD's well? I bought a Cambridge Audio CD and seperate DAC years ago which I was going to get rid off, should I keep this for Audio instead of using the Sony?
Can anybody give me an idea of what I should ask for the Kenwood K-AV8500. I note that I cant advertise on this site without an asking price and Ive no idea what its worth.
Answers:
I get the impression from reading this site and also the mag, that DVD players dont seem to play normal audio CD's well?
DVD players play CD's better than people give them credit for. MY Sony 900 is the best CD player I have heard and is better than a £500 CD player I used to have.
I use the internal DAC of my player and put it though a valve amplifier. The amplifier probably helps a lot though.
Answers:
What Hi-Fi has it's head stuck up it's audiophile arse when it comes to claims of CD audio quality on DVD players. If the DACs inside the player are of the same quality, there's no reason why it can't be as good as an audio CD player. Magazines like this never do true blind tests, so they go by brand name, price and whether it looks sufficiently 70s enough (and whether you're wearing sandals and have a beard at the time) ;)
If you test a good hi-end DVD player against a good hi-end CD player it'll play CDs fine most likely. Test a cheap DVD player against a hi-end CD and of course it might be rubbish.
Many DVD players have satisfied the market by using better DACs and also dual-lasers (just to convince people, as one laser is "tuned" to CD, though in reality it'll read the data the same).
The audiophiles will of course come out with dozens of analytical graphs of signals to prove some microscopic discrepancy, and yes there are going to be differences, but a good DAC will sort out these issues and under a proper blind test you'd never know the difference.
Answers:
I traded the Kenwood in for a Sony 1080 today.
I was also looking at the Kef2005 speakers - I can trade in my existing speakers to make the deal more likeable to my wallet.
The shop also had some Infinity speakers which I'm also considering. The Kef's look good but Im not sure about mounting, plus Im not convinced something so small can match a proper speaker enclosure.
Any comments on the Kefs would be most welcome. Can something so small make such a good sound? What happens when you play normal audio CD's with 2 channel sound, can these small speakers recreate the sound and bass, or can I put the amp into a mode where it feeds the subwoofer?
Answers:
What shop are you able to do trade in's with?
Answers:
Originally posted by Gavin
What shop are you able to do trade in's with?
My local Practical HiFi do trade in's.
Answers:
Originally posted by Gavin
What shop are you able to do trade in's with?
Buy from RicherSounds and pay for the incredibly cheap warranty (none of your dodgy overpriced Dixons/Currys rubbish, this is actually worth the paper/card it's printed on), and it'll come with buy-back :clap:. I gather the deal isn't so great these days but I've still got ages on my 3-year 50% buyback (not only that but last time they gave me 100% back for some reason on my previous amp :D).
Answers:
Originally posted by DeadKenny
Buy from RicherSounds and pay for the incredibly cheap warranty
Doesn't help a lot when I already bought my amp from Richer over 3 years ago and didn't take supercare, doh :brickwall
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