GoldenBoy
12-04-2002, 11:44 AM
Some of you are familiar with the situation I was in from the 'Multichannel Dilema' thread I started, so I thought I'd update you all on my situation.
First off, thanks again everybody for all the help and suggestions. I finally did it. I decided on an A/V receiver. After carefully considering the Pioneer Elite 43TX, and 45TX as well as the Sony ES STR-DA2ES, STR-DA4ES and STR-DA7ES, I went with the Sony 4ES and ordered one up just a few minutes ago from Oade. Although I thought the sound of the Pioneers were really nice when I auditioned them (something I did for the Sonys and Pioneers 3 different times at 3 different locations), the sound of the Sonys, especially the 4ES and 7ES, just jumped out at me. They seemed more clear and open to me. What ultimately tipped the scales in Sony's favour for me, besides the sound, was the feature set. I just needed the 2 multichannel inputs on the Sony's for my SACD and DVD-A players. The Pioneers could not provide this for me.
My speaker problem was solved when I finally found a Tannoy consumer products dealer. So I figure for 2-channel listening, I can use the 4ES's pre-out capability and use it as just a pre and send the signal to my 2-channel power-amp. This way, I had only to purchase 2 rear speakers and a sub. I went with a pair of Tannoy Mercury series MX-1's( to match up with my pair of Tannoy Reveal) and a JBL PB10 powered sub. I figure I can always use 2 of my Cambridge Soundworks surrounds for the additional 1 or 2 channels in 6.1 or 7.1 mode respectively. As that would only be for movies, I'm not that concerned with it. I was more concerned with trying to match up surrounds to my Reveals and incorporating them into my multichannel setup for 5.1 playback of SACD's and, to a lesser extent, DVD-A's.
If I find over time that I am not satisfied with the sound of the Sony as a pre-amp for stereo playback, I could buy a new set of speakers and go back to using my B&K pre, and just using the Reveals for multi through the Sony. So, though I did not fulfill my dream of finding a receiver with a speaker pass through allowing me to use both systems independently while having my Tannoys serve double duty, I think the pre-out feature is a pretty good compromise.
In the meantime, I have finally upgraded my very poor multichannel gear so that I can enjoy Hi-Rez 5.1, be it SACD or DVD-A, in all its glory - and all is well for now my friends. :)
First off, thanks again everybody for all the help and suggestions. I finally did it. I decided on an A/V receiver. After carefully considering the Pioneer Elite 43TX, and 45TX as well as the Sony ES STR-DA2ES, STR-DA4ES and STR-DA7ES, I went with the Sony 4ES and ordered one up just a few minutes ago from Oade. Although I thought the sound of the Pioneers were really nice when I auditioned them (something I did for the Sonys and Pioneers 3 different times at 3 different locations), the sound of the Sonys, especially the 4ES and 7ES, just jumped out at me. They seemed more clear and open to me. What ultimately tipped the scales in Sony's favour for me, besides the sound, was the feature set. I just needed the 2 multichannel inputs on the Sony's for my SACD and DVD-A players. The Pioneers could not provide this for me.
My speaker problem was solved when I finally found a Tannoy consumer products dealer. So I figure for 2-channel listening, I can use the 4ES's pre-out capability and use it as just a pre and send the signal to my 2-channel power-amp. This way, I had only to purchase 2 rear speakers and a sub. I went with a pair of Tannoy Mercury series MX-1's( to match up with my pair of Tannoy Reveal) and a JBL PB10 powered sub. I figure I can always use 2 of my Cambridge Soundworks surrounds for the additional 1 or 2 channels in 6.1 or 7.1 mode respectively. As that would only be for movies, I'm not that concerned with it. I was more concerned with trying to match up surrounds to my Reveals and incorporating them into my multichannel setup for 5.1 playback of SACD's and, to a lesser extent, DVD-A's.
If I find over time that I am not satisfied with the sound of the Sony as a pre-amp for stereo playback, I could buy a new set of speakers and go back to using my B&K pre, and just using the Reveals for multi through the Sony. So, though I did not fulfill my dream of finding a receiver with a speaker pass through allowing me to use both systems independently while having my Tannoys serve double duty, I think the pre-out feature is a pretty good compromise.
In the meantime, I have finally upgraded my very poor multichannel gear so that I can enjoy Hi-Rez 5.1, be it SACD or DVD-A, in all its glory - and all is well for now my friends. :)