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Audiophiles ?

Started by mostro900, September 20, 2009, 09:59:08 PM

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mostro900

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 ?
03 M900
04 ET125
08 Sherpa

'when in doubt apply throttle' - it may not save you, but it will end the suspense

loony888

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.
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Spider

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.

mattyvas

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.

Betty

All we have is the pig.



Did that help?

No, didn't think so ;D
Believe post content at your own risk.

Todka

#5
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)

bigiain

#6


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

DosVerde

Quote from: mostro900 on September 20, 2009, 09:59:08 PM
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.

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.

goldFiSh

Quote from: mostro900 on September 20, 2009, 09:59:08 PM
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 ?

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!>

mostro900

Quote from: loony888 on September 20, 2009, 11:53:00 PM
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.


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.
03 M900
04 ET125
08 Sherpa

'when in doubt apply throttle' - it may not save you, but it will end the suspense

mostro900

Quote from: Spider on September 21, 2009, 12:55:16 AM
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.
Nice setup - I had B&W 601's. great sounding speakers. Decisions, decisions.
03 M900
04 ET125
08 Sherpa

'when in doubt apply throttle' - it may not save you, but it will end the suspense

mostro900

Quote from: mattyvas on September 21, 2009, 01:10:10 AM
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.

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.
03 M900
04 ET125
08 Sherpa

'when in doubt apply throttle' - it may not save you, but it will end the suspense

mostro900

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!


03 M900
04 ET125
08 Sherpa

'when in doubt apply throttle' - it may not save you, but it will end the suspense

Betty

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
Believe post content at your own risk.

bigiain

Quote from: mostro900 on September 21, 2009, 03:20:24 PMActually, someone just asked me yesterday about a vinyl they had found in the cupboard - thought it was a video thing!!!

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

big