Bi-amp through receiver vs pre out to 2 channel for fronts

I am not a big integrated amp guy.  It is my observation that the best audio comes from separate pre-amp and amp combo.  In that, you will need to budget for interconnects as well.  Not Monster Cable...please don't. … and...don't buy a single dang thing that is coming from China on ebay,,,especially periferals such as cables.  Fraud everywhere.

Two of the best reviewed 5.1 - 7.2 pre-amps under $5k are from Emotiva (for stereo best sound) and from Marantz (for surround best sound).  The Marantz can be had at very good prices refurbed or used and would be in line with your speakers abilities and price points.   There's a LOT  out there to mill thru though. 

Not sure what your budget is, but (don't laugh) one of the best amps for the money new (IMO) is the Monoprice Monolith 7, which can be configured as 2, 3, 5, or 7 channel, as it is modular, and you can add channels as your budget allows or needs demand.  It was awarded amplifier of the year 2016 by one of the big (I think it was Absolute Sound) audio review publications.  Monoprice basically ripped off the design of Emotiva and produced a quality at near the Outlaw Amps quality for 2/3 the price.  Above that would be the Outlaw, and then the Emotiva, and then the other amps you have already mentioned, ie NAD and Parasound.  

Then used is another consideration. A good number of enthusiasts flip through their gear every 2-5 years. You can get some really great deals on very hi end amps pre-owned, from craigslist and places like Audiogon, and yes, Ebay.  Amps are as near forever as it gets amongst your components.  The design of most standalone amps is very straightforward, without much of any, if at all, circuit boards, or delicate items...they tend to be power generating tanks.  When you buy a separate amp, its tech is good for 20+ years, and the sound is good for as long as you are happy with it.   Take the Parasound Halo A51/21/31 line for example.  Their design is completely unchanged since its introduction in 2003...yet they are still regarded as amongst the very best at their price point when purchasing new, today, and even in recent years have received best of awards from audio publications.... for a 15 year old design. Bryston amps carry a 20 year transfer warranty and they are awesome...slightly crisp on the highs, but your Golds would do justice with that.

 

sfcfran56 posts08-10-2018 7:11pmI am not a big integrated amp guy. It is my observation that the best audio comes from separate pre-amp and amp combo. In that, you will need to budget for interconnects as well. Not Monster Cable...please don't. … and...don't buy a single dang thing that is coming from China on ebay,,,especially periferals such as cables. Fraud everywhere.

The thing is, integrated amps can be awesome.  You can't make a blanket statement about them.  They are the less expensive way to go in many situations.  He does have a lower budget, so a top integrated is his best option.  This is why I shared the Belles Aria integrated amp.

I've heard most of the contenders in most price ranges and the Belles hits higher above it's price range of 1800 than any of the other's I"ve heard.  If you audition it vs the Parasound line you may agree.  I chose the Belles each time over the Parasound when doing a blind test.  Again, that's my palette, but Parasound makes a good product also.

It's also implementation.  I proudly own an Ayre AX5/20 integrated amp.  The pre on this amp is similar to the pre amp in their reference KXR pre amp. That pre is as good as any pre I've ever heard and again, I've heard many many reference pre's.  Teh other thing when going with a nice integrated amp is that you don't need another hook up. Any hook up will lower the sound quality.  Again, implementation is most important and then it comes down to the interconnect you use.  Hopefully it's a balanced one as that's a better connection than a single ended connection as long as the balanced is a true dual differential balanced connection.

As for Rotel, you like anything else, you need to listen to their top integrated amp.  It really offers a lot for the money, but it's still not as good as a Belles Aria.

All of it depends on what speakers he's using too.  Synergy is most important.  That hasn't even been discussed has it?  I may have missed it.

Yep! I’m using Monitor Audio Gold 100s. My Silvers have a nice neutral sound to them and now it feels like my receiver is underpowered for the Golds and the sound is not as neutral and smooth and certain highs and lows are popping out of nowhere while watching a movie which I’m guessing is bad movie sound editing. I feel like I’m missing some mid bass too and I have the speakers plugs out.

Hi ctsooner...  I agree...quite frankly every type of component has overachievers...it's a matter of finding which they are in which category and price point, but always will come back to the synergy with the speakers and system as a whole.  ..  yes... I hit that with craigert earlier, referring him to threads of monitor gold owners for recommendations.

Ayre and belle, both amazing gear.  My preference on my system was the parasound, haven taken my bahemoth of a center channel  and 2 bookshelves to audition at a few audio dealers, a cousins house, and a brothers. Covered the spectrum well.. though as I stated...never heard a rotel.

Craigert, the moral of the story is: patience is the name of the game.  You are talking serious money, and there's a lot to know.  In the endgame, when you have a very few components in mind, you really need to go audition them with your speakers!, (or do a lending scenario)  In the end, your long term happiness with the hard earned $ spent will be about the synergy of your listening preferences.  No 1 "best" rated amp or other, is necessarily the best with your gear.

Gotcha. All good advice. A couple amps being used by Monitor owners are Simaudio Moon, Roksan, and I believe maybe I saw a Belles. Moon and Roksan are very expensive and hard to find used.

You guys may want to kill me, but my goal is mainly to have an all around system I can be happy with for now. In other words, I may ditch the receiver and buy an AV processor with a separate multichannel amp. Down the the road I will buy a Rogue Cronus Magnum II tube amp (integrated) just for music since it’s what the hifi house paired with the speakers I bought from them in the showroom.