Should have said, "... used an ARC SP-10 with the Brystons."
System Upgrade Recommendations
Hello Everyone,
I'm looking for feedback for upgrading my system. I'm just getting into HiFi and wanted to get some feedback from audio enthusiasts. I think I'm basically done with my Home Theater setup, but would like to improve my 2 Channel listening experience. I listen to music about 50% of the time, watch 2-Channel TV 30% of the time, and watch 5.1 movies, TV about 20% of the time.
I have the following set-up and about $2k to update the system and will have another $2k in 6 months:
I'm debating on putting all $2k into a stereo amp, then $2k into a pre-amp with HT Bypass and music source in 6 months or splitting the $2k into an integrated amp with HT Bypass and a music source now.
I currently play my music via Spotify Connect through my receiver and don't have a music collection at all. If I move away from Spotify (which I want to) I need to re-allocate some of my equipment funds towards purchasing a music collection (CD, Vinyl, or Digital) or reallocate $250/year of my equipment funds to a Tidal Premium subscription. I plan on putting a Vinyl collection in the future (1+ years from now) but I don't feel that my current setup will benefit from Vinyl.
How would you spend $2k to improve my 2-Channel listening experience? Any recommendations on specific equipment that I should listen to?
I'm looking for feedback for upgrading my system. I'm just getting into HiFi and wanted to get some feedback from audio enthusiasts. I think I'm basically done with my Home Theater setup, but would like to improve my 2 Channel listening experience. I listen to music about 50% of the time, watch 2-Channel TV 30% of the time, and watch 5.1 movies, TV about 20% of the time.
I have the following set-up and about $2k to update the system and will have another $2k in 6 months:
- Magnepan 1.7i Speakers
- Marantz SR6010 Receiver
- Rel T-7 Sub
- MartinLogan Motion 4 Surrounds
I'm debating on putting all $2k into a stereo amp, then $2k into a pre-amp with HT Bypass and music source in 6 months or splitting the $2k into an integrated amp with HT Bypass and a music source now.
I currently play my music via Spotify Connect through my receiver and don't have a music collection at all. If I move away from Spotify (which I want to) I need to re-allocate some of my equipment funds towards purchasing a music collection (CD, Vinyl, or Digital) or reallocate $250/year of my equipment funds to a Tidal Premium subscription. I plan on putting a Vinyl collection in the future (1+ years from now) but I don't feel that my current setup will benefit from Vinyl.
How would you spend $2k to improve my 2-Channel listening experience? Any recommendations on specific equipment that I should listen to?
28 responses Add your response
That is not a small room, so a bit more power such as delivered by an extra sub will not go amiss. And a second sub makes for a much smoother response in the low frequencies. A second hand T7 is a good idea, therefore, but if you find one (I am sure you will) do not omit the Antimode 8033 room eq. It really makes a difference. |
Why not buy a second REL T7 and a DSpeaker Antimode 8033 room eq? It will give you somewhat more power and dynamics, plus a much cleaner bass. How big is the room? The 110 watt per channel in stereo mode of the Marantz is pretty decent as long as the room is not huge. If you want more power you can always connect a pro audio power amp like the Yamaha P2500s or P3500s (if you can still find them). |
After all the recs for Odyssey and speaking with Klause and Magerman at Rogue Audio, I'm down to looking at the Odyssey Khartago, Odyssey Stratos, Rogue Sphinx, or used Rogue Pharaoh (first 3x would be new). I can't seem to find any Bryston SST squared's in my budget. I'm thinking that in a 3-5 years I would like to replace my amp with a pair of mono's so I'm hesitant to spend $4k on an amp and then want to replace it. Plus I'm very new to mid level audio. I spent the last 4 years with Polk Monitor 40's and a Denon 75wpc receiver. |
@rjb1101 - your dealer's statement that a "home theater bypass" in a preamp will completely bypass the 2x preamp stages in a particular preamp is not entirely correct. A lot of preamps will just act as a "unity gain stage". This means that the signal will still go through the one or two analog stages (which are usually configured to be unity gain anyways -- the definition of unity gain being that a signal exits the analog circuit at the same voltage level as input). In a lot of cases, the "home theater bypass" will just bypass the volume attenuation and balance controls (which are usually just volume potentiometers or resistor-ladder arrays). It's not always clear what a preamp will actually do. For example, looking at any Krell preamp documentation, their documentation specifically states that the unit will act as a "unity gain stage" and the volume/balance controls are disabled for "ease of use" -- so that you can use the volume & speaker calibration from the HT receiver. Sometimes a unit documentation will not specifically say what exacty it does (whether it is truly bypassing the analog circuits or just bypassing/disabling any volume/balance/tone adjustors). In any event, I would not call this a degradation of sound quality. Running the sound through a very nice preamp analog stages can help shape the sound better. This may, at a minimum, give you better sonic quality when music plays during a movie (primarily output on left/right channels). Also, you don't necessarily have to have a "home theater bypass", per say. If you don't, you will just have to set the preamp/integrated volume setting at exactly the same place you did when you calibrated the left/right channels on the HT Receiver. |
If your end goal is to have both a 2 channel High fidelity system and a Home Theater system than you should seperate them to get the best out of each system. You have a pair of great speakers, but you will not hear what they can do through the preamp section of a HT receiver! And we you combine hi-fi speakers with home theater speakers when listening to your home theater (movie) you will not have matched speakers (tonally). Build your 2 channel listening system with the best components you can (Bryston, Parasound or another brand) and the Maggies. Keep the Marantz for HT, that is what it is designed to do! The Rel might be used for 2 channel if you blend the low freq correctly to the Maggies.... |
Im going to disagree a bit with your Maggie dealer, although technically speaking he may have a point. I highly doubt running the preamp outs from your Marantz to a high quality stereo preamp is going to degrade the sound meaningfully if at all, especially since this will be in HT mode where purity of the signal is relatively less critical. Plus, the lion’s share of any signal degradation is coming from the preamp section of a $1000 audio/video receiver, not a good stereo pre. Suffice it to say, from my perspective the flexibility and increase in the number of options open to you for a good stereo pre without HT bypass far outweigh any signal degradation you’re likely to experience in HT operation. And more options also means you’re more likely to get a better deal. All else being equal I’d prefer having an HT bypass for the convenience of it more than anything else, but in audio all else never seems to be equal. BTW, there is a nice McCormack DNA1 amp with Steve’s silver level mods available here now for about $1300 that should drive your Maggies nicely and sound great. Might be worth a look along with Bryston. I'd look at the SSTsquared Brystons as I found them to be more refined sounding than the original SST. A tubed pre with a solid state amp can be a great combo (I'm going this direction myself), but keep in mind in most instances you'll be burning through your tubes while watching TV since you'll likely need to have your stereo preamp turned on in this configuration. Anyway, that’s my $0.02. Hope it helps and best of luck. |
Bryston warranty is transferable. For new gear you need the original sales receipt from an authorized dealer. Almost everyone who sells newer Brystons on A'Gon have this receipt. When you send amp for repair you need to send the original receipt. Older Bryston amps (I believe 2006 and older) do not require the original sales receipt for warranty coverage. I think the SST line may fall into this group. You can check the following 2 links to get exact details, http://www.bryston.com/pages/warranty.html http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=57.0 The newer Bryton amps, the Cubed line, are supposed to be quite tubey. I previously had the SST line and I would not classify that product line as soft. |
jl35,Amp for sure But with Spotify as source it won't really matter. I'll change my source from spotify in the next 6-12 months, I just wanted to know if I should allocate my money towards changing my source now or put more money on an amp now and change my source in 6-9 months. terry9, Has anyone heard the Bryson SST amps with a Tube pre-amp. Is this a route worth exploring in the future? If the warranty were still transferrable I would definately jump at one of these. That would be a huge selling point. But if I can get a used one at 50% off, I could save some of my money for repairs. soix,My Marantz does have preamp outs. I just purchased it and the Maggie's 2 weeks ago. I haven't received the Maggie's yet, but I'm super happy with the preamp-outs. The Maggie dealer said not to hook the Marantz preamp-outs to an integrated amp without HT bypass, because you will be sending the audio signal through 2x pre-amp sections which will add to any distortion caused by either of the pre-amp sections. He said the advantage of the HT bypass is bypassing the preamp section of the amp, not just bypassing the volume control. |
check this out: new for 2017 https://www.outlawaudio.com/products/rr2160_about.html S'phile seems to like it a lot too |
Bryston SST amplifiers work beautifully with Magnepans. I used the combination for years before moving to Quad ESL's. You should be able to find something used within your budget - and the Bryston warrantee of 20 years or so (not transferrable any more, so I understand) gives you some measure of confidence in their robustness. |
Think your approach of a dedicated stereo amp/pre or integrated is an excellent one assuming your Marantz has preamp outs. I did that for years before I got a dedicated listening room. Best of both worlds and your Maggies will greatly reward you for it. BTW, no need to limit yourself to units with HT bypass. If you just set the 5.1 balance with the stereo pre at a known reference point (I used 12:00 to make it easy) it works fine and you'll have tons more options to choose from. Just need to remember to lower volume on stereo preamp when switching back to 2-channel listening. Best of luck. |
I had to make a similar choice some years back and decided I liked to listen to music much more than building a Home Theater. Here is just one idea, of many, you could entertain. Sell your ML speakers and keep your Marantz SR6010 if you really like it. Find an Energy 5.1 Take Classic Home Theater system speaker package for your Home Theater. It’s a great system with a set of 6 speakers that include a sub. It will be a tonal match for all speakers and perfect for a surround experience. It costs a total of $300 on amazon. Now that is your home theater system. You can now build a hi-if system with the remaining $4,500. If you will want both an analog and a digital hi-if stereo, look at the Parasound Halo integrated. It has a great power supply and you can connect your Rel sub to it to blend well with your Maggie’s. Now get the Bluesound Node 2. This system will leave money leftover for a turntable and will be a great way to stream music. Alternatively, you can get the Bluesound Vault 2 to rip all your CDs into the device and create FLAC files but not much leftover for a turntable. It is also a streaming device. Either component can be your digital front end. Parasound Halo Integrated - $2,500, Bluesound Node 2 - $500, Bluesound Vault 2 - $1,200. This can all be done for around $3.3 to $4k The more $$ if you are able to get for the ML surrounds will be additional money toward any other HT speaker package or a turntable you may want. |
I'd buy a good SS amp to drive the Maggies (I use an old Sunfire on my 3.7i's). Maybe a NuForce. I'd work on room tmts. - not spendy and you can DIY a lot of it; can take time. So buy a copy of the Master Handbook of Acoustics (or check out from your library). I would then explore the very best CDs or SACDs based on reviews of which are the best masterings/recordings of music you like - there are some threads here and Steve Hoffman forum has lots of listening opinions. I'm not familiar with the age or SQ of that Marantz but all Marantz products are well regarded for their niche. But I would think hard about a good DAC. Teac and Oppo Sonica (or an Oppo universal disc player which has the guts of the Sonica in it). Streaming services to consider are Tidal and Roon. I think the above is inside your 2k budget. |
