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Help please upgrading my old Pre/Pro..

IBackground:

I've been running my current system for almost 20 years and it consists of the following: It is a 5.0 system as I am not running a sub for either music/HT and I'm pretty happy with the Stratus Golds job on the bass as they go down to about 36HZ.

PSB Stratus Golds - Front Main
PSB Status C6 - Center
Niles Audio In-Walls - Rear Surround

Acurus ACT-3 Pre/Pro
Panasonic BMP-BDT 300 Blu-ray player
Aragon 8008x3 - L, R, C
Aragon 8008x2 - Rear Surrounds

Luxman 10 band Equalizer (+- 10db equalization)

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While I am very happy with this setup and it does sound great for both HT and 2 channel stereo I am looking to upgrade my PRE/PRO (Acurus). MY ACT-3 was bought in 1997 and has 24 bit Crystal DACS. It does Dolby Digital and DTS but does not have the newer decoding formats. I am also looking for a unit that will provide bass/treble adjustments as I like to boost both and is the reason I am running the Luxman in line for the Front Mains (Stratus Golds). I'd like to remove the Luxman if possible if I gain the tone controls and/or 10 band EQ in the PRE/PRO.

So my wants in a new PRE/PRO come down to this:

1) hopefully a bit better sonic quality than the Acurus ACT-3
2) new surround sound decoding that HOPEFULLY a new pre/pro can down convert to my 5.0 system? Will this sound better or just about the same as my old pre/pro processing and at that point not worthwhile to upgrade?
3) be able to adjust tone/EQ to boost the bass and treble like I prefer
4) not an absolute want but gaining wifi streaming to play music off my desktop PC and Spotify would be nice (without purchasing separate unit like SONOS connect etc. to do the streaming)

Someone mentioned to check out the new Marantz AV7703 or possibly bump up to the AV8802a but I didn't think that Marantz sound quality was on the same level with say Acurus/Aragon but I may be mistaken as I haven't listened to any of the Marantz pieces?

That said, can the "sound gurus" on this fine board provide some opinions/options on my pre/pro upgrade wishes?

venom
venom OP
11 posts
 
Thanks Bob.

What do you think of the new AV7703. I can get a great deal on that unit as opposed to getting the AV8802. Do you think I’d be giving up alot sonically going with the the 7703 vs 8802? The dealer is telling me that he thinks the sonic quality is about the same between the units but I’m not sure I believe him?

What’s your opinion? I can save quite a bit going for the 7703, I just don’t want to take a step backwards in the sonic department going from my Acurus ACT-3 to the Marantz..

Also regarding the suggestions to add a sub to my Stratus Golds. I just bought a REL-328 used to augment my 2 channel system running Magnepan 1.7is and LOVE the way that sub sounds. It is quick and tight and matches the bass of the Maggies. Does anyone think that a REL sub would blend well with the PSB Stratus Golds? And if so would they recommend running the Stratus "full range" with the Neutrik connector on the amp (have it running this way on the Magnepan 1.7i's and sounds awesome) and blend the crossover on the REL into the bottom range of the Stratus Mains (like up to 45hz or so)?
venom OP
11 posts
 
friendly bump...
willland's avatar
willland
846 posts
 
I have been using an NAD T175HD pre/pro with a pair of Acurus amps(A200/A200X3) for about 4.5 years and see no reason to swap anything out.  It just works great together for HT and music.

Bill
Post removed 
auxinput
2,920 posts
 

First comments, based on your setup. Are you using a 3-channel 8008 for L/C/R and a 2-channel 8008 for surrounds? If so, I would switch them around and use the 2-channel 8008 for Left/Right and the 3-channel for surround-center-surround. The 2-channel 8008 has better power supply to drive your main speakers. The surround channels hardly get any demanding signals, so it won’t be as bad of a draw from your center channel audio.

That being said, on the preamp/processor options, if you want stuff such as internet streaming radio / Spotify and the new Dolby Atmos and DTS:X standards, then you have to choose between Marantz and Integra. If you’re not concerned about streaming internet radio options, then Emotiva XMC-1 is an option. Emotiva is working on an upgrade to support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. All three of these companies have multi-band eq (like a 9 or 10 band equalizer). All three have automatic room correction processes (usually disables the use of manual EQ).

I know Bob said you’d be happy with either Marantz model, but I believe there will be a difference in sound quality. The only reason I would buy the new AV7703 is if I wanted some of the new features Marantz is producing (such as HEOS wireless streaming, etc.). The AV7703 does have the HDAM discrete audio modules, but the AV8802 puts more into this area. Google for internal pics of the AV8802 and you see better power supply and audio module support. You will see that the AV8802 has 13 distinct modules inside from left-to-right to support 13 individual channels. The AV7703 has these all on a single main board and has less of a power supply. There’s more empty space inside the AV7703 chassis. I would even go with the assumption that the AV8802 is going to be better than the Emotiva (Emotiva uses op amp based audio sections and a switching power supply).

There are other options such as Bryston/Krell/Classe, but they may not support everything you want. These are good options for sound quality, but some features may be lacking. Bryston does not have bass/treble/eq/room correction AT ALL (they don’t believe in it). The new Bryston sound (SP3) is also a more laid-back sound that lacks mid/high frequency detail and impact (not my taste). Krell Foundation has automatic room correct (ARES), but no manual eq. Classe does have multi-band EQ, but does not support 4K/HDCP2.2 (if that matters to you). None of these 3 support Dolby Atmos or DTS:X.

I don’t think you want to consider spending over $12,000 for something like McIntosh or Theta Digital. I have read that McIntosh is horribly buggy with their firmware and lack of support. Theta is just insanely expensive.

Sounds like you really want an EQ. If you don’t care about 4K, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, internet streaming, then the Classe SSP-800 might be a really good option if you’re looking for exotic level sound quality. Otherwise, I’d go with Marantz AV8802. It’s difficult to say which of these 2 might be better.

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