I found a Rotel RMB 1077 Class D ICEpower amp for $600. I wasnt planning to buy quite yet but that is great amp from what i've read and the price seems really too good to pass up. Hard to say though because I cant find any on the used market to compare to.
Keep B&K 507 or Onkyo NR905 OLD receiver advice
I keep going back and forth on this decision. I have two
great old amps B&K AVR 507 and Onkyo TX-NR905 which I equally love -
perhaps the slight edge to the onkyo b/c it is easier to use for the whole
family. We recently moved and my systems needs have changed so i am combining
my two systems into 1.
I currently have:
TV LG OLED 65c7, 5 B&W - CDM 1NTs, 2 Paradigm ADP-470v3, Paradigm PW-2100,
Monitor Audio Radius R720 Sub, Aperion 533-VAC center, 1 B&W M1, Vienna
Acoustics Bach Grands. I know I know- a quilt of audio equip.
My plan. Sell the CDM-1NTs. My fronts will be the Vienna Bach Grands that i
love. I also think these get low enough so I can lose both subs. The Aperion
533 VAC will be the center and the surrounds will be the Paradigm ADP 470v3
(though I may opt to have 2 CDM 1s as surrounds depending on how i can set up
the room.
Now what AVR? I listen mostly to music, but would not consider myself an
audiophile in the least – lets say 75/25 in favor of music. They are both old
and 4k upscaling will not happen from the receiver but my TV may be able to
pull it off. I read another forum where if fed a 1080p signal the LG c7 does a
good job at upscaling to 4k. The B&K does not have hdmi so the sound would
be limited to an optical connection. Also the B&K does not have Audyssey
Multieq XT that the Onkyo has. I have read that this is revolutionary to sound.
I am torn b/c the B&K is such a fantastic amp and now I will be driving
4ohm Viennas. Can the Onkyo even come close? Do I keep the B&K or the Onkyo
or scrap both for something new(ish)? I can’t afford a new receiver that well
come close to the performance of the two in my possession.
Also I dont want to have to turn on the receiver to watch TV. If all my
hdmi signals are going through the Onkyo does it have to be on to watch basic
TV?
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This amp originally retailed for $2495, and based on other older Class D amps, the used price is about right. That being said, here's a review: https://www.soundandvision.com/content/rotel-rmb-1077-amplifier This is one of the First Generation Class D amps. Back then, there was ICEpower and Hypex class d technologies. Both had problems and the frequency response had a tendency to be driven by the speaker's impedance curve. This could result in weak bass, uneven frequency response, rolled off highs. I owned a set of Channel Island amps, which were of the Hypex module. They were very nice, but they did not react the same with each speaker. In the end, I sold them because a high current Class AB amp just sounded better. Hopefully, the following links come across: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/class-d/191597-hypex-vs-icepower-vs-tripath-compare-contrast.html http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/hypex-ucd-vs-icepower.439861/ The new ncore Class D solves a lot of problems with speaker impedance. However, I have found I just do not like the Class D sound. I have heard a few newer Class D and they are extremely clean amps. The problem is they are so clean that it is almost too clean. They did not have that "organic" feel and did not reach out and grab me. Not emotionally engaging. The one ncore option that I would consider (of I was looking at all) is the Nord "One Up" model, which uses a Class A input buffer to help shape the sound. The Nord "One Up" stereo version is going to be about $2,000 US shipped. Please be aware that the Nord multi-channel amps do not have this Class A input stage. These are my own opinions that I have formed. There are many others that love the Class D amps. |
If you hook all your sources (bluray, satellite, etc.) up to the Onkyo first, then yes the Onkyo has to be powered on to be able see them on the TV. However, if you wanted, you could hook up all your HDMI sources directly to the TV and then use the digital optical output of the TV to send the audio to your Onkyo. Heck, you could do this same thing using the B&K 507. This way, the Onkyo or 507 does not have to be powered on to watch TV. However, you will have degraded sound quality when watching bluray audio as anything on the digital optical output is down-converted to "old-school" dolby digital or DTS. You will NOT be able to truly play the hi-res bluray audio formats (such as TrueHD or DTA-HD MA). Satellite broadcast is usually highly compressed dolby digital, so it won't matter much there. Another thing to think about is the "digital optical" interface is not going to sound as good as a "digital coax" or even an HDMI interface. |
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