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Component recommendations: best bang for buck.

Hello all. My first post for had very little traffic so I figure I try again. I plan on getting a pair of Martin Logans classics down the line. For now I’m looking for recommendations on the best set up for my budget of around 10-15K. My preference: HT and Audio is about 40%/60% respectively. Looking for a scalable system for future upgrades and future home/space addition. My current space is an open concept that measures about 45’x35’, 10 foot ceilings and hardwood floors with area rugsx3.

From my research, mostly reading reviews, I’ve narrowed it down to starting place:

Marantz 8802
McIntosh integrated amp: MA 8900 OR 9000

No specific brand loyalties, however I’ve read that the McIntosh equipment maintains its resale value. Open to suggestions for new or used items and going with separates as well.  Located in Oakland. Thanks very much.
128x128redphu72
avlee
84 posts
 
I just went through all this.  Maybe my thought process can help you...

1) get the cheapest surround processor with the features you care about.  If you don't need room correction, then an older unit will be great.  If you need room correction, don't worry about 4k processing.  Just run your source to your TV.  Get the connections you want.  Don't worry about whether it supports DSD/MQA/whatever digital audio because...
2) Get a separate DAC or even a DAC/Streamer with a built in preamp.  For price/performance it's tough to beat the Mytek brooklyn or the Benchmark DAC 3.  I recommend a separate DAC because digital audio is changing quite a bit now too.  That being said, this will be *fine* for almost all the audio you want to listen to.
3) McIntosh amps are solid pieces of kit.  Good quality, good resale, and (a little embarrassed) they look good, too.
4) Get the best speakers you can get.  I'm not a believer in expensive cables.  I'm a physicist...so you'll have a hard time convincing me that one piece of copper (or silver) is better as a medium for transporting electrons than another.  As long as it's properly shielded, you're good to go.  Don't spend thousands on cables.
5) If you have money left over, *then* look at nice stereo preamps, but after you pick the speakers/amp you want.  That will dictate output voltages and give you an idea of what works *in your system*.

I actually started with the speakers.  Bang & Olufsen BL5s.  Ended up with the Emotiva XMC-1 (none of the upgrades), and since I didn't need an amp, and I'm just using monoprice cables from Amazon, I had cash, so I stupidly lost my mind, blew my budget, and got a ARC Ref 6.  I had a nice CD player (BS9000) and just purchased an NAD M50.2 for streaming and digitizing my CD collection.  The only thing I'm debating now is whether to get a new DAC for the new digital formats, but I'm thinking the built in dac on my processor is fine.
redphu72's avatar
redphu72 OP
78 posts
 
Thank you everyone for your thoughtful feedback and recommendations.  It's definitely a lot of information to try and digest for a newcomer such as myself.  For the time being I'm going to take it easy and try to enjoy the process and perhaps most important, avoid any regrettable purchases.  I'd like to start with either an AV receiver/processor or integrated amp.  There are some great options in the classifieds on this forum.  My one question (among many others) is would my TV/display benefit from the "additional" video processing of the AVR unit vs. plugging the HDMI directly into the TV (I have the latest 4k TV from LG)

AVR/processors to chose from:
Marantz 8802 
Krell Foundation
McIntosh MX 121/160
ARCAM

As for the integrated amp:

ML 585
McIntosh MA 8000
MF Nu-Vista 800
hegel 360

Please weigh in on the above selections or other components that you feel need mentioning.  Many thanks for you time and especially your patience with this newbie : )
auxinput
2,920 posts
 

I know avlee said that you can ignore 4K processing and run all your sources to the TV (I'm assuming that you would just use a digital coax or toslink connected to a AVR/processor for the audio).  The problem here is that you will NOT get any of the hi-res bluray audio formats (TrueHD, DTS-HD MA, Dolby Digital Plus).  Audio through coax/toslink will automatically be down-converted to the old school compressed Dolby Digital / DTS formats.  If you want hi-res bluray audio, you are going to have to connect everything through your AVR/processor using HDMI cables.

Second question, before I move on.  You keep brining up "integrated amplifier" options.  This leads me to believe that you want to connect some analog audio sources (such as turntable or DAC) directly to the integrated amp to use as a dedicated 2-channel audio system.  Please let us know if this is your intention.  This is fine if you want to do this.  It would mean that any AVR or HT Processor would NOT be used for regular 2 channel audio.  You can still merge the two together (using the integrated amp as the "amplifier" for left and right channels).

If you are intending on running all audio sources (both analog and digital)through the AVR/processor, then you are better off getting a regular amp and NOT an "integrated amplifier".

auxinput
2,920 posts
 

HT Processors:

Marantz 8802a - (if you choose this, make sure to get the 8802a model. The original 8802 does not support HDCP2.2). Based on your budget and everything you need to get (speakers, etc.), I would probably recommend this. It is an excellent internal architecture design with a very large power supply. The DAC I/V stage is op amps, but has fully discrete audio output stages. It supports all the latest standards (4K, etc.) and is the most cost effective of your selection. The sonic signature is slightly on the warm side and just a little bit laid back, but all the detail is still there. It’s typically $2500 used, but there are some new ones on ebay for around $3k.

Krell Foundation 4K - This is another excellent choice, but completely different than the Marantz. The Krell is going to have very high resolution with a lot of detail and impact (for HT it is an excellent choice, but also excellent for music). Krell is still doing updates to this product. Typically runs for about $4,000 to $5,000 used. I own the Krell S1200U, which is awesome and better than the Foundation (S1200 has fully discrete Class A audio stages where Foundation uses op amps), but the S1200 does not support 4K.

McIntosh MX122/160 - (I’m assuming you mean the 122/160 because these are the only models that support 4K). Many love the McIntosh processors. They have the "McIntosh" warm sonic signature and the front panel is just beautiful. The internal architecture is excellent. I looked at the Mac and it was on my list, but I did not want a warm sound and I was concerned about all the bugs that appear in the processors which McIntosh never fixes (just start searching in the Audio Aficionado forum). The 122/160 are going to be in the $6,000-10,000 range as well. The older 121/150 models are cheaper used, but they do not support 4K. If you wanted this type of sonic signature, I would just go with the Marantz 8802a as it is an excellent product. Marantz continues to support this model.

ARCAM - I don’t know much about them, but I have read a little bit. They seem to be excellent with a highly detailed sound and a huge amount of impact (great for home theater). You should research more if you are serious about this choice. Personally, I would probably go with the Krell unless you wanted all the extra Dolby Atmos channels. For me, a high-end 5.1 channel system is better than an average 11.1 channel system.

auxinput
2,920 posts
 

My one question (among many others) is would my TV/display benefit from the "additional" video processing of the AVR unit vs. plugging the HDMI directly into the TV (I have the latest 4k TV from LG)


It depends.  Sometimes the video processor in the AVR / HR Processor is better than what is in the TV.  Sometimes it is not.  Usually, there is an option to disable any "video processing" in the AVR/Processor and just "pass-through" the video.  I would not worry about this question that much.

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