Need Amp Advice

ace2109 · 10 Apr 2011 at 13:07

Hi Guys,
I have had my Marantz SR5200 for about 5-6 years now, so i think it s time for an upgrade. My TV only has 1 HDMI input so i want to put everything through the amp and switch it from there. Also I am 99% sure this is the amp but when i watch a film with TrueHD sound i have to turn the amp right up to hear anything at all.

I have been looking at an Onkyo and now a Denon after reading a few posts on here. I dont really want to have to replace my speakers at this time, they are the eltax liberty series speakers. I also have a decent powered sub as well that needs to be connected, its currently connected to my marantz amp via the pre-outs.

This Denon AVR 1911 is the one i have been looking at most recently. This one doesnt seem to have any pre-outs for my sub so I dont know how this would work.

I was also looking at the ONKYO TX-SR608, this seems to tick all my boxes but again i would really love your advice.

Thanks for all your help guys.
ace

lucid · 10 Apr 2011 at 14:50

You don't need a set of 5.1 or 7.1 pre-outs to run the sub. All but the most basic AV amps have a dedicated sub-out socket. This includes the Denon and Onkyo just in case any doubt remains.

DD TrueHD sound level - Are you using the BD player to convert TrueHD to Dolby Digital, or are you using an analogue 5.1 connection?

The Marantz was a £400-£500 amp about 10 years ago an well respected for 2ch audio amongst its peers. It weighs about 13kg. There aren't many current £600+ AV amps that that much, and in sound quality terms I doubt amps less than £700-£800 would sound as good either. Modern amps certainly have more features for the same money, but pure sound quality has gone backwards as a result. If I were you I wouldn't want to add HD audio compatibility but lose so much basic quality in the process. Have a look at the second-hand market. People upgrading for 3D support or networking features take a bath on the value of their old HD Audio amps.

ace2109 · 11 Apr 2011 at 22:15

I was looking at the second hand market as that is were i got my current amp from, have you any recommendations for a replacement to get better sound/what i want??

lucid · 12 Apr 2011 at 00:39

I'd start with amps originally in the £800 - £1000 price bracket at launch up to 3 years ago, then check some reviews and have a look at AVForums to see if there are any major gremlins. I do say major because no product is perfect. Ignore minor niggles.

The other possibility is to be a bit crafty, buy an AV amp with pre-outs and then hook it up to a hi-fi amp. Of course you'd have to have space to fit in the extra gear, and it takes a few extra minutes to set up, but you can choose a lower quality AV amp to save some money to put towards a decent stereo amp. You'd get HDMI compatibility and much better stereo reproduction.