What good old AV receiver for 2.0 Stereo?

nightrider1470 · 4 May 2017 at 23:59

I have some Tannoy 6.4 speakers

I was so close to selling!…... Any way, something to post them under £375

Looking for something from the used market, Arcam AVR300 etc

Thanks

Metallifux · 5 May 2017 at 11:33

Why an AVR for 2.0, just get a regular stereo amp.

a1ex2001 · 5 May 2017 at 12:21

Metallifux said:
Why an AVR for 2.0, just get a regular stereo amp.

I'd go with this, if all you want is a stereo pair then get a proper stereo amp it will sound significantly better, if for some reason it has to be an AVR then I'd look at Marantz there AVR's have always had great stereo performance probably something to do with the brands heritage I was always happy with my SR4200 back in the day.

signs · 5 May 2017 at 12:40

i always thought my Denon 911 gave a nice stereo sound

hornetstinger · 5 May 2017 at 19:14

Metallifux said:
Why an AVR for 2.0, just get a regular stereo amp.

Yeah. Unless you need HDMI/coaxial/optical inputs, for consoles, computers etc.
I use a AVR with stereo speakers, as my sources are video & audio, so much simpler than HDMI switch + amplifier- plus decodes DD/DTS.

jpaul · 5 May 2017 at 20:17

hornetstinger said:
Yeah. Unless you need HDMI/coaxial/optical inputs, for consoles, computers etc.

exactly that, I imagine,
the earlier quasi-identical thread where we discussed the new pioneer 2.0 avr, with 5x2.0hdmi , optical, net-player could meet the bill.

edit other thread
AV receiver for 2.0? Or another solution?
..the 2.0 reff'd hdmi
(when will oc fix editor )

darreny · 5 May 2017 at 21:31

Yamaha dspa1 all day long, incredible amp with films and stereo. I have one and have had many AV receivers and its the best by far.

Behemoth · 7 May 2017 at 21:36

I was very happy with my Yamaha DSP-A5 until it developed an intermittent fault. Connected to it was my CD Player, TV, PC YouView box. Today I replaced it with a Marantz SR4300 which I picked up for £40. Very happy with this too and would have gotten another Yamaha if I could have found one.

nlyh · 9 May 2017 at 16:47

Something like the Arcam AVR350 is an excellent AV amp in terms of stereo performance. I have one, that I use more as a stereo amp for computer, though I can use it for surround when playing a game or watching film etc

You can set the unit to "Direct" mode in which all the digital processing features are disabled for direct stereo.

nlyh · 9 May 2017 at 17:08

Also, In my opinion those Arcam AVR amps will sound a lot better for pure musical performance in comparison to the Marantz, Denons, Sony, Pioneer, Yamahas etc

Stereo amp is definitely better though, if you only want stereo use from the unit.

Psycho Sonny · 9 May 2017 at 17:25

NAD is a good shout for stereo.

if you need an AVR then my go to is Yamaha.

tom_nieto · 9 May 2017 at 17:59

hornetstinger said:
Yeah. Unless you need HDMI/coaxial/optical inputs, for consoles, computers etc.
I use a AVR with stereo speakers, as my sources are video & audio, so much simpler than HDMI switch + amplifier- plus decodes DD/DTS.

You then have to strike a balance according to how modern you want your video handling to be versus sonic performance. If you want a solution to handle 4K from an Xbox one and decode the sound you might run into trouble.

The other issue that I can forsee is the sheer size of the old top of the range AV amps!

Arcam and NAD would probably get my vote for a pure audio solution, but then again the old flagship Japanese amps are also very capable.

Unless you're switching between more HDMI sources than your TV has inputs I'd go with a stereo amplifier and a good DAC every time.

hornetstinger · 9 May 2017 at 20:29

tom_nieto said:
You then have to strike a balance according to how modern you want your video handling to be versus sonic performance. If you want a solution to handle 4K from an Xbox one and decode the sound you might run into trouble.

The other issue that I can forsee is the sheer size of the old top of the range AV amps!

Arcam and NAD would probably get my vote for a pure audio solution, but then again the old flagship Japanese amps are also very capable.

Unless you're switching between more HDMI sources than your TV has inputs I'd go with a stereo amplifier and a good DAC every time.

Personally I'm not too fussed about getting ultra high end sound from the computer, a £300 AVR and £1000 standmounts is plenty, and I've always got the dedicated 2ch and 7.1 system for proper audio.

I had stereo amp in the PC system before the AVR, it was a pain in the arse. Set input on the stereo amp, set input on the av processor (used as as DAC) then set input on the HDMI switch. Compared to just one unit now.

jpaul · 10 May 2017 at 09:32

this was the pioneer stereo/2.0 network player from other thread

SX-S30DAB
Stereo-Receiver with 2x80 Watts, 4 HDMI-Inputs, MCACC, preinstalled Streaming Services, Bluetooth, WiFi and HiRes-Networkplayer

but agree

tom_nieto said:
I'd go with a stereo amplifier and a good DAC every time.

personally prefer that.

tom_nieto · 11 May 2017 at 10:07

hornetstinger said:
Personally I'm not too fussed about getting ultra high end sound from the computer, a £300 AVR and £1000 standmounts is plenty, and I've always got the dedicated 2ch and 7.1 system for proper audio.

I had stereo amp in the PC system before the AVR, it was a pain in the arse. Set input on the stereo amp, set input on the av processor (used as as DAC) then set input on the HDMI switch. Compared to just one unit now.

It massively depends on the type of use that you want to get out of the system and what sources you're using. For example my main stereo is totally and utterly wasted on BBC breakfast, but I've got into the habit of turning it on for all TV watching as when I want to watch a movie it really comes into its own. It's also nicely setup in front of our comfiest sofa for serious music listening. As it happens the setup in our kitchen/diner (KEF eggs) is used much more for music as I'll put the radio or Spotify on while cooking or entertaining. This isn't nearly as engaging as the main stereo but it does a really decent job all things considered.

The thing is though as a lover of technology and multiple boxes and wires, if I were on a PC desktop setup I'd love to have a small stack of boxes with chunky switches on them to select which source to use! In an ideal world I'd do something really ridiculous like have a valve headphone amp to top everything off! For communal usage simple is good - hence the amp with Spotify connect. If you want a one box solution for multiple different sources with one remote, then an AV amp makes sense.

a1ex2001 · 12 May 2017 at 23:10

nlyh said:
Also, In my opinion those Arcam AVR amps will sound a lot better for pure musical performance in comparison to the Marantz, Denons, Sony, Pioneer, Yamahas etc

Stereo amp is definitely better though, if you only want stereo use from the unit.

I really wouldn't bundle the marantz av stuff in with the others they have consistently down the years got great reviews for thecstereo performance of the av kit they make they have a fantastic heritage in the stereo world and the SR 4200 I had sounded lovely with a music cd.

tom_nieto · 13 May 2017 at 11:09

a1ex2001 said:
I really wouldn't bundle the marantz av stuff in with the others they have consistently down the years got great reviews for thecstereo performance of the av kit they make they have a fantastic heritage in the stereo world and the SR 4200 I had sounded lovely with a music cd.

But imagine how much better this would be:

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/302313660025?_mwBanner=1

a1ex2001 · 15 May 2017 at 00:52

tom_nieto said:
But imagine how much better this would be:

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/302313660025?_mwBanner=1

Totally agree if it was for purely stereo use I'd never buy an AV box they have improved massively and some brands produce some very good stuff but it's not the same.