Could use some advice on what direction to take..

[itschris]

I've been lurking for some time, and am about to pull the trigger on some new purchases. This'll be a long post so sorry in advance. I currently have a Sunfire Cinema Grand 5 channel amp that I love. I'm looking to purchase a new A/V piece. I've been considering a Sunfire Theater Grand III or IV (pre-owned) which I can get for about $1300. I 'm a huge fan of Sunfire and had a great experience with my setup when I had my TG1. I've also been considering the new Pioneer Elite THX 94 about $1200. I'm torn between investing in outdated technology, the TG IV vs giving up the higher end sperate perception and purchasing the do it all in a box receiver... though I'd likely use the pre-outs and still use my Sunfire for power. I'm very much into my 2 channel so I'm concerned that these latest and greatest receivers are geared so much towards HT at the cost of losing 2 channel performance. I know I won't have that problem with the TGIV, but I certainly won't have the latest HT technology. I should note that I'm about to purchase the Elite 58AV DVD, the Elite 301 disc jukebox, and the Elite Blue Ray. I like having matched equipment and it makes it easier to get the wife on board. I'm also going with the new LED 61" Samsung DLP.

I'd appreciate any advice on the a/v piece you have to offer. From a technology side, it's a no brainer, but I'm worried about sacrificing 2 channel performance and mentally giving up what I perceive to be a higher end setup with the Sunfire seperates. My budget on the a/v piece is about $1500 since I'm basically replacing everything... including speakers. Thanks again.

 

[fmw]

The Pioneer 94 has a direct switch that allows you to to bypass the processor. You can use it as a straight preamp if you like. Since the unit has a ruler flat frequency response and inaudible distortion, it is a safe bet that the preamp section won't color the sound in any way. The amps in the 94, by the way, are quite strong. If you aren't going to use them, then why not get a less expensive receiver with a competent processor and save some money?

 

[3db]

The Pioneer 94 has a direct switch that allows you to to bypass the processor. You can use it as a straight preamp if you like. Since the unit has a ruler flat frequency response and inaudible distortion, it is a safe bet that the preamp section won't color the sound in any way. The amps in the 94, by the way, are quite strong. If you aren't going to use them, then why not get a less expensive receiver with a competent processor and save some money?

I agree. Why waste the power of a Pioneer by not using its amp section and why waste you're money for something you're not going to use in its entirety? Try a Yamaha HTR 6040 or HTR6060 which has all the processing bells and whistles and has an awesome pre-amp stage. Or go with a lower end Pioneer model.

 

[Davemcc]

There's going to be HDMI pre/pros hit the market this year with decent video chips to allow on-board selection of HD sources and clean pass-through of HD video, while still allowing you to use the HDMI audio and upconversion for any legacy video sources (standard DVD). Since you already have a good amp I don't see the point in running a receiver as a pre/pro, having the amp section drawing power at idle the whole time the unit is in operation.

I would say leave the pre/pro decision for last, until everything else is purchased, then look around at the new crop of pre/pros later in the year.

 

[itschris]

Thanks for the advice. I didn't really think about it that way... that I'm paying for power that really have no intentionn of using. I have two Adcom GFAII (?) 200x2 that I've had for years that have seen very little use that I would use for additional surround purposes. I chose the 94 for the simple though maybe naive reason that it was the top of line they offered. My own personal ego is playing into this a bit because I have this perception of how or what I want my system to be. I've always though seperates were the way to go for higher end setups so the whole idea to a receiver is foreign to me and almost feels like I'm stepping down though I know that's not necessarily true. From what I can tell, investing in the older Sunfre is not the way to go, though I still have a desire to have that setup... again... the perception of a higher end setup.

"There's going to be HDMI pre/pros hit the market this year with decent video chips to allow on-board selection of HD sources and clean pass-through of HD video, while still allowing you to use the HDMI audio and upconversion for any legacy video sources (standard DVD). *

I'm not a 100% sure of what this means to me. I'm just now getting back into this stuff after a few years of being out of the loop. How is this different than what's available today?

 

[Davemcc]

How is this different than what's available today?

Simplicity.

One HDMI cable will take both audio and video from your source to the pre/pro. The pre/pro will extract the audio and send the video to the TV. If all your sources run to the pre/pro, you will only need a single cable to your display. It also means changing sources is a one button deal, change the receiver source and the TV is also changed.

This is the way most modern receivers operate, but it's taking the pre/pro manufacturers a bit longer to catch up in that segment. This should be the year for some fine separates to hit the market.

One question, I noticed that you are looking at getting the Elite DVD player and the Elite BD player. Why both? Do you think the BD player will not play regular DVD's with the same quality as the DVD player?

 

[jcPanny]

HDMI Pre-pro

Check out the Integra HDMI pre-pro for about $1500:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34108

Emotiva will have a new HDMI pre-pro out in a couple months. The lower end LMC-2 model will sell for $700.

 

[itschris]

Simplicity.

One HDMI cable will take both audio and video from your source to the pre/pro. The pre/pro will extract the audio and send the video to the TV. If all your sources run to the pre/pro, you will only need a single cable to your display. It also means changing sources is a one button deal, change the receiver source and the TV is also changed.

This is the way most modern receivers operate, but it's taking the pre/pro manufacturers a bit longer to catch up in that segment. This should be the year for some fine separates to hit the market.

One question, I noticed that you are looking at getting the Elite DVD player and the Elite BD player. Why both? Do you think the BD player will not play regular DVD's with the same quality as the DVD player?

You're totally right about the BlueRay. The Pioneer Elite - BDP-95FD does everything the AV58 does. I was thinking about the DVD prior to considering the BlueRay player and just misspoke. I was trying to determine which format to go with... BR or HD, but I think BlueRay is the way to go long term. Agree? Also, I'm not a 100% sure that's I'd run all the HD sources through the A/V piece. I don't want to always have the HT on just for watching the news for instance. This is our main family room so it will get a lot of causal use as well, though I'm buying my daughter a 30-32 inch plasma for her room to keep her from hogging the TV once it's all setup. Because I wasn't thinking about necessarily doing all my switching through the Elite, I was thinking for my purposes, I'd be better off and still okay with the older Sunfire Theater Grand III or IV. BTW - I read the review of the Sunfire here and totally diagree with their assessment. It's a smooth, warm, and detailed sounding unit.

 

[itschris]

Check out the Integra HDMI pre-pro for about $1500:
Emotiva will have a new HDMI pre-pro out in a couple months. The lower end LMC-2 model will sell for $700.

I just looked at the Emotiva website. I've never even heard of them, but the equipment looks very nice. What's the general consensus on them as far as quality and comparison to others?

 

[jcPanny]

Emotiva.

I have their entry level LPA-1 amp and plan to upgrade eventually to one of their pre-pros. They design and manufacturer electronics with excellent build quality and reasonable prices. I am using the amp to drive my 4-ohm Onix Ref speakers and 2 of the channels power a distributed audio system. The >60 lbs. amp barely gets warm.

Check out the reviews of their gear on this site and their forum, for more feedback from customers. They are waiting on a video chip to get their LMC-2 pre-pro in production.

 

[itschris]

If you had a choice between the Emotive and the higher end Pioneer Elite Receiver, which would you lean towards. Do you think it's riduclous to be even considering buying the older model Sunfire Theater Grand IV at this point?

 

[Davemcc]

If you had a choice between the Emotive and the higher end Pioneer Elite Receiver, which would you lean towards. Do you think it's riduclous to be even considering buying the older model Sunfire Theater Grand IV at this point?

This is something that you will have to decide. It all comes down to your expectations and how you intend to use it. Personally, I'd go with a newer unit with features that look to the future. Then again, we're all just one feature away from being obsolete.

 

[jcPanny]

HDMI features

The main advantage of HDMI on the receiver (asside from convenience) is HDMI audio precessing and decoding of Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD, and other new formats. The higher end bluRay and HD-DVD players include multichannel analog audio outputs so that the player can do the decoding and send the audio to the multi-channel inputs on the Sunfire or any other receiver.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

If you had a choice between the Emotive and the higher end Pioneer Elite Receiver, which would you lean towards. Do you think it's riduclous to be even considering buying the older model Sunfire Theater Grand IV at this point?

I would get the new upcoming $800 Emotiva 200 wpc x 5 amp + $600 upcoming Emotiva LMC-2 pre-pros, which is suppose to have 4 HDMI-1.3 inputs, DTS-MA & TrueHD decoders.

 

[itschris]

I really love my Sunfire Cinema Grand. That's the one piece I won't part with. I have to say the Emotiva equipment is intriguing. I like the idea, however, of having some matching components. I think when you spend as much $$ as we do, it ought to look just as good as sounds. I used to like the mix & match look, but now I'd rather have more uniform components which is why I'm leaning towards the Elite line. I think they're of sufficient quality and stand out a bit from you eveyday stuff.

Then again, I could sell the Sunfire and get the Emotiva amp and pre/pro. I'm just not sure which way to go. I keep changing my mind, and I'm sick of always waiting for something to arrive. I just gotta quit being so neurotic about it and make a decision.