I want to upgrade to Martin Logan 60XT

[lovinthehd]

I wish it was that easy. That would be like saying anyone can get behind a Maclaren P1 and drive it. Sure, I might get it off the lot and hope I don't hit something, or I can learn how to drive it and take it on a track. Maybe the Revel's aren't a P1 but they could be the Corvette Z06. The Anthem STR Power Amp does not have a DAC 400 watts x 2 (8 ohms); 600 watts x 2 (4 ohms). I already have a theatre room for tv, I'm still working on that system. ryan had suggested I just do a system for music. And a week later that's what I decided. I went from looking at Martin Logan 60's to Paradigm??!! I woulda never even considered what I'm doing had this deal, to good to pass, hadn't presented itself. I will look into Tidal. The sales guy's have been pretty helpful, I'm just trying to pick up as much as I can on this forum. Thanks

You're still overthinking it....it is that easy and car analogies for audio often don't work, like here. When I searched STR amp the integrated model popped up, forgot they had a pre-amp/amp combo. You'd need the pre-amp in that case rather than the integrated amp (or something else to act as pre-amp with the features you want). Place the speakers in the room well for your listening position and connect things up, it is not rocket science. They're nice speakers, and a powerful amp so don't get drunk and turn it up to eleven.....I personally think Tidal is not worthy due to their use of the bullshit MQA thing, Qobuz and others offer the same file without applying the lossy coded MQA.

 

[lovinthehd]

If you are looking for something that is just used for music and something that would pair nicely with those high end speakers I would look at the NAD M12. I wouldn't waste your time or money going with cheap stuff. If you jump on these speakers and Amp, you're now diving into the world of high end equipment. You wouldn't want to pair some cheap garbage with nice equipment, you'd just end up coming back to the market spending more to upgrade. Get the best that your budget allows.

Also, get yourself some solid balanced cables. Don't buy into the snake oil with some of the "higher end" cables. See what your sales guy recommends. I'm sure it will be something along the lines of AudioQuest. Which, if they recommend that brand, be prepared to drop another $200-$600 on cables depending on which element you choose.

M12 - NAD Electronics

Built for the future, the M12 is neither a typical DAC nor a typical preamplifier. In fact, the M12 is an ultra-high resolution digital audio hub that boasts a full roster of audiophile-grade features. In addition, Modular Design Construction allows new features and functionality to be added now...

nadelectronics.com

No to Audioquest at all times! Balanced cables are not necessary, but maybe for a long run might have an advantage. Altho if you're buying into the whole "high-end" thing then money should be thrown around!

 

[lovinthehd]

As to a dac/pre-amp that could work for you, I'd check out reviews at audiosciencereview.com to start.

 

[chrysler82000]

You're still overthinking it....it is that easy and car analogies for audio often don't work, like here. When I searched STR amp the integrated model popped up, forgot they had a pre-amp/amp combo. You'd need the pre-amp in that case rather than the integrated amp (or something else to act as pre-amp with the features you want). Place the speakers in the room well for your listening position and connect things up, it is not rocket science. They're nice speakers, and a powerful amp so don't get drunk and turn it up to eleven.....I personally think Tidal is not worthy due to their use of the bullshit MQA thing, Qobuz and others offer the same file without applying the lossy coded MQA.

Thanks. I did see qobuz on the list of hifi music service but it was at the bottom of the list. Tidal was rated to be the best 170,000 hifi tracks. My dealer knows I'm just looking to get up and running for now, so I'm looking for an inexpensive dac. I suggested I get the Marantz HD-DAC1 at Amazon for $550. He suggested something he sells, the Pro-Ject MaiA S2

 

[lovinthehd]

Thanks. I did see qobuz on the list of hifi music service but it was at the bottom of the list. Tidal was rated to be the best 170,000 hifi tracks. My dealer knows I'm just looking to get up and running for now, so I'm looking for an inexpensive dac. I suggested I get the Marantz HD-DAC1 at Amazon for $550. He suggested something he sells, the Pro-Ject MaiA S2

Qobuz is fairly new to the US. Trusting "hi-fi" lists....meh. I tried Tidal and Qobuz but I'm not trying to replace my own collection, just find new material for it; I use Spotify and Pandora for such altho I did do trials of both Tidal and Qobuz and I preferred Qobuz for a few reasons but definitely don't want to buy into the MQA bullshit.

Now the Marantz makes more sense, that you were just buying a power amp. At first the output from the Marantz would be my concern, from what I see it has output of only .8 V whereas the STR amp has an input sensitivity of 2.1V (if you want to use the full power of the amp). Then digging into it a bit more that's simply the headphone output level, it has higher levels for pre-amp output:


Unbalanced output
- Fixed: 2.3 V RMS (PCM)
1.7 V RMS (DSD)
- Variable: 2.3 V RMS (PCM) (Volume max./Gain: Low)
1.7 V RMS (DSD) (Volume max./Gain: Low)

 

[John Parks]

Thanks. I did see qobuz on the list of hifi music service but it was at the bottom of the list. Tidal was rated to be the best 170,000 hifi tracks. My dealer knows I'm just looking to get up and running for now, so I'm looking for an inexpensive dac. I suggested I get the Marantz HD-DAC1 at Amazon for $550. He suggested something he sells, the Pro-Ject MaiA S2

Wow - that's quite the nice package you are looking at! The Marantz looks like a nice unit, but my suggestion would (*at this time) a Bluesound Node 2i:

NODE - Bluesound

The Bluesound NODE unlocks the world of hi-res music streaming and multi-room audio to create a modern addition to existing hi-fi systems or your favorite set of powered speakers.

www.bluesound.com

It is a DAC, Pre Amp, Wireless Streamer with a great, VERY simple OS, accessible from a laptop, phone or tablet. The OS recognizes Tidal, Qobuz and Amazon (among many others) and the files on your hard drive. Also, it sounds pretty darn good - do some reading up on it (lots of reviews via Google).

I have one and it is one of the best purchases I've made in a very long time. I also purchased Roon and I cannot say enough good things about that progam - again, Google it.

* I said "at this time" because it is my feeling (just a feeling, mind you) that your potential system could benefit from a dedicated pre amp - something to look at further down the line. Have fun!

 

[2channel lover]

Thanks for all the reply's. Looking at ML 60XTI's last weekend was not enough of an upgrade to what I already have. Which is all Klipsch 7.2.4 svs subs. Pictures were posted earlier in this post. Because I was so disappointed in Best Buy and ABT what they had to offer, and why would I have expected anything more, I stopped bye my local High Def store. I was not expecting to even consider purchasing from these guy's, it's all high end. I did however want to hear what high end sounds like compared to my morning at Big retail. I was absolutely blown away listening to Paradigm 7F. Way out of my league. So I asked all you and you all had great speakers to look at. So I did that. During my search I just happened to stumble onto a pre-owned pair of Revel Salon 2. And the price of $9500 was just too good to pass. The Anthem is heavily discounted because it's there store demo with a full 5 year warranty. I started with a budget of $3200. I realized right away $3200 was not even close to what I needed to spend to get what I was striving for. So I tripled my budget, and here we are. A deal to good to pass.

I am passed my budget. Right now I just want to get them home and start them up. An inexpensive dac with a Tidal subscription and some wires should get me started. Then come fall, maybe Black friday I will upgrade with the pre-amp and a better dac if I need it. Because I have no experience and I'm just learning as I go. I can play around, read and work on my room's acoustics.

In response to the outlaws. I don't know anything about them. I have been reading up on these Revel and they are not very efficient and require some power to make them sing.

From a music head...on the Revels. If they were brand new I would agree, this is a helluva deal, act now. For a used pair, I think it's a good bargain...(I see them for around $10-11k+ a pair)

That's truly an upgrade and I'm thrilled you've been able to pull it off...maybe even a little envious...

The Anthem...without knowing the asking price, it's hard to say. If they're giving it away my thoughts will change. But generally speaking, save money on the electronics, especially power amps, and put it into the source.

The Outlaws...they are a direct sale company that started with amps, some of which were sourced by ATI. The 976 pre/pro has gotten good reviews, gets you into hi res playback, and it you ever decide to get into multi-ch hi res, you've got the processing.... The M2200 monoblocks were reviewed recently...should be able to search this site and find it....200wpc, no problem pushing a 86 dB speaker.

Model 2200 Monoblock Power Amplifier

 

[chrysler82000]

Wow - that's quite the nice package you are looking at! The Marantz looks like a nice unit, but my suggestion would (*at this time) a Bluesound Node 2i:

NODE - Bluesound

The Bluesound NODE unlocks the world of hi-res music streaming and multi-room audio to create a modern addition to existing hi-fi systems or your favorite set of powered speakers.

www.bluesound.com

It is a DAC, Pre Amp, Wireless Streamer with a great, VERY simple OS, accessible from a laptop, phone or tablet. The OS recognizes Tidal, Qobuz and Amazon (among many others) and the files on your hard drive. Also, it sounds pretty darn good - do some reading up on it (lots of reviews via Google).

I have one and it is one of the best purchases I've made in a very long time. I also purchased Roon and I cannot say enough good things about that progam - again, Google it.

* I said "at this time" because it is my feeling (just a feeling, mind you) that your potential system could benefit from a dedicated pre amp - something to look at further down the line. Have fun!

Good Thing we're having this conversation. Thank You Thank You. My biggest concern is, quality content, because this is what these Revel's were built to play. However, I blew my budget, and then some, in one wad. So, I have an inexpensive Denon X1500H avr. I was gonna give it to my dad, but maybe this will get me by till fall. I also have a rotel Pre-amp in my crawl space. maybe this is an option, till fall. However I am pretty confident this rotel does not have any ability to stream or connect to the internet. If I remember correctly all it had were rca inputs. I'll find out when I get home. I still have an older denon cd player and probably 500 cd's. I have no idea what the quality is on these cd's. Mostly 80's 90's hair metal but at the same time everything in between. Not sure how old you are, but if your my age back in the day we had CD clubs, buy 8 cd.s for a penny and then 8 more at club price. They would mail you the flyer every month.

Roon looks to be similar to Heos. Heos is a product of Marantz and Denon. Kinda diggin that node 2i.

 

[chrysler82000]

From a music head...on the Revels. If they were brand new I would agree, this is a helluva deal, act now. For a used pair, I think it's a good bargain...(I see them for around $10-11k+ a pair)

That's truly an upgrade and I'm thrilled you've been able to pull it off...maybe even a little envious...

The Anthem...without knowing the asking price, it's hard to say. If they're giving it away my thoughts will change. But generally speaking, save money on the electronics, especially power amps, and put it into the source.

The Outlaws...they are a direct sale company that started with amps, some of which were sourced by ATI. The 976 pre/pro has gotten good reviews, gets you into hi res playback, and it you ever decide to get into multi-ch hi res, you've got the processing.... The M2200 monoblocks were reviewed recently...should be able to search this site and find it....200wpc, no problem pushing a 86 dB speaker.

Model 2200 Monoblock Power Amplifier

I was specifically requested by the sales guy to not post what I am paying for the Anthem. But you can do the math. I mentioned total cost and speaker cost. And yes, there was a pair of Revel salon 2 for sale in Michigan, 276 miles door to door, asking $10,500. But that was the only pre-owned pair i could find and now they are sold.

 

[John Parks]

Good Thing we're having this conversation. Thank You Thank You. My biggest concern is, quality content, because this is what these Revel's were built to play. However, I blew my budget, and then some, in one wad. So, I have an inexpensive Denon X1500H avr. I was gonna give it to my dad, but maybe this will get me by till fall. I also have a rotel Pre-amp in my crawl space. maybe this is an option, till fall. However I am pretty confident this rotel does not have any ability to stream or connect to the internet. If I remember correctly all it had were rca inputs. I'll find out when I get home. I still have an older denon cd player and probably 500 cd's. I have no idea what the quality is on these cd's. Mostly 80's 90's hair metal but at the same time everything in between. Not sure how old you are, but if your my age back in the day we had CD clubs, buy 8 cd.s for a penny and then 8 more at club price. They would mail you the flyer every month.

Roon looks to be similar to Heos. Heos is a product of Marantz and Denon. Kinda diggin that node 2i.

Ha! Columbia or BMG?

I got too many crappy albums because I forgot to mail in the refusal on time...

That Rotel may be worth looking into - got a model number? I think you would be happy with the Node - I certianly am.

 

[chrysler82000]

Ha! Columbia or BMG?
View attachment 34149
I got too many crappy albums because I forgot to mail in the refusal on time...

That Rotel may be worth looking into - got a model number? I think you would be happy with the Node - I certainly am.

Ha Ha Colombia AND Bmg. I did cancel in time, several times. It's not a deal when you pay full price and subscription. I'll post a pic of the Rotel tonight when I get home. I bought it in 1999. The rotel amp RB981 is powering my Klipsch RP500SA height/atmos downstairs. Marantz SR7012 only has power to 9 of the 11 channels. So with an extra power source it becomes 11.

 

[2channel lover]

I was specifically requested by the sales guy to not post what I am paying for the Anthem. But you can do the math. I mentioned total cost and speaker cost. And yes, there was a pair of Revel salon 2 for sale in Michigan, 276 miles door to door, asking $10,500. But that was the only pre-owned pair i could find and now they are sold.

I missed those deductive costs to figure out the amp, but that's not terribly important to me of you feel it was worth it.

Sometimes brick and mortar shops need to move product quickly and they have something that can generate some cash. I bought my Marantz pre/pro in a similar fashion...it was a close out model, but the new model was already on the shelf...$2200 price retagged $1800, they matched Outlaw Audio online price...new in the box, $1500 out the door....factoring taxes, etc, I saved about $400 off the retagged price.

Again, incredible find. as you said, on to the DAC....I think you probably already know to thread lightly with exterior dacs.

 

[2channel lover]

Wow - that's quite the nice package you are looking at! The Marantz looks like a nice unit, but my suggestion would (*at this time) a Bluesound Node 2i:

NODE - Bluesound

The Bluesound NODE unlocks the world of hi-res music streaming and multi-room audio to create a modern addition to existing hi-fi systems or your favorite set of powered speakers.

www.bluesound.com

It is a DAC, Pre Amp, Wireless Streamer with a great, VERY simple OS, accessible from a laptop, phone or tablet. The OS recognizes Tidal, Qobuz and Amazon (among many others) and the files on your hard drive. Also, it sounds pretty darn good - do some reading up on it (lots of reviews via Google).

I have one and it is one of the best purchases I've made in a very long time. I also purchased Roon and I cannot say enough good things about that progam - again, Google it.

* I said "at this time" because it is my feeling (just a feeling, mind you) that your potential system could benefit from a dedicated pre amp - something to look at further down the line. Have fun!

In the market for a streamer myself....I've looked into Node2i, but it's been a while...does it process multi-ch hi res files? My 1st thought is it didn't but I've forgotten.

 

[John Parks]

In the market for a streamer myself....I've looked into Node2i, but it's been a while...does it process multi-ch hi res files? My 1st thought is it didn't but I've forgotten.

Not that I know of - I believe it is two channel only.

Edit - Definitive answer is no: https://support1.bluesound.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/360037874513-Node-2i-Does-it-support-multichannel-audio-via-Digital-Output-to-AVR-

 

[lovinthehd]

I don't think I've seen a multi-ch streaming unit outside of an avr/pre-pro....

 

[chrysler82000]

I missed those deductive costs to figure out the amp, but that's not terribly important to me of you feel it was worth it.

Sometimes brick and mortar shops need to move product quickly and they have something that can generate some cash. I bought my Marantz pre/pro in a similar fashion...it was a close out model, but the new model was already on the shelf...$2200 price retagged $1800, they matched Outlaw Audio online price...new in the box, $1500 out the door....factoring taxes, etc, I saved about $400 off the retagged price.

Again, incredible find. as you said, on to the DAC....I think you probably already know to thread lightly with exterior dacs.

I haven't quite completed my negotiations. I'm pretty sure there is a little more room. Total cost so far is $13500 because he knocked the Salon 2 from $10,000 to $9500. ;-) And no need to envy me. Come on over and enjoy it with me. I generally don't like buying pre-owned electronics.Although I have and haven't had a problem And this amp has a 5 year warranty. So it may as well be new. It's new to me

 

[2channel lover]

I haven't quite completed my negotiations. I'm pretty sure there is a little more room. Total cost so far is $13500 because he knocked the Salon 2 from $10,000 to $9500. ;-) And no need to envy me. Come on over and enjoy it with me. I generally don't like buying pre-owned electronics.Although I have and haven't had a problem And this amp has a 5 year warranty. So it may as well be new. It's new to me

It's probably a pkg deal...but the S2s at $9500 scream go..., the Anthem...beautiful, power for days, but I would be in caution mode there.

I spent half a day with a pair of B&W 802D3...just loitering around the shop one day. Just a dream of a speaker...much like the 2s.

Envy in jest Now that I've learned how the subs integrate so well with the mains...as much as I like them, unless I hit lotto or something and the money didn't matter...I would probably never buy a true 2.0 speaker like the Salon2s or the B&W 802d3...not at retail I should say.

Keep us posted as you continue down the path.

 

[chrysler82000]

It's probably a pkg deal...but the S2s at $9500 scream go..., the Anthem...beautiful, power for days, but I would be in caution mode there.

I spent half a day with a pair of B&W 802D3...just loitering around the shop one day. Just a dream of a speaker...much like the 2s.

Envy in jest Now that I've learned how the subs integrate so well with the mains...as much as I like them, unless I hit lotto or something and the money didn't matter...I would probably never buy a true 2.0 speaker like the Salon2s or the B&W 802d3...not at retail I should say.

Keep us posted as you continue down the path.

I found another pair on US Audio. 2 years old, $13000, Indiana. Whats most important, I am buying from a dealer, and no sales tax. saving myself another 10%. I don't have to give fat man pritzker a penny. This state is so freakin corrupt. My hope is Blago made a deal with Trump. Pritzker might be filling that vacancy. Had I not had this good cushy job and mom and dad were gone, I'd be out of this state., Like the other 160,000 that left last year

 

[2channel lover]

Not that I know of - I believe it is two channel only.

Edit - Definitive answer is no: https://support1.bluesound.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/360037874513-Node-2i-Does-it-support-multichannel-audio-via-Digital-Output-to-AVR-

Okay thanks...I remember liking the price, but I thought that was the case and storage was taking me into different model.

 

[Mikado463]

just getting caught up, so did yo buy the Salon's or still procrastinating ?

wow, 10% sales tax ?? where do you live ?