Pre Amp or Reciever as Pre Amp

[mike12820]

Alright guys... thanks for all the great info, and turning my brain to smoke! I thought I new what I wanted, but seems to be changing on a daily basis lately. Let's dive right in and see what you guys think....

Currently in play:
- Sony 60"XBR rear projection - 1080P native, but only accepts 1080i signal
- Scientific Atlanta HD cable box - HDMI connection
- crap Liteon DVD player (ordering OPPO 980H or 981H?)
- xbox 360

- Carver Pre Amp C-26V
- Carver A500X Amp - 250Wrms x2ch @8ohms THX certified
- Cerwin Vega MX400
- Sony 400 disc changer

Patiently waiting:
- Carver AV-705X - 125Wrms x5ch @8ohms THX
- Carver TFM-35X - 250Wrms x2ch @8ohms

Original plan was to go w/ a Definitive Techonology system w/ BP7000's or 7002's, CLR3000 and BP2X's..... Use the A500X for the towers (I'm 60/40 music/video) and the 705X for the center and surrounds. Toss the 35X and the Cerwins in the garage.

Well all that is a little big, and expensive, for my current living room (even though the Cerwins are there). I'm looking for a temporary fix for about $1200-$1500. Keep the Cerwins in play and use the 705X for a smaller 5.1 system. So I need a pre amp or reciever, and smaller speakers.

Pre Amps / Recievers considered:
- Outlaw 990 or even 970... originally the 990 was in my plan, but turned off by the DVI in/outs, had trouble w/ the DVI on my previous cable box working w/ an adapter going to HDMI on my TV.
- Emotiva - site now says DMC-1 is out of stock, maybe the MMC-1, it's on sale!
- Pioneer VSX-1017TXV-K - THX select 2 drew me in, but does this really matter to me? Anyway pretty cheap, onsale at local store, I have a gift card etc... HDMI switching, 7.1 preouts.
- H/K AVR-247 - has the nice DCDi chip, but my OPPO also might(981 vs 980?). comparable price to the Pioneer.

Speaker systems on the list:
Ascend Acoustics - (5xCBM170s) ~$788 + Hsu sub $350
Elemental Designs - (3x6T6 + 2x5TC + A3-300Sub) ~$1000 (w/ 3x5T5 ~800)
Axiom - epic grand master system ~$1100 + Hsu $350 - getting over budget!

Trying to fit a budget w/o getting crap equipment is obviously everboby's goal, but trying to get some nicer speakers has got me looking at the reciever for a preamp option to save some money as I've already got the power. Any advice or suggestions from the wise?

 

[The Chukker]

You could opt for the Emotiva LMC-2 which has beautiful aesthetics to go along with outstanding features; the unit is to be released shortly...
...or you could go with a fully featured receiver like the new Yammy RX V663 that is soon to be released, fully HDMI 1.3 compliant and use only the processor.

I also use a receiver as a pre-pro (Denon 3808) with Emotiva power and I couldn't be happier with the performance.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Yeah, another vote for the Emotiva LMC-2, which I believe is releasing in mid-March. It as 4 HDMI-1.3, TrueHD, & DTS-MA.

 

[rnatalli]

Another vote for the LMC-2. It's a lot of hardware for the money.

 

[mike12820]

Thanks for the input guys.

Any guesses on the what the Emotiva LMC-2 will run $$$? I do like the idea of upgrading for 40% off, that's a good way to keep business!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Thanks for the input guys.

Any guesses on the what the Emotiva LMC-2 will run $$$? I do like the idea of upgrading for 40% off, that's a good way to keep business!

Probably $700 retail.

 

[fmw]

Rather than getting hung up on brands, perhaps it would make sense to learn something about the digital processors in each. That, after all, is what will make one better than another.

 

[jcPanny]

HT System

Mike,
It sounds like you are spending a lot on electronics and will not have much left for speakers. I am an Emotiva owner and would recommend the upcomming LMC-2, but if you buy a receiver in the $4-800 price range you could use you receiver amp channels for a while without purchasing additional Carver amps and increase your speaker budget.

For a good speaker deal, check out some first generation X-series speakers that AV123 is clearing out. There will also be an ugrade path to replace the tweeter and crossover to make these the current Encore series speaker:
http://av123forum.com/showthread.php?t=29504

 

[mike12820]

I already have the amps. Had the A500X for years, and went on a small Ebay binge for the other 2 when I started having my hometheater visions of grandeur...

Thanks for the lead on the speakers anyway... I'm not sure if I can pull the trigger fast enough to take advantage of the sale, but I'll definately keep and eye on that forum in the future!

The only reason I'm going budget style on the speakers now is because my def tech aspirations are at least 2 years from being realized