RX-V2500 to NAD T973 a worthy upgrade?

[NGL_BrSH]

I have a RX-V2500 and I just got all my new energy speaks.. My boss ordered me a 973 but now I may have come to my senses. Need some back up from you smart people
The real question here is: Do you think there will be a large difference going from a yamaha RX-V2500 (130x7) to the NADT973 (140x7)? I know that NAD is cleaner power but will it make a difference? I also know that the NAD is rated very conservatively so it should be substantially more power but still is it worth the 1500?

 

[gmichael]

I have a RX-V2500 and I just got all my new energy speaks.. My boss ordered me a 973 but now I may have come to my senses. Need some back up from you smart people
The real question here is: Do you think there will be a large difference going from a yamaha RX-V2500 (130x7) to the NADT973 (140x7)? I know that NAD is cleaner power but will it make a difference? I also know that the NAD is rated very conservatively so it should be substantially more power but still is it worth the 1500?

Only you can answer this one. Everyone has their own situation to take into consideration. Do you have an extra $1500 looking for a new home? Do you listen to more music or more HT? How strongly do you feel about the upgrade? How good are your ears? Can you even hear a difference? Some can't, others will say it's like night & day.
So, we're back to, how do you feel about it? Are you upgrading because you just feel the need for something new? Or are you unhappy with your Yammy?

 

[NGL_BrSH]

Only you can answer this one. Everyone has their own situation to take into consideration. Do you have an extra $1500 looking for a new home? Do you listen to more music or more HT? How strongly do you feel about the upgrade? How good are your ears? Can you even hear a difference? Some can't, others will say it's like night & day.
So, we're back to, how do you feel about it? Are you upgrading because you just feel the need for something new? Or are you unhappy with your Yammy?

thanks for your reply, the 1500 isn't a problem as long as its worth it.
I listen to music probably 60% and HT 40% as of right now.
The reason i would upgrade to this poweramp is that i like to play my music loud and i want to make sure the power is very clean and not damaging to my speakers.

 

[tomd51]

Having only experience with the RX-V2500 as a pre/pro using external amplification, I can't give you much feedback on the NAD. However, knowing how impressive the pre/pro section of the 2500 is (my thoughts as well as serveral others here at AH), your comments about your music/HT listening ratio and that you could pick up a good 5/7 channel amp for less than a grand, I really can't see the NAD performing any better than the Yamaha with outboard amplification.

In my setup alone, it's cost me less than $1500 to run two separate amps (200w x 5, 100w x2) along with the 2500, which I believe you may be hard pressed to get better results... -TD

 

[gmichael]

Having only experience with the RX-V2500 as a pre/pro using external amplification, I can't give you much feedback on the NAD. However, knowing how impressive the pre/pro section of the 2500 is (my thoughts as well as serveral others here at AH), your comments about your music/HT listening ratio and that you could pick up a good 5/7 channel amp for less than a grand, I really can't see the NAD performing any better than the Yamaha with outboard amplification.

In my setup alone, it's cost me less than $1500 to run two separate amps (200w x 5, 100w x2) along with the 2500, which I believe you may be hard pressed to get better results... -TD

Very good points made here. Your 2500 plus an external amp or two should be your best bet.

 

[Newfiestang50]

I use my Rx-V2600 as a pre to my two NAD's (C372 - using power amp section , & C272) and the sound is excellant. I already had the C372 so i just used the power amp section of this amp to drive the highs in my mains and i use the C272 to drive the bottom in my mains (PSB stratus gold i) which are 4ohm and are very hard to drive. I found the biggest difference between using the Yamaha and the NADS was in the bass, the yamaha just dont dig as deep as the NADS. Also the yamaha runs very hot just powering my center and surrounds and I think running my 4ohm gold's would have led to problems when playing loud for long periods. Just my $.02.

 

[NGL_BrSH]

thanks that is some good feedback. I wonder though, having your center channel using the rx-v2600 power and the mains having NAD power and perhaps a different "tone" does the center and sides still blend well?

 

[tomd51]

There should be absolutely no sonic/tonal coloration or differentiation between one amp and the other. I know I'll get pushback on this, but power is power, plain and simple. The pre/pro should be the only thing changing the characteristics of the output... -TD

 

[3db]

pushback one

There should be absolutely no sonic/tonal coloration or differentiation between one amp and the other. I know I'll get pushback on this, but power is power, plain and simple. The pre/pro should be the only thing changing the characteristics of the output... -TD

Assuming no DSP modes, straight analog only, I think the pre/pro is just another amp but for really low level signals that amplify them to what the power amps can work with. Using this logic, the pre/pro shouldn't change the charactersitic of the sound either, right?

 

[3db]

There is a big power difference between the NAD and the Yammy

I have a RX-V2500 and I just got all my new energy speaks.. My boss ordered me a 973 but now I may have come to my senses. Need some back up from you smart people
The real question here is: Do you think there will be a large difference going from a yamaha RX-V2500 (130x7) to the NADT973 (140x7)? I know that NAD is cleaner power but will it make a difference? I also know that the NAD is rated very conservatively so it should be substantially more power but still is it worth the 1500?

NAD is one of a few manufactures that state therir specs with all channels driven, full audio bandwidth. Question is, do you really need that much power? Are your speakers inefficient enough that you think your Yammy can't handle the load at higher volume levels.

If I were you, I'd seriously evaluate your system and if you really feel that a power upgrade is warranted, then I woud keep the Yammy using it as a preamp and look into getting Outlaw's 7125 (7x125 all channels driven , 20Hz-20Khz) or 7 of Outlaws monoblocks Model 200, or a model 770, (200x7).

 

[tomd51]

Assuming no DSP modes, straight analog only, I think the pre/pro is just another amp but for really low level signals that amplify them to what the power amps can work with. Using this logic, the pre/pro shouldn't change the charactersitic of the sound either, right?

Just couldn't wait, could ya? Ahh, it was inevitable...

Assuming no DSP modes, straight analog only (e.g., Direct Mode/Pure Music Mode, etc.), the pre/pro is, for all intents and purposes, an amplifier for low level signals from a separate source. And you're correct, in this type of operation, the pre/pro should not change the sonic characteristics of the output. This, as I understand it, is the reasoning behind these types of modes on receivers. -TD

 

[tomd51]

News to me...

NAD is one of a few manufactures that state therir specs with all channels driven, full audio bandwidth.

So you're saying NAD is one of the only manufacturers that perform their specification testing with all channels driven and full audio bandwidth? I'm not saying they aren't doing this, but this is completely contradictory to everything I've come to understand regarding the "all channels driven fallacy"... -TD

 

[warpdrive]

I wouldn't do it, even though I love NAD stuff and own the Yamaha.

Mainly because with the advent of HD-DVD and Blue Ray, and all these new HDMI devices, you probably want to wait a year or two before the to see where the dust settles. You are buying on the verge of lots of new technology coming down the pipe, and you might want to buy an new setup altogether to replace your Yamaha outright. That means saving your money now instead of spending it on a questionable addition.

 

[tomd51]

Good point, Warp. With the HD DVD formats come new processing soundfields (DTS-HD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD), most current receivers won't be able to take advantage of these unless they are firmware upgradeable and the manufacturer's provide "free of charge" upgrades, which I would highly doubt... -TD

 

[3db]

So you're saying NAD is one of the only manufacturers that perform their specification testing with all channels driven and full audio bandwidth? I'm not saying they aren't doing this, but this is completely contradictory to everything I've come to understand regarding the "all channels driven fallacy"... -TD

NAD, Rotel, Outlaw are the only ones I know of that rate all channels driven. There might be more which I'm not aware of.

I read that too and if I recall, the problem with the all channels driven is that a variac was used to hold the voltage constant while the receivers were running full out. Regardless of this, these receivers are capable of performing rated power output if given enough juice from the outlet. That is to say, the power supply of the receivers can do their job of delivering full power across all channels. Whether this really matters to you or anyone else is subjective I guess.

 

[3db]

Good point

I wouldn't do it, even though I love NAD stuff and own the Yamaha.

Mainly because with the advent of HD-DVD and Blue Ray, and all these new HDMI devices, you probably want to wait a year or two before the to see where the dust settles. You are buying on the verge of lots of new technology coming down the pipe, and you might want to buy an new setup altogether to replace your Yamaha outright. That means saving your money now instead of spending it on a questionable addition.

I don't know about you but i'm beginning to get tired of waiting for the perfetc oppertunity to upgrade because of technology. Every time iI thinks its good to jump in, something new is looming just around the corner

 

[tomd51]

I don't think there is such a thing as "waiting for the perfect opportunity" when it comes to electronics and technology. If that were the case in the world of computers, we'd never own one... -TD

 

[warpdrive]

I don't know about you but i'm beginning to get tired of waiting for the perfetc oppertunity to upgrade because of technology. Every time iI thinks its good to jump in, something new is looming just around the corner

In this case, the owner has perfectly good stuff already, and is wondering if an addition is worth it.

Right now, the techology around HD and HD sound is swirling around in Category 4 fashion, why jump into storm right now if everything else is working fine.

 

[gmichael]

In this case, the owner has perfectly good stuff already, and is wondering if an addition is worth it.

Right now, the techology around HD and HD sound is swirling around in Category 4 fashion, why jump into storm right now if everything else is working fine.

I agree. Count my vote to get an external amp and put that Yammies pre-pros to work. A nice upgrade for cheap.

 

[tomd51]

Ditto..

I agree. Count my vote to get an external amp and put that Yammies pre-pros to work. A nice upgrade for cheap.

Depending upon your listening levels, I found in my testing with my previous receiver (Denon AVR-3803 110w x7), simply using a Harman Kardon PA2000 in 100w x 2 mode provided a noticable difference in clarity from 35- down to reference level (0db). Keep in mind, the on-board amps for the 3803 are no slouch, so I was fairly impressed by this.

If you rarely go below 35-, this solution may not be worthwhile. However, if you do, you'll likely notice the difference, particularly in music genres such as Jazz, Classical and New Age... -TD