The eternal upgrade advice sought..

[kro77]

Hi Everyone,

I am in the process of finally upgrading my receiver. I bite the bullet every 4 years or so. I currently have a HK 7000 AVR which replaced a B&K avp2000 / Carver 505 combo. I am now looking at different options at around 1k. I know alot can be gotten for this price, and the things that have come to me are (in no particular order) Marantz 9300 (older but their top o the line unit), Outlaw 1050, H/K 7300, the LMC-1/LPA-1 Combo, the Atlantic A-2000/P-2000 combo. I know some of these are older then others but I do not plan on running 7 channels in the near future so PLIIx is not that huge of a deal.

My current Speaker Setup is Meadowlark E L/C/R and B&W 602's for my surronds.

I have been able to find some decent info on most of these products, but the marantz 9300 seems to be an enigma, and there is the eternal question of seperates or receiver. And my take would be that space is not the issue, and overall sonic quality in music AND theater.

Any info or insight that people could give would be greatly appreciated.

K

 

[mtrycrafts]

Hi Everyone,
I am in the process of finally upgrading my receiver. I bite the bullet every 4 years or so. I currently have a HK 7000 AVR which replaced a B&K avp2000 / Carver 505 combo. I am now looking at different options at around 1k. I know alot can be gotten for this price, and the things that have come to me are (in no particular order) Marantz 9300 (older but their top o the line unit), Outlaw 1050, H/K 7300, the LMC-1/LPA-1 Combo, the Atlantic A-2000/P-2000 combo. I know some of these are older then others but I do not plan on running 7 channels in the near future so PLIIx is not that huge of a deal.
My current Speaker Setup is Meadowlark E L/C/R and B&W 602's for my surronds.
I have been able to find some decent info on most of these products, but the marantz 9300 seems to be an enigma, and there is the eternal question of seperates or receiver. And my take would be that space is not the issue, and overall sonic quality in music AND theater.
Any info or insight that people could give would be greatly appreciated.
K

What is it you don't like about your HK? Is it lacking a feature you really need? What do you seek from a new receiver?

 

[kro77]

What is it you don't like about your HK? Is it lacking a feature you really need? What do you seek from a new receiver?

Honestly it is the pro logic II, since comcast has gone to Dolby digital on alot of the stations it is in stereo, and yes it comes through but not in the intended manner. DVD's and stuff broadcast in 5.1 works fine. Also I was hoping for a budget upgrade in the sonics if possible. I know the HK is a decent AV receiver, but I was hoping for some more...

 

[jcPanny]

Upgrade options

If you like your current HK, look for a deal on a 7300 from the Harmanaudio ebay store. Also, if you still have that Carver amp, adding the UL Pre-pro with it would make an inexpensive upgrade.

 

[kro77]

Sold the Carver a while back. And my delema is that the HK 7300 seems to go for around 1k form harman, the Marantz I can get at my local Cambridge soundworks for around 1k, the Atlantic Tech p-2000, a-2000 combo can be had for 1k, as can the Emotiva LMC/LPA combo. So that is why I am stuck, price seems to be about the same for all my options, and am looking for feedback. I am not all that interested in video functionality since I only have cable and a DVD and my remote automatically switches TV inputs appropiatly based on my macro.

So I guess it boils down a lump sump investment (receiver) or a more modular (pre-amp & amp), and sonic quality.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Sold the Carver a while back. And my delema is that the HK 7300 seems to go for around 1k form harman, the Marantz I can get at my local Cambridge soundworks for around 1k, the Atlantic Tech p-2000, a-2000 combo can be had for 1k, as can the Emotiva LMC/LPA combo. So that is why I am stuck, price seems to be about the same for all my options, and am looking for feedback. I am not all that interested in video functionality since I only have cable and a DVD and my remote automatically switches TV inputs appropiatly based on my macro.

So I guess it boils down a lump sump investment (receiver) or a more modular (pre-amp & amp), and sonic quality.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

In that case, what you need is a prologic II receiver if your speaker is not a difficult load for the speaker. Not to worry about receiver sound differences. No evidence for that. So, go for component reliability but not sure which is more reliable. Go for looks as costs seem to be pretty much the same. And, perhaps, how well the brands do warranty service.

 

[kro77]

My speakers have an efficincy of 92db/4 ohms, so i think most 100 wat receivers will drive these suckers.

 

[kro77]

Well I have ruled out the HK 7300 because of the fan. My listening room is very quite, and rankly i do not like fans.

 

[jcPanny]

4 ohm speakers

My speakers have an efficincy of 92db/4 ohms, so i think most 100 wat receivers will drive these suckers.

4 ohm mains can be tough for some receivers. If you go the UL route, you will get over 200 Watts into 4 ohms from the outboard amp.

 

[kro77]

Looks like to emotiva's are out of stock. I wonder how long they will be on back order?

 

[Nick250]

Call and ask them.