Upgrading to a pre_pro difference?

[JDmsz]

Last month I bought a pair of Martin Logan 40 and the 50xt center speaker to go along with it and I love them so far. Now my question is would I benefit upgrading to a pre processor from a Denon x4200w I currently own for 4 years now? I already have a emotive A-300 powering my tower speakers but I'm looking to upgrade to a parasound a51+ or a monolith 5 channel amp just for the extra headroom. I currently sit 10 1/2 feet from the front stage. I wanted to go with a pre-pro or even an avr from NAD or Anthem just for dirac live and ARC. So should I save my money and just get the power amp?

 

[lovinthehd]

Not much to go on as far as why you need different electronics, especially in conjunction with those speakers....sounds more like a shopping trip.

How about the room, have you maximized positioning/acoustics? More effective than trying different electronics. How about a sub?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I’ve owned separates since the beginning of my hobby. Still own separates. But I think in general, you won’t hear any significant differences.

They might make you feel cool, though.

The SEPARATES vs. AVR Thread

The topic of using “Separates” vs. AVR is extremely popular. It seems like we see a new thread on this topic almost every week. Many people have asked, “Should I buy an AVR or a Pre-pro?” Many of us have used a variety of components through the years including Integrated Amplifiers...

forums.audioholics.com

 

[JDmsz]

Not much to go on as far as why you need different electronics, especially in conjunction with those speakers....sounds more like a shopping trip.

Yeah I have a svs sb12nsd but I really only use it for movies now because I like the clean bass the ML 40 puts out. I have acoustic paneling 6 inches behind the speakers and yes I really don't need a bigger power amp but I just want it for longevity years to come...

However, I wanted to upgrade to a pre pro or better avr just for Tidal. I know there's a blusound streamer I could buy but I figure a brand new processor would benefit the speakers more in clarity

 

[lovinthehd]

Yeah I have a svs sb12nsd but I really only use it for movies now because I like the clean bass the ML 40 puts out. I have acoustic paneling 6 inches behind the speakers and yes I really don't need a bigger power amp but I just want it for longevity years to come...

However, I wanted to upgrade to a pre pro or better avr just for Tidal. I know there's a blusound streamer I could buy but I figure a brand new processor would benefit the speakers more in clarity

I would never buy gear to enable Tidal/MQA. It just sounds like you're set until something actually dies....

 

[lovinthehd]

Audible differences from electronics from what you have? Meh. But what listening levels and what particularly are you listening to?

 

[JDmsz]

Audible differences from electronics from what you have? Meh. But what listening levels and what particularly are you listening to?

I listen from 75-80 decibels and I listen to a lot of African House music so its a lot of mid and low bass involved. You don't think even a blusound node 2i would improve the music? I running Spotify straight from the avr itself.

 

[lovinthehd]

I listen from 75-80 decibels and I listen to a lot of African House music so its a lot of mid and low bass involved. You don't think even a blusound node 2i would improve the music? I running Spotify straight from the avr itself.

I seriously doubt either handles the stream any better than does your ISP. Don't know the app difference in those two devices, if any, either....or if you're referring to potential dac differences. If you have Spotify connect and the premium account it should be 256 kbps AAC, 128 kbps for the free version.

75-80 dB average? Peaks of?

 

[JDmsz]

75-80 db is the volume I listen in terms of how loud I play music. I mean if there's a better dac in the node 2i I should be able to benefit the higher quality with tidal streaming at 1400kbps vs 256 or 320 that spotify offers.

 

[lovinthehd]

75-80 db is the volume I listen in terms of how loud I play music. I mean if there's a better dac in the node 2i I should be able to benefit the higher quality with tidal streaming at 1400kbps vs 256 or 320 that spotify offers.

You mean 75-80 on the absolute volume scale? That would be closer to average if properly calibrated without consideration of peaks and is quite loud with much content but since standards outside of movies don't really apply, hard to know. Better to have actual in-room measurements. Differences in dac chip or even implementation these days is way overblown IMO, more about specs than anything audible. Many cannot distinguish above 192kbps bitrates but codec used could make a difference. Spotify per my look today is using 256 kpbs AAC for premium, 128 for free. CD quality is offered by several services other than Tidal...and with their MQA nonsense they're my last choice. I'd rather use Qobuz personally.