What receiver to buy with B&W speakers

[bmw007]

Hi Everyone,

I dont consider myself an audiophile by any measure, but I have managed to get my hands on some nice speakers B&W 704's and matching center channel.

Now I dont have a receiver and went to a B&W dealer who was telling me to get a pre amp and an amp and the cheapest setup was ~3k. Discussed with a friend of mine who is slightly more educated and he suggested get the Denon receiver.

I have heard the 3311CI and it sounds good and I found a decent price online but wanted to get some opinions on what I should evaluate. I am open to spending ~1k or a little higher. I can spend more but I am not sure if I will be able to notice the difference. Please educate me if you can.

Thanks in advance for your time reading and inputs.

 

[bandphan]

Nice gear and affordable
http://www.emotiva.com/

How many channels? How large of a room? How many subwoofers? Budget?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I guess Emotiva UMC-1+upa-5 could work, somewhat over OP's 1k budget.... and lacking some newer features
In general 704 with efficiency of 90spl and impedance-8ohm are relatevely easy load for most avrs...
I'd pick from Denons, Marantz, Onkyo, Yamaha Advantage or Elite Pioneer series depends on the feature set you need...

Make sure to grab one with at-least 5.1 pre-outs

ps.: Denon 3311CI is solid choice

http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/display.aspx?infid=1097&terid=1112&sc=hf

 

[bmw007]

How many channels? How large of a room? How many subwoofers? Budget?[/QUOTE]

Right now I have the 2 front and 1 CC. In time I would add the rear and subwoffer(s). The room is ~ 20 x20 but has a sloping high ceiling. The speakers are at the end of the room where the ceiling is the lowest. At the high point I would say the ceiling is ~25 ft.

Thanks

 

[bmw007]

With the Emotiva UMC-1+upa-5 that BoredSysAdmin suggested V/s the 3311CI what do I lose? Not very clear after reading the Emotiva website.

 

[bandphan]

With the Emotiva UMC-1+upa-5 that BoredSysAdmin suggested V/s the 3311CI what do I lose? Not very clear after reading the Emotiva website.

You dont really "lose". Each has a feature set. Going the separates route you only need to upgrade the processor every so many years. If you read the review on the UPA7 you'll get a good idea about their gear. You can always buy just their amp and add a product like an onkyo 7 series avr if you like the feature set better (and not use the internal amps). Here is a detailed thread on the UMC pre amp by a member.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

UPA-1: You'll miss 1 extra HDMI input port, lack of HDMI 1.4a support (no 3D support or return audio channel).
Instead of highly elaborate "Audyssey Mult EQ Pro" Calibration Compatible/Installer Ready you get "Emo-Q" which I'm not sure how is it since I haven't seen any reviews yet....
UPA-1 is relatively fresh product on the market and first pre-amp emotiva ever made and initial launched product was affected by multiple bugs, which were ironed off as time went by.... (according to latest reports from owners)

The rest of differences are minor, however with UPA-1 you potentially gain Higher quality pre-amp and Emotiva amps are notoriously getting highest results in all reviews...

I'd also take a look at Pioneer Elite VSX-33 for comparable product...

 

[tcarcio]

Well if your B+W's are anything like mine they like power so I would go with the seperates and higher wattage.

 

[bmw007]

TCARCIO: which ones do you have and what setup are you using to power them? What do you think of the Emotiva setup mentioned above (Emotiva UMC-1+upa-5)?

I understand that I will lose the ability for 3D with Emotiva but dont have a 3D TV and DVD yet and I was told even with 1.3 I will be able to do 3D but will have to use some extra connections so not sure if that is so critical for me. The only other thing I would like to understand is should I focus on ethernet connection that the Denon has?

Such tough choices to make...getting nightmares though I am excited to set this up.

 

[bandphan]

TCARCIO: which ones do you have and what setup are you using to power them? What do you think of the Emotiva setup mentioned above?

Such tough choices to make...getting nightmares though I am excited to set this up.

Hint: Star Wars

 

[sjm820]

Well if your B+W's are anything like mine they like power so I would go with the seperates and higher wattage.

The700 B&Ws are more efficient than the 800 series that really craves power. I had B&W 703s, HTM7 and DS3s and first paired them with an Denon 1908 (90w) and thought I could use a little more power. I moved up to a Pioneer Elite SC -25 (with Class D 140W ICE amps) and had plenty of power. But the HTM3, while a good match for the 704s, wasn't quite right with the 703s so I replaced it with an HTM3 center - essentially an 804S on its side. Now I am looking to add an amp to the SC-25 to give me a little more oomph with the HTM3. If you want to spend @ $1000 I would stick with an AVR rather than separates. I prefer the Pioneer Elites to the comparable Denons but think you would be happy with either. If you want the latest technology (3D ready etc.) you can get the Pioneer Elite SC-35 for @$1100. Or you can probably get an SC-27 or SC-25 on Audiogon for @ $800. Good luck.

 

[enrique]

I would go either Marantz or Rotel,either would do your B&W's.

 

[tcarcio]

TCARCIO: which ones do you have and what setup are you using to power them? What do you think of the Emotiva setup mentioned above (Emotiva UMC-1+upa-5)?


I have a set of 801's and I have a Marantz reciever but I run all speakers off pro amps. I run my speakers on Crown cts600's and my sub on the Behringer ep4000.