Which receiver for my 6 new B&W DM602 S3's?! :)

[twochordcool]

Yes, I finally ended up with the B&W DM602 S3's - I just liked the way they sounded. Perhaps I could have waited and listened to more speakers and driven myself nuts and found a speaker that I liked better - but I decided not to do that.

I really think that I made a good choice - I think I made a very "safe bet" and I don't think I could have done too much better for what I was looking for.

Now for the REAL fun - the new thing to drive me crazy!

Can anyone recommend a surround sound receiver - at around $1000 - that is as impressive (or almost as impressive) with stereo music as it is in Dolby Digital?

Or, should I purchase a separate surround sound receiver (for movies) and a separate integrated amp (for music) - say for $500 to $600 each - if music is as important to me as home theater?

Will I TREMENDOUSLY improve stereo sound if I buy a separate integrated amp for music?

Will my surround sound receiver be pretty good, or will it be A LOT better if I paid double for it?

If I went separate, can I hook it up so that I don't have to keep disconnecting and reconnecting the other when I want to listen to one or the other?

Basically what I am asking is if I am better off with a $1200 surround sound receiver for both music and movies - or if I am better off with a $600 surround sound receiver AND $600 for an integrated amp - if BOTH are important to me?

Have any suggestions regardless?!

 

[racquetman]

Try out a Rotel

I'm sure you'll get a lot of other suggestions, but I was very happy when I had a Rotel RSX-1055 (an older model) mated with my B&W 602 s3's. Rotel cares about music reproduction and I thought the pair went together beautifully. One of Rotel's receivers should be around your price range. Check one out if you have the means, I think you'll like the combination.

 

[j_garcia]

You may want to have moderators combine this thread with the other one, or delete the other one, so everyone can answer in one place.

Along the lines of what MDS said, A decent reciever and amp are a good choice, and you will generally get much better power that way, however at $500/500 for both, you will be looking used for a good amp, IMO. With a budget like that, I'd say you're better off getting a good receiver. Those speakers like plenty of current, but they are not going to draw so much that a good receiver will not give you good performance. Another thought would be to just get a 2 or 3 ch amp for the fronts.

You should be able to audition Rotel where B&W are sold too, since they are handled by the same distributors in the US. These guys are generally a good match. You may give up a few bells & whistles for good sound. You will not tremendously improve 2ch with an integrated unless you go with a much more expensive integrated, IMO.

I'd also listen to the Arcam AVR-250, NAD T763, and possibly the Marantz 7500 for a little less.

 

[VS540]

Just to clear things up, are talking about a separate power amp to hook up to the receiver or an actual integrated amp to use separately from the receiver for music?

I would shoot for the new Pioneer 72TXV if I were you (should be out this month). I think it would be a better route than splitting the budget in half.

Though if you ever do want an integrated amp for music try the Onix SP3 http://www.av123.com/products_product.php?section=processors&product=26.1 nothing but great things said about it. You might even luck out and find one used or one on sale on the AV123 B-Stock section.

 

[Newguy]

A few suggestions for your new 602s...

I suspect that if there's any doubt in your mind, especially at the price point you specified, you're likely to be satisfied with a receiver for both applications. The ~$1000 range is steeply contested by manufacturers, with better products appearing regularly as a result. Also, if this is your first multichannel system, keep in mind that you may come to prefer the use of Dolby PLII/IIx (or the DTS equivalent) for playback of stereo sources. [This comment may evoke heated responses from 2-channel purists. Unless you listen to stereo sources like a studio engineer on probation, it's probably safe to ignore them.]

A couple other things I thought of with regard to your setup:

• Do choose a receiver with crossover options below 80Hz. One of the nice things about using 602s for home theater applications is that they have strong response to below 60Hz, leaving your subwoofer to concentrate its power in the bottom 1.5 octaves, where it's needed most. If you listen at moderate volume, you might even consider running them as "large" (full-range) speakers.

• Don't forget to experiment with the foam port plugs B&W supplied with your 602s, particularly if they will be positioned near room boundaries.

Happy shopping!