Video Asylum

Posted by Sean (i) on November 17, 2000 at 00:32:35:

I'm looking for a tuner / preamp / processor that doesn't sound like a transistor radio or have so many side effects that it is irritating to use. And no, i don't want a tube based unit either : ) I also don't want to spend a fortune. I'd like to keep it under $2K if possible and i don't mind buying used. A good remote and USER FRIENDLY manual would surely be a nice touch. Just to make simpler, i want everything and don't want to pay anything for it : )

Does anyone have any suggestions ?

I was using a seperate tuner ( Yamaha TX-950 ), preamp ( AGI 511A ) and processor ( Technics SH-AC300 ) for my HT system, but wanted something that was a little more convenient while taking up less space. So far, i've tried the Parasound AVC-1800 and currently have the Marantz AV-9000 hooked up.

While the Parasound did not sound TOO bad, it had some extremely annoying "habits". First and foremost was the EXTREMELY slow tracking of the volume control. If going from minimum volume up to a "good level", it literally took almost 10 seconds !!! This was using either the remote or adjusting the volume manually via the knob on the faceplate. On top of this, there was an audible "click" as the volume was stepped up or down at specific points along the way. Besides that, it just didn't seem to "drive" my amps very well. I had to get WAY up into the volume control to make the house shake. Back it went to the dealer.

I stopped by the place where i bought my TV just to see what they had. As it turns out, they were just bought by Tweeter and were closing out Marantz. While i was able to pick up the AV-9000 at a very good price ($1150 / lists at $1900), i'm not really digging the sound of it. It is much nicer to use, has a killer remote (RC 2000) as a standard feature, looks much nicer than the Parasound while having far less operational "side effects", the sound is just not what i'm looking for. I would characterize it as being relatively thin sounding and forward. While this may add clarity for movies in terms of interpreting speech, it sounds "weak" on music or anything requiring bottom end reproduction. With 1200 wpc hitting four 12's on the mains and 300 wpc with four 10's on the surrounds, i should have no problem with bottom end "oomph". Even with all of that and making some substitutions in the system, it still sounds "anemic" with this preamp in the system. I've even tried some interconnects that are known for being quite "warm and relaxed" sounding, added one of Bob Crump's HSRi power cords to feed it and swapped in an amp that is VERY warm sounding with excellent bass impact with minimal differences. The unit has now been on and operating for appr. 100 hours and in my opinion, is probably sounding about as good as it's gonna get. Believe me, i'd really like this unit to "work" for me, but i think that it too will be going back.

I've seen a Sony unit that i know Samir liked quite a bit listed for sale on the used market. I can't remember, but i think it's something like an ES9000 or something similar. I'm somewhat afraid of it though, as MANY of the "reviews" of it on AudioReview mention it being somewhat "bright" sounding. I've also thought about the Denon 8000, but noticed that it uses 20 bit DAC's instead of the 24 bit units ( at least ) like everyone else has. While several have commented that it leans towards the warm side (which is what i'm looking for), they also mentioned that it has it's own side effects and quirks that you have to put up with. Is there anything else out there that won't cost an arm and a leg to purchase that fits the description of what i'm looking for ? I'm running out of options and dealers to annoy : ) Any help appreciated. Sean
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