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In Reply to: B&K Reference 30 posted by videonut on October 03, 2002 at 01:59:35:
I have a B&K 1030AVP Pre-pro, the early Dolby 5.1 from 1998. When I was redoing my stereo in January, I called B&K to see if there were any upgrades or differences between my 1030 and the Ref. 20 that followed, or the Ref. 30 that followed that. They told me (twice, 2 different calls to their engineering dept.) that the stereo bypass remains the same across the models beginning with the 1030 to present. I could have gotten an upgrade in the processor to include DTS, etc. but I didn't need to spend $1500 to get DTS capability.I find the stereo bypass function in this unit does something to the sound that makes it bright and harsh. I was told on this board that there are opamps in between the rca-in and the rca-out of this unit and most units that introduces degradation. This in contrast to the guy who sold it to me who swore that his Sony 707ES through the 1030 and into his amp and into his Martin Logans was a beautiful mix.
So I say you need to trial this combo. I ended up only using the 1030 for DVD, and output that into a good passive preamp for movies. For stereo, I go from cdp to passive pre, and not through the B&K. So I have two preamps.
If you only need a processor for Dolby Digital, there are now units under $300 that only do that, and you can invest in a quality passive or active preamp that will do justice to stereo.
Larry Dunn
Follow Ups:
Actually, its quite warm considering some older Pioneer and Sony stuff I used to own.-Robert
I'm really glad to hear that. I decided to go ahead and buy the B&K unit with the idea that if it turns out to be too bright, I might try the Shanling tube cd player to soften the sound. Besides, this unit is going to used primarily for home theatre. Thanks for the opinion. It would be a shame to get this unit next weekend and have to turn around and trade-in a Rega Jupiter player to soften the sound.
Thanks for the information. Being unable to audition the B&K Reference 30 was the problem. The closest dealer is around 6 hours away from me. What I am trying to find is a preamp that will do justice to both movies and a Rega Jupiter CD Player. For a short time, I had purchased an Arcam Alpha Integrated with the DAVE module and 3-channel amp. Regrettably, I made the mistake of buying a demo unit. When it worked properly, it was outstanding but in the end I had to return it due to a variety of problems with the unit. You wouldn't know a good preamp that could serve both purposes? Perhaps the Aragon Stage One? Thanks again.
the rotel is an excellent stereo preamp, in my opinion. i have not heard alot of preamps in my audio life, but if you read the reviews of their stereo preamps on audio review, you would see some of the unusual praise for their preamps: that they sound as good as as what are considered the best carrying high prices, or that the difference is somewhat negigible.my experiences are based on tube amplification and the rotel. it does a great job with tube amps.
there is a thread further down I think about integrating HT and stereo with a couple of expensive recs.Basic issue is that separating processor and preamp for stereo leaves your options open for optimizing both and not compromising. If you get picky about stereo, the separate preamps allows you to upgrade only what you need to.
FYI I use a passive preamp, FT Audio ($500), and it sounds great, and it has support from other descriminating users of very expensive systems. Of course the key is your amp's ability to take the signal directly from your cdp (with about a 3db loss). For details you can email the guys at FT audio or also Placette, which makes the next step up quality passive (at $1400 and it has remote).
Larry Dunn
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