Thread: Planning to buy an Integrated Amplifier

Quote: Originally Posted by Seth=L OP is doing two channel only. You can pipe analog 2 channel to an integrated amp and get fantastic sound from Blu-ray, he's not going full gauntlet to get 7.1 HD sound, just two speakers and maybe a subwoofer if he feels froggy. A receiver will have unnecessary features for someone wanting to do strictly 2 channel listening. A receiver would offer no advantage in HDMI connectivity if only 1 or 2 sources...

Quote: Originally Posted by trambach I guess that makes sense if i want to listen to these formats: Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, and DTS-HD Master Audio But hooking up a blu=ray player to a integrated amplifier should give pretty good sound I suppose? I guess, subjectively. IMHO DD and DTS sound as good as as the higher resolution codecs, but better than just stereo

Quote: Originally Posted by trambach Should I add a dedicated amp to that receiver or is the included amp just fine? What speakers are you intending to drive?

OP is doing two channel only. You can pipe analog 2 channel to an integrated amp and get fantastic sound from Blu-ray, he's not going full gauntlet to get 7.1 HD sound, just two speakers and maybe a subwoofer if he feels froggy. A receiver will have unnecessary features for someone wanting to do strictly 2 channel listening. A receiver would offer no advantage in HDMI connectivity if only 1 or 2 sources are HDMI since most all TVs now...

Quote: Originally Posted by trambach Being a neophyte aspiring audiophile I am trying to making the best decision possible on a limited budget. From what I have read online, Five integrated amplifiers that have attracted my attention. I am still learning about the the differences between them. I do have a discerning ear, but some of the terminology is still jargon to me Marantz PM5003-$449.99 Amazon Onkyo A-9555- $449.95 B&H Onkyo...

Quote: Originally Posted by trambach Being a neophyte aspiring audiophile I am trying to making the best decision possible on a limited budget. From what I have read online, Five integrated amplifiers that have attracted my attention. I am still learning about the the differences between them. I do have a discerning ear, but some of the terminology is still jargon to me Marantz PM5003-$449.99 Amazon Onkyo A-9555- $449.95 B&H Onkyo...

Marantz PM7001 - http://us.marantz.com/Products/1647.asp NAD C 315BEE - http://signature.crutchfield.com/s_7....html?tp=34948 Denon PMA-2000IVR - If you can find one on the used market. ( http://www.crutchfield.com/s_033PMA2...VR.html?tp=180 ) Good luck with your search.

Quote: Originally Posted by trambach Right now I've narrowed it down to 3 bookshelf type speakers- B&W 685 Paradigm Atom Monitor V.6 Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 SE Oh. Most any integrated should be just fine. I recently gathered a small list of $350 or less integrateds for someone, IIRC, but I was corrected in that the Cambridge was considerably more expensive, though they still make units in that price range. With the speakers you...

I've heard NAD's CD player and either pre-amp or integrated amp and wasn't particularly impressed. I only have experience with Marantz's more expensive gear, but I do like the sound quality of Marantz over Yamaha by quite a large margin.

If you can pick up a Belles on the used market for a decent price you would have a great amp. I have listened to this one and it did sound good. Check powermodule link below. Very well build. I have owened one of their poweramps for many years. Reliable as hell. http://www.powermodules.com/power_mo...ntegrated.html