preamp vs reciever w/pre outs

[vnzbd]

A little thinking out aloud here. I recently tried running my Oppo directly into my amp and was less than thrilled with the audible results. In addition I frequently listen to the DTV box for music so I am thinking of going with a preamp to handle the particulars. I have been running an older Marantz AVR as a pre/pro and it is huge and antiquated, while still sounding good. I would like a smaller form factor for the eye as well. I am weighing my options and have is narrowed down to these two:

 

Parasound P5 preamp - pluses as I see them over the current set up are smaller form factor, front panel bass, treble and sub adjustments, analog and digital in's with an internal Burr Brown DAC, analog crossovers for mains and subs(only 12dB), and XLR ins and outs for possible future use. The minuses  are expensive($1200ish), the need to run the Oppo analog center and surrounds directly to the amp and use the Oppo for volume control on HT

 

Marantz NR1605 - pluses as I see them are Smaller form factor, all of the new decoding formats for HT, front panel USB, room correction software. Other bells and whistles are wireless, blue tooth, video switching(currently done of TV),HDMI for HT audio, zone 2 amp and pre outs. Much cheaper as it can be had in the $400 range. Pre outs for front and sub only. It doesn't feel like it is a real step up over the current set up but it I don't use the bells and whistles...

 

Opinions welcomed:

 

In two ch, how much superior would the Parasound be?

 

How much of a pain would it be for HT running the Oppo to the amp and through the Parasound simultaneously ?

 

Thanks!

[teaman]

Either route you take, be sure to shop around. Personally I think the Marantz is sufficient but some will aim for the Parasound. Personally I have seen tons of praise for the Emotiva UMC-200 preamp and it only runs half the cost of the Parasound. Sites like accessoriesforless.com offer some great pricing on Denon and Marantz so be sure to check them out.

[willland]

Mike,

 

My experience is that a quality dedicated stereo preamp or integrated amp trumps an HT AVR for 2-channel most of the time.  Of course there are some exceptions to the rule.  My NAD T175HD pre/pro is one of those exceptions IMO as well as the T773 flaghip AVR that I have.  Both excel very well in stereo.

 

Bill

Edited May 14, 2015 by willland

[jjptkd]

I'd say more times than not if you're using a Receiver for 2 channel music you're compromising. There's a good reason they make and sell pre/pros and why separates cost so much more than Receivers, they sound much better.

[mustang guy]

I have never heard either of them, but I like the simplicity and quality of the Parasound. Sometimes these complicated AVR's can take away enjoyment because it seems you are always fiddling with them.  The Parasound is like the olden days where you had a bass and a treble knob. Nice and simple. Just sit back and enjoy without wondering if the settings in the LFE are correct or the mains should be set to small, etc etc etc etc etc etc.... 

[dtel]

I think your going in the right direction, I used AVR as a pre amp for a while, pre-outs only. Switched to a DAC with a volume control which completely separated it from the HT. It made a huge difference in sound quality. Now it wasn't Marantz it was a Yamaha RXV 730 if that makes a difference, after removing the AVR I was shocked at what I was missing. Good luck

[willland]

Mike,

Maybe consider one of these?

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/camb551rbla/cambridge-audio-azur-551r-7.1-channel-home-theater-receiver-black/1.html#!specifications

Small form factor at 16.9W x 4.3H x 13.3D.

Bill

Edited May 14, 2015 by willland

[vnzbd]

Thanks for the suggestion Bill, it looks like an interesting unit. Certainly the size I am looking for! I actually have never heard a CA product in person but have read a favorable review or  two in the past. If I were dead set on two channel it would be straight pre for sure but I just can't give up the HT as not only I but my son enjoys movie nights as well. It is hard to give up the HT experience once you have right. Some more thought and reflection!

 

I hope you and the family are doing great!

 

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

[Jay L]

Also check out some Arcam (basically Cambridge Audio)

[vnzbd]

Well time for an update on my search for a small form factor Pre/Pro. I took a long hard look at the Parasound but just could not write that check and it did not give me the simplicity that I like. I looked hard at Bills suggestion on the Cambridge unit but passed on it vs. the Marantz. I would have gone Cambridge is I were going to use the internal amps as it seems that it is the high point of the unit. Next came the Marantz NR 1605, a ton of bells and whistles. More than I really needed. I ended up with the Marantz 1603 which has ALMOST everything I wanted. It lacks the 12v remote turn on and a center channel pre out. 

 

The difference in price from Accessories4less was only $70 dollars but I decided to put that into some Blue Jean speaker cables, 10awg, welded locking Bananas. I do have turn on and off the amp each time but not a big deal. To over come the lack of a center pre out I used a "laying around" device from Carver, the Z5. It knocks a speaker level out put down to line level. I am using 3 ch of the Emotiva  XPA-5. I am running Zone 2 and the surrounds from the Marantz amp.

 

Since my last AVR was a refurbished unit from A4L and I got a solid ten years out of it I had no issue using them again. The addition of the HDMI was great! My living room is much cleaner looking less like a production studio and I will say after a couple of movies I think it actually sounds better as well. I am guessing that is do to a much newer processing chip. Also by not going with the Cambridge I can maintain the use of one factory remote for playback of CD's

 

Thanks for all the input towards the decision.