Jump to content

Preamp processor upgrade advice needed


tromprof

Recommended Posts

Now that 4K projectors have started to become more affordable I am thinking of upgrading my projector and preamp. I am currently using an Integra 80.3 which I have been quite happy with, but I have read a number of posts about how the newer Integra units are not competitive with many of the other brands . I am currently considering an Anthem AVM 60 or a Yamaha CX-A5200 (or CX-A5100). I would love to be able to consider the Marantz AV8805, but I am not willing to spend that much. The Anthem sounds like it is super well built and has a great reputation for sound, but it is several years old at this point. The Yamaha also seems to get good press for build quality and sound and is a slightly newer design than the Anthem.

Any thoughts or advice appreciated

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, tromprof said:

Now that 4K projectors have started to become more affordable I am thinking of upgrading my projector and preamp. I am currently using an Integra 80.3 which I have been quite happy with, but I have read a number of posts about how the newer Integra units are not competitive with many of the other brands . I am currently considering an Anthem AVM 60 or a Yamaha CX-A5200 (or CX-A5100). I would love to be able to consider the Marantz AV8805, but I am not willing to spend that much. The Anthem sounds like it is super well built and has a great reputation for sound, but it is several years old at this point. The Yamaha also seems to get good press for build quality and sound and is a slightly newer design than the Anthem.

Any thoughts or advice appreciated

I can't ever say enough good things about the Yamaha, with state of the art Sabre DAC chips, and YPAO room correction with a single microphone reading. I have owned 2 of the 5000 and  one 5200 currently. I'll be keeping one of the 5000's for 2 channel in another room, it's that good. I think the 5100 also does Dolby Atmos, but I'm not sure. Of course, my 5200 does, but that "Atmos" never shows on the display because Yamaha uses AI technology. Working on plugging a pair of Super Cornwalls for SR and SL, along with 4 Super Heresy's for ceiling bounce for total envelopment. At the touch of a single button on the remote, I go from 2 channel with subs, to 11 channel with subs my 4K home theater. Thumbs up all the way, which impressed the carloads of Klipscheads that were here 2 months ago. Call me if you more info. I think you still have my number. If not, you can PM me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, ClaudeJ1 said:

I can't ever say enough good things about the Yamaha, with state of the art Sabre DAC chips, and YPAO room correction with a single microphone reading. I have owned 2 of the 5000 and  one 5200 currently. I'll be keeping one of the 5000's for 2 channel in another room, it's that good. I think the 5100 also does Dolby Atmos, but I'm not sure. Of course, my 5200 does, but that "Atmos" never shows on the display because Yamaha uses AI technology. Working on plugging a pair of Super Cornwalls for SR and SL, along with 4 Super Heresy's for ceiling bounce for total envelopment. At the touch of a single button on the remote, I go from 2 channel with subs, to 11 channel with subs my 4K home theater. Thumbs up all the way, which impressed the carloads of Klipscheads that were here 2 months ago. Call me if you more info. I think you still have my number. If not, you can PM me.

 

Claude, thanks for the vote of confidence in Yamaha. It seems like Marantz gets all the press and the Yamaha has less written about it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, The Dude said:

I've never been a fan of Yamaha, but after looking at the zone outs and phono input.  I would possibly give it a try. 

My friend's Marantz Pre Pro crapped out. Per my urging, he replaced it with a Yamaha CX-A5000, just like mine. This guy has all Pass Labs front end with a $19,000 DAC box, basically about 100 Grand in Electronics and he's happy with the Yammy. To be fair,  he's not a big HT fan except from when his Grandkids visit, LOL. But he does have mono and stereo cartridges on his twin $13,000 turntables, and he's a world class speaker builder. IOW, hard to please and he loved the Yamaha's reliability.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For home theater, I had a Yamaha AVR for about 18 years and just replaced it with an 8-year old Yamaha AVR hand-me-down from my brother.  (I do not use the amp sections on them.) I'm not huge into HT so my philosophy has been to get a decent Yamaha AVR with the features I need and pre-outs to feed my amp.  No complaints at all with Yamaha AVRs.  In general, HT technology changes so fast it is good to stick with a large player in this market with the resources to stay on top of it, rather than be an extension of the QA department for a boutique company.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really like the Yamaha products, and have been incredibly happy with my RX-A2070 AVR over the past few years... love the looks and performance. As for the Aventage CX-A5200, I can only dream of owning one of these bad boys one day, but I can tell you that Gene from Audioholics bench tested the pre-pro and amp, and was very impressed with the build quality and performance: https://www.audioholics.com/av-preamp-processor-reviews/cx-a5200-mx-a5200

 

I think he also likes the Anthem, and owns one if I'm not mistaken: https://www.audioholics.com/av-preamp-processor-reviews/anthem-avm-60-network-preamp-processor-review

 

And here's the CX-A5100 in case you are interested: https://www.audioholics.com/av-preamp-processor-reviews/yamaha-aventage-cx-a5100-preamp-processor-preview

 

Let us know what you decide in the end and how it performs...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Havent heard the Anthem, but I recently bought the Yamaha. Excellent so far, and as I recall the DACs in the Yamaha are better.  Set up is simple as well. YPAO, Yamaha's version of Dirac type processing, seems to work well, though I manually adjusted some of the settings, especially for the front LaScalas.

20190808_180401.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...