My new "SR8400"
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Silver Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 486 Registered: Mar-05 | whelp, since I am primarily a music listener, I decided NOT to get one of the uBid Marantzes and instead just got a NAD (I know Paul will love this) 2200 amp with pre-amp to go along with my existing 5400 for $400 shipped. That also includes a NAD tuner, though not sure exactly what I'll do with that since my local FM stations suck anyway and the 5400 already has a tuner. So, please reassure me that I did the right thing...have already started to pay the price with the wife who probably won't be speaking to me for the rest of the week, hee hee! |
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Silver Member Username: DmwileyPost Number: 639 Registered: Feb-05 | Good choice. Although certain NAD products do seem to have a characteristic signature hum. Nothing wrong with their musicality. I told my wife about my new toy on the way. Her response was like that of your wife. But after a while, she'll cool down. She knows I love this stuff. Better that than another woman. |
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Silver Member Username: DmwileyPost Number: 642 Registered: Feb-05 | Oh yeah, forgot to mention. You know this av stuff. So don't let Paul or anyone else persuade you to buy Cerwin Vegas or some sh*t like that. To thine own self be true. |
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Silver Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 440 Registered: Feb-05 | Good job Edster, the hum is in the AV stuff so you'll be fine. |
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Silver Member Username: ClaudermilkPost Number: 121 Registered: Sep-04 | So educate me. Why get an external amp/preamp for the 5400? It seems the 5400 has a pretty good output on it's own. BTW, the tuner is part of why I went with the 5400 myself; it had the best specs & I have a fantastic local jazz station that made it worthwhile to look at that aspect. |
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Silver Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 441 Registered: Feb-05 | Use the SR5400 as yet another source component hooked up to the video or aux on your pre and to power the center and rears. Leave the SR5400 off completely when listening to 2 channel. I go from the L/R front pre outs on the SR5400 to the video in on my NAD C162 pre. The C162 pre has 2 sets of pre outs. I use 1 set to go to the power amp and the other to go to the sub so that I have use of the sub for both 2 channel and home theater. I have to set the pre amp volume control to a set mark when I calibrate the home theater and return it to that setting every time I listen to it. It's key to remember to turn it back down before returning to 2 channel use or you can blow your fronts. It's a bit of pain but well worth it to me for better 2 channel music performance. |
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Silver Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 491 Registered: Mar-05 | thanks Dale, no not even Paul with his world-famous powers of logical persuasion could get me to buy come CVs, heh heh. I'm glad to hear I'm not the ONLY one in the wife's doghouse this week! |
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Silver Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 492 Registered: Mar-05 | Arthur, that's an interesting config; I was originally thinking of just using the 5400's preouts to go to one of the inputs on the pre, and having one set of speaker wires from the 5400 going to the my mains and then another set of speaker wires from the amp going to the mains, with the jumper still in place. I'd have to turn off the amp whenever using the 5400 though. That is kind of dangerous, in case I ever forget and have both the amp and the 5400 on at the same time the speakers would be toast. Have you ever thought of using both the 5400 and the NAD to bi-amp your front speakers? Wonder how that would work...I'd imagine the NAD's current is probably much higher quality. Well all this still hypothetical, since the wife is dead set against adding another 2 ugly black (or gray, in this case) boxes to our already crowded entertainment low shelf. I'm hoping that the sheer richness of the sound will sway her, but am not banking on it. BTW, does this mean that you have your CD player hooked up directly to the pre-amp? Is that an analog or digital connection? |
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Silver Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 493 Registered: Mar-05 | Chris, Well I think that for dedicated 2-channel music listening the NAD should provide a much more powerful, richer and more detailed sound. If it doesn't, I'll just move that getup into my bedroom where I currently just have a Sony ministereo POS. If this happens it'll be amusing to see how overmatched my bedroom's crappy Polk R20s will be...or (on a more optimistic note) how much they might improve. |
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Silver Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 442 Registered: Feb-05 | Bi amping using the SR5400 would degrade the 2 channel sound. I am using the method that I feel maximizes my 2 channel sound. Jim Ott at Northwest Audio Labs taught me this years ago. |
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Silver Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 443 Registered: Feb-05 | Finally home from work. Yeah, wives aren't too keen on the black boxes. With that monster sub comin' my wife is real anti black box. Actually she seems to have gotten over it but heh the sub is still siitin' in Illinois somewhere, we'll see how she feels when it's a showpiece in the living room. |
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Silver Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 495 Registered: Mar-05 | You may have to buy a pretty vase to put on top of it, refilling it with fresh flowers every week. Nothing works like bribery! |
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New member Username: Jorge59Rio de JaneiroBrasil Post Number: 7 Registered: May-05 | Hello guys, Following Ed's recommendation, I also bought my Marantz, here from Brazil. They'll ship it to my friend's in NJ and I'm gonna pick it up in a couple of months. I hope I did the right thing (to upgrade my Yamaha RXV 520). Only regret the 8400 doesn't have Phono input, but what can one expect for less than $500...? Relax guys, my wife also said I'm throwing money away (but she is willing to spend hundreds of bucks to buy IPod...). Now, my concern will be the speakers. Not a soul was able to tell me how the Ascends 170/340 (which reviews impressed me very much) will match to the B&W 600 line. I'll keep asking... |
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Silver Member Username: KanoPost Number: 491 Registered: Oct-04 | Edster, get a rack, get your components away from the ground. Something like the below would look a lot better with the cabling, etc. http://www.racksandstands.com/prods/Bush-Furniture/AD74300-03-Satin-Chrome-Finis h/0PBU1547.htm |
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Silver Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 498 Registered: Mar-05 | Jorge, try contacting Ascend directly, David F. is especially helpful. |
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Silver Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 499 Registered: Mar-05 | Kano, thanks for the link---it's beautiful, but if I add another $331 to the bill I'll be getting a phone call from her lawyer. : ) |
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Silver Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 503 Registered: Mar-05 | BTW Kano, is there a problem with having components close to the ground? Here's a pic of my current low-rack: http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10101&sto reId=12&productId=11149&langId=-1&parentCats=10104*10174 |
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Silver Member Username: ClaudermilkPost Number: 127 Registered: Sep-04 | I think I understand. Now I must resist the temptation to start adding more upgrade options already. I definitely hear you on the POS Sony stuff--one of their bookshelf systems is what got me started down this expensive road. Updating the source will make the speakers sound better; my crappy Sony speakers never sounded better in their miserable lives after I got the Marantz...can't wait to eliminate the rest of them. |
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Silver Member Username: KanoPost Number: 494 Registered: Oct-04 | Edster, in my living situation it is, I'm a bachelor with a dog. Therefore there's dust and hair and not enough vacuuming being done. In general though, there's more dust in the area 2 feet off the floor than above. Even when vacuuming the dust is kicked up a little and can get into your components shortening their life. I would recommend having receivers and power amps at least 2 feet off the floor. |
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Silver Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 504 Registered: Mar-05 | Kano, hmm, I'm married but we don't vacuum more than maybe once or twice a month, and we have a long-haired cat...yikes! This will take some REAL salemanship to get by the Mizziz. Dammit, there goes my hopes of getting a better sub before Christmas... |
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Silver Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 505 Registered: Mar-05 | Chris, so you have an sr5400 running some Sony minisystem OEM speakers? Wow. I'd be curious to hear how THAT sounds, before and after. |
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Silver Member Username: ClaudermilkPost Number: 133 Registered: Sep-04 | It's actually a mishmash right now. The Sonys are from a 3-year old bookcase system which is now dead.  I've replaced the mains with Studio 20's, so I still have the center & surrounds as Sony & still no sub. The 5400 actually made the Sony speakers sound better than they ever had any right to, but they were still nice and muddy. The center is next on the hit list since it doesn't match the new mains at all; I'm leaning strongly towards the CC-470 assuming I can figure a way to fit it in the entertainment center, otherwise the CC-370. I'm still missing the bottom end since I'm currently depending on the 20's for that & while they are making a valiant effort, they just can't quite fill it in. Budget dictates one piece at a time.  Now back on topic.  Obviously I'm not looking to add an external amp right away (and perhaps ever), just curious what you would get out of adding one to the 5400. In the price range it seemed to have one of the strongest AV receiver amps. |
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Silver Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 531 Registered: Mar-05 | Studio 20s are great speakers, and I'd try very hard to get the larger CC, it makes a huge difference with dialogue. So you don't have a subwoofer? With smaller speakers like the 20s it'd really be worth the money. I'll report back on the NAD when it arrives on Wednesday. What I'm hoping for is fuller, more powerful musical output. The 5400's 2-channel performance isn't bad especially using Source Direct, but it could use a bit more oooomph, which I'm hoping I'll get from the NAD. Darn, right after I ordered the NAD I was looking at the Outlaw Audio site and found this: http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/200.html Drool, drool, drool. Should be easy on the WAF too, compared to the plain gray boxes of NAD. |
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