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Rantz Unregistered guest | Although my preferred format is hi-res surround and that I am very content with how my components deliver the goods with SACD and DVD-A, I know that a decent receiver like my Marantz Sr-7300 is not up to scratch compared to a decent integrated amp or pre/power combo when it comes to stereo listening. I have recently been adding quite a lot of redbook cd's to my listening habits lately and although I am enjoying the music and the sound quality, there is still that something special that the 7300 fails to provide with 2 channel listening. Being initially impressed with the 'NAD' sound when I was auditioning receivers, but not willing to take the risk of getting one of those noisy lemons, I (and Mrs Rantz) decided to try out their popular integrateds at the local dealers. The speakers for testing were Mirage Omni floorstanders (don't know the model) and the source was a C541, which was all there was in the store at the time. As I forgot to take my own reference music, I got the dealer to play a Van Morrison disc that we were familiar with. The C352 was first up and wife and I were immediately impressed; the sound was excellent, clean crisp highs, decent bass and mid-range, imaging was very focussed and what was really evident was the deep soundstage (which in part may have been due to speaker positioning). Then the dealer switched to the C372 and WOW! Wife and I looked at each other knowingly and I knew she was reading my mind. Everything we liked about the 352 was magnified at once by the larger amp: the soundstage expanded immensely and suddenly there was this 'warm lush' quality thrown into the mix, but without taking anything else back, in fact improvement was such it made the 352 sound a bit cold the second time around, even with the tighter bass the 372 provided. We were both sold, but we were also dissappointed as the 372 is almost twice the price of the 352 ($799AU vs $1299AU) and we didn't even listen to the C272/C162 combo which is about two grand (Mrs Rantz said we could take the 372 if we stretched things, but we all know what happens when we do that). Both amps were good, but the 372 was great - even with the C541 as the source. So the wait is on. A voice in my head is telling me I should audition the C272/C162 combo. Shut up voice! |
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Silver Member Username: DanmanQUEBEC CANADA Post Number: 586 Registered: Apr-04 | That is a very nice combo! |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 6586 Registered: May-04 | https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/home-audio/56709.html |
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Rantz Unregistered guest | Ha ha! Okay, but the thing is I enjoy hi-res MC so much now that redbook cd's just don't give me the same enjoyment and I don't whether or not having a decent stereo (Nad or whatever) integrated or pre/power combo will elevate my enjoyment to equal that of hi-res MC, but it at least it should make it come darn close. I have a small collection of over 400 redbook cd's which I have been returning to on occassion recently and I know that I will enjoy them much more with a good stereo kit which will deliver better two channel qualities than a low/mid-range receiver. |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 6589 Registered: May-04 | Well, okey dokey then! |
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Rantz Unregistered guest | Well, the voice in my head got the better of me and I decided against the integrateds. I ordered today a C162 pre and C272 power amp which was much more than we (especially she) wanted to spend. I was going to wait a while, but a pending operation has been brought forward which means I'll have plenty of time while recuperating to catch up on my old cd collection (in between listening to hi-res surround titles of course). This purchase now puts the icing on my audio cake and I'll make my feelings known about this Nad combo after a few weeks of listening. |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 6592 Registered: May-04 | What speakers? |
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Rantz Unregistered guest | 602S3's - you know, dimpled ports and all that. With heaps of power in reserve I think they should mate well - I dare not even think about a speaker upgrade. Yet! |
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Silver Member Username: DanmanQUEBEC CANADA Post Number: 588 Registered: Apr-04 | Congrats Rantz............please keep us posted on your initial thoughts. |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 6594 Registered: May-04 | So you're taking the 602's out of the MC system? Or, is this a system with the fronts powered by the stereo amp while you listen in MC? |
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Rantz Unregistered guest | Not sure yet. I have been thinking about using the power amp to drive the mains in the MC system, but I may just run separate wires for stereo to keep the status quo in surround. Maybe a Niles switch will be in order but I'd prefer to keep another connection out of the loop. Thanks Danman, I'll give you my thoughts soon. I'm looking forward to this new addition. |
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Rantz Unregistered guest | Jan would this be correct: The Marantz receiver has pre-outs for each channel. The C272 power amp has a fixed input and a variable input with a switch to select either. So (1) could I use the fixed input for the C162 pre-amp and utilize the variable input to connect to the L&R pre-out main channels on the receiver? I assume the receiver would then control the power amp volume. And (2) if that is correct would there be a big difference in sound from the main speakers compared to the others when listening to hi-res MC audio or any other problems you might forsee? Or (3) would a decent speaker switch be better or are there impedence or other problems using those? Any advice appreciated thanks. |
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Rantz Unregistered guest | Sorry - speaker switch meaning to switch between the receiver and power amp to one set of speakers. |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 6597 Registered: May-04 | I would assume your plan should work if you are very careful that whichever pre amp is not being used is powered down. While not as much of a problem as two power amplifiers talking to one another, neither pre amp should see the ouptut of the other unit. The problem would be that I'm not certain what a fixed and variable input amount to. I know what a fixed output is. And a variable output. However, to my knowledge, most inputs are fixed level. I am guessing, not finding adequate information on the NAD site, this allows you to adjust the input level to match a second amplifier's sensitivity. Once it is set, it becomes a conventional "fixed" input level. It seems odd to put a switch in the signal path to achieve that; but, hey, marketing departments usually get their way. If that's the case, I see no problem with your suggested set up with the above condition. I also have no real idea what the Marantz sounds like, so a comparison is not easy to make. I would expect the NAD to have much better bass resolution. This should be of little consequence if you are running the fronts with a subwoofer crossover. Tonally the mids shouldn't be different enough to draw attention to the existence of the NAD would be my guess. With the amount of information spread across the three front speakers, multichannel music would be my main concern as the Marantz and the NAD are unlikely to have similar characteristics in terms of soundstaging, imaging and micro/macrodynamic range. |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 6598 Registered: May-04 | If you decide to use a switch for the selection of amplifiers, it should be a high amperage triple throw switch with isolated grounds. This will give the least chance the amplifiers could ever be in line at the same time as the triple throw allows a null point in the middle. It is not a switch you are likely to find in a shop. You would probably have to have someone make the connections for you unless you can handle some soldering. |
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Rantz Unregistered guest | Thanks for that info. I think to play it safe for the time being I'll just run an extra set of speaker wires from the power amp and use banana plugs as I am already. It won't won't take much longer to swap plugs as it would throwing a switch anyway. Also, MC will remain as is and stereo will (I expect) be a whole new experience. Thanks also for the tip on the switch - makes good sense. |
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New member Username: Paul_curriePost Number: 3 Registered: Mar-06 | Hi , your discussion was of interest to me as I am looking at replacing my NAD c317 (faulty after 2 years with a left channel hum) with a NAD c372 . My other gear is NAD c540 cd B&W 603 s2 and a B&W amp . Price really isn't the main factor but more being ever satisfied and not wishing I'd stepped up . So should I too consider the c162 and c272 , and if so how much better could I expect it to be . What would be the weakest link in the set up . |