Please recommend receiver to go with Infinity Speakers

 

New member
Username: Googol_plex

Post Number: 1
Registered: 12-2003
Good Day, All!

I currently have a Rotel RCD-965BX CD Player, RA-980BX Amplifier and a pair of Infinity Reference Series 30 Floor Standing Speakers. It is a system that I've been using for more than 10 years, with great pleasure I might add!

I now want to add home theatre capability. My room size is approximately 4m x 4m. I intend buying Infinity Alpha 10 Bookshelf Speakers for rear effects, and also the Infinity Alpha Centre.

I would have loved to go out and buy the Rotel RSX-1055 because I am a big Rotel fan, but I simply cannot afford it.

I am considering the Sony STR-DB790 and the Pioneer VSX-D812K. Which one would suit the Infinity speakers better?

I am also considering the NAD T752 and T753, but concerned about the problems reported by a number of users on this forum.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
 

New member
Username: Johnny

Post Number: 27
Registered: 12-2003
Rajesh,

What is your budget? I would definately not recommend the Sony or the Pioneer (I would, however, recommend anything in the Pioneer Elite line). The Sony especially has a very bright sound and a poor power supply, and would thus be a bad match with your Infinity speakers. I would recommend the NAD models. NAD has a much more mellow sound and would match better with your speakers. If you buy from an authorized dealer, you should be fine as far as potential NAD problems. I would also recommend Marantz, HK, and Elite with your speakers.
 

New member
Username: Googol_plex

Post Number: 2
Registered: 12-2003
Hello Johnny

Thank you very much for the reply.

My budget extends up to the T752 price range. Everything that I've read so far is that the NAD T752 is the best choice from an audio quality point of view. As I mentioned before, my only concern is the reliability issue raised by other participants in this forum.

I've just noticed that extremely few complaints were posted about the T742. It looks like a really good option, but it lacks newer features like DTS Neo:6 that are available in the T752. However, I do not want to spend money on a unit costing as much as the T752 if it is going to be unreliable. If I spend that much money, I expect the product to be rock solid stable for years!

It looks like it may prove useful for me to do a careful comparison between the T742 and the T752. In a nutshell, what is the downside for me to spend less and getting the T742?
 

New member
Username: Heff

Post Number: 39
Registered: 12-2003
NAD, Marantz and H/K are good choices. Onecall has the HK 525 for $544 after $30 MIR.

http://www.onecall.com/PID_17140.htm?IncSPLID=145
 

New member
Username: Jaggu

Post Number: 6
Registered: 12-2003
Rajesh, Just in case you in India, stay away from NAD. They are good but even the T742 which is supposed to have no problems like T752 and T762 lost its left channel. US customers are getting replacments. Thats not going to happen here.

If your not in India, then go ahead with T753 looks like a good option. Hope they won't have the problems T7?2 products have been having.
 

New member
Username: Googol_plex

Post Number: 3
Registered: 12-2003
Hello Jaggu

I am in South Africa. In my area, NAD is represented by a good dealer who is extremely helpful. I've asked him to find out from the NAD Distributor in South Africa whether NAD's swap out policy applies here or not.

This dealer sells a lot of NAD products, and I've e-mailed him regarding the reliability concerns raised here. I expect to receive a reply on Monday.

He has the T753 in stock at a cost of R7600 (approx US $1125). He sells the T752 at R6500 (approx US $965) and the T742 at R4750 (approx US $705).

As you can see, the cost difference between the products are significant, and I am trying to establish whether the extra cost is justified.

I am really a big fan of Rotel and was very interested in the RSX-1055, until I found out the price. In South Africa it sells for R12990 (approx US $1930)!!! This made me look at other products. My first stereo amplifier was the NAD 3020PE and I was really very happy with it. I later got the Rotel RA-980BX because my NAD was stolen!

I think one of the NADs will be ideal for me. I just need to look into the reliability issue.
 

New member
Username: Jaggu

Post Number: 7
Registered: 12-2003
Rajesh, the only thing I am sure anyone will want more is power from their amps. Same with me. Persoanlly I can live without dts neo, OSD etc. As long as the unit sounds good in music I am satisified. New movie formats will keep coming and we will spend more and more money to have all of them. The only reason i would spend more money is for power and not formats. Thats my opinion and that doesn't mean others are wrong.

At the moment I am really mad about that NAD left channel not working and I went against my instict of buying a product made in China.

I would typically ask the dealer how would he solve the problems if they arose. do they have trained certified staff to do such things?

Basically try to assess your dealers capability in fixing problems. Problems will come, in months or in years.

 

New member
Username: Jaggu

Post Number: 8
Registered: 12-2003
Rajesh, about the price of the 742 its about the same I paid for here (India).
 

New member
Username: Gman

Post Number: 44
Registered: 12-2003
You live in a small to medium room with easy to drive speakers. Would be silly to spend as much or more on your receiver as your speakers.

If you watch a lot of movies the Yamaha 1400 is good--but might be expensive over there. You really shouldn;t be spending that much on these speakers in a smallish room. A pioneer, an Onkyo are fine choices in your situation and where you live. They are probably far more sensibly priced, have plenty of power for those speakers in that room and you should be able to get a Onkyo 600 or 601, whichever has the features and is more affordable--or the Pioneer 812 or 912 should be fine.

Sure a NAD is nice--but not at those prices. That is almost robbery without a gun.

So get something reasonably priced. That is all your room and speakers require.

 

New member
Username: Googol_plex

Post Number: 4
Registered: 12-2003
Hello Gregory

The Yamaha RX-V1400 costs more than the NAD T753 over here; a whole lot more!

The Pioneer 812 costs about the same as the NAD T742 over here. With this in mind, would you still recommend the Pioneer over the NAD?
 

New member
Username: Gman

Post Number: 47
Registered: 12-2003
The main advantage the NAD T742 has over the Pioneer 912 (if that is about the same price there) is in amp quality. The NAD T742 is very difficult in balancing speakers, inputs and ouputs and features in general are sparse and don't operate easily. You have to get up to at least the T752 to get better feature and preamp performance, where as far as 5 am concerned, NAD begins to earn its good reputation.

If you listen to mostly stereo and music I would probably get the T742 and suffer through the poor design and use engineering elsewhere. But NAD spends so much on the amp section on this model that most of the other aspects are an example of a badly balanced design. If I watched movies and played SACD/DVD-Audio I would never get the T742. The speaker calibration section is a disaster and the feature list and inputs/outputs is very sparse.

Setting up a comparably priced Pioneer 912 or Onkyo 501 is far easier. With easy to drive Infinities in the size room you have I would get the Pioneer 912 or the Onkyo 501 if the prices are close. Onkyo 501 would get my vote.

Now the NAD T752 and T753 is a much more sophisticated and better unit.

I probably never had a worse time setting up a surround system than with the NAD T742. Great amp at the price---pretty bad to mediocre everything else. With easy to drive speakers and also watchung movies besides music--give me the Onkyo 501 anyday over it. The Pioneer 912 is very good here at its price. Of course it doesn't have the NAD T742 amp section and it doesn't have OSD (ON screen display for set-up)--but most of this price range doesn't. But i general performance I would take the Pioneer 912--unless i had inefficient speakers.

In sum, if the Onkyo 501 can be had at the same price as the T742--I would get the Onkyo. Does more things easier and better on movies, features, and is good in your size room with easy to drive 8 ohm speakers.

If your room was a little bigger and you had 4 ohm or more difficult to drive speakers I would choose the T742 and put up with its other shortcomings.

As I don't know your exact budget and what components cost where you live--this is difficult to advise.
 

New member
Username: Hard_yakka

Post Number: 4
Registered: 12-2003
Well I went out and matched up my existing front Infinity RS-IIIb's with a Pioneer Elite VSX-55TXi, Vienna Theatro Center, M&K K4's (4) and Def Tech SuperCube II. Setup was a snap but we've moved a few things around and will be redoing the equalization/parameters one more time. But it sound pretty good right now, just need more Region 1 DVD's with good sounds on them to keep playing all the settings.
 

New member
Username: Gman

Post Number: 51
Registered: 12-2003
Mark--

You have an interesting speaker set-up and a very good receiver. But unless you use the i-link (firewire) from another Pioneer Elite DVD player and/or use the rear USB port for MP3 players or connection to PC's or other USB devices, you probably should have gotten the 53TX. Same as 55TXI except for i-link and usb port.

But if you have or get the universal Pioneer Elite 47AVi dvd player (~$595---used about $400, maybe $300 if you got it from a very nice person that wanted to do you a favor).

A lot of people I see in chat rooms are really waiting for the universal Pioneer Elite 59AVi to come out. Street price will be around $1200. Of course it will be interesting to see if it performs as well as it is equipped.
 

New member
Username: Hard_yakka

Post Number: 5
Registered: 12-2003
I'll be using the connectivity capabilities in a house we are building. "Interesting speaker set-up" could be a nice way of saying "eh?" Posted a couple of times about different combinations, etc but didn't get a lot of feedback (understandable this time of year) and I didn't have a lot of time to wait. So I went with the recommendations at the local sound shop (not Circuit city/bestbuys/etc) where I have purchased over the past 18 years at. Wife likes the sound a lot so that helps smooth the $$$.
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