Guide to AVRs, Controllers & Amps.pdf

(39116 KB) Pobierz
GUIDE TO
AVRs,
Bo
nu
Ch
s
Th oosi
sect
ea ng
ter Ho
ion
Ca me
:
ble
s
ContRolleRs & Amps
contents
Introduction
AVRs, controllers & Amps
TPV AVR REVIEWS
Cambridge Audio 650R
Marantz SR8002
NAD T775
Onkyo TX-SR608
Pioneer SC-27
Rotel RSX-1550
Sony STR-DA6400ES
Yamaha RX-V3900
AVRs, Controllers & Amps: Buying Tips from TPV
Automated Speaker Setup/Room EQ Systems Explained
On the Horizon: New AVRs, Controllers & Amps
Headed Our Way
Choosing Home Theater Cables
TPV A/V CONTROllER & AmP REVIEWS
Anthem Statement D2v A/V Contoller
Anthem Statement P5 Amplifier
Classe Audio SSP-800 Multichannel Controller
Marantz AV8003 Pre Tuner
Marantz MM8003 Amplifier
Parasound Halo P7 Multichannel Preamp and Marantz AV8003 Pre Tuner
2
THE PERFECT VISION GUIDE TO AVRS, CONTROllERS & AmPS
www.avguide.com
previous page
TaBLe oF CoNTeNTs
NeXT page
GUIDE TO
AVRs,
EDITORIAL
PUBlISHER
Jim Hannon
ContRolleRs & Amps
cREATIvE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Chris Martens
SENIOR EDITORS
David Birch-Jones, Video
Chris Martens, Audio
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Neil Gader,
Associate Editor,
The Absolute Sound
Steve Guttenberg,
Contributing Writer,
The Perfect Vision
and
Playback
Robert Harley,
Editor-in-Chief,
The Absolute Sound
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Torquil Dewar
ART DIRECTOR
Shelley Lai
PRODUCTION mANAGER
Aaron Chamberlain
DESIGNER
mikki
Bullock
ADvERTIsIng
ADVERTISING REPS
Cheryl Smith
(512)-891-7775
Marvin Lewis
MTM Sales
(718)-225-8803
Scott Constantine
(609)-275-9594
To sign up for Buyer’s Guides
alerts, click here
Address letters to the Editor:
The Perfect Vision,
4544 S. Lamar #G-300,
Austin, TX 78745 or
cmartens@nextscreen.com
©2010 NextScreen, LLC
cORpORATE OffIcE
NEXTSCREEN, llC, INC.
CHAIRmAN & CEO
Tom Martin
VP/GROUP PUBlISHER
Jim Hannon
3
THE PERFECT VISION GUIDE TO AVRS, CONTROllERS & AmPS
www.avguide.com
previous page
TaBLe oF CoNTeNTs
NeXT page
InTRODUcTIOn
W
elcome to
The Perfect Vision Guide to AVRs, Controllers
& Amps.
By design, this is a different kind of “Buyer’s
Guide”—one that focuses not so much on telling you
which
components to buy, but that rather aims to provide information
that will help you sort through the myriad of products available to find
those that will best meet your real-world needs.
To this end, we lead off with two pieces entitled
“AVRs, Controllers & Amps: Buying Tips from
TPV”
and
“Automated Speaker Setup/Room
EQ System Explained”.
Together, these articles
provide need-to-know information to help you
understand key differentiators between various
makes and models of AVRs, controllers and
amps, and to make wise purchase decisions
accordingly.
Next we provide an article called
“On the
Horizon: New AVRs, Controllers & Amps
Headed Our Way”.
Seventeen of today’s most
influential A/V manufacturers share insights on
soon-to-be-released (or very recently released)
new models you may want to know about before
investing in new gear.
Then, recognizing that no home theater system
can be complete without high quality cables
(and that wires can sometimes be the “weak
4
THE PERFECT VISION GUIDE TO AVRS, CONTROllERS & AmPS
link” in otherwise good systems), we offer a cool
bonus section called
“Choosing Home Theater
Cables”.
Fourteen leading cable manufacturers
recommend cabling packages for both entry-to-
mid-level and mid-level-to-top-tier systems.
Finally, we wrap up with a collection of
The
Perfect Vision’s
expert reviews of fourteen
AVRs, controllers & amps—just
to help get you
started on your search.
We hope you have as much fun reading and
using this Guide as we did putting it together,
and we wish you the very best that fine home
theater systems have to offer.
Happy viewing and listening,
Chris Martens,
Editor, AVguide.com,
Playback/
The Perfect Vision
www.avguide.com
previous page
TaBLe oF CoNTeNTs
NeXT page
AvRs, cOnTROLLERs & Amps:
Buying Tips from TpV
Chris Martens
C
hoosing new electronics components
to power and control your home
theater system can be an intimidating
and sometimes confusing task. Knowing this,
the TPV team has put together four simple
groups of buying tips to help simplify and
streamline your task.
GONGS
& WHISTLES
component improve core performance in
ways I can actually see and/or hear?”
Core Performance = Picture Quality + Sound
Quality + Vital Control Functions.
• If yes, then, consider putting the
component on your short list.
GONGS
& WHISTLES
CORE
PERFORMANCE
?
!
• Look for power ratings taken with all
channels driven—not just one or two
channels driven.
(Remember: In the real-
world, your electronics will have to drive
multiple channels at once—not just one or
two channels to make their specifications
look good).
• Look for power ratings taken with channels
driven across the entire audio spectrum
(20Hz – 20kHz)—not just at one (typically
midrange) frequency.
(Remember: In the
real-world, your electronics will have to
cover all possible frequencies—not just
one easy-to-handle midrange frequency to
make their specifications look good).
• Look for power ratings taken at low
distortion levels (typically measured at
tenths of a percent of THD or less)—not at
moderate-to-high distortion levels (e.g.,
distortion levels at or even above 1%
THD).
(Remember: In the real world, clean
power is what really counts most.).
• Where possible, look for power ratings
quoted when the receiver or amp is driving
both 8 Ohm and 4 Ohm loudspeaker
loads.
(Remember: In the real-world,
loudspeakers present loads that vary with
frequency—with higher impedances at
some frequencies and lower impedances at
others. Ideally, you want an amplifier that can
handle both high and low impedance loads
gracefully.).
TIP 1:
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize—
?
Core Performance
Key Concept: Core performance outweighs
“gongs and whistles” every time.
There has been and will likely to continue to be
an “explosion of features” in the world of AVRs,
controllers and amps, and it is easy to see
why. For many manufacturers, the marching
orders from the marketing department say,
“invent
something
(anything) new so that
we can differentiate this year’s models from
last years offerings.” This is all well and
good, provided that you as a consumer and
enthusiast understand that some features are
extremely useful and therefore desirable, while
others are mostly just eye candy. How do
you sort them out? We recommend using this
simple litmus test:
The Core Performance litmus Test:
“Do the features or functions offered by the
5
THE PERFECT VISION GUIDE TO AVRS, CONTROllERS & AmPS
!
?
CORE
PERFORMANCE
GONGS
& WHISTLES
TIP 3:
Choose Features, Functions You
Need and Will Use
Key Concept: Features and functions aren’t
“free,” so don’t waste money on options you
don’t need or are not likely to use.
As mentioned above, there’s a “features
explosion” going on in the A/V world with no
end in sight, so that it can be hard to separate
features and functions that are genuinely
useful from those that are merely novel or
theoretically interesting—but not really likely
to be used. To help you separate the “wheat
from the chaff,” so to speak, we provide a
suggested priority list, below.
GONGS
& WHISTLES
• If you’re not sure, ask questions and
also ask to have the features/functions
demonstrated in action.
CORE
PERFORMANCE
!
GONGS
& WHISTLES
CORE
PERFORMANCE
• If not, may we politely suggest that you
look further?
GONGS
& WHISTLES
?
!
TIP 2:
!
Power Specifications Are Not
Created Equal
Key Concept: High wattage power output
claims—taken in isolation—mean almost
nothing; the key lies in learning how those
measurements were taken, and under what
test conditions.
GONGS
& WHISTLES
CORE
PERFORMANCE
?
CORE
PERFORMANCE
?
!
mUST HAVE FEATURES, FUNCTIONS
•
Clean, powerful amplifier section adequate
for your listening environment and intended
speaker configuration.
•
Enough output channels to support your
intended speaker configuration.
But note—
www.avguide.com
?
CORE
PERFORMANCE
Much though we wish we could tell you
otherwise, the fact is that some manufacturers
use very conservative and stringent power rating
standards, while some use “standards” that
would make the average Wild West Snake Oil
salesman blush with embarrassment. Not a good
situation. Here are some key tips to keep in mind.
!
GONGS
& WHISTLES
CORE
PERFORMANCE
?
!
previous page
TaBLe oF CoNTeNTs
NeXT page

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika:

Zgłoś jeśli naruszono regulamin