Keith G wrote:
OK Sploo, no-one else has answered so I'll try:

Keith, first up, thanks for your reply.

I was originally considering a pairing such as Denon's AVR-2805, with a
Denon DVD-2910 player (for CD and DVD-A playback only - as I have an
alternative video source).

Immediate reaction - I never saw the name Denon on anything in the least bit
crappy...

That fits my experience, though I'm not particularly familar with their
surround amps/receivers.

The gist I get is that the Denon receivers are *very* good for films,
but, like most others, aren't so hot for music.

Because of my preference for music reproduction, many people have
recommended that I look at Arcam amps. Unfortunately, they're not cheap.

No, they're not, but if you can afford them you should *audition* one, or
you will *never know*.... ;-)

That's the plan.

I was therefore thinking of instead combining the Arcam AVR300 with a
budget CD player (such as the Cambridge Audio Azur 640C), and connecting
its digital output to the AVR300 - accepting that I will not have DVD-A
playback.

Budget 'CDPs' with digital out cost £29 from supermarkets these days -
(DVDPs) and even possibly with DVD-A if you are lucky (I don't know)...

I work in an environment where some of our guys mess about with digital
audio, and the buzzword here is 'clock jitter'. Apparently there's an
order of magnitude difference between some of the cheap players and a
good Denon unit.

Having said that, even some of our people will then say that the errors
are so small it doesn't really matter. The joy of audio - ask 3 people,
get 4 opinions

Would I be right in assuming that the quality of sound from a CD unit is
greatly dependant on the DAC,

Yes.

Good!

Would a dedicated CD player be generally better for CDs than the Denon
DVD-2910, or doesn't it make much difference in this price bracket?

Don't know, but see the other thread on DVDP vs. CDP for an idea on current
thinking. Generally, I think you'll find DVDPs well up to the task of
playing CDs. (I think so anyway...) A DVDP will also have the advantage of
playing formats other than CD - CD-MP3s for instance and some of the will
even read and play from cards, I gather....

Yea... I was reading a DVDP vs CDP thread a couple of days ago. A couple
of yes/no emails, before someone started a flame war about whether
replacing the capacitors on some insert brand/model no. player makes
it better than some insert other brand/model no. player. *sigh*


Arcam claim that, even with a 5.1 setup, you can use the two remaining
channels to bi-amp the front speakers. My fronts have suitable crossovers,
so would it be a great improvement over bi-wiring?.

In my experience, bi-amping *does* make a difference (not necessarily an
improvement), bi-wiring never does (that I've been able to tell). Quite
whether or not it would in a 5.1 setup, I've no idea....

Because I'll mainly be using it for 2 channel (i.e. daily) rather than
films (i.e. weekly) I quite like the idea of having bi-amp
functionality. What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision likened the AVR300 to stereo
integrated amps in the 350GBP range. They pointed out that this wasn't a
criticism, but praise, as other surround systems don't get this close.

I was crossing fingers that the claimed improvement of bi-amping would
improve it that little bit further (so I don't need to think about
spending 500GBP on a decent stereo amp), whilst surround reproduction
would still be good.

Of course and auditioning the kit is absolutely *essential* if you can't
afford to make a mistake. A home trial (without obligation) is even better.
No idea where you are but there *will* be a dealer prepared to do this (ie
hungry enough) somewhere nearby. They may well want to swipe your card
first - make sure there's no problem with return and refund.

Absolutely. My plan is to take the speakers I've made and audition them
on various amps. I just want to be a little better armed (with
information) before I go filling the car with MDF boxes

I'm in the Oxford area, and understand that Seven Oaks and Audio T have
both Denon and Arcam gear. Worth mentioning if anyone has used these
people before, and has any thoughts.

Cheers for the info,

Sploo.