Thanks for the complement teddy. I have been wrestling with which DAC to go with. I've been on the verge of getting a Wadia. Now, I'm 99.9% it will be one from Bryston.
I've been saving some cash up and I'm thinking of getting a fancy surround sound system (what are they up to now, 7.1?).
Any advice for a baby's first sound system?
I don't want to just buy some random junk brand that will go to shit in a year or less, but at the same time there's no way I could afford some super high-end crazy shit either.
I'd be using them in a fairly small room.
Yo dude, I noticed your post a few days ago. I’ve been really busy and didn’t want to give you a lame two sentence reply. Surround receivers have actually gone past 7.1. However, unless you have a large room or a dedicated theater room, it’s a waste in my opinion. You should be totally fine with 5.1. You are right there’s a lot of crap at Best Buy. I’m not sure what your budget is, so that makes recommendations a little difficult. I’ve owned an Onkyo for the past 6 years and it has performed great. The Onkyo receivers biggest problem is that HDMI board failure it not uncommon. I was aware of that, and the fact that Onkyo’s typically run very hot, when I purchased the unit. I’ve always had exhaust fans on top of it that kick on when the temp hits a certain point. I think by always having fans on top of the unit, has made a big difference. Mine sees a lot of use due to the fact that I disabled the speakers on my plasma TV. Therefore, if the TV is on, the AVR is on. A big downside to AVRs in general is all the stuff that manufacturers pack into them. Consequently many run warm to hot…some very hot…invest in a cooling solution and you extend the life of whatever you purchase. Overall, I have been pleased with my Onkyo, it has been solid and reliable. I also have an older Yamaha AVR that I’ve had for 10 years. I purchased it used toward the end of college. It has seen a lot of use and some abuse during house parties (used the A+B outputs to drive speaker in two separate rooms LOUDLY) and has never had an issue. That Yamaha still sees regular daily use in my master bedroom. I think that particular unit is pushing 15 years old.
If I were shopping today for a “mainstream obtainable” AVRI would look closely at Yamaha. They offer great features and a solidly built product. The days of bright somewhat lean sounding Yamaha receivers is pretty much a thing of the past, especially as you move up the product line.
If you want something that you cannot get pickup at the local Best Buy, but are on a budget, I would highly recommend Cambridge Audio. Their products typically outperform the major competitor at their respective price points. I have been impressed with the Cambridge stuff I have tried out. It’s simple, with no unnecessary stuff and is good sounding for not a lot of money.
If you are in the market for something more high-end, take a look at NAD and Anthem. You cannot go wrong with either one. Not only do they do a great job for home theater, they offer excellent 2-ch music performance. I have consistently been impressed with every NAD product I’ve ever tried. Additionally, their AVRs are modular in design. Due to the modular design when updates become available, your dealer can replace a card rather than the entire receiver. Anthem is equally nice and is the sister company to Paradigm. The included room correction package makes the Anthem really standout.
My Onkyo, based on trends/change in the home theater world, is overdue for an upgrade. When I do upgrade, I will most likely go with separates rather than an all-in-one AVR. With that said I will most likely go with Anthem for the preamp processor and Bryston for the amp(s).
Lastly, do not get hung up on THX ratings. It has absolutely nothing to do with quality or performance. And audition as many speakers as you can.
I'll know more after I drop it off at my local ARC dealer. Needless to say....I'm pissed.
