kobo
Member
Hi everyone,
I'd like to upgrade from my Denon X4100 AVR to a new amp/streamer/room correction solution and like to hear your advice on which way to go.
I couldn't decide at which sub-forum this thread fits best, so I hope this sub-forum is okay.
My speakers are a pair of Monitor Audio PL200 together with a 12" Merovinger Audio subwoofer.
My listening room is an approximately 30 square meter living room without any special acoustic treatments.
My budget would be up to 2,5-3k Euro, but I wouldn't be sad if I had to spend less.
Sources:
I'm using my system for listening to music as well as watching movies. My priority however is on listening music.
I'm mostly streaming from Spotify but want to add either Qobuz oder Tidal which isn't supported by my current AVR. I hardly use my CD player anymore, simply because it is so convenient to control the music via app. Another thing which I wouldn't want to miss is internet radio.
What is definitely important to me is good usability in everyday use. I do not want to have to fiddle around just to stream some music. I wouldn't mind a cumbersome setup routine, but in everyday use it should come close to a no brainer. I don't want to get annoyed too often about things that don't work and I would also have a hard time to justify my purchase to my wife, who also uses the system regularly.
Room Correction:
As my setup is in the living room, I only have limited possibilities on acoustic optimizations regarding the room. To me, room correction brings major improvements.
I'm currently using Audyssey XT32, but my AVR is too old to support the app which allows adjusting the target curve. This is also one of the main reasons why I want to upgrade my system. I'm not a big fan of the provided target curves. I recently learned about the Dynamic EQ (thanks to this forum) which improved things, but I'm not completely satisfied.
Now that I'm planning to upgrade my system I'm thinking about switching to Dirac. I'm hoping that Dirac could do even a bit better than Audyssey+App. What do you think about this? I think the question of whether to go with Audyssey or Dirac will be the key differentiator in choosing the hardware I'll upgrade to.
Amp:
I am not sure about how much power I really need. My speakers are 4 ohms with a sensitivity of 90db. The manufacturer states recommended amplifier requirements of 100 - 250 W. To my naive thinking any amp with up to 250 W watts, such as a Hypex NC252MP, would be just right. Is this correct? If so, I'm thinking of something like the Audiophonics HPA-S250NC.
Here are my current candidates for the Dirac vs Audyssey path (german retail prices).
Dirac Options:
a) NAD C658 (~1500 Euro) + Hypex Ncore 250W (~700 Euro)
b) Minidsp SHD (~1700 Euro) + Hypex Ncore 250W (~700 Euro)
c) NAD M10 (~2900 Euro)
The NAD C658 seems to check all the boxes. Although the SHD measures fantastically I'm concerned about it's usability in every day use. With the M10, I'm now sure if it has enough power output.
Audyssey Options:
a) Denon X4700 (~1400 Euro)
b) Denon X3700 (~1000 Euro) + Hypex Ncore 250W (~700 Euro)
Would the power of X4700 be sufficient. Would you expect any improvement with the X3700 plus separate amp?
Overall, I'm currently leaning towards the C658 + Hypex amp.
I'd like to upgrade from my Denon X4100 AVR to a new amp/streamer/room correction solution and like to hear your advice on which way to go.
I couldn't decide at which sub-forum this thread fits best, so I hope this sub-forum is okay.
My speakers are a pair of Monitor Audio PL200 together with a 12" Merovinger Audio subwoofer.
My listening room is an approximately 30 square meter living room without any special acoustic treatments.
My budget would be up to 2,5-3k Euro, but I wouldn't be sad if I had to spend less.
Sources:
I'm using my system for listening to music as well as watching movies. My priority however is on listening music.
I'm mostly streaming from Spotify but want to add either Qobuz oder Tidal which isn't supported by my current AVR. I hardly use my CD player anymore, simply because it is so convenient to control the music via app. Another thing which I wouldn't want to miss is internet radio.
What is definitely important to me is good usability in everyday use. I do not want to have to fiddle around just to stream some music. I wouldn't mind a cumbersome setup routine, but in everyday use it should come close to a no brainer. I don't want to get annoyed too often about things that don't work and I would also have a hard time to justify my purchase to my wife, who also uses the system regularly.
Room Correction:
As my setup is in the living room, I only have limited possibilities on acoustic optimizations regarding the room. To me, room correction brings major improvements.
I'm currently using Audyssey XT32, but my AVR is too old to support the app which allows adjusting the target curve. This is also one of the main reasons why I want to upgrade my system. I'm not a big fan of the provided target curves. I recently learned about the Dynamic EQ (thanks to this forum) which improved things, but I'm not completely satisfied.
Now that I'm planning to upgrade my system I'm thinking about switching to Dirac. I'm hoping that Dirac could do even a bit better than Audyssey+App. What do you think about this? I think the question of whether to go with Audyssey or Dirac will be the key differentiator in choosing the hardware I'll upgrade to.
Amp:
I am not sure about how much power I really need. My speakers are 4 ohms with a sensitivity of 90db. The manufacturer states recommended amplifier requirements of 100 - 250 W. To my naive thinking any amp with up to 250 W watts, such as a Hypex NC252MP, would be just right. Is this correct? If so, I'm thinking of something like the Audiophonics HPA-S250NC.
Here are my current candidates for the Dirac vs Audyssey path (german retail prices).
Dirac Options:
a) NAD C658 (~1500 Euro) + Hypex Ncore 250W (~700 Euro)
b) Minidsp SHD (~1700 Euro) + Hypex Ncore 250W (~700 Euro)
c) NAD M10 (~2900 Euro)
The NAD C658 seems to check all the boxes. Although the SHD measures fantastically I'm concerned about it's usability in every day use. With the M10, I'm now sure if it has enough power output.
Audyssey Options:
a) Denon X4700 (~1400 Euro)
b) Denon X3700 (~1000 Euro) + Hypex Ncore 250W (~700 Euro)
Would the power of X4700 be sufficient. Would you expect any improvement with the X3700 plus separate amp?
Overall, I'm currently leaning towards the C658 + Hypex amp.