I apologize in advance for the the length of and for any ignorance posted in this question. I am using a minidsp shd as a preamp powered by a pair of bridged crown xls 1002's. I am wanting to go back to muliti-channel and have an older denon x3500. Looking at the measurements it appears the denon has a "cleaner" amp section than the crown. I am sure the crown has more headroom because of the power difference. I am looking for a little more ease of operation. So my question is, would there be any sonic difference in running the shd through the preouts of the denon and using its amps (if possible) rather than using the crowns. I would even consider getting a different avr all together but i really like the shd and the peq and dirac capabilities. Sorry for the long post.
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Denon vs. Crown
- Thread starter Beanman
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DVDdoug
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I wouldn't expect any audible differences. Except the surround sound will make a HUGE difference!
If there's a difference it would be noise. And noise specs are impossible to compare because there are many ways to measure & specify noise. (Of course you can compare all reviews here because they all use the same setup & standards.) Almost all audio electronics have flat frequency response and distortion below audibility unless you over-drive an amp into distortion.
If the crown has higher gain it will amplify the noise from the preamp-outs so it might become audible, or more-audible. And some people complain about the acoustic fan noise from "pro amps", but you're already living with them.
If there's a difference it would be noise. And noise specs are impossible to compare because there are many ways to measure & specify noise. (Of course you can compare all reviews here because they all use the same setup & standards.) Almost all audio electronics have flat frequency response and distortion below audibility unless you over-drive an amp into distortion.
If the crown has higher gain it will amplify the noise from the preamp-outs so it might become audible, or more-audible. And some people complain about the acoustic fan noise from "pro amps", but you're already living with them.
Of course. But "headroom" is a funny thing.... If you don't use it, you don't need it. If you use it, it's no-longer headroom!
Seems to me you'll have to pick your poison. Both the Denon and the SHD are preamps. You want ease of use and multichannel. That means the Denon (and it's Audessey room correction, since that needs to be applied to all your channels). I assume you're using the bridged Crowns because your main speakers need a huge amount of power? If that's the case, you can connect the Denon preamp out for those channels and have the Denon drive the Crowns. Otherwise just use the Denon amps. I don't see how you'd fit the SHD into that picture unless you use the Denon preamp out to drive to the SHD, then from there to the Crowns, but I don't think you've gained anything at that point
I hear you about the peq ability. But you've got a pretty good receiver in the 3500 which has the xt32 version of Audissey I believe. In addition you can use the $20 app (I use that with my Ipad, works great) to get the most out of it. Not as flexible as the SHD, but works pretty well. Plus I think the Denon has enough juice to drive your 226s, and if you feel you need more you can just connect your Crowns for L&R. I use a 6700 to drive my Studio 2s and don't feel the need for more power, and that's only got a couple of dB more than your 3500.
- Thread Starter
- #7
Looking at the measurements of the crowns im not sure i am doing the revels any justice
Well there you have the advantage that you're currently using them. The Crowns have enough power, question is can you hear any noise at your tweeter when the system is cranked up (full volume) with no input? If not, I think you're good. Even if you can detect a slight hiss close up, doubt that would make any difference when playing music. Don't get too hung up on the measurements, many folks use similar amps full range and are perfectly happy with them. The measurements matter when you're making a purchasing decision, but once you've got them, if they work fine for you, all is good. Don't worry about the Revels, they'll be fine in either case
- Thread Starter
- #9
I’m sure part of the issue is just wanting to try something different and looking for a reason to do so.
Well can't help you there. All good fun, enjoy the ride
- Thread Starter
- #11
Are the sub outs on the 6700 independently adjustable?
To an extent, for volume and distance to the MLP. There are two sub outs. But Audissey, after it's done it's measurements, applies identical equalization to both subs. Which is also how it's done when you use REW and autoEQ and a miniDSP, for example. In fact I use three subs and a miniDSP 2x4HD and use REW to do the subs first, time and phase (distance) and then load the identical EQ into all three sub channels. I only use one of the two sub outs of the 6700 to feed the miniDSP, so it's all mono bass. The new 6800 has four independent sub outputs, so could dispense with the miniDSP. There's an idea for you, if money is burning a hole in your pocket, get one of the new Denon AVRs, get the 6800 and you'll have a little more power and the option to go the Dirac for room correction.
I am sure the Denon is quieter and that may make a difference. It has much lower distortion too but the difference may or may not be audible.
