Looking for a 2.1 HT pre amp

[dali]

For my living room. I currently have a Nvidia Shield connected to a IOTAVX AVX1 pre pro connected to a 2ch power amp and a powered subwoofer. Mostly used for music, TV and (some) movie watching. I also have a dedicated home theater with a Denon X3700H which I am happy with.

I have considered buying a Denon X3800H for my living room but the price has gone up ~50% since I bought the X3700H. The X3800H is the cheapest Denon AVR with pre outs AFAIK.

I'm looking for, at minimum:

• HDMI in/out with 4K HDR support and eARC.
• Surround sound decoding, DD/DTS.
• Pre out for 2 channels and a subwoofer.

I've spent some time searching for options around €1000/$1000 and have found:

• Canton Smart Connect 5.1 V2. Costs about €/$700 where I live.
• Marantz Cinema 70S. Costs about €/$1100.

Unfortunately neither have been reviewed here at ASR.

A second hand Arcam SR250 is another option, but rare where I live.

Eliminated options:

• Marantz NR1510. Bad measurements.
• Yamaha RX-V6A. Bad measurements and weak pre outs.

Any options I've missed?

 

[tc2007]

So you want a dedicated 2.1 system but you want surround processing to force multichannel from 2.1 speakers? Or you need surround music but want to route the front 2 for more amplification? Are you planning to use the remaining channels for music?

Most AVRs are going to measure noisy, except the very high end ones.

https://www.minidsp.com/products/minidsp-in-a-box/flex-ht This maybe what you want but says out of stock.

Also Emotiva MC1 slim processor.

 

[dali]

Yes, something that understands that DD+ from Netflix, Prime Video and other streaming services should be redirected to a 2.1 setup. That's what my current pre pro does.

The miniDSP Flex doesn't have HDMI out and can't decode DD/DTS, unfortunately it's a no go. Nvidia Shield can't convert DD/DTS to PCM bitstream as far as I know so the receiver of the HDMI audio signal has to understand it.

Emotiva MC1 looks very similar to the pre pro I already have, AFAIK both Emotiva and IOTAVX are based on very similar chinese (Tonewinner) designs. It would most likely not be an upgrade, just a lateral move.

There doesn't seem to be anything I've missed in the $/€1000 price range that would improve upon my 5 year old IOTAVX.

I've been looking at more expensive alternatives, Anthem MRX 540 looked promising but there are reports of fan noise that put me off that one, as I would use it for music as much as TV/movie watching.

There was also a used Denon X3800H for sale at ~$1200 but I was too late, it sold quickly. Perhaps the second hand market is the best option, with some patience and luck.

 

[tc2007]

Looks like you have done your research I wanted something similar for my living room but gave up. I currently have Arcam Music Solo with HDMI and 2.1 etc. It has an excellent Class G amp section. I only do music via streamer and don't need 4K HDR etc, so I am ok with this sound.

Before that I had tried a Pioneer LX305 with Dirac room correction and got it open box for around $800 on eBay. It is one of the better sounding receivers and I preferred it to my then Denon X4400H. The AMP section has enough power to drive most speakers specially when you apply a crossover of 80hz and let the sub handle the rest.

The LX505 has pre-outs as you need them. Other similar options are DRX 3.4.

Given your very narrow set of requirements, budget, I think you should compromise on "noise" and get the cheapest Dirac AV receiver to gain on room correction and other features.

 

[tc2007]

The Marantz 70s refurb with warranty - $899

MARANTZ Cinema 70s Slim 7.2-Ch x 50 Watts 8K A/V Receiver

Marantz Factory Refurbished

www.accessories4less.com

 

[dali]

Looks like a good deal if you are within the US ("Sold exclusively within the US only. No shipments allowed outside the US!"), I've seen similar prices on Amazon here in Europe, might have been refurbished too.

 

[jaakkopetteri]

The 70s has been around 740€ on German Amazon for a while now

 

[dali]

Yeah, the Cinema 70s looks great on paper and is probably the best match for me around $/€1000 right now, wish it was reviewed here on ASR. The Marantz NR1510 measured quite bad.

 

[jaakkopetteri]

You might also consider the Nubert NuXinema preAV

 

[dali]

That looks like a cool device. Didn't find any tech specs, any idea what DAC's it uses?

 

[Averywhite]

I recently picked up a Cinema 70s with the sole purpose of using it as a 2.1 preamp for music/movies and I'm quite happy with it.

For Music: DAP -> RCA -> Cinema 70s in Pure Direct Mode -> PreOut RCA to ADCOM GFA 5802 -> EgglestonWorks Speakers

For Movies/TV Shows: Apple Tv via HDMI -> Cinema 70s in Stereo mode with Dialog Enhancer on Cinema 70s -> PreOut to ADCOM GFA 5802/Speaker Power Sub Amp -> EgglestonWorks Speakers/Passive Subwoofer.

It's my understanding that the Cinema 50, 60, and 70 use the same DAC and preamps. The only thing I would have gained by going with a more expensive Cinema AVR would be more amplifier channels, higher output, and more digital processing options for room processing. Seeing as though I'm using external amplification, It wasn't worth it to me and the smaller size is quite nice.

 

[tc2007]

Seems like the 70s is a great deal for someone wanting a nice HiFi + basic surround sound system in the living room. How much of a difference is between

1. Internal and external amplification.
2. With our without pure direct mode.

In other words how does 70s perform on it's own with Analogue input in real life?

 

[dali]

The only measurements I've seen are in this thread: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...tz-cinema-70s-as-a-pre-pro.40686/post-1619916

Seems decent as a pre amp, not very good as a power amp.

 

[jaakkopetteri]

Does the 70s allow separate PEQ (with MultEQ-X) for each of the subwoofer outputs?

 

[keepthingsclean]

I'm in a somewhat similar position, though i'll be using the system with Genelec 8030s - so only the pre-outs matter.
Torn between the Marantz 70s for its slim design and easy of use vs. a Denon 3800 with the possibility to upgrade to Dirac later on.
Here in Switzerland the difference would be around 200-250 bucks between the two devices.

And later on i might add a center as well.

70% music, 30% tv/movie

 

[Red5]

I am using 2.1 system for my 80%movie and I am really happy with the setup. I have Chora 816 from the start and my journey with the AVM has been:
1) Marantz NR1200 - get the job done but no LFE result in lacking excitement for action movie.
2) Naim Atom - excellent for music but bass for movie is missing by a lot and sound really crispy. (sorry I know it’s really subjective).
3) Denon 8500 - I use AppleTV to decode and output stereo to the AVM before. And with Denon 8500 I use it to decode and can properly output LFE to the subwoofer. End result I am very happy with it.

To me, I prefer using AVM to decode to 2.1 with LFE rather than using the player.

 

[Rotiv]

Taking advantage off this theme, for sound tv 2.0 or 2.1, is it possible to connect a hdmi arc extractor with optical outputs to a dac with optical in and balanced outputs to connect to active speakers?
And control volume from tv remote?

 

[dali]

Patience is a virtue. Found the Denon X3800H on Amazon.de for €848 (50% off) yesterday so I ordered one. Not sure why the price is so low at the moment, from what I've read there is no X3900H coming this year.

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/AVC-X3800H-Channel-Receiver-Amplifier-Auro-3D-black/dp/B0BDZXLP6F/