Looking for AVR Advice

[DDB]

I have an Adcom 7607 and Denon 2808. My speakers are Paradigm Monitor speakers (11’s for the front, small APD rears, and a monior v7 center). I have a Parts Express DIY 15” sub. My TV is a c9 LG OLED.

I would like to finally upgrade to something with HDMI 2.1, with all the goodies that come with it and Atmos, with a 5.1.2 setup. I will post for recommendations for ceiling speakers later.

My current thought is a Cinema 70s outputting to the Adcom. Are the DACs in the higher-end receivers (around 2K USD or less) worth it? Or are their amps worth it and just ignore the Adcom?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Keith_W]

Welcome to ASR. Your question "Are the DACs in the higher-end receivers worth it?" is too nonspecific to answer. You need to go on a case by case basis.

As a general rule, more expensive AVR's give you more features. For example, more audio channels, better DSP, more video features, and support for things like Dolby Atmos and Dirac ART. How these companies allocate their engineering budget is up to them. Amir has reviewed some AVR's with excellent DAC's, and some with so-so DAC's, and there is no correlation to how much these devices cost. In any case, DAC's are the least important part of an AVR. Even the worst DAC's are more than likely to have good enough performance, such that the performance of the DAC itself isn't audible. What is important on an AVR are the features. For example, good room correction on an AVR will give you many times the improvement over a DAC with SINAD of 100dB vs. SINAD of -110dB.

I would advise you not to choose an AVR based on its measured DAC performance. It is one metric among many, and it at best gives you an extremely subtle improvement. You should choose based on budget and features. And of course, other things like warranty, product support, and all the usual things.

 

[kekus]

Hello, totally agree with Keith. I wouldn't worry about the DAC, it will be fine. In my case, I went from E30 DAC to amp to an older Denon 3200W with Atmos. No idea what DAC it has but it sounds great even in stereo pure direct.
Definitely suggest finding an AVR with Preamp outs (at least for mains) for future proofing, and to be able to compare AVR - Adcom vs just AVR (likely the difference will be negligible).

 

[DDB]

The Cinema 70s is the cheapest with pre outs I can find. It does only 7 channels, but I doubt I’d desire any more. If I ever do, there will probably be better reasons to upgrade (like a new HDMI spec or something).

Amir’s review criticized the amp and as a processor it was just okay. That’s why I was asking if it’s worth going up the price range because the pre-out requirement for the Adcom. But is keeping the Adcom in use worth it the hassle/benefit?

Marantz Cinema 70s AVR Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Marantz Cinema 70s home theater Audio/Video Receiver (AVR). It was kindly drop shipped by a member and costs US $1,200. The 70s sports the new industrial design of Marantz AV products which I very much like. It looks even more attractive in...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Keith_W]

The advantage of the Adcom is that you already own it. So why not save some money and just buy an AV preamp that has all the functions that you need?

 

[DDB]

Sounds like the Cinema 70s is what I’m going with. Thanks!