I'm very interested in hearing about those Kefs with the AV/Amp 10s. I am looking at the Ref 3 Metas for a good 2ch. But the allure of a 5.2.2 "theater" is always present and I couldn't swing the Ref series for all those channels. But the Kef R series Metas get great reviews from users and magazines.
Re: the AMP/AV10. Allow me to back up .... Forgetting how bad or how good the Arcam prepro measured, I had NO problem with how it sounded. Better yet whatever the SINAD measurements were, I
loved the SQ. Yeah, out of the gate, it was a buggy mess. And there are reasons for it that which has nothing to do with engineering. Rather, IMO, marketing pushed it out the door before engineering was even close to finishing it. And unless the brand has a BIG engineering team like Yamaha, and D&M, and Onkyo,
expect a new prepro piece to be buggy! 100% of the time and I will bet my 1st born.
I was hesitant to use the AM10 because it had one power cord. 200 watts x 16== 3200 watts/120V == about 27 amps with a 15-amp power cord. Yeah, music and movies have a duty cycle. And if I ever blow a fuse, I've already blown my speakers. Still, that was my reservation. In the end, it sounds outstanding. The price for 16 channels with that power @ $7K less street price is fairly priced. So that decision was easy only because it was easy for me to try it out.
Re: the AV10. Again, the GUI is wonderful. And the reliability (minus some cold solder joints on early units) is bulletproof! Early on, I had to try every new widget. Now, swapping things out is a PITA and work. So, I like the idea of a stable platform for a solid 5 years (which matches the warranty). Also, when new CODAC's come to the market, I know the flagship is going to be the 1st to get it. AND, the manufacturer has enough $$'s of profit to support it. Some people get upset when their one-generation-old unit doesn't get a new format. That's reality. Price, quality, service. Pick two of the three. You get quality and service from Marantz with the AV10. Service (support of formats, warranty, etc) costs $$.
I've changed so many things since I pulled my Arcam and installed my AV10 that I have NO idea what those better measurements meant to my ears. And now, I lack the motivation to study it. But what I do know is that with my
specific situation (being far from the speakers), Those KEF's which prefer not to be toed in sound MUCH better than the 328Be I had. Notice I didn't say the "R11's are better than the 328Be". I said they are with my situation. And it has everything to do with KEF's dispersion pattern. Now, if I dragged a chair closer and around 12 foot away, in stereo large, the 328Be's have more bottom end. Guess which one I am going to like better?
The R11's/AMP10/AV10 (with all of my room shortcomings), sound amazing! I've heard multi-thousands of systems over the years at shows, customers, and suppliers. The top 10 stereo systems were
mesmerizing! And they did NOT correlate to big $$ systems: one blow-away system used a pair of Revel F16, another a Dali Opticon with an Arcam receiver, another was in Peter Lyngdorf's home using a pair of DALI Rubicon's for $2K with "boundary woofers". Hint: all three rooms had impeccable measurements. Anyways, I'm getting a B++ caliber sound before room correction. I suspect I get it to an A- sound when I'm done. As to how much is because of the preamp and amp, not as much as many would like to think. I got the amp and processor for size, reliability, GUI, (yes) looks, channel count, ease of use, HEOS multiroom set-up, and future support. And I picked the right company.
I kind of like the idea of saving even more and getting that A1H (not needing the AMP10, plus a deal, plus a smaller size), but I am not as motivated to try it out as I used to be. And keeping it real, without trying them both side-by-side, there is part of me that wants to believe the big-ball separates are better. Hey, they measure better. And I'm willing to admit I can be shallow and want the big-boys. Just because.
In summary, if better measurements correlate to better sound quality, then if you DON'T like the sound of the AMP10/AV10/KEF R series, your room and/or speaker location, are off. Set up properly and in even a decent room will produce exceptional results.