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Marantz AV7706, XLR Splitting, & Power Amps

SuicideSquid

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Hi folks,

Long-time reader, first time poster, with one objective question and some opinions to solicit.

First the objective question: I'm currently biamping my speakers from my receiver using the main outs and assignable rear speaker outs. If I want to switch to a dedicated power amplifier, I (presumably) need to take the channel out from my preamp and plug it into both channel ins on the stereo power amp. There are lots of 1XLR - 2XLR 'splitter' cables floating around - is using one of these to go from the single out on the preamp to both in channels on the amp going to cause any problems? Is a person better off with RCA or XLR in this scenario?

Now the opinion bit:

I've been in the Marantz ecosystem for awhile. Three or four years ago I bought a Marantz NR1607 receiver as I was downsizing from an older Denon AVR2807 and needed a receiver with more HDMI ins and 4k support that would fit in a smaller space. I've been very pleased with the 1607 - I find the interface easy to use, the video performance is excellent, and it sounds fine (though I've been using it in a small apartment space without room treatment at low- to moderate-volumes, so most anything decent is going to sound the same in that environment). I purchased a universal Marantz bluray/sacd/dvd-a player and patched it to be region free.

In a few months, my wife and I are moving out of our apartment into a large home that's currently being renovated. I'm taking advantage of the fact that all the drywall and plaster's been pulled out to wire the place for networking and audio, including rear speaker terminals and in-ceiling speakers for Atmos (in the living room) and for general listening/background music/podcasts etc. in the kitchen/dining room. Other than the overhead speakers (several sets of Cambridge C155 ceiling speakers I snagged on a boxing day clearance sale) my speakers won't be changing (Totem Forest front speakers, Totem Rainmaker centre and rear channels), but the NR1607 doesn't support Atmos and would be a bit anemic for the much larger room anyway, so it's being relocated to the bedroom and I'm looking to add a new receiver or separates for the living room.

I know a lot of recent Marantz gear hasn't tested particularly well, though the newest flagship receiver bucked that trend. However, I've been happy with the 1607, am familiar with and like the user interface and video processing options, really like the aesthetic (and as it's a centrepiece in our living room, this is important to me and to my wife), so I'm leaning toward staying in the Marantz ecosystem and going with either the SR8015 receiver or the AV7706 preamp along with a couple of outlaw or emotiva power amps (I am tempted to build some purifi amps instead, as I do have experience building mics, mic preamps, and one power amplifier in the past but likely don't have time to take on that kind of project any time soon).

So after all that preamble, question time: Does anyone have any experience with the 7706 or knowledge of whether Marantz sorted out some of their nonsense from the 2018/19 era gear, as they appeared to do with the SR8015? I'm leaning separates both for improved audio quality and because if my Forests ever die on me or I feel compelled to make a change, I'd likely make the move to powered monitors (such as the Neumann KH310, which is the best speaker I've ever heard) and ditch the amps completely.

For assembled (not kit) power amplifiers in the $500-$1,000 range, are there other options I should be considering rather than Outlaw or Emotiva? Anyone sell assembled Purifi amps at a reasonable price, in an attractive enclosure?
 

DVDdoug

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There are lots of 1XLR - 2XLR 'splitter' cables floating around - is using one of these to go from the single out on the preamp to both in channels on the amp going to cause any problems?
That's fine (as long as everything is balanced so you're not mixing & matching balanced & unbalanced). It's OK to split RCA outputs too.

It's OK to "split" a signal by connecting two (or more) inputs together but you should NEVER use an adapter like this to "mix" by connecting two outputs together.
 
OP
SuicideSquid

SuicideSquid

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That's fine (as long as everything is balanced so you're not mixing & matching balanced & unbalanced). It's OK to split RCA outputs too.

It's OK to "split" a signal by connecting two (or more) inputs together but you should NEVER use an adapter like this to "mix" by connecting two outputs together.
Can't imagine why a person would want to do that but yes, that seems like a bad idea. Thank you!
 

Lopsided

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Does it load down the source device? Also I wonder if two input impedance differs, will it have any problems. Thanks.
 
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