Marantz C30 vs AV20+AD8300PA for KEF3160s in 7.1.4 setup

[Justin777]

Hi guys,

can’t decide is it worth the money. I like sound clarity and will be listeting to music on 2.1 (no need for purists telling about 2ch etc, already have Linn aktiv system in my other house. I want sub for this setup).

I am ordering Tonewinner D6000 sub. During demo D4000 was already great, but I have a large room. I am in Dubai so some popular US options are limited and for the money it’s great value.

C30 is already amazing and with a sub will definitely be a very good option (going for dirac and hoping for ART so again some other options are no go).

AV20 has same dac if not mistaken. For amp, amp20 is bit overkill for the budget and I really liked Tonewinner 8300pa. They really did it smart giving 3 more powerful amps for LCRs and less power for the surrounds. And my KEFs are quite power hungry at 4 Ohms. C30 is just almost good enough.

I don’t need loud. Looking more towards clear and musical sound.

The difference in cost will be approx 3500$ here. So now the question is “is it worth it” and will it make a significant difference.

 

[Svend P]

General answer is NO. All amplifier and DACs sound the same when not driven into distortion/are properly designed. They are like microwave ovens in that respect.

Floyd Toole/Harman research recommends multichannel for music, since it creates a more immersive experience. So you wont find many "purists" on ASR. More subs or room treatment is the way to go for better sound.

 

[peng]

Hi guys,

can’t decide is it worth the money. I like sound clarity and will be listeting to music on 2.1 (no need for purists telling about 2ch etc, already have Linn aktiv system in my other house. I want sub for this setup).

I am ordering Tonewinner D6000 sub. During demo D4000 was already great, but I have a large room. I am in Dubai so some popular US options are limited and for the money it’s great value.

C30 is already amazing and with a sub will definitely be a very good option (going for dirac and hoping for ART so again some other options are no go).

AV20 has same dac if not mistaken. For amp, amp20 is bit overkill for the budget and I really liked Tonewinner 8300pa. They really did it smart giving 3 more powerful amps for LCRs and less power for the surrounds. And my KEFs are quite power hungry at 4 Ohms. C30 is just almost good enough.

I don’t need loud. Looking more towards clear and musical sound.

The difference in cost will be approx 3500$ here. So now the question is “is it worth it” and will it make a significant difference.

The AV20 has the ESS refernce class DAC, same as the one used in the AV10, AVR-A2H and A10H. The C30 has a lower class DAC but sound quality will be the same or almost the same.

 

[Svend P]

or almost the same

What do you mean by that?

 

[peng]

What do you mean by that?

Just caveat, not knowing each individual use case..., just don't like to make blanket statement without caveats.

 

[Svend P]

Just caveat, not knowing each individual use case..., just don't like to make blanket statement without caveats.

Ok, but sound quality is probably misleading. I think you could get less noise and not much more with a better DAC

 

[scotchrocks]

I agree that you will likely not notice a sound quality difference from the DAC itself. Like peng, I don't like making absolute statements on what people hear or not, but there are some other feature differences that might affect your decision:

1. The AV20 has the newer HDMI board, which has support for variable refresh rate. This might be useful if you play videogames.
2. The XLR connectors in my use case fixed a ground loop issue that I had previously with external amps and my projector. I had an older Marantz SR7012 connected to the amps via RCA, and there was noise that disappeared when I switched to XLR on the AV20. Of course, it could be that the C30 wouldn't have the same issue as the SR7012, but something to consider.

Another option is to wait a bit as Marantz is expected to release the AV30, which may have the newer HDMI board, the DAC from the C30, and XLR outputs, all at a lower price than the AV20. I would've bought an AV30 if available, but ... I wasn't patient enough.

 

[Justin777]

I agree that you will likely not notice a sound quality difference from the DAC itself. Like peng, I don't like making absolute statements on what people hear or not, but there are some other feature differences that might affect your decision:

1. The AV20 has the newer HDMI board, which has support for variable refresh rate. This might be useful if you play videogames.
2. The XLR connectors in my use case fixed a ground loop issue that I had previously with external amps and my projector. I had an older Marantz SR7012 connected to the amps via RCA, and there was noise that disappeared when I switched to XLR on the AV20. Of course, it could be that the C30 wouldn't have the same issue as the SR7012, but something to consider.

Another option is to wait a bit as Marantz is expected to release the AV30, which may have the newer HDMI board, the DAC from the C30, and XLR outputs, all at a lower price than the AV20. I would've bought an AV30 if available, but ... I wasn't patient enough.

Same here. Whole system is in place. This is not a perfect room, actually far away from that, its a large living room with lots of glass and marble. Maybe with next project will go with separates and do it properly. For now seems C30 is the best option (I am just not a fan of denon)

 

[peng]

Same here. Whole system is in place. This is not a perfect room, actually far away from that, its a large living room with lots of glass and marble. Maybe with next project will go with separates and do it properly. For now seems C30 is the best option (I am just not a fan of denon)

The similarly priced Denon A10H offers better features and specs such as 13 channel power amps and ref class dac, but if you are not a fan then the Cinema 30 is an easy pick. I can’t think of a better choice of AVR than the C30 (for those who are not keen on Denon).