Speakers for cambridge audio receiver

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kvish
Ist häufiger hier

#1 erstellt: 26. Jul 2006, 14:12

Hi folks!
Nice to be back after a long time... actually I couldnt locate the forum after the hifi-forum.net redirected me to a hifi site with hardly any english in it!...
Thanks to google, I found the forums again at the right time

Anyway, I am just back from quite an eventful trip to Singapore...I picked up the cambridge audio Azur 540r v2 for 20000 INR... I went there for a Marantz 4600 and ended up with the cambridge audio, cos the price was quite tempting....Although this receiver is starved of features, the sound is really good for music (I was looking for a rxr good for music) and it was evident from the small demo I received in the noisy mall... (and the reviews on the net were quite good too)

Also picked up a pioneer sacd/dvd-a player... The cambridge audio dvd player was way above my budget...

Had a very very close shave with customs...managed to erase the cross mark

Anyway, now comes the toughest choice....that of speakers.
I auditioned the Mordaunt short 902i and I am really impressed with the sound quality. But buying center and surrounds will take my budget out of the roof...
So, experts please advice...
1. Can I go for other brands of speakers for surrounds? I dont want to regret my decision later. Does any cheaper brand complement the MS speakers? [Say MS center/main and polk surrounds]

2. Mordaunt short 902i is available for around 12K. I am also looking for wharfedale 9.1. I have also heard a lot of good reviews for infinity primus 150 bookshelves.. is it available in India? if so does anyone know the price..? Sonodyne (sonus) is also another option, but with companies like Mordaunt short, wharfedale and Monitor audio in the same territory, I dont know if its value for money anymore..

Of all the options, I am not sure which one to go for.

The main problem is that there are few places with the cambridge audio receiver. So I cannot audition the speakers with that particular receiver.

My main preference is Music (pinkfloyd/direstraits kind of music...not jazz yet..so I would like a tiny little brightness) and the home theater use too would be ideally for concert/music dvds

abhi.pani
Inventar

#2 erstellt: 26. Jul 2006, 14:35

With your musical tastes, MS should do well. For the rears you could try Sonodyne Genie-1, costs about 7k for a pair and sounds great. As far as I have seen, the surrounds are least affected by brand mismatch...just position it well and you are on..

You could also try out Wharfdale Dipole/Bipole rear speakers.
But Genie-1 is one superb VFM option IMO.

srikarkav
Ist häufiger hier

#3 erstellt: 26. Jul 2006, 16:15

Hi,

What is the price of Marantz sr4600 at singapore?
Thanks,
cheers,
shri

[Beitrag von srikarkav am 26. Jul 2006, 16:16 bearbeitet]

SDhawan
Stammgast

#4 erstellt: 26. Jul 2006, 18:00

Since your main interest is in music (the reason why you bought CA), you should select a speaker series with good fronts - may be full range speakers. Buy only the fronts to begin with and later add others from the same series. You could buy them in following order - begin with fronts - then center - then surrounds - and last of all Sub.

Sticking to same series will help maintain uniform timbre quality / tonal balance and better integration of Sub with the mains.

I know this will require a lot of patience, but will be worth it.

Regards

Sanjay

[Beitrag von SDhawan am 26. Jul 2006, 18:03 bearbeitet]

kvish
Ist häufiger hier

#5 erstellt: 27. Jul 2006, 09:28

srikarkav schrieb:

Hi,

What is the price of Marantz sr4600 at singapore?
Thanks,
cheers,
shri

470SGD (you also get some tax refund on this too...so may be around 455)
Was surprised...I think it was cheaper than the denon 1706
Its 27000 here (you can get to see Singapore for free

)

kvish
Ist häufiger hier

#6 erstellt: 27. Jul 2006, 13:31

SDhawan schrieb:

Sticking to same series will help maintain uniform timbre quality / tonal balance and better integration of Sub with the mains.

I know this will require a lot of patience, but will be worth it.

Regards

Sanjay

Yes, thats what I was initially thinking. But then, I didnt want to end up with speakers of discontinued series where I may not be able to find matching centers/surrounds. Thats why I thought of buying bookshelves for all 4 channels and a center all at once.

Could someone please point me to any dealers stocking infinity primus range? fxaudio seems to have the higher end stuff..

kvish
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#7 erstellt: 02. Aug 2006, 06:36

Finally got the MS avant 902i bookshelves and I'm extremely satisfied with it!!!... There is a mention of 36 hours of constant use to get the best results (break-in)...I was just wondering if there are any do's and donts during this time???

I must say Cambridge audio receivers are excellent VFM for music lovers and HT (particularly for those who value sound over features.)

stevieboy
Stammgast

#8 erstellt: 03. Aug 2006, 11:44

hi kvish,

are u in bangalore? where did u get the 902is? audio planet? and for how much?

thanks

Manek
Inventar

#9 erstellt: 05. Aug 2006, 09:29

For any entry level av recvrs please make sure you select speakers that are easy to drive, 8 ohms nominal impedance, closer to 90 db sensitivity and speakers that dont dip too much on the impedance chart. Dont give your recvr a hard time. Over a period they just wont comply

Manek.

kvish
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#10 erstellt: 09. Aug 2006, 13:49

Manek schrieb:

Manek.

Not very clear on "easy to drive speakers." Most (rather common) speakers available are 8ohms with around 87-90db sensitivity. I didnt bother to look much on the impedance chart and stuff. Just sounded good, so bought it... at times it gets crazier as you go too technical...thats my view.. The only thing I checked was that it was rated at 15-100W RMS.

anyway, the amp comes with a toroidal transformer which is supposed to deliver more power...not sure how it does it...but I guess I will believe the dealer rather than try and verify the claim :-)

I bought it from Audio planet for 12K. I have had an really good experience there. Mr Palani was a true professional to deal with.

Arj
Inventar

#11 erstellt: 09. Aug 2006, 14:50

kvish schrieb:

anyway, the amp comes with a toroidal transformer which is supposed to deliver more power...not sure how it does it...but I guess I will believe the dealer rather than try and verify the claim :-)

heh heh.. in the end it is the power rating of the transformer that matters not the type

kvish
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#12 erstellt: 09. Aug 2006, 15:10

Arj schrieb:

heh heh.. in the end it is the power rating of the transformer that matters not the type ;)

Interesting, just for curiousity I did an internet search and boy, there are tonnes of information comparing the two, here's what some site had to say,

Another feature often listed on audiophile amp spec sheets is a toroidal transformer. Transformers are required for two reasons: to reduce the line voltage from 120 volts to a number the product can handle, and to isolate the product's circuitry from AC power to ensure safe operation. Standard transformers are square. Toroidal transformers are spherical, which allows them to cancel out electromagnetic fields and produce less hum. You can hand-tune a toroidal transformer by turning it until the hum goes away. Mass-market amp makers can't do this.

Electrical science knowledge is something I dont want to claim at all!!.. One thing for sure, this amp felt much more powerful than Marantz 4600 during the demo...

Amp_Nut
Inventar

#13 erstellt: 10. Aug 2006, 03:39

There is also an R Core transformer ....

And there are designers that swear for a particular type.... Not necessarily the Torroid ( which is dougdnut shaped )

However, the torroid remains the most popular...

Another facter in selection of budget receivers, the output stage. The entry level ones usually use an IC, which aggresively limits current delivered to the speakers, to save itself ( the IC ) from blowing up.

Discreet transistor output stages are more robust and usually provide more slam and weight to the sound.

Impossile to tell what the output stage is, without looking inside, but usually, you will find the number 2 or number 3 from the bottom, lineup to be Rather more expensive than its sibbling, delivering almost the same power. THAT is the discreet transistor version.

Sorry.... Im not familiar with the model nos.

Arj
Inventar

#14 erstellt: 10. Aug 2006, 09:02

kvish schrieb:

Arj schrieb:

heh heh.. in the end it is the power rating of the transformer that matters not the type ;)

Hi Kvish; yes a torroidal is "better" in many ways.
smaller more power per unit weight, better handling of EM field etc etc.

What i meant to say was the power requirement is not dependant on the type but on the power rating hence a .5 KVA rating will be better for a 250 W amp than a .25 KVA irrespective of a type..

but given a choice a torroidal is a better "engineered/designed" product if done well ! but again some handwound regular transformers are also apparently very very good.. although i have no knowledge of 1:1 comparisons