should i get a stereo receiver or an a/v receiver with my imac?

[algurgazan]

ok, i'll start with a longer explanation than the thread title will let me:

i'm looking for a receiver to connect two things to: an iMac 24" i already have and a cd player i'll have to buy too. i'm buying the separate cd player because i want to be able to play cd's without switching on my iMac, but the iMac will be the source most of the time i guess, and will be playing mostly mp3's and some apple lossless..

i've already decided on which speakers to get, i'm getting the kef iq3's..

that leaves the receiver and the cd player. the cd player doesn't have a big priority (time and budget wise) so it can wait.. so this brings us to my question, what kind of receiver to get..

i was planning to get an a /v receiver, because i wanted to connect my iMac to the receiver digitally, and i couldn't really find a stereo receiver with a digital in.

but now im getting second thoughts about this.. when i buy an a/v receiver im getting a lot of things i won't be using: video functionality and a couple of channels (centre, rear, sub) for example..

which leads me to my question: will i be better off (sound quality wise of course) buying a stereo receiver instead? if so, should i buy a DAC in between, or can i trust my iMac's?

i realize an important factor in this decision is my budget.. this is about €300 to €400.. before i started to think about buying a stereo receiver instead of an a/v i was leaning to the marantz sr3001, because i liked the sound and it looks a lot less 'plasticy' than its competitors..

oh and i'm probably going for the marantz cd5001 btw..

 

[porschemad911]

For music, get a stereo receiver.

 

[Operandi]

I was going to get the IQ3's myself before I decided to build my own (currently in progress).

If you want to use more than one source I would opt for a integrated amp rather than a receiver. You won't be buying features you don't need and you'll be getting a much better amp and preamp section. Something like the Cambridge Audio Azur 340A would be a good choice.

You can use your analog out on your iMac for now and add an external SPDIF or USB DAC at a latter time. Or if your budget allows pickup a DAC straight off.

 

[Tarkovsky]

I posted this earlier in another thread... I use kef codas, but I'm upgrading to a pair of cresta 2s with a rel storm III in a couple of weeks.
I have the Cambridge audio Azur 540R which is cheaper than the 840c, doesn't have a cd player (it's a 7.1 DAC and power amp) and can do 7.1 and is perfect for computer as source IMO. I TOSlink into it, you can also coax SPDIF - either way you'll need a card or external box with a ditial out. AFAIK it's capable of 192/24 and sounds very good for most kinds of music. The power amp is probably weedy on the current and I hear it on some of the heavier stuff I listen to, but it has lots and lots of detail and is very smooth. It doesn't handle my AT The Drive-in justice or Mars Volta, Ryan Adams etc with authority, but that's very hard to do well and isn't presented badly IMO. For van Morrison, RHCP, Bjork, Outkast, Decemberists, assorted classical music, hiphop even Tool it sounds splendid. My friend with a very nice pair of floorstanding KEFs and a Quad power amp seems to agree (or he's just placating me) that it's a good sound.

I think it's one of the few midrange amps that can pull of a good stereo sound AND surround. It also has all the ins and out you'll ever need if you want to upgrade to a standalone PA (I might get a couple of rotels for my fronts) and a tape out for your headphone amp. I doubt it'll drive the 650s, but I don't have anything of that high impedance to try with it. It's been a very wise investment for me. It's also quite pretty and going to aesthetically match my green solo and imac! I got mine for £150/$300 off ebay.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Look at external DACs and integrated amplifiers. Those will give you the most value for the money, and will be much easier to upgrade in the future.

 

[jrosenth]

Depending upon your budget you could get an av-receiver with a digital-amp and use it's digital inputs from your imac or from a cd-play - effectively bypassing any DAC.

I use this set up with a digital panny (as do quite a few others) and am very, very happy with it. Personally, I took the balance between the Panny and what I was going to spend on and amp and put it towards a behringer digital eq, doing all the room-correcting processing in the digital domain - very good set up.

 

[HardHeadCase]

High-End stereo receiver with a usb input for your Mac.

Outlaw Audio

For the same amount of money this will sound best, no wasted money on amp circuits you won't need.

 

[STONER1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrosenth /img/forum/go_quote.gif Depending upon your budget you could get an av-receiver with a digital-amp and use it's digital inputs from your imac or from a cd-play - effectively bypassing any DAC. I use this set up with a digital panny (as do quite a few others) and am very, very happy with it. Personally, I took the balance between the Panny and what I was going to spend on and amp and put it towards a behringer digital eq, doing all the room-correcting processing in the digital domain - very good set up.

I was also thinking about going this route as well. The panny receviers are cheap and I have heard good things about them, and it interisted me in using it in my 2 channel setup. You did make a good point though about the digital input directly to the digital amp.

 

[tea-head]

FWIW,

I use a Panny SA-XR55 connected to my PC laptop via USB DAC. The receiver is set up as stereo w/ sub. The Panny cost me $170, new. Since you can hook up your iMac directly you don't necessarily need an external DAC. I have a $60 Philips CDP hooked up via coax and it sounds good. The panny is a bit bright at times, but my Peter Daniels USB DAC ($350) helps smooth it out nicely. It is a cheap set-up and sounds good...you could spend a lot more and not necessarily get better sound...

 

[HardHeadCase]

Outlaw Audio

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HardHeadCase /img/forum/go_quote.gif Outlaw Audio

First, you already posted that link in post #7. Second, €300-400 = $442-589.

If you think he'll be capable of importing a $649, 27 lb. integrated amp to Europe for under €400, you're crazy.

 

[HardHeadCase]

Maybe ill post it six more times. You think I don't know what I post? Maybe if he is smart he will consider saving another hundred bucks and ignore all the crap about Panasonic receivers. If you want something cheap that still sounds good then get a stereo receiver from Harman/Kardon. At least the HK will have a good amp section. Here is a link for a USB DAC that seems to be popular here on Head-fi. You should be able to find some reviews because there is a thread for this device. Infinitesimalmorony Maybe you should spend more time helping the guy out and lest time worried about what the hell I say.

Harman Kardon | HK-3485 Stereo Receiver | HK3485 | B&H Photo

KECES DA-151, USB DAC never sounded so good on computer - eBay (item 160194118264 end time Jan-07-08 19:24:49 PST)

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HardHeadCase /img/forum/go_quote.gif Maybe ill post it six more times. You think I don't know what I post?

The first time you posted the link, you said that it was "the same amount of money," which was false. The second time you posted it, you didn't mention a reason; it looked like spam.

The Outlaw RR2150 doesn't have a dedicated DAC section, it only contains a lower-end Micronas USB DAC chip (UAC 3553B) which is nowhere near the quality level of the amplifier itself.

The Harmon/Kardon HK-3485 plus the KECES DA-151 probably would make a good pair.

Algurgazan, are you any closer to making a decision about receiver vs. integrated+DAC?

 

[jrosenth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HardHeadCase /img/forum/go_quote.gif Maybe ill post it six more times. You think I don't know what I post? Maybe if he is smart he will consider saving another hundred bucks and ignore all the crap about Panasonic receivers. If you want something cheap that still sounds good then get a stereo receiver from Harman/Kardon.

No offense but there's a reason why those pannys with a digital amp are so frequently reccomended on boards as opposed to HK stuff. They just simply sound better - like not even close. Most folks attribute that to not having to do D/A conversion. If you're going to do D/A, you should get a nice outboard dac.

Personally I had that HK and after hearing a panny in an all digital set up, I sold it to get the panny

If you're going to use an outboard dac you might want to consider other digital amps (trends, etc.). Otherwise, check for vintage stuff (marantz, hafler, etc.) that will run the same cash as the HK but kill it for the money.

 

[HardHeadCase]

Im sure the Panny is nice. I thought he was trying to put a 2 channel system together. I guess he would put the Panny in 2ch mode and leave it.