Shock horror ... expecting decent music from an Atmos Amp??

Hi Creative,

I went in a different direction:

Gave my DVD5 to a fellow forum member whose DVD5 had died ...it was only sitting in the loft;

Sold my AV2; and bought an Oppo 105D.

I did play with swapping out the whole AV shabang for an Onkyo ....but I have had the Naim amps for so many years I felt that I couldn't just turn my back on them!

My gut reaction is to say that 'of course' there will be a loss, but the source being Spotify means I would expect that anyway; which is why I have gone the Qobuz/Sonos route. That doesn't mean that you won't enjoy music just as much.

Where does musical enjoyment get overtaken by HiFi orthodoxy?

Be really interested in your reports. Shame you didn't keep the 'old' to do some comparisons.

What are you using as a movie source?

M

It may depend a bit on budget, but Yamaha supposedly strive to offer a good balance between music and movies.  Actually I have one and its OK but wouldn't go wild about it.

On the other hand, I have also gone Mr Underhill's route and think that is a good suggestion, albeit no built in Spotify yet if I remember correctly.  It will probably be added in due course (via firmware).  Using the Oppo you can at least retain Naim amplification, and the characteristic sound for music replay.  And its build quality puts the Yamaha to shame....

Footnote.

I just noticed you've sold your NAP175 already, which changes things a bit.  I should also add my Yamaha is non Atmos (RXA 830), and the top model(s) probably have better sound and build.  Pioneer also review well, possibly with a somewhat leaner sound....

I wonder how AV2 owners are left on here now?

I'm still hanging in there...

I'm still using mine and have no great urge to change it.

Seems to be people on other AV forums with positive experiences who have moved from high end processors (e.g. Primare, Anthem) 'down' to Atmos receivers such as the Denon X5200 and X7200.

I still have that same set up with the oppo 105 and denon 3800 blu-ray players and i also have no desire to change at this time.

Nobody's answered the OP's expressed concert about music sound quality of the Atmos AV amps.  So here's my tuppenworth ...

Many years ago (well, about 15 or so, IIRC), before the AV2 came on the scene, I decided I needed an AV amp for my study.  At that time I was running the an Arcam CD player, Pioneer DVD player and a Panasonic VHS machine into a Naim 32.5/SNAPS/NAP90.3d/Royd Edens.  That setup sounded very good indeed, although nowhere near as good as my active SBLs in the living room.

I bought what was at the time the top of the range Yamaha AV receiver (can't recall the model number - sorry), and removed the Naim amps into storage.  I added Royd A7s for rears, and a B&W CC3 as centre.

I tried very hard to live with the Yamaha for music use (with the Arcam), but found I was listening to music in my study less and less, although I was reasonably happy using the Yamaha for DVDs.  After 4 months I reinstalled the Naim amps to run the front L/R channels (see my Stereo AV integration FAQ in this forum's FAQ section).  Musical enjoyment was instantly restored, and got better as the Naims warmed up again.

The AV2 and a Naim 6-50 eventually arrived, and again I tried removing the 32.5/SNAPS.  Although the AV2 was very good, I still felt the 32.5 had the edge and reinstalled it for front channel purposes.

Since the the AV path (in my study) has been rather expensive, and the stereo performance with the current system (even using the nSats as can't accommodate anything larger) comes remarkably close to the Active 52/135/SBL system in the living room.

When the AV2 eventually dies (hopefully never), I will probably replace it with something from the Anthem range - but purely for the Video side of things!

Of course, YMMV.   

The Anthem MRX 700 gets my vote.

I still have an AV2 in a second system and it's great but I was surprised just how good the Anthem is, both with music and video.

I'm running a Denon 3800 too. How does it compare to the Oppo and why have both? 

I won't be buying another Blu-Ray player until the 4k standards settle down though. I've heard rumours of 4K disc spinners so will wait to see if they happen. 

Creative,

OK, you got me to go and do some reading abut Atmos. Looks like a good idea ...but, I do wonder what the availability of software will be.

I got burned during the SACD vs DVD-A, well ish ...I ripped the HD from my DVD-As and am still listening to them. The issue is that these never got wide acceptance. I question the penetration that things like 4k and Atmos will truly get. People are always trying to get us to re-buy the software we already own. In this case will the winner be Netflix/Amazon streaming with stereo soundtracks and quality limited by bandwidth?

I wonder how Atmos will process standard stereo music and 5.1soundtracks?

My personal inclination would be to rely on the quality of the manufacturer rather than the latest greatest codec.

This takes me back to Naim. I borrowed the AV2 as soon as it was available, and bought it immediately. To me the AV2 was never the best processor from a cinematic POV, but musically it beat all-comers.

Whichever AV receiver you go for I'll be fascinated in your reports. Will you be home demoing a selection?

Regards,

M

Picture wise there's not a lot in it playing blu-rays, but better playing DVD's, but the oppo does a lot more than the Denon. Also the oppo being a more modern player plays from the internet, plays music/films from hard drives and USB sticks and of course plays DVD audio and SACD discs.