ceejay;137860 Wrote: > Denon and, AFAIK, Yamaha AVRs have "Direct" and "Pure Direct" modes > which should let an analog signal straight through... > > Ceejay Don't neglect the Arcam line.
I used a highish-end Denon, and it did admirable things where an analog path was concerned -- straight-analog passthrough mode was available where the main analog outputs were passed right through, but digitized on the way so as to be available in parallel to be lowpassed and passed into the sub channel, if desired -- but I must say that when I got used to (an unfairly higher-priced) Arcam AV preamp, the difference in nuance, microdetail, sheer music was breathtaking and uncomplimentary to the stalwart Denon. I'll assume you don't want to cough up the bucks for an AV8 or AV9, though, so I suggest you have a listen to the AVR250 receiver -- which has gotten a rep as an A/V receiver for people who listen to music more than they watch blockbusters. One small issue, though -- the Denons (I've lived with several), while never quite as engagingly musical to listen to as the Arcam gear, are boringly reliable locking onto digital streams. The Arcam stuff will sometimes make a little noise as the cable DVR's digital audio stream is interrupted and restarted, and will occasionally experience some kind of sequencing boo-boo after a channel/source change such that front and rears get inverted. A quick bang on the "mode" button gives it an opportunity to re-lock, which it then does fine, and I'm entirely willing to put up with this occasional and minor annoyance for better sound quality, but I thought I'd mention it for completeness. http://www.arcam.co.uk/diva_prod_range.cfm http://www.arcam.co.uk/prod_diva_AVR250_intro.cfm http://www.arcam.co.uk/prod_fmj_AV9_intro.cfm http://www.aslgroup.com/ -- jbm0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ jbm0's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=3949 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=27623 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
