Processor vs Receiver to feed amp?

[shakham]

Hi folks...I just recently bought a pair of Aerius i, and a Logos center. I delegated my PSBs as my rears.

The upgrade bug is still hitting me...

I was powering the setup with a Harmon Kardon AVR7300. It sounded great, with no thermal shutdown nor problems at loud volumes.

I randomly decided to upgrade, just picked up a Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature amp. It's pretty nice...lots of power. The second I plugged it in the lights hiccuped...haha..probably cuz of the caps.

One thing though...I can't max it out maybe the signal it's getting isn't loud enough?

My question was should I continue using the AVR7300 as the signal processor?
OR
Would it make sense to switch it out with a Sunfire Theater Grand processor (i, ii, iii, or iv)?

Is there any advantage to going with a dedicated processor aside from it looking cooler and the "thing to do"?

If not Sunfire, any good quality cost effective recommendations?

 

[DrJRapp]

Conventional wisdom says that a dedicated processor should be quietier than a receiver used as a processor since there are far less electrical circuits to cause noise and interference. However, in the real world UMMV.

Sounds to me that you have an impedance miss-match between the receiver and the Sunfire amps.

 

[Jungle Jack]

Hello,
Many SSP's do have the ability to drive line level signals more easily. This is important in the instance of a power amplifier with a low input impedance.
Some receivers do not have the ability to get the full signal from the amplifier.

The Sunfire is an excellent SSP. You would be losing HDMI. However, you can still enjoy the new codecs from Blu Ray Players (True HD and DTS-MA) via the Sunfire's Multichannel Input.
Cheers,
ML

 

[shakham]

I have been digging into the Sunfire Theater Grand. I really can't tell much of a difference between the I, II, III, IV and TGP-5.

I and II seem the same.
III and IV have extra component inputs.
TGP-5 has HDMI inputs but only for video.

I need to look into the multi-channel input and getting any of the new HD audio data since it won't come through HDMI.

Are there any other processors you would recommend?

 

[timm]

I have been digging into the Sunfire Theater Grand. I really can't tell much of a difference between the I, II, III, IV and TGP-5.

I and II seem the same.
III and IV have extra component inputs.
TGP-5 has HDMI inputs but only for video.

I need to look into the multi-channel input and getting any of the new HD audio data since it won't come through HDMI.

Are there any other processors you would recommend?

The diff on the III & IV - I believe is bass management features and all the bugs are out ... Example: on the I & II I do not believe you can run a sub and have your main speakers full range .... get the III at a minimum - if you are getting one.

One other note -- I did something similar - went from a yamaha to the sunfire tgIII ... what you will find is that on the sunfire your surround and movies will sound much...much better.

 

[shakham]

The diff on the III & IV - I believe is bass management features and all the bugs are out ... Example: on the I & II I do not believe you can run a sub and have your main speakers full range .... get the III at a minimum - if you are getting one.

One other note -- I did something similar - went from a yamaha to the sunfire tgIII ... what you will find is that on the sunfire your surround and movies will sound much...much better.

Really? The Sunfire was so much better? That sounds encouraging.

I have been thinking whether it's better to get a processor that can handle the newer audio standards (Dolby DTS HD, uncompressed 7.1, etc).

The other option is to get a BlueRay player with 7.1 outs.

 

[timm]

Really? The Sunfire was so much better? That sounds encouraging.

I have been thinking whether it's better to get a processor that can handle the newer audio standards (Dolby DTS HD, uncompressed 7.1, etc).

The other option is to get a BlueRay player with 7.1 outs.

well - I went the analog out route from the blu ray ... sony 555 or 550 ... don't remember the exact model number.... My yamaha was several years old - and the new codecs had not come out yet... but I have hooked the blu ray to the analog outs of the sony without a hitch... you just have to be careful that the player - will in fact send the new audio formats out the analog outputs... not all of them will.... Depending on your preference - movies/surround or 2 channel music ... you may want to consider the emotiva as well ... extremely good value for the money.... but, the diff between the yamaha receiver and the sunfire pre/pro was more or less this ... more information in the surrounds and dialog was much clearer with the sunfire... I always felt like I was turning up the center channel with the yamaha receiver. If I was looking at a surround processor - I would look for one with the new codecs I think....I would consider the emotiva - and then at some point get a really sweet 2 channel preamp for my music.