SQ : Anthem receiver vs. processor

My work situation just radically changed. I'm going to have to put off any kilobuck buys off till next year. :(

Best,
E

I went to Brooks Berdan in Monrovia. A great store, with the repair center in the middle and opwn to view. Highly recommended!

But they only had one Anthem AV receiver and it was not hooked up.

Le sigh

Not sure if the Sigma Amp5 class D amps would digitize its inputs upon entry. You should email Classe Audio technical support group and find out.

Classe calls their amps "digital Class D" which indicates this, plus this from the Amp5 SoundStage review :

This input stage uses a proprietary analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion stage shared by the SSP-800 and CP-800,

So I’m pretty sure. :)

There's nothing wrong with this approach, by the way. It just makes it kind of useless for me to bother with a separate DAC.

The Theta Casanova did this with all analog signals, and it did it very very well.


Best,

E

@caphill The proof ultimately is in the playback. :)

I want to keep my Mytek Brooklyn in the mix if possible. If the ultimate amp is going to do an A/D conversion on input it kind of defeats the purpose.

I miss my Theta Casanova. The DAC was so good, and A/D so good I truly did not care.

I've been reading a little bit about the Classe Sigma Amp5.
It's an interesting creature. Completely in house design, and, unusually, it is a true Digital Class-D amplifier, as opposed to an analog Class-D.

So, sadly, all incoming analog signals are converted to digital, signal processing to compensate for the amplifier stages and aging is applied, before it reaches the outputs.

Still, as a small high end HT solution it looks very interesting!

Hey Caphill!
That's really interesting about the Classe amp! I'll do more research before deciding.

Best,
E

@caphill
Yeah, I've read about the SSP Mk2. It's a possibility.

My office just seriously downsized though, so maybe right now is not the time to drop a rent payment on a HT processor.

Best,
E

I've thought about the Classe's, and many give them raving reviews for 2 channel. I think I'd like to get something newer.

I know I said I don't care about room correction, but truth is I do at least for the sub.

@maplegrovemusic This weekend, definitely! I'll go audition locally. My dealer is closed on Fridays, so Saturday I hope to make a decision on the Anthem.

maplegrove:
We'll see. I still have my Parasound P7. Worst case scenario I run the Anthem through it. :)

Thanks @alkaloid!

I think I'm going to go purchase the AVM60 this weekend.

Best,
E

If things get bad, my amps have switchable inputs, so I can use the RCA for HT listening, and the XLR inputs from my DAC for music directly.

caphill -

<< sigh >> I know. At this point i'm limited by space, and clutter.

I care more about signal quality than room correction. 

The reason I’m going through all this trouble is that in the past I’ve had 3 HT processors:

• Emotiva
• Onkyo
• Theta Casanova
  

And the Emotiva and Onkyo were really terrible. Practically jokes compared to the much older Casanova. Of course, the Casanova had no HDMI, or advanced decoding past DTS, but for music and movies it was in a completely different league.
I finally ended up getting an Oppo, Parasound P7 and Class D amps along with a MiniDSP to do Center and subwoofer integration duties, along with a Mytek DAC.

I’m not looking to get a Theta Casablanca IV ($25K) for cheap, but I’d like to not be disappointed in the way I was with the Emotiva and Onkyo again.

Many recommended the Classe SSP, but the idea of an all-in-one receiver is really appealing to my space situation right now. If the DAC is decent, this may replace everything I've cobbled together.

I’ll go have a listen to the Anthem line this weekend.

Best,
E

Thanks soix!

aux - That's an interesting perspective. I hadn't thought of that. So, for the same level of sound, the larger receiver has a stiffer power supply.

caphill :

The only thing I can see it stepping down in is wattage and channels.

Do you think there's more?

Best,
E

Thanks for the link, Bill!