Amp for Vienna Acoustic Bach

[pajr2179]

Hello,

I currently have the Vienna Acoustic Bach, Maestro, and Waltz. I am considering either a stand alone 5 channel amp or AV Receiver to do it all. I have been looking at the following Rotel RSX1560, Rotel stand alone amp 100x5, Pioneer SC-07, Denon AVR 4310CI. I began to consider an av receiver particularly because of multizone/source, hdmi switching, audio decoding, etc. The Bachs are 6 ohms and I am concerned about driving them with enough power. Anyone have any thoughts?

[bobsticks]

Anyone have any thoughts?

Vienna Acoustics have a rather laid back sound which clearly you like. I'd imagine that you'll find the mellow atributes of the Rotel to your liking.

As far as an AV uni goes I'll make my usual recommendation: Onkyo. The amp sections are some of the strongest around, the ergonomics are fantastic and the functions are intuitive as compared to the Denon which has some deep menus and incomprehensible manuals.

[BadAssJazz]

You can scratch the Pioneer Elite SC-07 off of your list.

If memory serves, the Vienna Acoustics Bach series have an impedance of 4 ohms. The ICE amps in the SC-07 are incompatible with 4 ohm speakers.

You can't go wrong with Rotel. The stand alone amps are proven performers and mate well with just about every speaker under the sun. The RSX receivers are nice, too, but given the price of the RSX-1560 ($2600 msrp), you're right to consider separates first.

I'm not sure if you live near a Magnolia HiFi, but if you do, I suggest going there and doing an audition. They carry Vienna Acoustics speakers, as well as Arcam, Pioneer Elite, Marantz, Denon, Primare, and I **think** Onkyo electronics. Take some of your own CD's and DVD's and make an afternoon of it. Good luck.

[frenchmon]

I've had a few listening sessions with V.A. And to my ears they are a dark speaker...not a lots of top end sparkle. You may want to stay away from gear that is dark as well unless you want a sound thats realy laid back and considered boring to some audio hobbyist. The mention of Magnolia is a good one. Personally I think Yammies would be the better match for your speakers with silver cables and interconnects. Some say Rotel has a more bright sound so im sure it would do you good. I believe Marantz would be a bad match with Vienna Acoustics.

[pajr2179]

The back of the speakers list 6ohms, but your the second person to say 4 ohms interestingly enough (the first a tech). I actually went to Magnolia today and it was a pretty bad experience. First, there was no help in site. I only saw Onkyo, Yamaha, Pioneer Elite, and Denon on display. Magnolia may carry different brands depending on the store. Otherwise, the better stuff including the AVR4308 was not even hooked up. They had the Mozart Grand running with the SC-27, but again no source was playing. I just can't stand poor service so I left.

[BadAssJazz]

The back of the speakers list 6ohms, but your the second person to say 4 ohms interestingly enough (the first a tech). I actually went to Magnolia today and it was a pretty bad experience. First, there was no help in site. I only saw Onkyo, Yamaha, Pioneer Elite, and Denon on display. Magnolia may carry different brands depending on the store. Otherwise, the better stuff including the AVR4308 was not even hooked up. They had the Mozart Grand running with the SC-27, but again no source was playing. I just can't stand poor service so I left.

The tech and I probably were both referencing the spec sheet for the Bach Grand, which lists the speakers at 4 ohms. http://www.viennaacoustics.at/04_Bach_Grand_V02_WEB150.pdf If the impedance is indeed 6 ohms, you'll be fine with the SC-07.

Sorry to hear about your experience at Magnolia. I know the Magnolia/Best Buy centers are hit and miss as for as customer service, but I've never had any issues at a Magnolia Hi Fi main store. They pretty much greet me at the door whenever I walk in. But you're right, if wherever you're going the service isn't up to snuff, you're better off taking your business elsewhere.

[pajr2179]

Well that explains it. Thanks. I am gonna check out a much bigger Magnolia soon so will see what happens. Otherwise, there is a smaller high end shop that does NAD, Rotel, Pioneer Elite, and others that I have shopped from that I have shopped from before. I noticed you have the Pioneer Elite. What is your opinion? Does it have a second monitor out for component video if you want to send the signal to another zone? Can I stream IPOD Audio from my pc? I think with the Denon you can. Does it come with a second remote? How many sources can each zone handle? Do you think the Pioneer has ample power for the Viennas? I recently was taken for an expensive ride buying an amp for my system so needless to say I am going into this much more carefully. Thanks Bad...