2.1 Setup advice

Brian King

Community Member

Hi, a little background. I started the process of upgrading a 2.0 system by looking and auditioning 4 sets of speakers from well-known manufacturers, then came across the Arendal 1723s at the same price point and with the very generous return policy. I did not anticipate keeping them, but the quality of build and sound sold me fairly quickly. I realize most in this forum utilize these in a theater room, but that is not a short term goal of mine.

What I am interested in is an upgrade to my current amp/pre which is late 80’s Rotel. Sufficient, but maybe a little lifeless. I do plan on getting a sub this Christmas and have been gathering suggestions for an integrated amp or streamer/pre/amp to give my system an uplift into the stratus of quality sound.

I’m hoping some of the enthusiasts here can give me suggestions, my current list is :

Hegel H190/390, Yamaha AS2200, Rotel RA-1592MKII, Anthem STR, Michi X5.

Thanks in advance for any input.

December 9, 2023 at 22:11

All replies (8)

Lukas

Customer Support

Hi Brian,

With a Subwoofer in the game, I would go with the Anthem STR, as it has an active crossover and proper room correction to dial everything in.
You are much more flexible with setup and that is for me the killer argument.

With the other amps, you are just stuck and cannot adjust the subwoofer or room anomalies.

If you have a perfect room, 100% symmetrical, speakers 8 feet from the walls, and proper acoustic treatment, then yeah maybe you do not need the features, but very few people have a room like this.

#46040 December 13, 2023 at 09:42

arkmann

Active Member

Brian I have the 1723 towers and upgraded from a Denon AVR to Rotel separates. The 1582 MKII amp puts out 200 WPC and drives the towers very well. I have 2 SVS SB 1000 Pros coming out of the 1572 MKII preamp and control the subs through the SVS app. I listen to music, no movies and don’t use room correction software beyond the subs. I Had it with my Denon and I always changed the settings on my own so I didn’t get it when I upgraded. Lukas’ Anthem comment makes sense if you want room correction. Welcome to the community!

#46041 December 13, 2023 at 10:47

Lukas

Customer Support

Not only room correction but an active crossover.
In my room, this is the only way I get good bass. I have to route the bass to the subwoofers.

With a normal stereo setup the Towers would play the full range signal and the subwoofers are just playing in parallel. This can cause issues. Also, you do not have any time alignment other than setting the phase.

As said before, extremely room-dependent. In my experience, most rooms benefit from an active crossover.

@Arkmann

You could add a DSP in between the Rotel Pre-Amp and Power-Amp and try how it sounds with an active crossover.

#46043 December 13, 2023 at 10:59

Brian King

Community Member

Thanks Lukas! I’ll put the STR at the top of my list. I’ve never managed room correction, but I do have a couple of wall diffusers, and my room listening area is in the corner of a somewhat large basement. I like the idea of going for an integrated as they seem to have come a long way since I was last in the market.

Happy Holidays!

#46057 December 15, 2023 at 00:37

Lukas

Customer Support

Athems ARC is pretty straightforward. You can tweak everything to your liking. Only correct the bass for example. It is a very powerful tool.

Integrated or Pre/Power-combos have both pros and cons and it will be dependent on the individual case and what is “best”.

Happy holidays.

#46058 December 15, 2023 at 08:28

neil-h

Community Member

Hi Brian

Sorry I’m a little late to the game. I have the Hegel H-190 and use it with the 1723 Monitors (full size). If you are looking for a neutral amp that does not embellish on the sound, then give it a try. I tried a class d from Marantz and found it was too bass heavy for my liking but this is a personal taste. The H-190 has more than enough power to drive these speakers. HEGEL’S volume control is simply 1-100, the higher the number the more loud. I’ve never been able to go past 60, just to loud for my liking. Once again, neutrality is what HEGEL amps are about. They reproduce what’s on the recording and that’s it. If you like an amp that will “add” base that’s not really there, look elsewhere.

It will play incredible base if it’s on the recording. All through the other part of the frequency spectrum, the H-190 is very good.

#46216 January 13, 2024 at 14:40

Brian King

Community Member

Thanks Neil, I did end up auditioning the H390 and was impressed with the very solid floor it provided. After getting my hands on the Anthem STR and playing with room correction I was hooked. I’m very happy with the sound I’m getting and would recommend the Anthem to anyone in a similar scenario.

#46225 January 15, 2024 at 17:31

neil-h

Community Member

That’s great Brian. Very happy you found what you were searching for. Thank you for letting me know.

Enjoy your new amp and have fun. Take care.

#46226 January 15, 2024 at 20:34

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