We are an Audio Control dealer and have direct experience with both their processors and their A/V receivers.
To answer your question, yes a very high end receiver can beat lesser or similarily priced separates.
It is all in the design of the piece, in some cases the high end a/v receiver is the company's 5 or 7 channel amplifier with a processor board in the same chassis.
We used to do that very same demo of a Audio Control $6k A/V receiver vs a set of similarily priced separates and there was no real improvement with the separates. So the purpose of the demo was to show that you could create a very high end system with a receiver for those that didn't want to take up the additional space that separates would require and wanted to save the cost of having to buy 2.5-3.5 good sets of interconnects.
We currently have a great setup at the shop which is the Anthem AVM 60 processor for $3k with the Audio Control Savoy a $2,500.00 5 channel amplifier from Audio Control and that combo totally rocks. Yes the Audio Control processor would be even better but the Maestro M7 is $5,500.00 so then the package would go up considerably.
In our reference theater room we use the Audio Control Maestro M9 pre/pro with the Plinius Odeon a monster of a multi channel amp and the sound is too die for
Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ Audio Control dealers
To answer your question, yes a very high end receiver can beat lesser or similarily priced separates.
It is all in the design of the piece, in some cases the high end a/v receiver is the company's 5 or 7 channel amplifier with a processor board in the same chassis.
We used to do that very same demo of a Audio Control $6k A/V receiver vs a set of similarily priced separates and there was no real improvement with the separates. So the purpose of the demo was to show that you could create a very high end system with a receiver for those that didn't want to take up the additional space that separates would require and wanted to save the cost of having to buy 2.5-3.5 good sets of interconnects.
We currently have a great setup at the shop which is the Anthem AVM 60 processor for $3k with the Audio Control Savoy a $2,500.00 5 channel amplifier from Audio Control and that combo totally rocks. Yes the Audio Control processor would be even better but the Maestro M7 is $5,500.00 so then the package would go up considerably.
In our reference theater room we use the Audio Control Maestro M9 pre/pro with the Plinius Odeon a monster of a multi channel amp and the sound is too die for
Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ Audio Control dealers