Best multi channel amp and processor good for 2 channel listening.

Op the Audio Control is one fantastic processor, it is built for sound quality and uses all  independent burr brown dac’s per channel, vs most of the world's processors which use a single dac chip for all channels, the processor uses a massive power supply it weighs 40 lbs most processor barely weigh 15 lbs, and the Maestro uses Dirac which along with Anthem and Trinov are the best room correction software.

The Mastro is very very good souding for music and theater, perfect it isn’t but for its price point of $8,900.00 it is fantastic.

As per the Odeon it is one of the best sounding multi channel amplifiers ever made, if the price seems a bit high make an counteroffer.

Other than the Thetas Cassablancas which are very expensive and not sure of the room correction, the Maestro series from Audio Control has been getting rave reviews for years based on their musicality, superb service made in America, and reliablity and excellent service.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

The maestro is deslgned for sound quality for music and theater and is not built like a traditional processor

Maguiar, if sound quality for surround sound and music is your passion and you are concerend with the sound quality of the processor preamp then here is how to get around that one

1: Purchase a good 2 channel preamplifier with a hone theather bypass function, you can then route your high end 2 channel sources through the 2 channel preamp and then to your high end multi channel amplfier. 

This way you have a separate 2 channel music pathway that is intergrated with your surround sound gear, and you get the best of both worlds.

We are using our Maestro with $14k Kef Ref 3, a Lumin  music streamer and the sound for music even through the Maestro is is really something. 

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

Bwguy Lumin T1 now going with lumin t2

The new T2 is going to be great,


Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

Bwguy and Randyhat, we have the T2 on order out of the first ten coming into the country. 

The guys from Lumin seem to think that the T2 outperforms the A1 which does have the outboard power supply. 

The Lumin engineers are out of broadcast engineering, they have stated that their included new SMPS is really superb and they have worked very hard to make it quiet. 

The T2 is supposed to sound absolutely amazing, we ordered our demo without hearing it. The X1 is absolutely extraordinary if the little T2 sounds even close it will shake up that segment of the market.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ Lumin dealers

Alkolid your feelings that because a studio uses something therefore it is good is completely inaccurate. Studios use certain products because they are durable and do the job. 

We were a Bryston dealer for years and their amplifiers were good not amazing but good, the CD player was very good for the price and their preamplifiers were okay at best.

In order to make a Bryston setup sound really good you had to use a tube preamplifier to add some body to the sound, we haven't heard their latest gear but  that was our experience at the time, the Luxman gear and Hegel components were far better.

We will agree that the AVM 60 is excellent for the price and we did prefer it to the more expensive Marantz 8802a and the Anthem room correction is superb however the AVM 60 can be bettered by more expensive pre/procs.

We have the Audio Control Maestro M9 and that is the best sounding pre pro we have ever used it is a $8900 40 lb monster pre/pro with individual burr brown dacs per channel and the sound is exquiste you could clearly hear the difference between the AVM 60.

We were running that magnificent pre/pro with an $18k Plinius Odeon one of the finest multi channel amplifiers that has ever been built with all Kef Reference loudspeakers and the sound was remarkable for both music and theater.

We are selling our Odeon because Plinus recently discontinued it as they were not selling that many of them, Plinus is known as a two channel company.

This one multi channel amplifer bested a set of 400watt mono blocks as well from a very respected European company. 

We know just how remarkable a good music and theater system can be. 

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

Bwguy and Randyhat, the T2 is a huge improvement over the T1 in everyway sonically and build quality.

Mquar we are an Audio Control dealer and their products are really excellent, the Audio Control product is superior to the less expensive Arcam, if you look at the processor the Maestro M9 weighs 40 lbs vs the Arcam which weight 25 lb, also the Masetro uses all discrete Burr Brown dacs vs a shared chip in the Arcam add in longer warranties and a more sophisticated amplifier section and you can see why we prefer the Audio Control product.

So if you decision to use a High end integreated with surround sound processor and multi channel amp or are you leaning towards a high end surround sound receiver with two channel separates  which is more important to you.

If you want the best of both worlds then a two channel preamp along with a reallly good multi channel amplifier  and a separate surround sound processor may be the ticket. 

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ Lumin  and Audio Control

Rechsm, thanks for confirming it. The Maestro was built to sound really good and not be just a feature oriented product. The fact that use top of the line burr brown dacs and use chips for each channel and a massive power supply does show how good the pre pro is.

The Maestro sounded better than anything else we compared it to.

Maguir the Nad is a very good piece also personally we don't think it sounds as good, but for its price point it is very good.

We sell all three pieces, the Anthem, the Nad and the Audio Control.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ