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

I'm confused.  How can you use two sets of speakers (SF GPs and Otellos) in the same system?  Are you physically going to swap them them out for HT and 2-channel listening?

soix,

Sorry if I did not make myself clear.  I currently have the Sonus Faber’s for HT and will be buying the Verity’s for music only.  I would get a 7 channel system use 5 channels for HT and the other 2 channels for music listening. I will be connecting my Verity’s to the 2 extra channels. I believe if I invest in a good quality processor and amp I can pull this off and save space not having another unit. If I can’t find something that really captures the sound I am looking for then I would have to go a bit cheaper on HT and get an intergrated for 2 channel listening. Hope this clarifies things and of course your input will be welcomed.

I have tested several amps, one of them being Bryston 7B3 monoblocks.  They are very nice amps, but they are definitely faster and brighter/thinner then some other amps.  They are also just about as close to "Class B" amps as you can get.  The Bryston amps are very efficient and do not really get hot at all. 

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The fast amps vs. warm/slow amps really has to do with how the input stage and output power stage are biased.  Some are biased heavily into Class A and these will generally be warmer sounding and fuller sounding.  They will also get hot in temperature more so than the more efficient Class AB amps.
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older B&W speakers are described as very bright sounding because they had two issues:  1. metal dome tweeter that caused resonance/breakup and , 2. woven kevlar midrange that had breakup as well.  These "breakup" modes caused the sound to be on the bright/harsh side.  The later diamond tweeters are not bright at all, and the newest D3 series resolved the issue with kevlar breakup modes.

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I do not have any experience with the Aracam processor.  It may be a good choice, but I tend to lean towards processors that have a fully discrete analog section.  These include the Marantz AV880x processors, the Bryston SP3, Krell S1200U.  I have even tested Theta Casablanca, but I did not feel that it sounded that good.   The Bryston SP3 was very warm and laid back sound, but it had just about the best and strongest bass I have heard out of a processor.  I think the "laid back" sound would mate well with the fast responding Bryston amps. 


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The McIntosh amplifiers and electronics can sometimes be too laid back and soft.  They often come across as boring and dull to my ears.  Sometimes they are okay, but leave me wanting more.  I heard a McIntosh integrated paired with the new Sonus Faber bookshelf speakers and the sound was very excellent.  But it just did not have that excitement that I was looking for.

auxinput,

I was left feeling the same way about McIntosh.  Sonus Faber was always a favorite of mine after years of auditioning but the McIntosh did them no justice.
My SF Homes which are at entry level sounded superior to the Olympica’s at 13k.
Actually, when I first heard the Olympica’s they were connected to a McIntosh and they sounded phenomenal to me, but probably Magnolia (Best Buy) hires a good set of hands to setup their gear.  I am not sure what happened but I could not believe what I was hearing, maybe I’ve come accustomed to the punch of the Krell..lol.

As previously mentioned the Bryston is at the top of the list plus I can get a very good discount on it. The only concern I have if it’s too thin it will cause listening fatigue but as you mentioned pairing it with the SP3 might do the trick.  I am taking my time and researching to avoid a mistake since this will probably be my last purchase. I am having health issues and I don’t have the funds to maintain this hobby. I want to get good pieces that can carry me for the next 10 years if possible.

Thanks again,

Marilyn

I'm going to be blunt here.  I wouldn't even consider driving the $19k Otellos with two channels of a seven channel amp or a prepro in the name of saving space, or anything else for that matter.  To me, speakers of that caliber deserve their own good stereo amp and preamp (or at least a very good integrated).  Buy a decent 3-channel amp and prepro to drive the HT, but I'd put as much as possible of the electronics budget toward the stereo components that get the most out of the Otellos.  You can easily integrate the HT and stereo electronics into one seamless system, so operationally this setup works well and also allows you to spend more of your budget on the more critical stereo components. 

Also, I'm still not clear.  Are you considering having both the Otellos and Grand Pianos set up side by side at the same time?  If so, that's an imaging nightmare and a big no no in my book.  Personally I'd sell the Grand Pianos and just use the Otellos as front L/R speakers for both stereo and HT, or sell your rear speakers and put the GPs back there.  Having heard both the Grand Pianos and various Verity models (awesome speakers BTW), my take is they're voiced similarly so this might work out well.  Just my $0.02 FWIW, and best of luck in whatever you decide.