Yeah, it's really just choices. I'm just killing time like the rest here, inputting for conversation sake. However, the points are worth considering - if not now, down the line, after you've added an amp, and tallied the total.
As for the $9000 amplification remark from Ekobesky, I wasn't suggesting anywhere near $9k. For $300, you can find a Rotel, Parasound, or Adcom 5 channel amp on the net, now and then, that will smoke a $2500 receivers amplification, for all practical purposes. YOU BET!! I encourage anyone to try using their receiver's "pre-outs" with an outboard amp sometime to compare!
And, as for the "reviewer making the statements about the adequacy of the receiver to simply drive the maggies. Well I think it would be rather irresponsible of him to say otherwise! First, receivers drive (no pun) the market when it comes to AV equipment sales! So, I think it was wise to say, "yes, a receiver can drive these speakers, sure."
However, magazine reviewers are motivated by many factors. I NEVER EVER lean on what a reviewer says as "Gods spoken truth", however. There are simply too many agenda's for magazines to shine good light on products, or to make statements that skew opinions in one direction or another, for many reasons - and one of these is money!
There have been dozens of audio/video products alone over the years, that have gotten "Class A" or "State of the art" ratings from magazines that they really didn't deserve, in my experienced opinion - only to see the same products slip down the rating scale later on, as they were going out of productions. Infact, I can think of several large scale company products right now, that always have 3, 4, even 5 or more pages of advertising in the "rags", that ALWAYS get ratings that put their products at the top of the ratings classes! You do the math. And we're most always talking about mid-fi products here - where all the money is, basically.
So, just because some magazine says "it's the best there is...go down and buy it today!", doesn't mean squat to an experienced audio guy like myself. We know how to make good soun - and that doesn't mean going down to the local AV store, and buying that top rated receiver, speakers and sub, hooking it all up, and expecting audiophile nirvana, that will blow your friends minds! - doesn't work that way folks. Sorry
As for the $9000 amplification remark from Ekobesky, I wasn't suggesting anywhere near $9k. For $300, you can find a Rotel, Parasound, or Adcom 5 channel amp on the net, now and then, that will smoke a $2500 receivers amplification, for all practical purposes. YOU BET!! I encourage anyone to try using their receiver's "pre-outs" with an outboard amp sometime to compare!
And, as for the "reviewer making the statements about the adequacy of the receiver to simply drive the maggies. Well I think it would be rather irresponsible of him to say otherwise! First, receivers drive (no pun) the market when it comes to AV equipment sales! So, I think it was wise to say, "yes, a receiver can drive these speakers, sure."
However, magazine reviewers are motivated by many factors. I NEVER EVER lean on what a reviewer says as "Gods spoken truth", however. There are simply too many agenda's for magazines to shine good light on products, or to make statements that skew opinions in one direction or another, for many reasons - and one of these is money!
There have been dozens of audio/video products alone over the years, that have gotten "Class A" or "State of the art" ratings from magazines that they really didn't deserve, in my experienced opinion - only to see the same products slip down the rating scale later on, as they were going out of productions. Infact, I can think of several large scale company products right now, that always have 3, 4, even 5 or more pages of advertising in the "rags", that ALWAYS get ratings that put their products at the top of the ratings classes! You do the math. And we're most always talking about mid-fi products here - where all the money is, basically.
So, just because some magazine says "it's the best there is...go down and buy it today!", doesn't mean squat to an experienced audio guy like myself. We know how to make good soun - and that doesn't mean going down to the local AV store, and buying that top rated receiver, speakers and sub, hooking it all up, and expecting audiophile nirvana, that will blow your friends minds! - doesn't work that way folks. Sorry