CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

So, had been looking around and doing a lot of waiting and then I made the decision to get the new Denon AVR-3311CI to act as a preamp for the XPA amps I bought. Placed an order with an authorized Denon dealer (several hundred miles from me), waited out the inventory strain issues, and finally got it for $816.99 delivered. This unit came out around the mid/end of June and listed for US$1200.

Mind you when inventory was tight the BB stores were not honoring offers between nearby stores, boutiques and most dealers at a distance with inventory were doing the greed-thing, which often puts me off. Its not that I cannot afford something, but principals dictate that I'll not do business with a-holes.

So, after three weeks of waiting the inventory crunch, EE delivered to me on Friday (along with ~90 buyers of this unit) my order at dang near 1/3 off. And my message to Bastard Buy: f*ck you! Razz

And yes, I'll continue to go into their stores and enlighten their customers to the better way to buy things.

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

Oh, and for about a week now I have been letting the wife test out one of the XPA amps with the old Pioneer Elite receiver. This was strictly two-channel application with the new Studio 20's and I have to say that amp isn't being challenged at all. It is running much cooler than the Pioneer Elite.

Its unfortunate that dedicated preamps can be so pricey compared to their $-competitive AVRs. One is forced to subsidized unwanted amps (in the AVR) to get an inexpensive preamp.

ecrabb · Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 2:17 pm Post subject:

I don't buy much of anything from BB anymore, either. Haven't for years. Built my entire home theater from scratch, and I don't think there's a single thing in the entire room from BB, not even a cable. You got a smokin' deal on that Denon, though. It's so new, it looks like all the mainstream dealers are all selling it right at MSRP, and only a few fly-by-nights have it for around $850-900 - places I wouldn't even purchase from. So, if you got it for $817 from a legit, reliable dealer, then you made out like a bandit.

You're right about prepros being more expensive - that annoyed me when I was buying, too... It's annoying that it seems like the manufacturers take most of the guts of say, a $1200 AVR, remove all the amplification, then because it's a "separate", jack the price up to $2000. Wait, so it adds $800 to the price because you take out the amps?!!?? But, did you look at the Integra DHC 40.1 like I suggested? MSRP is about the same as the Denon you bought, and street price probably wouldn't have been much more than the Denon.

SC

macgyver655 · Joined: 22 Aug 2007 Posts: 8508

The price difference is a supply and demand issue. Any prepro is a design of its own, You can't just remove the amp section and have it work. There are to many protection circuits that would have to be changed or removed and the firmware would also be significantly different. This means that almost every board in a similar prepro would be substantially different. So even if a same case were used everything else inside would be different, even if just minor changes.

This now means that the prepro would have to be manufactured and assembled on a different line if not a different plant.

Now figure the sales of probably hundreds of AVRs per 1 prepro and you have your price difference.

bbfarmht · Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2010 10:28 pm Post subject:

Why do you always have such logical answers Mac? You take the fun out of hating the manufactures for something simple.

macgyver655 · Joined: 22 Aug 2007 Posts: 8508

LOL. Sorry, forget what I just said. What manufacturer are we hating this week? LOL Laughing

greg_mitch · Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 5320

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

That would just be nonsense, Greg. Especially when it is easier to take a $300 BD player, re-skin it, and charge $3K. It just never (or seldom) works in the other direction.

Mac, let's face facts. The majority of preamp manufacturers could offer an inexpensive product based on an AVR process abilities, but it doesn't serve their business model. Of course, if more companies start coming out with sub-$1K multichannel amps I would imagine the re-training of the market might lead to a new preamp market.

But, until then I'll happily take the sub-$1K AVR and only use its processing. I am sure Marantz appreciates that I do this with Denon as I was never a customer (prohibited by cost).

macgyver655 · Joined: 22 Aug 2007 Posts: 8508

bbfarmht · Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 2:02 am Post subject:

I have one of the higher end Onkyo avr's. The nice thing about it is I can use it as a preamp. That's why I find it hard to understand why someone would spend more money on just a preamp. The AVR have is the TX-SR806.