Boston Acoustics Avp7 Manually
May 24, 2006. Has anyone listened to this preamp. It used to cost $2000 but now only cost $800. I am tempting to buy it to hook it up to the B&K amp. I'm using the HK 630 receiver as a pre-amp now so I'm wondering how the HK compares to this Boston gear? Does the Boston sounds superior to the HK or there is not.
This pre amp is in great shape.
Pro Football Simulator Key more. I looking to hear from owners of the P-965 or AVP-7 to see what their thoughts are on these two pre-pros. I am considering the AVP-7 or the P-965 to go along with a BA A7200 amp that I should have tomorrow. I realize that the AVP-7 will not have the use of future software upgrades (at least that is how it looks) but at the current pricing maybe worth it. Or I could go with the P-965 at the additional cost and have the ability to get upgrades in the future. I am currently using a 74txvi as a pre-pro and overall I am happy with it but have seen many posts of people that feel a dedicated pre-pro is the way to go. I think now I am looking more for the best SQ I can get over the latest features that are available.
My usage is about 75% HT and 25% music at this time but would like to get more in music as time allows. Thanks for your help, Bill. Do you use MCACC and think it valuable? Do you need HDMI switching? Will you soon? Will you sell your Pio?
How much do you plan on getting for it? Yes I think that MCACC is valuable and do use it. No I do not need HDMI at this time and until at least HDMI 1.2 is available I would not base a purchase on it. I would miss the i-link input more so than HDMI capability. Yes I would sell the 74txvi if I felt the BA AVP-7 or P-965 had better SQ and ease of use as the 74txvi. As far as price I will figure that out if I decide to sell it.
The BA would be nice for its matching looks (and price). The loss of MCACC may overwhelm the inherent (if any) SQ improvement in the BA. The Newcastle can be had for $1100 delivered. Another option would be to get a preamp with HT passthrough and use it for music and keep the Pio for home theater. Some purists would argue this would provide the best SQ for music.
Eric, Thanks for your comments. I will decide tomorrow if I will order the AVP-7. I think I will see how much of a difference the A7200 will be over the Emotiva LPA-1 amp I currently have and go from there. Disconnecting and reconnecting all the cables to demo the AVP-7 is not something I look forward to. Maybe for a small increase in SQ (if that) as you said it might not be worth it. I have the AVP7/A7200 combo, and so far I am relatively happy with it.
For some perspective, it replaced a Pioneer VSX-56TXi that has been moved to my bedroom. The Pioneer did not do anything poorly - I just wanted to go to separates and the price on the BA combo was right. Well, I will say this. The AVP7 (and the P-965, from what I have read on these forums) loses big points to the Pioneer in terms of user friendliness and ergonomics.
I have the AVP7 set-up very well right now, including the Velodyne SMS-1 for subwoofer EQ, and the overall sound presentation is excellent. But the bass management of this preamp is not consistent or well implemented by any means. It is the first processor that made me question whether my setup discs and SPL meter were defective. If you are looking for a pre-pro that will be as easy to use as your 74TXVi, you need to look elsewhere. The Newcastle model with its' SNAP EQ has the edge over the AVP7 in features and it has probably been refined further through its' firmware updates. The AVP7 is naturally a match cosmetically for the A7200.
The good news is the A7200 like the Newcastle A-965 is an excellent amp for 7.1 HT and 2-channel stereo. My feeling is that if I tire of the AVP7's quirks, I can replace it with a new preamp while retaining the A7200. If it were not for the sound quality of the AVP7, I would have sold it off and gone with another model, perhaps Rotel, or better yet, Arcam. But after patiently working with its' somewhat clumsy menu interface (compared to my 56TXi) to get it set up right, the AVP7 (and the Newcastle P-965) really measures up well to previous gear that I have had in my sytem. Although none of these quirks individually are dealbreakers in a pre-pro at the price for which the AVP7 can be had, collectively they make you wish that BA and Sherwood were a little more in tune with their customers needs as Pioneer seem to be. Issues with Sherwood P-965 / Boston AVP7 1- Channel trim levels only adjust in 1 db increments 2- Speaker distance settings only adjust in 1 ft.
Increments 3- Subwoofer test tone is 10db lower than other channels 4- No distance setting available for subwoofer 5- Adjustable dimmer on front panel display resets to full brightness whenever a command is given or when unit is turned on after a power-off. 6- Subwoofer output levels vary significantly depending on the DSP mode selected: a.
Dolby Pro Logic IIx sub levels reportedly 7db too low, some have reported no sub output when in DPL IIx. Stereo sub levels reportedly 3-5db too high 7- Zone 2 selection of Tuner switches Main Zone mode to Tuner also. If you are looking at the AVP7 due to limits in your budget, I would also recommend you take a look at the Outlaw 990, which is based on the same platform as the AVP7/P-965, but has been refined by adding quad crossover settings to help with the bass management, as well as including DVI switching and balanced outputs. Right now, however, the price for which the AVP7 can be had makes it hard to pass up. Audio Advisor seems to have it for the lowest price - quite a bit lower than the great price that I got from OneCall.:(. Bill, I had the Sherwood Newcastle A-965 up until a week ago and used it with the 56TXi as a pre/pro (speakers switched off on the 56TXi), and it was (is) a great combination.
The A-965 (same a BA A7200) gives the 56TXi a lot more muscle to work with, and the extra dynamic control really shows up in both HT and music. Although I must give the 56TXi credit as a terrific receiver, the addition of the separate multichannel amp was the missing link to a fully satisfying setup. The sonic differences between the AVP7 and the 56TXi were noticeable, but kind of in a 'steak vs. Lobster' kind of way.
By that, I mean that I really like the sound of both units - the Pioneer is detailed yet in a warm, slightly laid-back kind of way, with an emphasis in the midrange. Easy to listen to for extended periods without fatigue settling in. This is whether using its' internal amps or the external amplification of the A-965. The AVP7/P-965, on the other hand, has an incredible clarity to its' presentation that you can't help but feel you have stepped into a music hall. A much bigger soundstage.
The ceiling and walls in the room seem to disappear, and details emerge that are shrouded when played back on less revealing gear. All of this 'air' comes without the typical added penalty of brightness or glare. The bass, despite the BM issues the unit has, is very tightly controlled and musical when you finally dial the setup in. The one area where the 56TXi is subjectively better is in the midrange, which for many people is the most critical and difficult range to get right. Since vocals are most affected by the quality of midrange performance, the Pioneer adds a warmth to vocals that the AVP7 leaves uncolored. Whether the AVP7 is more neutral or lacking in warmth, is for the listener to decide. A lot depends on the type of speaker you run with these components.
In my case, I have Mirage OM-9's and Swan Diva 6.1's, and each of these units sound quite good on either speaker set. I'm quite confident that your setup will benefit from the pairing of the AVP7 with the 74TXVi, as the amp will relieve the power supply of the receiver from having to work at two jobs simultaneously.
I like that the amp section of the 56TXi can be turned off on the front panel - I hope Pioneer left that option intact on the 74TXVi. If you like the ease of use that the 74TXVi provides, then it is not the time to replace it with a separate pre/pro. Wait for a model that offers a clear advantage over the Pioneer before swapping it out.;). I am running an older Sherwood, the 963 and agree with all that was said previously, BUT the flaws mentioned are far outwighed by the advantages at least to me. I have known about the flaws mentioned, but the in everyday use, none have affected my enjoyment of the equipment. In fact, I am getting ready to purchase either the R965 or P965 over Denon, Pioneer, or any others. The reason I'm doing that is not only because of what the 965 offers, but for the remote which is like getting a great freebie.
It is essentially a Universal RNC(I think) 500 with great learning abilities and a great lay put. Remote Central loves this remote. It's the one that has come with some Sherwoods for quite a while and puts other brands remotes to shame. When I look at the price of other pre/pros or recivers, I have to factor in the cost of another one of these remotes because I like it that much and I'm used to it. Newbie, finally with something to contribute! I have the AVR-1720.
When I opened the top, 80% of the PCBs inside is stamped R-965/P-965. The other 20% I could not see both sides of the PCB.
But I wouldn't doubt they were stamped similar. There was a long discussion on Fatwallet about the onecall AVR deal. One brave soul was able to 'upgrade' the frimware from BA 1.0 to Sherwood 4.1 (latest download on sherwood site) Seems there was no difference between the two. Download Free Dj Clue Fidel Cashflow Rar Files. (search for 'boston 7120', page 11, scroll down to the post by 'supamofo' on how he did the update) From trolling around, the 5.1/SNAP EQ upgrade involves a HW memory chip update to hold the larger 5.1 firmware program. Although newer R-965s don't need a HW update, no one seems to know if the larger memorychip improvment was made to the BAs.
I wouldn't doudt that a sherwood update could be made. I'm hoping that, even if it costs a little more, sherwood might 'unofficially' support the AVR at the owners risk. Since the AVR is built like a computer (motherboard with expansion cards), I'm wondering if a local dealer couldn't also eventually do the update.
I'm sure Sherwood is looking at the BA recievers as the outcast inlaw that no one invited over for Christmas. But hey, it still plays sound well. And until they come out with the next version of that, I'm very happy with it. Welcome to the Forum.
It isn't often a first post gets to be both helpful and topical at the same time. The interest in these units has been brewing since Jan.
So it's always good to hear from actual owners. This latest batch of recent posts I'm sure have been extremely helpful. Sometimes I get very close to just snatching up the AVP7 and be done with it. Or plunking down a few more hundred dollars and grabbing the P-965 with SNAP EQ. But knowing me I'll likely stay with the plan and plug in yet another HK AVR like the 635 as a pre/pro until the latest video and audio battles get sorted out, whenever the hell that will be. Who knows.I might like it so much I'll never move to full separates. Newbie, finally with something to contribute!
IThere was a long discussion on Fatwallet about the onecall AVR deal. One brave soul was able to 'upgrade' the frimware from BA 1.0 to Sherwood 4.1 (latest download on sherwood site) Seems there was no difference between the two. (search for 'boston 7120', page 11, scroll down to the post by 'supamofo' on how he did the update). I believe Sherwood FW version 4.1 is the old version.
The latest update is supposed to be 5.1. BTW, my AVR-7120 has 2.0 FW version. Some people said their units have 1.0. So I do not know if mine was updated before shipped. I got it about 3 weeks ago.