B&K Componets....

[Chicomoralessxm]

I notice these products are american made. But just how good are they? Not familiar with them at all. What speakers would be a good match for them? To be more specific the BK Reference 5 S2 has caught my attention.

By the way does anyone have any idea when Pioneer will release the SX-A9J in the US? I see it only in Canada.

[woofiepaws]

I am very happy with my B&K amp for both music and home theater. Plenty of power and a nice musical sound. Very welll built as well.

I am eyeing their new processor, hoping it will do Dolby TrueHD et al.

[AndyGwis]

I have owned several B&K amps and a couple preamps, but no processors. I can say that they make top notch gear that is conservatively rated. Their build quality is awesome in my mind. I had a couple 20+ year old amp / preamps that worked like new. Their gear seems to be made with very high quality components done in very simple layouts. My B&K ST-202 was basically two enormous caps, a great chassis, couple very small circuit boards, a handful of internal wires/fuses, and huge heat sinks. My Pro-10MC had a similar "minimalist" internal layout, but they don't skimp on the good stuff.

Their processors seem to be well regarded. I think they are coming out with some VERY highly reviewed AVRs and Pre-Pros with some next-gen features (HDMI, etc.), is that what the Ref 5 s2 is?

[tom t]

i have a 202+ amp since new and it is just one great amp. and a bargen also. and there stuff seems to be reliable also

[dkg999]

I just moved to a B&K AVR 507 S2 for my HT system. It drives LSi speakers very well. I did add an external B&K Reference series amp for my LSi9 fronts (couldn't pass up the great deal on our flea market!). Both the receiver and the amp are excellent. The receiver has a great surround processor, and the amps are very nice sounding. The only complaint I see thrown at B&K is that there current pre/pro & AVR line is a little behind the curve, no auto-calibration, no HDMI switching, yada, yada. That's fine with me. I value sound quality, build quality, company reputation, and reliability. I'm a little behind the curve also :rolleyes:

[AndyGwis]

They are coming out with some pre-pros with HDMI, etc. to catch the curve. To my knowledge, that would make them one of the first higher-end component companies to do so. While Onkyo, HK, Denon, etc. adopted HDMI a year or two ago for their AVRs, it's just now hitting the world of pre-pros.

Anyway, with their new HDMI pre-pros coming out, I may try to snag a deal on an older Ref 50 when B&K loyalists upgrade.

[tonyb]

Had my 307 for over 5 years now and never a glitch.Probably the closest you will get to seperates in a receiver.WELL,ONE GLITCH.......not B&K fault but the wife,love her to death,spins the volume knob like a top.So the volume control when worked manually,jumps around.Despite my constant nagging to not do that,I still catch her every so often.GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

[dorokusai]

I agree with these folks :)

[polkatese]

I'll add my 0.02: I've been B&K owners since 2003, zero issue with their amps and pre/pro (REF50S2), waiting for REF70 debut soon...

[Chicomoralessxm]

Wow guys this sounds really positive! I'll seriously look into them. Just wondering how the ref 5 s2 would sound if i put a odysssey khartago with it?

Also about the OP anyone know anything about that pioneer

[dorokusai]

Wow guys this sounds really positive! I'll seriously look into them. Just wondering how the ref 5 s2 would sound if i put a odysssey khartago with it?

Also about the OP anyone know anything about that pioneer

Probably pretty nice, why wouldn't it? :)

The Pioneer may hit the market tomorrow or in months. If you're interested, let everything chill out for awhile before a potential purchase. A single review will keep the price high and you may overlook better gear in the interim.

[Chicomoralessxm]

AHH THATS true. Plus i'm not one for buying new stuff. I like to see how the bugs workout first. So i'm better of saving for this bk stuff.

I'm just wondering this is kinda crazy though but is it possible to use both signal outputs on a preamp with balenced and unbalanced pre-outs? Lets say for arguments sake I have 2 amps and i'm looking for use 2 sets of speakers in stereo setup. Instead of getting another preamp can i use both sets of those preouts. One to the amp with balenced inputs and the other to one with unbalenced inputs?

[Chicomoralessxm]

uh i guess this is not a good idea...........