B&K AVR507 or Sunfire Ultimate

[Johnny Mac]

Hello,

I don't post much on this website, but read it almost daily and have already learned quite a bit about audio equipment. Some of you may recall that I previously asked for advice regarding the AVR507 vs NAD T773. Based on the information that I received in that thread (and B&K's price drop ), I decided that the B&K was the best route to go.

To recap my situation, I have four LC80i in ceiling speakers which are to be used as L/R and surrounds, as well as an LSiC and PSW 505. Zone 2 will be out on the deck and will utilize Atrium 55's. I am going with a receiver rather than separates simply due lack of space. I have an entertainment center which my wife really wants to keep, and if I change things too much in that area, she may just get a little more inquisitive as to how much $$ I have going into the HT. Some things in life are best left on a need to know basis, and AV equipment is most definitely one of 'em.

I already know that the B&K is a great product, but I've heard that they can run pretty hot. My entertainment center offers relatively little air circulation, unless I leave the front doors open during operation. I've read that the Sunfire runs much cooler, which would be a definite plus. At this point, however, I'm not gung ho about raising the ante another $1,000 or so...especially after the previous upcharge between the NAD and B&K. My relatively modest HT system certainly does not require the kind of power that either of these AV receivers offer, but I am not looking to save a few $$ and forever wonder "What if?". Any suggestions out there???

I hate to bother you with this, but at least it's not some unsupportable drivel about why my candidate rocks and yours sucks! Lest any of you think I'm dragging my feet on the equipment purchase, our new house isn't scheduled to be completed until late October or early November and I saw no reason to eat up a few months of warranty while my hardware sits in storage.

Thanks again for your insight!

John

[PolkWannabie]

I do NOT have a Sunfire Receiver ... However I DO have two of the Sunfire CG II Signature amps and they run barely warm even with the system cranked up to fairly high volumes for long periods of time. The receiver uses the same technology for it's amps that the standalone amps have.

You're right about the cost and whether or not that aspect is worth it to you only you can decide. Personally I like Sunfire's gear ( obviously ) better than B&K's but that is clearly a subjective opinion.

[bikezappa]

Drill about a 3" hole in the back of the entertanment center and mount a whisper fan from RS. Connect the fan to a switched outlet from the equipment. Things will run cool with the door closed.

[amulford]

I cannot attest to the B&K, Because I haven't ever owned one. I can sing the praises of the Sunfire Ultimate Receiver. That I have, and I am REALLY SATISFIED. It maybe overkill for the present set up. But with this unit you could upgrade to 7.1 with no problem.

I also use the second zone, but I use the preouts and a seperate amp and equalizer. The 2nd zone has no tonal adjustment, but if your ok with a flat response, NO PROBLEM. It will make your 55's SING.

I have WORKED this receiver for HOURS. It is a tank!! Runs very cool, no fan should be needed.

Pricey, yes. But well worth it, IMHO. I have never regretted getting it, and I bought it new...

Have you read up on the Sunfire?

Rave over

[wallstreet]

I've hooked both up to my ls90's and am very impressed with both products. I would say that both are overpowered for in wall speaker power requirements though. You could save a ton of money going with a nice receiver with less power and still receive the same sound quality.

[Johnny Mac]

Thanks for the replies thus far! I know that I could save money on a different AVR and, in fact, initially gave some serious consideration to a Denon 3805. The price and features were certainly appealing, but what scared me off was the inability to efficently drive 4 ohm loads. At least you guys can't say that I haven't been paying attention to related postings on this board.

I have researched the Sunfire Ultimate, and originally discounted it due to price. (By the way, if anyone knows of an authorized dealer with great pricing, please feel free to shoot me an email!). What really prompted this thread was that I was talking to an authorized dealer who represents both B&K and Sunfire, and he indicated that if I opted for the 507 I would likely have to invest an additional $300 for a cooling fan. Ouch! But then again, I don't really want my entertainment center to double as a convection oven, either! Thanks to bikezappa for the heads-up on the RS fan, I'll check into it.

I knew that some folks (amulford and PolkWannabie, in this case) would give enthusiatic reviews of the Sunfire line, based on their experiences with their products. Thanks for the positive reenforcement! I was also aware that there are others (like wallstreet) who are huge proponents of B&K. Thanks to all parties for presenting your respective opinions w/o bashing the other product line.

I do find it somewhat ironic, however, that wallstreet's response to this thread was his 507th post on this board. Perhaps a subliminal advertisement for B&K???

Keep those ideas coming,

John

[PolkWannabie]

As someone mentioned in this or the other related thread ... these are somewhat overkill for driving in wall speakers so you might want to think about your particular situation before picking a cliff to jump off ...

However, this guy is an authorized dealer of Sunfire, B&K and a variety of other goodies ... I bought a Sunfire TG IV for about a third off the prices you'd find in stores and with it I got a valid receipt and warranty which entitles me to the same privs you'd get buying it anywhere ...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=5709949990

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=5704474807

or if you can deal with almost new ...

http://cgi.videogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.p...1ch&1094522434

[Johnny Mac]

PW,

I've seen a few other ebay listings from that seller, but was unaware that he is an authorized dealer. Thanks for the heads-up!

John

[brettw22]

The salesman that told you you'd have to spend $300 on fans was blowing smoke up your ass......period.

First, yes, the B&K's do run hot. I have the 307 and I ended up drilling a pair of 4" holes in the back of my cabinet to accomodate the heat and i have had ZERO problems with heat. HERE and HERE is how I solved that problem, and if you need some fans that run with virtually zero noise, I have a few extra's. They're older and probably need air blown to de-dust, but they work great.

I had went to Fry's Electronics to buy a fan and when I plugged that thing in, it sounded like it was winding up so hard and loud that it was gonna launch my entertainment stand. Those went back that same night. People have mentioned getting regulators, but that's more than I care to invest in a stupid little fan problem.....

Basically, for the price of shipping, I can send you 1 or 2 industrial strength (body is fully metal, not cheap plastic) fans. I'm sure I have a power cord around there for them, but what you should ultimately look into is mounting a power strip to the back of your entertainment center cuz the cord is probably only 2-3' long.

[Johnny Mac]

hey brettw22,

Great post, and thanks for all the tips. It's been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and yours most definitely explained what your solution was. Very kind of you to offer to give up the fans for postage, but just let me know where I can buy same. On second thought, maybe I'll just pay the postage to get the entertainment center out to you and you could get the fans installed. Your cabinet appears to have been professionally done and I, unfortunately enough, am not Bob Vila when it comes to this stuff.

So can I plug the power strip into an outlet on the back of the receiver? (Thereby only running the fan whenever the AVR is operational). If so, does it produce a lot of noise during regular operation?

Thanks again,

John

[brettw22]

I got these fans out of stores that we had closed down and in the computer cabinets were these fans. I decided to start keeping them since they were going to be trashed and have been very happy with them considering how hot the unit used to be with no air circulation. I wouldn't know where you could go and get these specifically...

I haven't ever thought about plugging a strip into the back of a receiver......Personally, I wouldn't do it just because the last thing I want to do to my receiver is use it's power for other equipment. I want all the power in there to be used for the amps....period. THe other thing to consider is that basically the fan is a motor driven piece and has the potential to introduce noise into the loop. The way I have mine running is the fans into the power strip and that strip into the wall, but the amp into a UPS Unit that's plugged into a different outlet.

As for sound, they have a slight sound to them, but I have my a/c running pretty much 24/7 and I don't ever hear them. I'll have to check more this weekend when I'm home, but overall they're pretty quiet.

I didn't make the stand. That's a put it together job from Sam's Club that I bought a few years ago. It's heavy as hell and VERY sturdy, which it has to be for my 300 pound tube tv. The only hole that it had in it was the one at the very top closest to center. I drilled out the rest to seperate the power cables from the audio.

EDIT EDIT EDIT: (If I could just remember everything at the same time.....lol) Make sure that you get fan covergrills so your cables don't end up getting beat down over time....