A guy I work with here has the AVM-20, he loves it, but I have seen reviews which favourably compare the 950 to the AVM-20, especially considering the difference in price!. Are you of the opinion that unless you get an Anthem Pre, you wont go with the Anthem amp? This is one of the things I have to decide, and honestly, it wouldn't bother me to have the 2 different brands working together, have you heard differently?

I think I would like to go 7-channel ragrdless, I agree with you, if I dont do it now, I'll do it later, so why not plan for it. Of course the big factor is price, but with the $US valued lower against the $CDN, now is a good time to buy, I just wish I had some cash!! Now off to scan the classifieds for a 7-channel amp I can afford.

When is Rush supposed to be touring? Actually, I would LOVE IT if they came out with a new concert video, that would be an AMAZING DVD!!

I don't mind going with different components from different companies. At the time when we were thinking serioulsy about that combination it just made sense (as we thought we would have the cash).

If i go with the plan to use my T763 as a pre (it tends to be warmer sounding) and the 755 which from what i've read here and other places on the net sounds a little more brash then i think that would be a worthy combination. I'd like, in some ways at least, to go with the 770 but since i have the NAD 2200 power amp kicking around i might as well save myself a few bucks and use it for the back surrounds when the time comes. If i do get the 755 and use the 2200 for the other 2 channels, i have a Carver stereo amp in the house that i currently am not using and i could use that for my 2 channel vinyl listening.

Moving on to Rush...
They are touring sometime this year for their 30th Anniversary but no details have been released yet. Check out www.rush.com.

Do you have a copy of the Rush in Rio DVD??
It just came out in October. It is recorded in DD which was a bit of a disappointment for me as i prefer DTS but it still sounds great and in front of 60,000 maniacal Brazillian Rush fans the show has tonnes of energy and they play for almost 3 hours. Plus there is the supplemental Disk 2 which is great as well.

What speakers will you be running with your 950 and ?? amp?

I had no idea that DVD was out there, I might have to go and get that this weekend!

As to the speakers, all are Paradigm, fronts are 70P, centre is a CC-350, surrounds are Titans. A 200W amp is actually more than I need, but I would hate to get larger or less efficient speakers and not be able to power them, also, I want to make sure that I have enough power now anyway. I have just made an offer on an Anthem MCA-5 II, which will come in at considerably less than the 755 (after taxes, shipping, duty etc.), if all goes well, I might have a deal on it by tonight, then it's just a matter of getting the darn thing up here....here we go again!!.wanna make a run for me? I'll buy you a cottage or something to make up for it...lol.

It's interesting to note that I started out on this by looking at the NAD's, very nice stuff. I also agree with you that it would be fine for me to pick up a second 2-channel amp for the rear surrounds if I ever want to go true 7-channel. I currently have a borrowed 2-channel Rotel hooked up just to make sure the Outlaw is working properly, which it is.. . I cant wait to hear how the real system sounds when it's all hooked up.

Good god this stuff is exciting!! And sure, a cottage (or camp as we call it in these parts) would be a fair deal!
I talked with a buddy of mine last night about all this...he suggested a very good 2 channel amp for my mains and use my NAD T763 to power the centre and rears...UGH! A good plan which i hadn't really considered too seriously until last evening. I don't know which way to go now...i did a little poking around on the net at used Bryston amps ie. 4b, 4bst, 4bsst, and even the 3bst/sst (120w/into 3 channels)...lots of good deals out there for sure. Stay tuned for further developments!

Good luck with your offer on the Anthem. I've read a lot of good things about that amp but have never actually heard one. Let me know if you get it or not!

And yes, you must go out and buy Rush in Rio!! Those fans are so into it they actually sing along to YYZ believe it or not!!

Aint that the truth!!
Well, I got the Anthem, although it still has to ship, so keep your fingers crossed, you never know what can happen between here and NY, NY!! To celebrate, I just bought the Rush DVD online (futureshop, $27, free shipping!).

So now I wait....and wait...this is killing me!!
Actually, this gives me some time to think about interconnects and such. I guy here pointed me to a website for DIY, I think I'm going to give that a shot. What do you use??

Bytor

Each minute waiting is like an hour, the time just can't go by fast enough. I feel your pain!

I'm not a big believer in spending a lot of $$$$$$ on cables. I use Interlink stuff for my interconnects, Monster 12g speaker cable with banana plugs,a Monster sub cable and some cheap Monster interconnects that i use for my ICBM that i bought from the Futureshop. I have Audioquest component vid stuff for my universal player and my xbox.

I cannot hear the difference between a $50 cable and a $300 cable and besides, i'd rather spend money on hardware!

I have no idea how to do DIY cable but have thougt off and on to try and make myself one and see how it goes. What website are you refering to that you checked out?

When do you expect to get your amp?

You will love Rush in Rio!!!

BTW...
check out this website if you haven't already...lots of good stuff!!
http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/

[This message has been edited by BroonsBane (edited January 22, 2004).]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by BroonsBane:

Each minute waiting is like an hour, the time just can't go by fast enough. I feel your pain!

I'm not a big believer in spending a lot of $$$$$$ on cables. I use Interlink stuff for my interconnects, Monster 12g speaker cable with banana plugs,a Monster sub cable and some cheap Monster interconnects that i use for my ICBM that i bought from the Futureshop. I have Audioquest component vid stuff for my universal player and my xbox.

I cannot hear the difference between a $50 cable and a $300 cable and besides, i'd rather spend money on hardware!

I have no idea how to do DIY cable but have thougt off and on to try and make myself one and see how it goes. What website are you refering to that you checked out?

When do you expect to get your amp?

You will love Rush in Rio!!!

BTW...
check out this website if you haven't already...lots of good stuff!!
http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/

I have a co-worker who's huge into DIY. And I have a fair amount of training in soldering, electrical properties etc etc. so I have no problem with making my own. The big thing appears to be which cable and connectors to use. It actually is pretty cheap to make your own using a belden 89259 cable ($2.25 ft) and some connectors ($9 pr). From what I understand, these would be much better than any store bought non-audiophile cable and still only cost <$20 each to make. The website I'm looking at was recommended by the previous owner of the 950, www.truenorthaudio.com, he seemed to like dealing with them. It's funny you mention canuckaudiomart, thats where I found the 950. He had advertised there and audiogon, and got swamped with responses.

Hopefully, assuming I didn't get taken ( ) on the amp, it should arrive next week. until then I get to plan and plot for my new layout. I might take a stab at making the cables this weekend too. Listen for a biiig bang!

Bytor

I have three letters for you guys:

AIM

All the typing and communication one needs. Free!

So? Did you spend your weekend tinkering with cable? I spent mine drooling over a Bryston 3b SST at a local shop.

Jason J: Excuse the ignorance but what the heck is AIM??

AIM instant messaging -- probably the only good thing to come from AOL...

Also, there's Trillian if you like to use AIM, MSN, and ICQ but don't want to run three programs to do it.

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