Graig Stephens
Q. In my home theater I’m most interested in the audio quality. I have the Onkyo 875 AV receiver, Arcam universal DVD player and I just upgraded to my dream speakers - Snell A’s (the $10,000 babies). I love my system but can’t help but feel that I am not maximizing the Snell speakers. Should I upgrade by going back to a component processor? If so any suggestions? And should I go with a SACD player rather then use the Arcam for both CD’s and DVD’s. I guess I want an audio listening room within my theater. - Dan, PA
A. While I’m not familiar with those speakers per se, the Onkyo 875 will work with any high-end speakers but won’t give you the ultimate experience. It would be like owning a Lotus and filling it with 85 octane. If you are looking to maximize the speakers and create a great listening room, you will need to upgrade your amplifier. I would look to Sunfire, a company owned by one of the most trusted names in audio, Bob Carver. The Sunfire TGP-5 (picture below) is a great processor for audiophiles and goes great with their TGA series amps. This is a pricey solution but will provide you with quality. If you are looking for a less costly solution, then look to Denon. Their 3808 and 4808 are both good solutions as well. As far as your SACD, if you have a collection of SACDs then you should definitely have a separate player. I am not familiar with that brand but if you are looking for a quality DVD/CD/SACD, look to Denon’s 2930ci. It’s a great all-in-one solution.
I agree with the Graig’s recommendation of addressing the amplifier first. The Onkyo does have decent processing and video switching (especially for your theater needs) but for audiophile 2-channel listening, you should use the pre-outs and add an amp or two.
Start with auditioning amplifiers…then pic a great 2 channel to drive your favorite Snells. You can also consider bi-amp and bi-wire options. (i.e. two 2-channel amps or one 5-channel where you only use 4 the Snell’s) After awhile, you may decide to upgrade the power and possibly speakers in the rest of your system too. Eventually, you will probably want to replace the Onkyo receiver with a high-end pre/pro (which will be easy since you already have separate amplification for all channels at that point).
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@koberlin1, couldn’t agree more! It’s unfortunate how so many people… 
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When you do get ready to upgrade your processor, I would definitely recommend you consider staying with ARCAM! The AVR600 has recently been reviewed in Widescreen Review (May 2009) and it is well worth the read. They have a new Preamp Processor coming out based on this receiver’s preamp section shortly too.