To Doug Schneider,
I have a question regarding what to choose: a processor or a receiver. I was going to buy the Anthem MRX 700 receiver and hook it up to the Emotiva UPA-1 monoblocks for the Omen Def speakers. Now I am kind of confused because I saw a processor that grabbed my attention: the Sherbourn PT-7020A. What do you recommend for me, the Anthem MRX 700 receiver or the Sherbourn PT-7020A?
Thanks and best regards,
Miguel C.
Your question is very difficult to answer because the two products are not really comparable, even though they’re roughly around the same price and they both can be used in a multichannel setup. The MRX 700 is a receiver, meaning that it has processor and amplifier sections (seven channels of amplification to be exact). Since you’re planning to use the Emotiva UPA-1 mono amplifiers, the Anthem’s amplifier section will basically go to waste if you’re only creating a stereo setup (see paragraph below for my comments on that). On the other hand, maybe you don’t need to use the UPA-1s at all. The Omen Def speakers are supposed to be quite efficient and easy to drive, so I’m pretty sure the MRX 700’s amplifier stages would play well with them and you wouldn’t need to buy the UPA-1s. But maybe you already own the UPA-1s and like them and want to continue using them. The PT-7020A is a feature-rich processor and, therefore, makes more sense to use with the UPA-1s. So, given that, you can guess that I’m leaning toward the PT-7020A.
But there’s still something I’m confused about and have to address, since it affects the recommendation. The MRX 700 and PT-7020A are both 7.1-channel products and what you’re describing is a stereo setup. Are you planning to expand into a full home-theater system in the future and use more channels? If not, you really only need a stereo preamp, and you probably don’t need all the other features that a multichannel receiver or processor provides. But if you are planning to expand into a full home-theater system, then the MRX 700 might be a better choice, because it has all those amplifier channels built in already, meaning that if you add on three or five more speakers (depending on whether you build a five- or seven-channel setup), you don’t have to buy more amplifiers to power them. If you bought the PT-7020A, then you would have to add more amplifiers as you buy more speakers.
I can’t answer your question definitively because I don’t know exactly what your needs are, but I do hope I have given you enough good information to guide your decision accordingly. . . . Doug Schneider
