[coolwater]

A friend was telling me about the panasonic sa-xr57 and about how it'd gotten some very good responses.  I may not remember correctly, but I thought he said it used a TI (texas instrument) digital amp chip. 

Has anyone listened to the sa-xr57?  And, how does it compare to the Sig30?  Thanx.

[Woodsea]

What?   These I am sure are two completely different animals. 
The Sig30 is custom made, on battery power.
Do a search here on the panny to find out how it compares to other digital amps, I am use it has been done.

[coolwater]

Actually, I *DID* do a search on audio circle and found scant info on how it sounds.  I've been seriously considering the sig30, but I wanted an opinion from someone on how the xr57 stacks agains the sig30.  Since this is a redwine forum, I wanted to see if someone had listen to both... hence my posting.  If you don't like the posting, then have it withdrawn.  Apparently, it must be taboo to speak of anything else.

[Woodsea]

Sorry if I came off a little head strong.  I have been reading and lingering here for a while.  From what I gather regarding digital it is amazing for it's price point and efficiency.  There are quite a few manufacturers that have come to the conclusion that not all digital components sound the same or even excellent.  All of these guys, like Vinnie, pour their heart and art into making the sound to their own liking, hence (hopefully) well beyond what the originals sounded like.
To me (at least) it is like comparing apples to applepie.  Almost like asking if the 67 Camaro drove the same as a 67 Shelby.  They both were playing off the same years technology.  I just got a gut reaction, that's all. 

[Vinnie R.]

A friend was telling me about the panasonic sa-xr57 and about how it'd gotten some very good responses.  I may not remember correctly, but I thought he said it used a TI (texas instrument) digital amp chip. 

Has anyone listened to the sa-xr57?  And, how does it compare to the Sig30?  Thanx.

Hi coolwater,

Welcome to Audiocircle and the RWA forum!

I have heard a panasonic receiver based on the TI digital amp chip (the XR-55) and I couldn't stand listening to it!     To me it sounded very thin, grainy, and "processed."  It was rated for around 100W per channel, but it has weak bass output and sounded very congested when the volume was turned up.  I really disliked it.

Maybe the XR-57 is an improvement?  I don't know, but I have no interest in these home theater digital receivers.  I don't like their switch-mode power supplies and all their features. 

What?   These I am sure are two completely different animals. 
The Sig30 is custom made, on battery power.

Woodsea is right about this... they are completely different animals 

Best regards,

Vinnie

[brj]

To be fair, you are comparing a $1400 2 channel amp targeted at audiophiles to a $300 receiver with 7 amps, a pre-amp, video processing, tuner, etc. targeted at the mass market.  The only real similarity between them is that they both use (different, but similar) TI chips in the amp section.  Both products offer great bang for the buck, but  the feature set is very different - and you do get what you pay for.

Based on everything I've read, the Panny is great for its price point, and if you take that $1100 difference and spend it on mods for the Panny, you will end up with a much more impressive unit.  The Panny does allow you to bi-amp your front speakers, so you can get some more "oomph" that way, but you are still limited to what the power supply can put out.  Note that much of the performance of the Panny is due to the fact that the amps act as a "powerDAC" and thus signal stays digital until just prior to the speaker terminals.  The price you pay for this is that you can't have analog outputs and thus give up some flexability.

If you just need an amp, then a standalone amp is probably a much better idea and based on the rave reviews, Vinnie's appears excellent.  (I know that I'd like to audition it at some point.)  If you need a pre-amp, tuner, amp, video processing, etc.., then the Panny is a pretty good option, especially for the price and if you are able to pursue mods at some point downstream.

[Vinnie R.]

Hi brj,

To be fair, you are comparing a $1400 2 channel amp targeted at audiophiles to a $300 receiver with 7 amps, a pre-amp, video processing, tuner, etc. targeted at the mass market.

If you need a pre-amp, tuner, amp, video processing, etc.., then the Panny is a pretty good option, especially for the price

These are good points. 

The only real similarity between them is that they both use (different, but similar) TI chips in the amp section.

This is not correct -- The Signature 30 uses a chipset based on Tripath technology and the Panny uses a chipset based on Texas Instruments.... different stuff.


Best regards,

Vinnie

[brj]

  Rule one... never make a post before the morning coffee!

Sorry about that Vinnie!

[Vinnie R.]

  Rule one... never make a post before the morning coffee!

Sorry about that Vinnie!

No problemo! 

[coolwater]

My thanx to everyone for their posts on this topic.

Woodsea,
No worries, its all good.    I can appreciate feeling very passionate about something.  I apologize if I was equally strong in my response.  As I said, its all good.

Vinnie,
Thank you for the welcome and appreciate the feedback regarding the xr57. 

Brj,
Nice comprehensive info on the xr57 and comparison to the sig30.  Thanx for taking the time to write that up.  It was helpful. 

Ever since I recently started wading into the waters of audio, I have been and continue to have the Sig30 as my top pick in amps.  The incredible reviews on the sig30 and the ferverent testimonials of ppl who use it stand as a testament to the genius of Vinnie's design and his excellence in craftmanship.  *raises a toast to vinnie*.  The price of the sig30 is well worth it given the high dollar amps it runs with if not outclasses.  Unfortunately, the budget is a bit thin... but tax time and tax refunds are not so far away... *rubs his hands greedily*.  Even though the sig 30 is great product, a friend and I have continued to explore the digital amp world.  We came across the xr57.  Since I hold the sig30 as the "reigning champion", I was simply seeking a comparative analysis.  So, that's the deal.  Hopefully this sheds some light on both what I think of the sig30 and my postings in this forum. 

[AphileEarlyAdopter]

I have the older (but almost identical) XR55 running bi-amped to my Silverline Sonatina speakers. My new digital source is a SB3. I dont hear the kind of things which Vinnie heard with the XR55. But in audio all things are relative and I am sure Vinnie has better ears and systems than I do.
Still, it is probably not a bad idea to check out the XR57 with a good digital source. Since it operates in the digital domain a low-jitter digital input is a requirement. I also have a SACD player and a LP turntable - MMF5 w/ Monolithic sound Phono pre. Quite happy with my setup. But still trying to improve the SB3 output since any changes in input quality is easily reflected by my XR55.