B&K Components Ref 20 A/V Preamplifier

B&K Components Ref 20 A/V Preamplifier 

USER REVIEWS

Showing 41-50 of 66  
[Jul 10, 1999]
david morse
an Audio Enthusiast

I have owned a Ref 20 for a little over 3 monthes now, and I am quite happy with it. I've read all the reviews posted here, and I guess its pretty obvious B&K
has some quality control problems. Too bad, it's a really nice piece. It would,

for what it's worth, easily be a hall of famer if it was built with quality of, say, Yamaha products. It crushed the Rotel stuff I had before (well, almost crushed), conveying a much more detailed sound without the least bit of brightness. The various surround modes (DD, DTS, etc.) have operated flawlessly, and it reads the signal from a source and switches to the appropriate mode, which is cool. In fact, I like it so much, I just bought a B&K AV 5000 mkII (review to follow). Even fresh out of the box it was superior to the Rotel 985.

I can't wait until I have a few more hours on it.

So, as I have not experienced the problems of other owners, and am genuinely

pleased with it, the Ref 20 gets five stars. Dubious quality rep aside, I'm

proud to own it.



Equip.: Sony XBR2

Toshiba 2108

Mitsu HS-U 781

Paradigm Esprit BP's

" CC 350

" Titans

Boston Acoustics VR500

B&K REF 20

B&K AV 5000 mkII

Transparent cables & interconnects

Monster interconnects


OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
[Jul 22, 1999]
Harry
an Audio Enthusiast

I purchased my Ref 20 about 8 months ago and will say that I couldn't be more pleased. The piece has completed my system. I researched other comparable products and found that the Ref 20 was the best bang for the buck. This does everything and a little more than I ask in a pre amp. The Ref 20 is not flashy or complicated. I would consider the Ref 20 a simple and efficient pre amp. My only complaint would be that I do hear a popping sound when switching from digital to analog or vice versa. The rest of my system consists of:ATI 1505 Amp
NHT VT-2 Tower speakers
NHT VS-2 center and surround
Pioneer Elite DV-05 DVD
Pioneer 704 LD
Dennon 406 cd player
Velodyne 1200 subwoofer
Tara and monster cable and connectors

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
[Jul 28, 1999]
John Little
an Audiophile

I have been reading several good and bad reviews concerning this A/V Controler. Because...this device is very complicated, one should take the time to completely read the operating instructions, to both the remote and the controler. The REF20 is very diverse in functionality...it,s several devices rolled into one product.As to the quality of sound, well the D/A Conversion is above average. The dual motorola 24 bit digital signal proccessors are state of the art. Video switching could use some improving I.E.--"Lots of different types of imputs and outputs, but no conversion from s-video to composite, why?. Some devices do not come with s-video connections (older vcr's). People are buying this device to work seamlessly with their exsisting audio video equipment, it does not video switch well with older equipment...because it cannot switch from s-video to composite or vice versa. The Ref20 is a two zone controller, one digital the other sterio analog...thats a big plus!!!

The ref20 is a B-rated device, so the sound stage is excellant, but not outstanding.

So all in all the ref20 is several products all in one, with a few minor problems....(video switching, complicated audio function)...but an excellant value for the money!!!


OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
[Jul 18, 1999]
Bill Gaines
an Audio Enthusiast

B&K still has some quality control problems. My Ref 20 can't be located above my B&K AV5000II, which I bought at the same time, or a very loud hum is in the system on several channels, regardless of source. All of the surround modes are very nice and make movie watching quite pleasant. I even like some of the music surround modes as well. I didn't care for the stereo mode because the soundstage seems very constricted. Switching to direct mode for music, sounds great and I am quite happy. I was expecting better DACs in this piece.
The video portion of my Ref 20 is disappointing. I don't like the fact that you have to choose between S-Video or Composite. The Denon 3600 receiver that this replaced didn't even have that restriction, it could do both at the same time. Also, the composite video connection increases the white level of the signal shitfs the decreases the red colors. The S-Video isn't usuable for me because it looks like I am getting VHS tape resolution on the screen instead of the DVD 500 lines. It has the same color shifts as the composite inputs. My Denon receiver didn't degrade the video at all.

My equipment is:

Sony Wega 36" FV1 TV
B&K Ref 20
B&K AV5000II
Adcom GCD-700 CD Changer
Pioneer DVL-919 LD/DVD Player
Paradigm Ref Studio 100
Paradigm Ref CC-450 center channel
Paradigm Ref ADP-450 dipole surrounds
Paradigm Ref Servo 15 subwoofer
MIT Terminator 2 interconnects
MIT MH-750 Plus speaker cable on mains
Various Monster and MIT video cables
Kimber Kable Digital X digital cables

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
[Aug 29, 1999]
Fred
an Audio Enthusiast

I've had the Ref 20 and the B&K 5000II 5 channel amp for about three months. Sound quality, build quality, and ergonomically, it's a great package. The sound quality is nice and neutral. My speakers are known to be revealing (near bright) but it hasn't sounded to bright on the majority of software, The remote is wonderful, and the manuals are understandable. It supports DTS if that ever catches fire, and B&K claim it's upgradeable. The only concerns I have had are: B&K has not addressed on there website to what extent it is upgradeable. How will it support DVD-Audio for instance, or will they add cinema EQ in the near future. The web site give no info. My speakers are NHT VT-2, and VS-2 for C,L,R. SUbwoofer has not been purchased yet.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
[Nov 19, 1999]
Mark
Audiophile

Strength:

Upgradeable! Superior construction. Wonderful sound.

Weakness:

No component video.

I just had my Ref 20 upgraded to the latest firmware... for FREE! Yep, the 1.03 code is available at your retailer free of charge. Included are some usability upgrades and problem fixes for Sony DSS receivers, etc. B&K's RS-232 update is due out in December, and 1st quarter of next year an update will be out for 96/24 audio, Cinema Re-EQ, bass management through selectable crossovers, and tone adjustments. Talk about commitment to a product! B&K has really shown that they plan to support and grow this product-line for many years.

In comparison, let's look at the ACT-3, the only model I could find for equal or less money. The ACT-3 has only 2 S-video inputs for starters, and is it upgradeable like the Ref 20? Either way, sound quality on the Ref 20 was miles ahead. Comparing the Ref 20 to units costing as much as $6000, you can see where B&K was truly aiming. The Sunfire was close in sound quality, but very, very harsh and bright. The Sunfire is NOT upgradeable. The Proceed and Theta were certainly reference-caliber pre/pro's, sounding as clear and crisp as you could hope for... at over twice the price of the B&K! I did not get to try the Krell Home Theater Standard, which is also selling for ~$6000. The Theta and Krell are hardware upgradeable, a big plus.

I'd recommend B&K components to anybody looking for a first-class home theater. Mated with quality speakers, good cables, and a good front-end, you can have a home-theater that is the envy of all your neighbors... and you'll never have to go to the movie theater again!

Associated equipment:
B&K AV5000 5-channel amp
Denon 2500 DVD player
Magnepan MGLR, MGCC, MGSS home-theater planer speakers
Sony 35" Trinitron TV
Synergistic Research A/C Master Coupler on Ref 20
Synergiscit Alpha interconnects and Mark IIs speaker cable

Similar Products Used:

Acurus ACT-3, Theta CasaNova, Proceed AVP, Sunfire Theater Grand

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Nov 23, 1999]
Steve M.
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Sound quality, ease of use and value.

Weakness:

None.

I bought the Ref 20 in July after carefully comparing it to the Acurus ACT3 and Sony 9000ES. I also had looked at more expensive units but only did a cursory comparison. The B&K just sounded better (sorry, I sound like a B&K advertisement). One of my criteria was ease of use for my non-techno family, and the B&K's 20 pre-sets filled the bill nicely. The 12-volt trigger signal turns on my amps via a Parasound SCAMP, further simplifying the user interface. It has an AM-FM tuner for casual listening, and plenty of programmable A/V inputs. The remote is user-friendly, it doesn't eat batteries, it has real buttons (no silly touch screens here) and macro capabilities.

The Ref 20 is feeding Monitor Audio Silver 5 and Silver Centre speakers through a Carver 705x amp, and the ensemble sounds incredible. There is no hint of excessive brightness, a problem I've seen with most Asian preamps and amps. The sound is warm and accurate, a nice combination. I highly recommend the B&K Reference 20.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Nov 24, 1999]
Victor
Casual Listener

Strength:

Plentiful inputs: composite,svideo,line,coax,toslink all around.
Almost all features are reacheable both from front panel
and from remote control.
Sounds excellent.
Excellent, even unique upgrade/warranty policy:
5 years, future upgrades are promised (price unknown)

Weakness:

Plugging/unplugging cables while preamp is on (even in standby mode) causes it to lock up even when the device being attached is not on.

Sometimes preamp locks up while operated from the remote
Manual does not cover all features and lacks index
(For example: It was hard to figure out how to configure the input to be PCM only, rather than auto-detect).
When in autodetect mode, the preamp makes a pop at the start
of the first DTS track.
The volume control on the fron panel requires a great
deal of force to operate, none of my guests were not able
to use it for fear of breaking something.
Volume control is linear, rather than ballistic (note how your computer mouse moves faster when the swing is longer,
it is by design, likewise, good volume control designes accelerate volume adjustment if you keep the button depressed)

Assuming (cost*features*quality) criteria
it seems to deliver better value if compared with other audiophile-oriented high-end systems, but not compared with consumer high-ends (such as Denon)

Similar Products Used:

denon 3200 sounds similar for great deal less money,
but I can't vouch for my speakers not diminishing
the distinctions.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Jul 06, 2001]
George
Audiophile

Strength:

Very open sound, No unneeded bells and whistles to clutter the sound, Programmable, Upgradeable, Solid digital converters, Easy to use, Adequate inputs.

Weakness:

Could have a better remote, I don’t care for the volume control.

It took some time for this unit to burn in but it was well worth it. There was nothing that could stand up to this unit under $4000. I look at many different preamps and this was the best sounding (or rather the one that has less of it’s own sound) in my price range. It lacks 5.1 inputs but music is best presented in 2 channel to preserve a true sound stage. It’s 5.1 performance is fantastic and performs well with the toughest of movie sound tracks. Setup was a bit confusing the first time but after that it was a breeze. This is a solid well built unit and even though it is not THX certified it performs as well as any I have herd. It is no longer on the market the Reference 30 has about the same sound with a few more features, none that I need but it’s worth looking at.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Sony, Rotel, Parasound

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 10, 2000]
eb2cool
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

see below

Weakness:

see below

Tomorrow I will have to make one of the toughest decisions of my audio life—I must decide between the Sony TA-E9000ES and the B&K Reference 20. One of these pieces must be returned to the dealer. I am fortunate in that I have had the opportunity to have both of these excellent preamps in my home for the past week and have listened to various music and movie tracks. Below I have listed, in order of personal importance, what I believe to be the clear advantages of the units as compared to each other:

B&K Advantages over the Sony:
1. Upgradable
2. Support and Service
3. Slightly Better 2-Channel Sound (stereo)
4. Remote Control
5. U.S. Made
6. Tuner
7. 2 Zone Control
8. On-Screen Display
9. 4 Channel Stereo
10. Assignable inputs
11. 12 vdc control

B&K Major Disadvantages as compared to the Sony:
1. Price (a $800+ disadvantage)
2. Lack of 32 bit surround processing (The Sony use 3 separate 32 bit processors, one of which is the same used in the Denon 5700!)
3. Lack of 24 bit 96kHz digital and analog conversion
4. Limited DSP modes
5. Limited Front panel Controls and Front Panel Data
6. No Tone Controls (the Sony has a very cool graphic equalizer)
7. No Phono Input
8. Lack of theater sound with ordinary headphones
9. Base management is inferior when compared to the Sony
10. No digital volume control (digital volume control enhances low level detail)

In the latest edition of the “Perfect Vision,” the reviewer states that the Sony has the best sounding surround modes available. I would enthusiastically agree. Further, the article states that the stereo sound quality was slightly below that of the Parasound AV2500. That was quite a statement considering that Parasound lists for nearly twice the price of the Sony. The analysis of the Sony TA-E9000ES was the best that I have seen anywhere. I found the B&K stereo sound to slightly outperform the Sony. However, my wife and fellow audio enthusiast friend could not distinguish any difference between the two. Even I as I write this review, I am torn between the superior technology of the Sony and the service, support, upgradability of the B&K. And let’s not forget the fact that it is made in the U.S. of A.

The price difference is huge, and if you consider the street prices for this preamps, the price difference approaches $1,000! Further, the B&K Reference 20 is being replaced by the Reference 30 that will make it competitive with Sony. The Ref. 30 should be out within six months. After speaking with B&K about the planned upgrade, I estimate that the upgrade will cost $800-$1000. Why? Well to upgrade from a Reference 10 to a Reference 20 will cost you a whopping $500 and all you get is DTS processing! The next upgrade will encompass DVD audio, 24/96 audio, EX surround, improved bass management, and a host of other stuff.

I would love to have the Reference 20 (I own the Ref. 4420 and 4430 amplifiers) but the real price difference is too great. That is, the real price difference is the Ref. 20 + upgrade Cost – Sony Price = $1600. I will have to suffer with the poor service, the dismal remote, and the fact that this unit has a life expectancy of less than 1 year before it will depreciate like a 10-ton rock.

The Sony gets 4.5 stars for overall performance, 2 stars for service & support, and 5 stars for value = 3.8 stars

The B&K gets 4.2 stars for overall performance and 5 stars for service and support but 2 stars for value = 3.7 stars.

Similar Products Used:

see below

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
3
Showing 41-50 of 66  

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