I have had the Ref 50 and the 200.7 for about 3 weeks and I have to say that I’m impressed with the system to date. I have gone thru a couple of pre amps and receivers in the last couple of years and I have finally found one that covers all the short falls of the previous units. The new blue display and blue power light on the amp are really an improvement over the green, I can see the display on the Ref 50 from across the room, but unlike the green displays, it doesn’t seem to distract you when viewing a movie in a dark room. The remote control (MX 700) is great, viewing in the dark, every thing is backlit, and programming it with the computer was pretty strait forward, and the IR on the remote is strong, I have pointed the remote away from the units and they still receive the signal, this is nice when you are sending out macros, so you don’t have to keep the remote perfectly facing the device until the macro is finished. I have replaced my pronto with this remote, it’s that good. B&K included a serial interface to hook your unit up to a computer, they have also included BKcSuite software, which includes documentation for wiring diagrams, owners manual’s, and B& K ‘s Suite software for interfacing and configuring your unit with a computer, for example I uploaded my current Ref 50 setup and modified the favorites and my custom config’s and system setup with my laptop, then I saved the setup and downloaded into the Ref 50, I really like having this feature. Also the users manual on the disk (1002 update) shows the Ref 50 as a Signal to noise ratio of 98db (not 89). The DAC’s are AKM AK4394 192/24 bit, not Burr Brown’s like I have read on another site. The unit seems to run considerably cooler then the Ref 30 or even the Sony 9000 preamp, this may be due to the Ref 50 being a larger unit (better convection cooling) then the Ref 30. The 200.7 amp is identical to the Ref 7270 amp inside with the exception of the added balanced connectors on the back of the 200.7.
I would say the sound in direct 2 ch. mode sounds about the same as the Ref. 30. The surround sound of this unit is really where I notice the difference between previous units, the center dialog is very legible and precise. Both the rear and back surround speakers sound incredible, they really come alive. I’m not sure how much of this is due to the THX Ultra2 movie mode or the preamp improvements. Dolby Prologic 2 sounds really good, I have a large collection of older Laser Disc’s and PLII movie mode seems to greatly improve the surround sound effect. I really like the overall warmth, smooth and very detailed mid-range and very deep bass of the B&K, especially compared to my Sony TA9000, Onkyo 939 and Pioneer 49tx (which I had hooked up to the 7270 amp, because the Pioneer had a problem of shutting down), which tended to be very bright sounding on my Infinity Ref 6’s and my Def Tech’s.
I have just finished watching Ice Age and Star Wars II with the family, both movies sounded great, better then any movie theater we have ever been in. Everyday I'm more impressed with the B&K units.
Doug
I would say the sound in direct 2 ch. mode sounds about the same as the Ref. 30. The surround sound of this unit is really where I notice the difference between previous units, the center dialog is very legible and precise. Both the rear and back surround speakers sound incredible, they really come alive. I’m not sure how much of this is due to the THX Ultra2 movie mode or the preamp improvements. Dolby Prologic 2 sounds really good, I have a large collection of older Laser Disc’s and PLII movie mode seems to greatly improve the surround sound effect. I really like the overall warmth, smooth and very detailed mid-range and very deep bass of the B&K, especially compared to my Sony TA9000, Onkyo 939 and Pioneer 49tx (which I had hooked up to the 7270 amp, because the Pioneer had a problem of shutting down), which tended to be very bright sounding on my Infinity Ref 6’s and my Def Tech’s.
I have just finished watching Ice Age and Star Wars II with the family, both movies sounded great, better then any movie theater we have ever been in. Everyday I'm more impressed with the B&K units.
Doug
