If music quality is important, at all costs stay away from the Jap gear.
I have a Denon 3910 & 3806 and whilst stultifyingly dynamic in the bi-amped configueration that I am running it, the 3910 in particular has the timing and rythmn of a drunk father at a wedding. If a single do-it-all source is a must, you're already in the right ball park with with the Arcams.
I'm currently searching out a CD player for my straight stereo needs, as I don't want to jeopardise my warranty by having the 3910 reclocked. That said it's quite good with DVD-A and SACD multichannel.
The MAs suffer from stunning build quality and excellent detail, but can be harsh in the wrong room/system. The Arcams have a smoothness that won't excite the MA treble, but if you have hardwood floors and leather sofas you may find them a bit forward. Unless that's what you like.
The sub is a tricky one. I demo'd the Stampede (and the Strata) and ended up walking away with an MJ Acoustics Ref 200. It maybe didn't have quite the delicacy of the Stampede, but it stuffed for impact, depth and loudness. It can have different gain, crossover and phase for both high and low level inputs simultaneously. I leave the amp to perform the bass management for multichannel movies and music and used the high level inputs in parallel with the front pair of floorstanders. In reality I find the floorstanders, which are a similar size to the MA RS6, to go deep enough for music without the sub in my room.
If I were choosing again now, I would be looking very hard at the likes of the BK Monolith. The MJ is basically their XLS200DF with a slightly funkier input management for £350 more. The Monolith is twice the size for £250 less than the MJ. BK make MJ subs.
The likes of BK and SVS are causing quite a stir in some corners of the AV fraternity at the moment, principally because we have been ripped off for too long by the established manufacturers to know any different. They don't get reviewed because they don't advertise in the mainstream press. In BKs position, that would be suicide anyway, as they would be competing with their own customers, but they are gaining a loyal following on the bulletin boards.
If I can convince myself that I would get £400 for the MJ, I'm getting the Monolith me!
All IMHO of course.
Russell
