upgrade BA VR-30s

[htdave]

I'm currently running Boston Acoustics VR-30s for my front LR channels with a VR-12 center. I bought them used about 18 months ago and never thought they sounded as good as they did when I listened at the previous owner's place. I think the main issue is that he was using a Rotel amp while I only have a low-end Onkyo receiver (HT-r540 from a htib).

So I'm hoping that a better receiver will help the speakers sound less muddy. The plan is to jump on the next sale of an Onkyo 709, Pioneer 1121, or Denon 331x (basically, each company's cheapest model with pre-outs). Sound reasonable?

If that doesn't help, any thoughts on a rough price-point I should look at to upgrade the speakers? Plenty of posts with recommendations across the range, e.g.:

Primus p362 (~$300 used)
emptek e55ti ($400 for b-stock, $800 new)
MA Rx6 (~$1000)
Aperion Verus Grand ($1800)

I want an obvious improvement and am willing to save up to do it right (haha, can't say that around here... please no suggestions over $2k for the LR pair).

Info you'll ask about: living room is ~2100cf and opens onto a small dining nook. I have an Emotiva Ultra Sub 12 and am probably 60/40 movies/music. Thanks!

 

[GranteedEV]

I would get a pair of Philharmonic 1s (1600+ shipping) or more likely step up to the Philharmonic 2s (2000 plus shipping) and call it a day. I'd wager those prices just can't be beat for the level of speaker you're getting.

So I'm hoping that a better receiver will help the speakers sound less muddy. The plan is to jump on the next sale of an Onkyo 709, Pioneer 1121, or Denon 331x (basically, each company's cheapest model with pre-outs). Sound reasonable?

Probably a good idea. Don't forget Marantz, though! Accesories4less normally has nice prices. Tough to say if there'll be an actual improvement in sound quality or not but at least it'll take the "question" away.

 

[zieglj01]

So I'm hoping that a better receiver will help the speakers sound less muddy. The plan is to jump on the next sale of an Onkyo 709, Pioneer 1121, or Denon 331x (basically, each company's cheapest model with pre-outs). Sound reasonable?

It would not hurt to get a more powerful receiver - that lower Onkyo
you have, is not real strong even in 2 channel mode. Denon, Marantz
and higher up Onkyo's - will do pretty good, in surround sound power
handling. There are lots of options out there speaker wise - however,
keep an eye on the Philharmonic brand speakers. If you go the retail
route, then also check into Focal and KEF.

 

[htdave]

GranteedEV: Thanks for the recommendation about the philharmonics. I see there's a massive thread about them so I'll have to check that out and see if there's any place nearby to hear them. And of course I should have known that whatever budget I listed, the recommended speaker would hit the top of it.

As for the receiver, it's pretty easy to justify the upgrade to get HDMI support, automatic room correction, modern audio decoding, and 7.1 capability.

zieglj01: Thanks for the info. I wasn't aware of Focal, and it looks like there are a couple showrooms with their speakers pretty close by.

 

[htdave]

Quick update... I ended up buying a Sherwood Newcastle R-972 from Accesories4less, which I've had for a little over a week now. The sound quality is noticeably better than what I heard from the Onkyo HT-R540 even without any room EQ.

I'm wary of the descriptions people write about new equipment, but I'll give in for a moment: on some of our favorite songs (e.g., Diana Krall's East of the Sun), the music sounds more detailed and present. I heard this during A/B testing when I first setup the 972 (though not blind and switching required physically moving the cables). Then I took a week to get used to the new unit and switched back over the weekend. The 540 sounded muddy and Diana's voice was lower (not in a good way), almost like the whole frequency range had been smushed together a bit. That said, it's not like the sound from the 540 was *bad*, but the improvement wasn't subtle.

Since my first post, I've been out listening a couple times. The best speakers I've heard so far (in our price range) are the DynAudio Excite X16s, though I'm finding it very difficult to compare speakers since most stores seem to have poor listening environments. I'm hoping to find a way to listen to the philharmonics (anyone in LA? I'll bring beer) since the X16s are nearly the same price.

 

[zieglj01]

I have not used the Trinnov Optimizer - however, it looks interesting.
As far as Audyssey, Ypao, Mcacc, and Snap EQ - I do not favor them,
and they never did much for me. However, I do like Sherwood receivers.
Good Luck with your speaker quest.