I need some help finding a budget solution for listening to my music and watching movies/TV. I am building some new speakers (Jim Holtz/Curt Cambell Statements II) which are quite a bit larger than my current ones. I think my Yamaha HTR-6240 will likely drive them but lack sufficient power.
Also, since I'm putting quite a bit of money and effort into making them, I'd like to get the most out fo them. Everywhere I read that AV receivers are inferior. The separate amp/pre-amp seems to be the highest quality, but DAMN is that stuff expensive. And it keeps getting outdated by new video requirements.
I think I can talk the wife into $1,000, maybe double that if my bonus is on the high side this year. Any suggestions? My current thinking is to pair one of the Emotiva amps with a receiver that has preamp outs. But I still run into questions of whether I'll get good sound quality with my digital audio/video streaming that way...
I only need my setup to do two things:
1. Watch home theater via an HDMI connection.
2. Get my music from my computer/phone to my speakers. I'm currently using Apple Music after trying Spotify, Rhapsody and Tidal first. I have an iMac, Apple TV 4 (I think I have an Apple TV 3 sitting in the garage somewhere as well), two iPads and an iPhone, though an Android phone is not out of the question after they took out the headphone jack. Point is, I can use those things to try to play the music. I also have a Sonos Connect.
I don't care about CD's or turntables or any other stuff. I don't need 90% of the features that are on most modern equipment. I'd be just fine with vintage stuff and a DAC if not for the HDMI needs. What's the cheapest way to get my music off my computer phone and my movies/TV to my stereo and have it sound great? Bonus points if I can build around it later to continue improving.
