Upgrade from Harmon/Kardon AVR 25ii

[jeffc93]

In the mid 90's I purchased a Harmon Kardon AVR 25ii. This system has performed fine for me but is obviously outdated with connections and hook ups. Additionally, it's only Dolby Digital 3.1. I am interested in a modern amplifier with up to date connections and more channels. Over the years, I understand that sound quality has diminished, per price point, because of company budgets and paying for licences. With this in mind, what would a modern amplifier, similar to my Harmon Kardon's sound quality, cost today? What should be my budget? Thank you in advance for your responses.

 

[lovinthehd]

I doubt today's avrs take a back seat to the sq of your HK unit for sound quality. While some looking for monster amps in avrs today can be more disappointed than those in the past, that's mostly due reduced power supplies in cost cutting, not resulting sound quality per se. The 25ii doesn't look particularly powerful in any case, am sure you can do at least as good as that amp section without too much problem.

I don't know what your budget should be, tho. What speakers do you have? What would you like to spend? What gear might you hook up to it now and in the near future if you're updating your system?

 

[jeffc93]

Thanks for your response. The front L/R speakers are Infinity Kappa 5.1 Series II. The center is Infinity CC-3. Rear is Infinity Reference 2000.2. Sub is Velodyn VA 1210.

I have a 4k TV, and most of my content is streamed. I'm not too picky, but would really like to have modern connections as well as good sound. I'm looking at $500, max. My current receiver does not hook up directly to my tv, so I have to use a converter box, which can cause the sound quality to become distorted at higher levels. This only happens with streaming. My wife is annoyed by this distortion, and she is not picky with sound. It's mainly the lack of ability to connect my TV to my amplifier, legitimately, being the reason for this upgrade.

 

[davidscott]

Thanks for your response. The front L/R speakers are Infinity Kappa 5.1 Series II. The center is Infinity CC-3. Rear is Infinity Reference 2000.2. Sub is Velodyn VA 1210.

I have a 4k TV, and most of my content is streamed. I'm not too picky, but would really like to have modern connections as well as good sound. I'm looking at $500, max. My current receiver does not hook up directly to my tv, so I have to use a converter box, which can cause the sound quality to become distorted at higher levels. This only happens with streaming. My wife is annoyed by this distortion, and she is not picky with sound. It's mainly the lack of ability to connect my TV to my amplifier, legitimately, being the reason for this upgrade.

Those are some nice speakers.

 

[lovinthehd]

For that budget I'd consider the Denon 3500, new on Amazon for $550, refurb on A4L (accessories4less.com) for $489 (but keep in mind warranty and terms of sale differences with A4L). Keep in mind 25 years does bring in some differences in what you get for $500, too. @jcsantana found an Onkyo RZ820 for $400 but didn't mention where.