Here is the same article that I posted on AVS Forum since it more acurately conveys what I am after
Some of this was geared more towards the Denons, still I hope it will paint a picture of what I presntly have,
A bit of background..
I have had a Yamaha DSP-A1 receiver for longer than that. I absolutely loved the Yamaha; compared to what I see today, in it's price range it was in my estimation a quality piece of equipment. As I am sure a lot of folks on this forum know, the DSP-A1 was pre-HDMI. For years, I refused to even consider looking at replacement audio just to satisfy the need for HDMI. Over time, I have gone from dedicated HTPC's to Dunes and now settled on Shields for the majority of my entertainment management. Even when I purchased the Pioneer panel, i just used advanced remote controls to work around the switching so that using TOS wasn't really an issue for me. I let the Pioneer manage the video sources and the Yamaha do what it did best, manage the audio. That worked fine until the Shield was brought into the picture; it had no TOS output, only HDMI, something the DSP-A1 lacked. So, I figured, the DSP-A1 still works well, no need to replace it yet. I bought an HDMI to TOS splitter to get my Digital sound and that worked fine for my internal collection (until I realized that Netflix and Amazon) sounded like total crap. Some kind of issue either with my splitter and their use of DD+ that the Shield and my DSP-A1 couldn't mitigate. Given the age of the DSP-A1, it was the likely candidate. For months I ignored the less than ideal situation, I started looking at replacement equipment, but in true fashion I procrastinated. Well, the moment I knew would eventually happen, did. The DSP-A1 uttered its last breath this past month. I turned it on and I got that quiet kapoww that we all know so well. At it's age, I presume the capacitors had been degrading. So, now I am on the hunt for a replacement device or devices in this case.
Here is my current room configuration:
Studio Upstairs (20' x 20' x 9') - half wall open air to stairs, 2 closed walls and the opposite wall with a door and 3 windows (with blinds), LVP flooring, no acoustical treatment on walls.
Listening position is ~12 foot on center.
Audio (5.1) DD/DTS
(1) Yamaha DSP-A1 (now retired)
(1) Velodyne HGS-15 subwoofer
(2) B&W 805 (Front L, R)
(1) B&W HTM2 Center (matched)
(1) Bose Acoustimass (dedicated to the rear surrounds)
(1) Pioneer Kuro Elite 60" Plasma panel (still alive and kicking)
(1) Nvidia Shield 2018
(1) Sony PS3 (retired)
After a lot of research, It looks to me like Denon is the current favorite in what I would term "mainstream". I have been looking at everything from the 3700-6700 series. I have also looked at the 3600 series from the older line, but I think I would rather go with the newer offerings. I have always like Yamaha but I have a Denon 3805 (downstairs) that has given me great service of the years. The whole room equalization technology is completely new to me, the receivers I had (both Yamaha/Denon) were very basic by today's standards.
I would really like to go with external amplification, but after reading Audioholics, ASR, and here for weeks, I am not all convinced it's going to be needed. Still, I figure if I should need additional amplification, the Denon's with pre-amp mode make this is a hard to lose situation. So with that said, I am pretty much set on the 4700 or 6700 AVR's unless I have missed other options. I am of course open to other suggestions I may not have considered.. I am still parsing through the manuals to see if I really "require" the 6700 to do what I want to over time.
I am planing to start out with 5.1 for now, but I already know I want to expand. I should be able to get ceiling speakers in the studio easily enough (certainly the ceiling is accessible from the attic).
You can see my current inventory above, I am trying to decide if I want to put floor standing speakers in place of the 805's. I definitely want to replace the Bose speakers
Once I get 5.1 in place I plan to expand to at least 9.2 (Gene Dellasala seems intent on every one using 2 subs LOL) and he also seems to know what he is talking about.
I have also started looking at what speakers other members on this forum have. While I love B&W, I am still open to looking at other options, I am not locked into that brand. I am now spending considerable time in the speaker forums.
This is going to be a pretty long process; for me the journey is more than half the fun. I love reading what others are saying and have learned so much from those interactions.
What do you think? Does the Denon 4700 or 6700 sound like it will fit the bill? I welcome any and all feedback; especially for things I may have not considered.
Here's to one fun if not expensive hobby, looking forward to the journey and feedback.
-Dan
