What to upgrade (if anything).

[HardOfHearing]

I am pretty happy with the current setup, but know everything degrades over time whether or not it gets used.
My system is pretty old and vaguely recall them finding a similar setup in one of the pyramids.

Don't listen/watch as many movies as in the past, but if I can improve the sound quality I may be interested in upgrading.

Don't want to upgrade for the sake of upgrading.
If upgrading a speaking I don't want "Hmmm, not sure if it sounds better" but rather "Wow, I must have had wax in my ears before." and I am not talking loud but quality.

More than likely actually any upgrades will occur in stages meaning upgrading one piece at a time (ie, receiver, fronts, center, rears....)

Room size :
Couch is 10-13 feet from tv speakers
Rear speakers are 16 feet back, hung from the ceiling (9ft) and pointed toward the sitting area.
Figure the room is about 15 feet wide but sitting area in the middle 8 feet.

Equipment
TV : 75 - inch Samsung Q80T - (NEW - has eARC port)

Subwoofer : SVS SB-1000 (NEW - needed a small sub to fit in a specific area and this one worked. They do have a 45 day trial period as well as upgrades if need be.)
This subwoofer is replacing a Definitive SuperCube III which worked well in this room.

AVR : Denon AVR-1700 (great receiver but can be difficult to setup or reset when wrong buttons pushed. Wouldn't mind a more user friendly receiver.)
If this is still a decent receiver, I will manager with the interface as I have done over the years.

Front R/L : Definitive Mythos GEM
Center : Definitive ProCenter 100 MK II
Rears : ProMonitor 80 MK II

As far as budget, well that depends on what upgrading gets me.
It will get used once/twice a month on movie night. No need for a $5K system.
For regular TV, the Q80T is decent enough to not need surround.

 

[NINaudio]

OK, wow, that is an old receiver. That would definitely be my first choice for an upgrade. If you're happy with the speakers, and since you only use them rarely, I wouldn't worry about upgrading them. A newer receiver will get you access to the newest digital surround formats including TrueHD and DTS HD Master. If you're using physical media (blu-rays) that will be a significant upgrade over what you've got now. What sources do you use? ie. blu-ray player, streaming device, etc. A newer receiver will also get you modern room correction software which I think will also really impress you. I know it impressed me coming from an old 1999 era receiver.

I'd lean towards something like this if you aren't looking to spend a ton:

https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavrx2700h/denon-avr-x2700h-7.2-ch-x-95-watts-8k-a/v-receiver-w/heos/1.html

 

[NINaudio]

So I guess you fall in that 5% or so of cases where the person actually would benefit from spending money on a newer/better receiver that I was talking about in your other thread!

 

[Teetertotter?]

Start here with Denon AVR selections: Home Theater & Stereo Receivers | Denon

 

[lovinthehd]

The degrading over time thing isn't really much of a thing. Speakers can last a very long time, altho if using old foam surrounds those might need replacing as a service item. The electronics as long as they work, they work....altho your old avr is missing a few audio/video handling features that are common now. I'd look at the avr first too in your case as you seem to have a decent set of speakers/sub you like. I like Denon and newer Denons should be a lot easier to understand/setup than the old ones (the old ones were somewhat confusing, there was even a guy called batpig on the forums who created a Denon to English dictionary to help out).

 

[Eppie]

Looking at the receiver rear panel I have to wonder what sources you are using and how you have things connected? For better sound, usually the first thing people recommend are speaker upgrades, but the only digital input on your AVR is the optical in. That makes it a challenge to recommend a 'Wow' quality upgrade. The amplification in your current AVR will be decent enough (70W x5) but what you could possibly gain is a much better surround experience if watching blue-rays or digital TV. As mentioned above, the room correction software can be a big bonus and will help integrate your new SVS sub better. Are you set on using on-wall speakers or considering going with floor standing or larger bookshelves?

 

[HardOfHearing]

In the past it was mostly blu-ray but with the new TV i have recently watching Amazon Prime and NetFlix.
Before posting, these were the 3 receivers I was eyeing and they are not the same class as the one posted above.
Denon AVR-S750H 7.2 Channel
Denon AVR-S650H 5.2 Channel
Denon AVR-S540BT 5.2 Channel

The AVR-S750H comes closest to the above referenced AVR-X2700 except it has 4K instead of 8k.
They both are 7.2 channel but the S750 is a softer blow to the wallet.
Is there anything else I may be missing in what the X2700 may provide me over the S750H that would justify the extra cost? Is there a difference in sound quality or is it just more ready for the future technology to roll out?

 

[HardOfHearing]

With the current TV, the connection is a Fiber Optic from the TV to the AVR.

 

[HardOfHearing]

Looking at the receiver rear panel I have to wonder what sources you are using and how you have things connected?

Fiber optic.

As mentioned above, the room correction software can be a big bonus and will help integrate your new SVS sub better.

Oh, interesting. Curious to know how that works and if all receivers have it or only the higher ends one.

Are you set on using on-wall speakers or considering going with floor standing or larger bookshelves?

Current front R/L speakers are bookshelf one due to remove constraint. The bookshelves could support ones a bit larger. On a different note, the 75 inch tv introduces in front of the book shelves and my wife is pushing me to get rid of it which means floor speakers could work, but due to room size, I wonder if it would be overkill.

 

[lovinthehd]

Oh, interesting. Curious to know how that works and if all receivers have it or only the higher ends one.

Many avrs now have some sort of room correction software (and often combined with basic setup of speakers/subs). Denon/Marantz use Audyssey (in several flavors, ranging from the basic MultEQ to MultEQ XT to their highest version MultEQ XT32....plus there is a separate app you can get for further manipulation of the eq curves), Yamaha has their own called YPAO, Anthem has their own called Anthem Room Correction/ARC (different from HDMI ARC, tho), Onkyo/Pioneer uses currently their own AccuEQ (they used to use Audyssey several years back) but are going to offer some in the near future using a well regarded system called Dirac. Some like to use them, some don't. Some use them for some things and not others....YMMV.

 

[Mikado463]

well considering you're 'HardOfHearing' does any of it really matter ? sorry, I couldn't resist !
all good recommendations so far..........

 

[panteragstk]

So I guess you fall in that 5% or so of cases where the person actually would benefit from spending money on a newer/better receiver that I was talking about in your other thread!

You found a unicorn!!

it bothers me that this was one of the first images that came up...

 

[panteragstk]

Fiber optic.


Oh, interesting. Curious to know how that works and if all receivers have it or only the higher ends one.


Current front R/L speakers are bookshelf one due to remove constraint. The bookshelves could support ones a bit larger. On a different note, the 75 inch tv introduces in front of the book shelves and my wife is pushing me to get rid of it which means floor speakers could work, but due to room size, I wonder if it would be overkill.

Since your TV has eARC, you can use that no problem, but it's typically best to just plug everything into the AVR and let it do it's job. eARC is for the built in apps in the TV IMHO. Everything you can plug into the AVR should be plugged into the AVR.

 

[HardOfHearing]

How does the AVR-X1600H-R compare to the AVR-X2700H??
The AVR-X1600H-R seems better than the other 3 I listed and a bit less expensive than the 2700, but am I still missing a lot by not going with the 2700?

Edited to add...
Although the VR-S950H seems to have a lower model number than the 1600, it appears to be a bit better???

 

[lovinthehd]

For me the dividing line with Denon is the X3xxx series, as you get the best version of Audyssey (XT32) plus full set of pre-outs and generally better feature/spec set. The X series altogether is a step up from the lower S model series avrs you mentioned, but pretty close still.

 

[HardOfHearing]

Thanks. Good thing to keep in mind about the X series.
I am seeing the AVR-X1600H-R for about $500 which seems like a nice deal. What do I miss by not taking the leap to the 2700?

 

[lovinthehd]

The Denon US website used to have a comparison tool you could use for up to 3 models at a time....but that seems to be gone and now has a help you choose tool based on what you want in the way of features. There was another comparison tool for avrs and I'm not remembering the name of the site, tho.... @Trebdp83 I think knows that one?

 

[panteragstk]

Thanks. Good thing to keep in mind about the X series.
I am seeing the AVR-X1600H-R for about $500 which seems like a nice deal. What do I miss by not taking the leap to the 2700?

Not worth the upgrade. The 1600 has Audyssey XT and it's pretty good. I have the older 1300x and it's fine for my living room. XT can be quite good as long as you do everything properly.

 

[panteragstk]

The Denon US website used to have a comparison tool you could use for up to 3 models at a time....but that seems to be gone and now has a help you choose tool based on what you want in the way of features. There was another comparison tool for avrs and I'm not remembering the name of the site, tho.... @Trebdp83 I think knows that one?

Crutchfield has one.

 

[lovinthehd]

Crutchfield has one.

Not the one I'm thinking of, but good to know.