Making "future-proof" purchases

[jared555]

Sorry if my explanation of what I want is not very good....

I am probably going to be in an apartment for a while so I will not be able to use anything to its full potential, but I don't want to buy something only to be wanting to upgrade the next week.

What kinds of purchases/upgrades would be good to gradually build a good audio system (note: my income levels will not be too high so this will be over more than one year) without spending a bunch of money on the components that will be obsolete fairly quickly, or that with lots of use will need to be replaced within a couple years?

I would think buying things like better speakers, dedicated amplifiers, etc. would be good but are there significant limitations on 'useful life' of current speakers, amplifiers, etc.?

My current receiver is an onkyo tx-sr602 with some sub $100/pair bookshelf speakers from circuit city.

 

[yettitheman]

The 602 should be fine for right now. Audio wise, there isn't a massive or required need to upgrade if you are living in an apartment unless you are running out of inputs to hook things up to. Even then, analog/optical/component switchers are cheaper than a new reciever.

The useful life of most audio components can last 30+ years if they are taken care of during it's life. Their lifespan decreases if you abuse your equipment (clipping speakers, overdriving the amplifier, poor ventiliation).

Being said, the new Yamaha RX-V663 is a pretty new product, and although it may lack a bit in power compared to what you have now, it does have pre-outs and HDMI inputs.

Speakers are what you need to narrow down. I'm not sure what you have now, but my experience is that there is only a few speakers that are decent for the >$100 mark. There is a plethora of speakers to look at and choose from. Just no Bose or white van please. You'll have to decide what you want here (floorstanders, book shelf, small compacts) and your price range (for stereo, or surround, with or without subwoofer).

Components can be a discussion all in it's own. I assume you have something that will play music.

 

[jared555]

Yeah, I am happy with my receiver for now.

I know most upgrades would be pointless for the apartment, but I want to upgrade my system for when I can actually use it to its full potential.

DVD/CD/High def players I have covered for now

Mainly looking at what the best purchase paths would be for stuff like:
*Display
**Current - Dell ultrasharp 20" (also my computer monitor.... I am pretty happy with this actually)

*Speakers
**Current - Front L/R: Pioneer 3 way bookshelf
**---------Center, Surround L/R, Surround Back Center: Polk Audio 2 way bookshelf
**---------Sub - SVS PSD-10
Really I am happy with this for now, but I have some issues

*Amplifiers
*Processors
and so on..... I assume speakers would be the best thing to upgrade first.

 

[stratman]

Do you have a budget in mind?

 

[jcPanny]

HT Purachases

Receivers and A/V electronics can become obsolete almost as quickly as computers. Just ask the 1 million people who bought an HD-DVD player.

A good set of speakers or a nice (outbord) amp, however, should work well for several years to come.

 

[jared555]

I don't have a specific budget in mind although if I have the ability I was looking at something in the range of the Axiom M80 possibly or WAY down the line, RBH lol. I am fairly open on that.... I have looked at SVS and a few others also.

I really have no clue on amps.... have looked at the emotiva amps, modular monoblocks, pro audio amps, etc.

Long term I will end up having 2-3 audio systems so SOME 'duplicate' purchases are fine (ex: getting a 7 channel amplifier to start out and then stereo or mono amps eventually)

 

[Buckeye_Nut]

Ummmmmmmmmmmm..........

I wish something existed that is "future proof".

 

[jared555]

Buckeye_Nut, that is why it is in quotes

I am basically wanting to know what purchase/upgrade choices will be useful the longest without needing to be upgraded cause someone decided the high def cables aren't good enough.


I am just tired of getting hit by new standards coming out when I am planning on gradually upgrading my system.... (like 1 month after I built my last computer that I had planned on upgrading to SLI eventually the CPU socket was switched to AM2 and the video card (7800GTX) was discontinued.

 

[Jack Hammer]

As far as speakers go, if you get something good the first time you will save money in hte long run of constantly and slowly upgrading them. It took me a few years to put together what I'm using now (which is what I wanted to get to begin with). I ended up buying other speakers than what I have now because the ones I wanted were too expensive. I would have saved a lot by doing it right the first time.

Don't be a afraid to buy a nice set of fronts, L/R, first. And use those with what you have now. Then add a matching center channel. Later add a sub and surrounds. You can always use your old speakers as surrounds until you upgrade them, it's not ideal but it works and allows you to piece everything together over time to spread out the financial load.


Jack

 

[jared555]

Why is it that a lot of the brands/components audioholics actually does reviews of no one asks about in the forums really? Is it the price, or are there other brands that are just as good or better that people here are buying?

 

[Exit]

I would say buying good speakers would be the most future proof purchase. I think things change that obsolete receivers the most. There is always a new and better format built into the receiver's processors. It looks like Yanaha and Denon are working out connectivity issues for I-pods. When there will be connectivity for other brand MP3 players and media center computers is still up for grabs. DVD players look like Blu-Ray may stay around awhile. TVs are being upgraded yearly with improved quality and technologies. I probably will not upgrade anything for 4 or five years.

 

[jared555]

Thanks.... Would it probably be better to go with separate amps after the speakers or just a receiver? (even then I could still use a receiver as the processor)

 

[cfrizz]

Well your first problem is that you can't add a separate amplifier to your Onkyo. You would have to upgrade to the 705 in order to do so.

But start on the speakers first. Which Polks do you have & what if any is the problem with them? You should really try to audition in person any speakers that you want to hear. You are the one that will have to live with them so it would be better to hear them in person. If you order online & don't like them, then you have the hassle of packing & the cost of having to ship them back.

The order I would take it in is this.

Speakers first. Start with the 2 fronts. If possible listen in person to get a good idea of how they sound on multiple different brand receivers.

Next pick the receiver that sounds the best with your speakers, that also has all the bells & whistles that you want it to have. Most importantly make sure that it has preamp outputs so that you can add separate amplification!

As time goes by add your center channel & surrounds. Try to get them all the same brand so that you are timbre matched. Then get 1 5-7 channel amplifier. Buy this USED on Audiogon. I always recommend 200wpc. This is enough power to drive any speakers you have now or will buy in the future. Amp technology really hasn't changed much over the years so this is one piece of gear that is fairly future proof.

I think you are all set in the sub dept.

Finally, there is no such thing really as future proofing your system because the technology is ALWAYS changing. YOU simply have to decide what is most important for your system to have & then drawing a line & saying enough is enough.

I had my first real 2 channel system for 15 years before I decided to upgrade & join the HT crowd. However I still have the bulk of my 2 channel gear. I still have my 18 year old front speakers, I still have my 18 year old tape deck. I still have my 26 year old turntable! I simply have spent the last 6 years slowly adding to this system which is complete & you now see in my signature.

I now have all that I want to have for an Audio/HT system. I have no more plans to upgrade unless something breaks.

 

[jared555]

I know you can't future proof the system.... but you can buy the components that don't get outdated mostly first.

And I know the onkyo will not support separate amps, it will be quite a while before that is a factor though

One problem with listening in person is best buy and circuit city are the absolute best audio stores nearby

Probably would be a 50-100 mile drive each way minimum

 

[cfrizz]

Good luck shopping online for speakers then. Either that or MOVE!

I know you can't future proof the system.... but you can buy the components that don't get outdated mostly first.

And I know the onkyo will not support separate amps, it will be quite a while before that is a factor though

One problem with listening in person is best buy and circuit city are the absolute best audio stores nearby

Probably would be a 50-100 mile drive each way minimum

 

[mtrycrafts]

Future proof? I doubt there is such a purchase. Delay the replacement cycle, perhaps.

 

[Davemcc]

I'm going to add one more voice to the speaker first crowd. You may be able to extend the life of the receiver (i.e. delay replacement) by looking at speakers that are relatively easy to drive, 8 ohm, 91 db sensitivity or higher. There would be no need for a separate amp for those speakers.

 

[jared555]

yeah, I am not planning on replacing the receiver for a while.

Short term 'easy to drive' isn't that big of a deal.... Even my 10 watt per channel HTIB system can drive my 89 db 1w/m 8 ohm bookshelf speakers to levels that would be excessive in the apartment.

 

[jcPanny]

Speaker Demo

Most of the intenet direct companies have a liberal 30 day return policy so you can try their speakers in your home. A couple including Aperion and AV123 (on bookshelf speaker) offer a "risk free" trial where they will pay the return shipping if you decide not to keep the speakers.

If you check on the manufacturer forums, you might find someone in your area who will let you check out their system.

 

[Exit]

What I said about future proofing refers to your or my desire to have the latest technology, not longevity of the components themselves. I can live for a few years with out having the latest capabilities like Ipod compatibility, lossless audio processing and deep color. Like someone else pointed out, the components are likely to last 20 years or more if you take care of them. My Cambridge Soundworks front L,R,C speakers are about 17 years old and they still sound good to me.

Another thing that can change besides technology is that you move and put your system in a different acoustical environment. I went from a small living room to a very large great room with 8500 cu ft. There was almost no discernable bass, so that prompted me to buy a larger subwoofer.

In summary, you need to figure out how much you want to have the latest features on your receiver and that will tell you how long it is “future proof”. If you were to go with the latest top-of-the-line Yamaha receiver, you could find yourself wanting to make a 11.1 speaker setup, causing you to buy four additional speakers. There is never an end to it, there will always be new features. Whether you really want them or not.determines your future proofing. I skipped the SACD thing entirely because they didn’t have enough releases that I liked to make it worthwhile. That would have only cost me about $50 for a DVD player that was a step up and some cables