Receiver Ideas....

[Chopin_Guy]

Ok, so here is the deal--currently I am using a Denon AVR-987 (same as the AVR-2807) I bought this new and it less than a year old. Recently I have been considering add an amp or the possibility of a new receiver. And I wanted some input on the idea...pros / cons....is it even a worthwhile idea or can the money be spent better somewhere else on an upgrade....

As for my listening habits....it is about 50 / 50 music and movies...I am a trained musician and have a critical ear. I was considering adding an Emotiva UPA-7 with the fronts bi-amped utilizing all seven channels. Another idea I had to add head-room and clarity to the front of the system was to get an Emotiva XPA-5 and bi-amp the mains and use the fifth channel on the center, continuing to run the surrounds off of the receiver....either way this is about $700-850 depending on the amp...

The other option, obviously, is to just get a new receiver all together....not sure if this is even a route to go after but an option none the less. Figuring that I could sell the AVR-987 for somewhere around $400, this would give me in the ballpark of $1050 to $1200 to spend on a new receiver. Everyone's input is greatly appreciated...

Oh and just so you know the speakers I am driving: Mains: Polk RTi12, Center: Polk CSi5, Surrounds: Polk FXi3, and (not that it matters) SVS PB13 Ultra Sub

If you have read all this thank you again....

 

[mazersteven]

The other option, obviously, is to just get a new receiver all together....not sure if this is even a route to go after but an option none the less. Figuring that I could sell the AVR-987 for somewhere around $400, this would give me in the ballpark of $1050 to $1200 to spend on a new receiver. Everyone's input is greatly appreciated...

IMO this will not offer that much of an improvement, if any at all.

 

[mazersteven]

Another idea I had to add head-room and clarity to the front of the system was to get an Emotiva XPA-5 and bi-amp the mains and use the fifth channel on the center, continuing to run the surrounds off of the receiver....either way this is about $700-850 depending on the amp...

I like this idea better then the others. I don't know how much of a sonic improvement it would be to bi-amping the RTi's. But I guess you could always try.


http://emotiva.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=30

 

[Chopin_Guy]

So with bi-amping speakers you are not gaining any power...just merely separating the amplification--which some suggest adds clarity??? Just figure with the external amp I will certainly gain control and soundstage with the option of being able to go to a pre-amp/processor in the future...

 

[bandphan]

as mentioned, bi-amping (more specificly passive biamping) will not give any major improvement(could cause more issues). Add the amp and run it straight. If you want to bi-amp id look into an active crossover.

 

[fmw]

So with bi-amping speakers you are not gaining any power...just merely separating the amplification--which some suggest adds clarity??? Just figure with the external amp I will certainly gain control and soundstage with the option of being able to go to a pre-amp/processor in the future...

Correct, no power added at all. No, it doesn't even separate the amplification because it is a powered biwiring scheme not true biamplification. No an external amp has nothing to do with control or soundstage. Well you could make a case for better speaker control with a higher damping factor but it wouldn't be an audible difference. These are all common myths in consumer audio.

 

[Davemcc]

So with bi-amping speakers you are not gaining any power...just merely separating the amplification--which some suggest adds clarity??? Just figure with the external amp I will certainly gain control and soundstage with the option of being able to go to a pre-amp/processor in the future...

If this is the goal, then I would highly recommend room treatments as a better upgrade at this point. Controlling the acoustic characteristics of the room will give you far greater ability to create a cleaner, more accurate sound to your taste. More power is nice, but power is nothing without control. (Which TV commercial is that from, anyway?)

 

[Chopin_Guy]

It's not much of a shock to hear that alot of these things are nothing more than myths in home audio...so that answers those questions. But would it be the better idea to go with an amp or look a new reciever....

And if going with an amp would the Emo XPA-3 be fine for the fronts and center, with the surrounds running off the receiver as the receiver supplies enough power for them???

 

[jamie2112]

That would be plenty of power for your fronts and surrounds...

 

[Chopin_Guy]

I figure the amp is going to be the best solution as I use PS3 for blu-ray and I don't see any need to get another player until the format settles more as the PS3 is the most expandable player on the market with all its memory not to mention one of the least expensive. As much as I would love to have all the new audio fomats...I highly doubt it is worth all the money to upgrade both receiver and player....

 

[mazersteven]

And if going with an amp would the Emo XPA-3 be fine for the fronts and center, with the surrounds running off the receiver as the receiver supplies enough power for them???

That is why I linked the XPA-3. This would be an excellent way to drive those RTi12's.

 

[Chopin_Guy]

Ok so now another question and this might sound a little silly but I am really running out of room in my system and if I do wind up getting an amp I will have to put my DVD-757 on top of my receiver...is this a bad idea?? I know the amps will still be running in it an every manual tells you explicity not to do this....is this a definate no no?? If so I don't know what to do...lol...starting to have too many compnents....otherwise it might be better of me to just get a more powerful receiver with some better features that I could benifit from like great upscaling for my SD satelite. DirectTV has not upgraded the dishes in my complex so we can get HD...

 

[Chopin_Guy]

Another question here....is it indeed true that the PS3 can bitstream the HD audio formats now???....I use a PS3 for Blu-ray and had no idea that the one of the firmware downloads included that enhancement??? Because if this is the case, I will most certainly be getting a receiver that can decode these formats. The only reason I had kept mine was I thought the PS3 didn't output the formats????

 

[mazersteven]

Ok so now another question and this might sound a little silly but I am really running out of room in my system and if I do wind up getting an amp I will have to put my DVD-757 on top of my receiver...is this a bad idea?? I know the amps will still be running in it an every manual tells you explicity not to do this....is this a definate no no?? If so I don't know what to do...lol...starting to have too many compnents....otherwise it might be better of me to just get a more powerful receiver with some better features that I could benifit from like great upscaling for my SD satelite. DirectTV has not upgraded the dishes in my complex so we can get HD...

IMO receivers, and amps should never have anything on top. Come on Dude. A true Audioholic would never let something so small as "running out of room", or "too many components" stop them.

 

[Chopin_Guy]

I figured as much...lol....and you are right as the essence of a true Audioholic...as I student though I am trying to keep the amount of stuff I have to a relative minimum as I still don't know if Houston will be permanent. In any event, with the revalation that PS3 can output the HD formats my attention is now on a new reciever to take advantage of that and the amp will have to wait a bit....

 

[ParadigmDawg]

PS3 can't bitstream through HDMI, you have to send it to your AVR as Linear PCM.

 

[Chopin_Guy]

Thank you Paradigm, as am I still learning though, does this mean the PS3 can or cannot pass on the HD audio formats...as I saw in a review here on Audioholics the editor made an update that stated the 2.3 firmware (if I remember correctly) now allowed the PS3 to pass on the HD audio codec...

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Yes as long as you have a HDMI AVR.

Thank you Paradigm, as am I still learning though, does this mean the PS3 can or cannot pass on the HD audio formats...as I saw in a review here on Audioholics the editor made an update that stated the 2.3 firmware (if I remember correctly) now allowed the PS3 to pass on the HD audio codec...

 

[Chopin_Guy]

Well since I came to the realization that my PS3 will indeed output the HD audio formats I decided to go with a new receiver that can accept those codecs instead of getting an external amp for my current receiver....and have been doing some searching for what model to get...

And I think I decided but wanted some input...right now the hot deal seems to be the Denon AVR-2808ci which can be had NEW from 6th Ave electronics for $593 new...Now I know this is a fantastic deal as this is a 1200 dollar receiver....are there any other suggestions or models I should look at...I am not opposed to spending more...this justs seems to be a great buy???? Thank you all...

 

[PENG]

And I think I decided but wanted some input...right now the hot deal seems to be the Denon AVR-2808ci which can be had NEW from 6th Ave electronics for $593 new...Now I know this is a fantastic deal as this is a 1200 dollar receiver....are there any other suggestions or models I should look at...I am not opposed to spending more...this justs seems to be a great buy???? Thank you all...

For a few dollars more I think the Onkyo TX-SR 805 offers more power for the RTi12s but Denon seems to have a better reputation in terms of reliability.