Finally updated my AVR, Woohoo.

[avnetguy]

Finally a sale came by I've been waiting for so I replaced my aging non-HDMI Yamaha HTR5750 with a new HTR8063 which is basically the same as the RXA1000, less the "amazing 5th foot".

The initial setup went fairly smooth and it sure is easier to hook everything up with just HDMI cables, cleans up the back area a lot. The YPAO self configuration was easy and seemed to do a reasonably good job with the settings in my acoustically challenged living room though the subwoofer frequency management is controlled outside the AVR by me.

I've only had time for a quick sampling of movie bits and some music but overall I'm fairly impressed with the new unit. Take it with a grain of salt but the sound quality at higher levels seems much clearer/cleaner than on the old 5750. The old unit did appear to get a bit "stressed" when I replaced my mains with the RC70s, guess the 8063's extra 8 lbs (mainly power supply?) is able to drive them better.

An unexpected difference I noticed was with the HD audio from Blurays, sound effects and dialog have definitely changed, mostly for the better. Not sure if this is the HD audio or the YPAO settings, more testing and tweaking will be required here but its a good start.

There are a few down sides to the upgrade, albeit minor issues. I wish they would have added a USB port to the rear of the unit so I can leave my music plugged in without having the front panel open. Also who in the heck has a built in music player without a pause? Someone missed a coffee that morning. The OSD menu system is mostly intuitive but some settings seem disjointed. I'll hold off on really considering this an issue as there may be things I'm missing like easy access via remote buttons. Oh yea, lets not forget the remote ... ah forget it, everyone knows the deal with standard remotes.

So all in all I'm happy with the purchase and I haven't even explored all the options available yet. I also need to do a firmware upgrade (fingers crossed they added a pause) so maybe that'll fix a few minor things.

Steve

 

[Adam]

Congrats on the new gear, Steve! Always exciting to get something new, isn't it? I'm sure that USB port was a toss-up to them on the drawing board. In the front, it's a lot easier to get to, but you can't hide it. In the back, it's hard to get to, but you can hide it. Put two in, and it's more expensive. As for the lack of pause...um, yeah...that's crazy.

I look forward to reading if that firmware update does good things.

 

[96cobra10101]

New gear. Sweet. I ordered an RX-A800 recently, can't wait to get home and try her out.

 

[3db]

Congrats . Its fun to play with new toys that work.

 

[avnetguy]

Thanks all and yes, upgrades sure are fun!

Got a little more sitck time in with the new unit, mainly dealing with music. I also did the latest firmware update, which was painless via usb, but haven't noticed any differences and no pause on music playback was added.

I can say for sure that the 8063 has much better (and louder) audio output than the old one. The 5750 must have been struggling at higher levels as I could never really exceed ~95 db SPL without the noticing the sound quality degrading, mostly with music, less so with HT. On my tests today, with music I've listened to countless times, I was in the 104 db range and it was still sounding clean, nice! Of course these SPLs are beyond my comfort level for extended listening but sometimes (and for some songs) you just have to crank it up. I do appreciate the build/sound quality on RC70s more now, I honestly didn't think the difference would be so apparent.

During the holidays I'll spend some time with REW and maybe adjust the PEQ settings a little manually. Not that the YPAO didn't do a good job, I think it did but there is usually room for improvement. I also think I'll add in a few more sub settings with a little lower output and cut the lower frequencies off a bit for music.

Steve

 

[avnetguy]

So I got some completely unsolicited comments on the audio performance for the new setup last night. The GF walked in while I was playing Porcupine Tree - Blackest eyes at a fairly loud level, which she has heard me play before on the old AVR, and after the song ended, she mentioned how different it sounded. When I asked "What's different?" she mentioned how easy it was to understand all the lyrics which she normally has trouble with. After a quick demo with a few more songs she knows, some classic rock and a bit of the Fifth Element soundtrack she said it sounded very good.

So, it's nice to have a sanity check and to know my ears haven't been subconsciously fooled by the it's new equipment, it must sound better!

Steve

P.S. The best reaction I got was at the end and I mentioned "you know that was only the front two speakers that were playing right?" which, after a small jaw drop, invoked a "Noooo .... really?" response from her.

 

[timoteo]

NICE!! Gotta love the lady comments!

The first time i demoed for my wife my RX-A2000 she said it sounded better.

But one if the best times was after i got my HSU subs. I walked in from work & she was cleaning the house, listening to music nice & loud. Right when i came in she said " Wow these new subs sound soo much better with music, i love them!".....I almost cried!!! Hahaha

Then i calibrated the subs & showed her the WOTW demo scenes. She was stunned!! Literally anytime we have friends over that havent heard it SHES THE ONE to ask me to play it for them. Shes like my own little spokesman!!

 

[avnetguy]

But one if the best times was after i got my HSU subs. I walked in from work & she was cleaning the house, listening to music nice & loud. Right when i came in she said " Wow these new subs sound soo much better with music, i love them!".....I almost cried!!! Hahaha

Yup, it's really something when you can get a positive response from those whom normaly shrug their shoulders about audio quality, especially SOs.

Not sure what my next step up will be, might be a sub upgrade for some better lower freq HT response or an external amp for the mains.

Steve