2008 Receiver Upgrade

[lionhartzero]

Hello all,

As of right now I have a Pioneer Elite receiver from back in 2009 when I bought my home. It was my first home and I was more into televisions than receivers, so after the salesman and I at Best Buy made a deal on a new Samsung back then he offered to give me a serious discount on a receiver that was actually on display (it was in mint condition physically as I inspected it thoroughly, and the sound was great when he turned the bad boy on). Being that I was more focused on the TV and just wanted a receiver to help with my Mirage speakers (which I think sound good, but hopefully they're seen as seme-decent on here....) I didn't even really see if Pioneer was the way to go back then. To tell you the truth, I don't even know if it was a NEW receiver on the market back in 09...maybe it was one released in 07/08. However, I DID remember seeing the Pioneer brand in a few friends' homes, so I just went with it..and it still runs great today.

Fast Forward to now. I've got all of my HDMI ports used and I was aiming for one with about 6 ports available. I also assume that new technology in terms of sound have been added to receivers. That being said, I have a few questions and I knew that this site would be the place to go for honest answers from knowledgable customers.


1) What's out between about $500-$800 right now that's pretty darn good? Am I still looking at Pioneers, or are Denons and Yamahas the way to go? I've noticed that the other two brands seem to be more discussed than the Pioneers here, and being that I'm fairly new to the sound side of things I'm not quite sure... I was learning towards these 3 makes though

2) I see alot being said about Receivers' audio quality, but are all of their video qualities equal? I understand that some may have 4K capabilities, so I'm comparing 4K to 1080p, but are two receivers with 1080p going to put out the same quality picture?

3) Are Mirage speakers "okay" for smaller rooms? I have my "Man Cave" in my basement and it's not huge.. to tell you the truth i've been extrememly happy with their quality. My basement isn't huge and sound seems to bounce off walls perfectly.

Thank you in advance!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

If you are happy with everything, but just need more HDMI inputs, you could just get a HDMI switch box, which is usually from $30-100. I have a cheap $30 HDMI switch box from Monoprice about 5 years ago that still works fine.

In terms of audio, I think all the AVRs will sound about the same in Direct modes. But if you enjoy EQ (like Audyssey & Dynamic EQ, ARC & Dolby Volume, etc.), then you have to do a lot more research.

In terms of video, Blu-ray is 1080p anyway, so most AVR will have great picture quality. There is no consumer 4K content now (like Blu-ray).

If your speakers sound good to you, then don't waste any money buying new ones.

That is my opinion.

 

[lionhartzero]

thank you for your quick reply. I know that it may sound dumb, but I've turned into one of those tech guys that absolutely need to upgrade every couple of years to stay current. My old receiver will not be going to waste anyway since I couldn't move it to my bedroom. Would anyone have any current receivers to recommend? I don't even think my Pioneer has True HD (i believe that's what one of the sites mentioned as amazing sound). I'd really appreciate it. Also, does the switch box take away from the quality of the video?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

It won't be too long before you can get the Denon X4000 for around $600-700.

Perhaps some dealers may be starting to offer better deals.

 

[lionhartzero]

Thank you for responding as well. No disrespect to anyone on this board but I saw tons of posts regarding some specific receivers on Google but it's taking forever to get any help besides you two guys, which I thank lol.

Anyway, is that Demon "top of the line" in the price range it's in?

 

[lionhartzero]

And, again, should Pioneer be totally overlooked in that price range?

 

[Jeff R.]

What Mirage Speakers are you running, also do you run a sub and if so what type?

 

[lionhartzero]

I'm not home as of yet, so I don't remember the model number of the Mirage speakers or the subwoofer, but I will make sure to post them tonight. I'm just going to swing by Best Buy to see what's available in store.

 

[lionhartzero]

A Demon AVR-E400 up for $200 at PC Richards.. just an interesting price...

Of course Best Buy has better products, but I KNEW I shouldnt have come here. This Samsung 4K is begging for my debit card lol

 

[lionhartzero]

Anyways, I got a Pioneer Elite SC-71 for $699 at Best Buy when the normal price was $999. Is this a decent receiver?... Could anyone

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Anyways, I got a Pioneer Elite SC-71 for $699 at Best Buy when the normal price was $999. Is this a decent receiver?... Could anyone

Within the same price class, I think all of these AVR (including Pioneer) will sound the same in "Direct" mode - bypass all EQ and room correction.

But some of us utilize certain EQ everyday. For example, PENG and I use Audyssey Dynamic EQ (I use it 100% of the time). So some of us would never buy anything that does not have Audyssey Dynamic EQ - Yamaha, Pioneer, HK, Sony, etc. In this case, I recommend Denon.

But some of us do NOT use EQ or room correction at all. In this case, I would Yamaha.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Thank you for responding as well. No disrespect to anyone on this board but I saw tons of posts regarding some specific receivers on Google but it's taking forever to get any help besides you two guys, which I thank lol.

Anyway, is that Demon "top of the line" in the price range it's in?

the Denon X4000 is a mid-price model. Higher-end model is the 4520 and 4311 (which some dealers may still have for a nice price of about $1300).

 

[lionhartzero]

the Denon X4000 is a mid-price model. Higher-end model is the 4520 and 4311 (which some dealers may still have for a nice price of about $1300).

Thank you. Luckily I can try it out for 15 days before deciding on whether to keep it or not. It's also an audio discount month at the store, so i bought an Energy subwoofer. My room isn't huge though, so I'm wondering if two subs would actually make things sound better. It wasn't a waste though; if I don't like it I can connect it to the AV Receiver that I'm moving. Any word on 2 subs vs 1, and the location of the subs relative to the TV and speakers? My front mounted speakers are about 2 ft. to the left and right of my TV, but I wasn't sure if it was okay to put the woofer about 6 ft away from my TV (4 ft. PAST the front mounted speaker) or if it was cause an issue since it's so far away from the television/speakers..

 

[Jeff R.]

My only comment would be it is likely more than you needed to spend for your current speaker setup.... I think you could likely accomplish an upgrade
for closer to about $400.


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[lionhartzero]

Would you be able to explain? Are you saying that the Mirage speakers should be replaced to max out performance (i know they're not the best, but will I not see the difference in performance between that $400 upgrade vs the amount I spent using those speakers), are you suggesting that I should add 2 speakers to make it 7.2, or are you saying that there's an issue with the performance of the SC-71? Anyone can chime in...

 

[ReUpRo]

Lionhart, I feel that in your enthusiasm to upgrade, you've skipped the self education steps. This makes it difficult for you to create and explain your goals and for us to make recommendations that make sense to you. For example, your receiver recommendation thread has turned into a question about single or dual subs...

IMHO, you need to read some if the articles on basics of good home AV. For example, this one on budgeting, http://www.audioholics.com/how-to-shop/ask-dr-a-the-budget-dance and this one on Home Theater 101 with many linked articles, http://www.audioholics.com/home-theater-calibration/home-theater-set-up-basics-101

 

[lionhartzero]

Lionhart, I feel that in your enthusiasm to upgrade, you've skipped the self education steps. This makes it difficult for you to create and explain your goals and for us to make recommendations that make sense to you. For example, your receiver recommendation thread has turned into a question about single or dual subs...

IMHO, you need to read some if the articles on basics of good home AV. For example, this one on budgeting, Budgeting Your Home Theater | Audioholics and this one on Home Theater 101 with many linked articles, Home Theater Setup Guide 101 | Audioholics

Okay... Apologies if I seem like an idiot but I just got into the audio side of things so I appreciate your links. With the subs, I was given an Energy one so I figured I'd see how it was but it wasn't decided to use it yet. I wasn't really concerned too much about fine tuning the receiver as of yet but I just figured is ask about quality of the equipment on general. I understand that I didn't specify the model of Mirage speakers so that couldn't be spoken on specifically but I just figured I'd ask about specific Receivers in general since I figured their quality could be spoken on. Perhaps I am wrong... Again, thanks for the links

 

[Adam]

Hi. I prefer Pioneer over receivers with Audyssey because I like their MCACC setup better. Specifically, I like that MCACC can store multiple configurations (for distinctly different listening positions, such as a couch in the center of the room and an eating area off to the side). I have an Elite VSX-23 from 2009 and still really like it. I haven't done a lot of research on the recent Elite models, but the SC-71 looks nice from my quick look. It uses Class D amps, which some people like and others don't (I've read where at least older ones had issues trying to drive low-impedance speakers). The true test will be if you like it.

I have the Denon AVR-E400. Pretty good receiver and definitely worth $200 if it has everything that you want. The remote control kind of sucks, though. I wrote a review of it here.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Any word on 2 subs vs 1, and the location of the subs relative to the TV and speakers?

2 Subs are better than one because they will smooth out the bass response, especially when your AVR EQ the bass (like Audyssey Dynamic EQ).

One sub next to the left speaker, one sub next to the right speaker would be a good place to start.

 

[ReUpRo]

Okay... Apologies if I seem like an idiot but

I don't think that is that case at all!

On this site/forum, we try to genuinely help the topic posters make tangible improvements, rather than push an agenda. Form that point of view, I felt it would make sense for you to learn and understand. For example, since speakers make the biggest impact in sound quality (excluding quality of recording and room setup), it is recommended that a majority of the budget be spent on them, rather than on electronics. This is also why we asked about the speakers. It would not be a good recommendation on our part to have you spend $800 on the received alone if your speakers needed an upgrade to benefit from the receive upgrade.

Hope that clarified my thought process. I'm firmly in the group that says, "the stupidest question is the one not asked" . I'm trying to help you, through specific sensible upgrades, make the most of your spent money .