Advice for upgrading my system.

[Azza]

Hi

My current system consists of the following:

Paradigm Monitor 11v6 fronts
Paradigm CC290 Centre
Speakercraft AIM 8 (Two) In Ceiling Rears (sitting right above where i sit)
Denon AVR 3808A Receiver
Velodyne CHT-10R Subwoofer

Should I upgrade the receiver to a much newer feature rich one or keep this and say upgrade the centre speaker and go to two subwoofers?

The Denon 3808 is a great Japanese made receiver however is 11 years old.

Cheers

Azza

 

[PENG]

Hi

My current system consists of the following:

Paradigm Monitor 11v6 fronts
Paradigm CC290 Centre
Speakercraft AIM 8 (Two) In Ceiling Rears (sitting right above where i sit)
Denon AVR 3808A Receiver
Velodyne CHT-10R Subwoofer

Should I upgrade the receiver to a much newer feature rich one or keep this and say upgrade the centre speaker and go to two subwoofers?

The Denon 3808 is a great Japanese made receiver however is 11 years old.

Cheers

Azza

Short answer, obviously if there are new features that you want to have, then yes. If not, upgrading the speakers will definitely help improve overall sound quality. A second sub may or may not make much difference depending on your room dimensions and whether you prefer the bass to be just "right", or boosted, and your spl requirement. Keep in mind THX standard is 85 dB average, 105 dB peak.

 

[Pogre]

The 3808 is indeed a very nice receiver. If it does everything you want still, keep it. If you're planning to modernize a little and want the newer features then you'll want to upgrade. I think for any sonic improvements 2 subs and new speakers are definitely the way to go.

 

[snakeeyes]

Probably time to consider a pair of larger ported subs from HSU or Monolith or SVS or Rythmik to take your movie viewing to the next level. Dimensions of the room would be needed to narrow that down to models.

As far as the front 3 speakers, listen to as many as possible. With new subs, bookshelves will work instead of towers.

I think the Denon won’t need replacing until you go to 4K TV. Try to wait a few more years but budget for replacing it in a few years from now.

Good luck!

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Hi

My current system consists of the following:

Paradigm Monitor 11v6 fronts
Paradigm CC290 Centre
Speakercraft AIM 8 (Two) In Ceiling Rears (sitting right above where i sit)
Denon AVR 3808A Receiver
Velodyne CHT-10R Subwoofer

Should I upgrade the receiver to a much newer feature rich one or keep this and say upgrade the centre speaker and go to two subwoofers?

The Denon 3808 is a great Japanese made receiver however is 11 years old.

Cheers

Azza

Well like the other said...it depends.

How much do you want to spend? The 3808 is a great AVR, but for modern listening habits, it’s ship has sailed. 4K, streaming, Dolby Atmos and DTS-X etc are all new norms.
Speaking only to what I would do(you can decide if it makes sense for you), I would use the 3808 in a second system, like my bedroom, and maybe bring the monitors and Velo in there too.

How big is the whole space? I agree that a couple new subs would be in order, but that’s on principle lol. Are you satisfied with the performance of the speakers? If so, get an AVR that can do Atmos, install a pair of front height speakers and use the current IC speaker craft speakers as rear tops(although directly above you would be way too far close than the 45° rear placement) then maybe move the monitors back to surround duty, and get a new pair of towers for the front.
Sorry, I’m a little bit all over the place. No coffee yet...

 

[Azza]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I'll digest them all after I wake up properly

 

[lovinthehd]

You don't mention what new features you want, you going 4K or want to try Atmos soundtracks or ? If simply sound quality not a reason to change avr. Speakers and subs maybe, or even their location (I wouldn't want speakers in the ceiling except for Atmos and those may not be in a good spot for Atmos even if you go that way). Or other room treatment.

The 3808 I like, but what does the A stand for? When I searched I got a link to Denon UK, is that where you are? I bought a 3808 used from a member here a couple years ago, it's in my workshop system....just wish it had XT32 instead of XT, but in the workshop that really doesn't matter anyways . One of the more powerful amp sections Denon put in an avr, too. It's only slightly different in capability between my avrs in my living room/bedroom setups, mostly the 3D thing I use in both.