This is a follow-up on my AVR replacement.
My old AVR, a B&K AVR507 had developed a case of terminal corrupted software-itis. All the circuit boards, power supply, and amplifier output sections seemed alright, but the software controlling everything had taken too many hits. It became unusable, and B&K no longer exists. It's now a heavy piece of junk.
I purchased a new Denon AVR-X4500H, and installed it the weekend after Thanksgiving. It works as promised, but I'm still learning what all it's capabilities are. I'm having fun exploring Internet Radio. The sound qualities of Internet Radio vs. local FM broadcast are similar.
The new AVR is hooked up to a BluRay player, an older non-ARC TV set, an old AR turntable plus phono preamp, and an FM antenna. The front left & right channel audio signals are sent from the AVR's preamp output jacks to an external 2-channel amp.
In the process of installing things, I used two new HDMI cables, an existing optical audio cable from the TV, an existing RCA interconnect pair from the phono preamp, another existing RCA pair to connect the AVR to the external amp, and the antenna cable that runs to an existing attic FM antenna. In addition, I used the AVR's Wifi rabbit ears to connect to my router, a short distance away in the next room.
I mention all this because during the installation I removed 9 different cables:
- Two 10' long very bulky Component video cables (sent 5.1 BluRay audio to old non-HDMI AVR)
- A 3' long HDMI cable (sent video from BR player to TV)
- One 6' long Coaxial digital cable (sent PCM digital audio from BR player to old AVR)
- An optical-to-coaxial converter box plus wall wart power supply (TV digital audio out was optical only)
- One short Composite video cable (to complete the connection of TV digital audio to coaxial input on AVR)
- One 6' long Composite video cable (don't ask)
- One 6' long S video cable (don't ask)
- something else that I can't remember
I didn't take a photo of this large & bulky pile of cable, but trust me, it was a big pile. That was the unforeseen benefit of finally getting an AVR fully capable of HDMI connections. I stuffed them into the box of old audio and video cables that I once needed.