In Wall Setup help

[mvcommercial]

I am currently running a 5.1 setup in my family room.

this consists of :
-Front R/L Paradigm in-wall CI Home LCR
-Center - Paradigm in-wall CI Home LCR
-Rear- Paradigm CI Home H65-iw
-Subwoofer - Paradigm PDR-12.
-AVR - Pioneer VSX-830K

I am looking to upgrade to:

Subwoofer
SVS PB-2000 or SB-2000
JL audio E-110

AVR
Marrantz SR-6010
Denon AVR-X4200W

My Question is which Subwoofer would you recommend? and is will i notice a sound quality difference if I upgrade my AVR to the above mentioned.

Thanks

 

[XEagleDriver]

Subwoofer:
IMHO any of the three subs you listed should provide a noticeable improvement over the PDR-12 (only 110W RMS).

However, size of room (cu. ft.) and intended primary use (movies vs. music) are important factors in a sub decision.
- You have a ported sub now, that may indicate the PB-2000 is a more appropriate choice for your room; the other two (SB-2000 and JL Audio) are sealed subs.
- Based on MSRP, you can buy two PB-2000s for the price of one JL Audio E-110.

AVR:
You will probably will not notice an improvement in SQ from a receiver change.

The main reason to change an AVR is to get access to newer codecs (ATMOS, 4k, UHD, etc.), better room correction software, or an improved user interface (BT, WIFI, etc).
- The Denon and Marantz provide an increase in power at 125W/ch (8 ohm, 2 channels) and 110W/ch (8 ohm, 2 channels) respectively vs. the Pioneer's 80W (8 ohm, 2 channels)--but neither increase is large enough to be noticeable (normally it takes about a doubling of power to get much noticeable improvement in SQ).
- The Denon or Marantz both use Audyssey instead of MCACC for room correction; you can find arguments in favor of both systems, although Audyssey is more common. I have not used MCACC, but do prefer Audyssey over YPAO (Yamaha's RC software).

So in short, spend your upgrade money on better/more subs unless there is a codec/RC/user interface issue you need to solve.

Cheers,
XEagleDriver

 

[mvcommercial]

Thanks for the info.
My room size is 12x17x9' high = 1900 cubic feet. it is not a dedicated theater room. so it is open to the hallway and kitchen. it is primarily used for day to day tv shows, movies and some music.

The local audio shop. advised me that stepping up to sr6010 or x4200w or even elite sc-91 will give me a noticeable clarity/crispness/warmth to the sound. because of the quality of the DAC's built in. That is why i was inquiring about AVR upgrade.

but I see your point spend the money on the Sub/s.

Thanks
again.

 

[XEagleDriver]

MV,
The local audio shop is correct that the Denon DAC is a bit better (pun intended) than the Pioneers (32 bit vs. 24 bit). However, given the room you describe with an in-wall speaker set up, the likelihood of a perceptible improvement in the sound quality is very low. Much bigger factors are at play: speaker capability, room acoustics, applied room correction . . .

Your system is excellent for your purposes, but is not one where a slight improvement in DACs will result in a noticeably better sound. I believe the audio shop's advice is wishful thinking, more oriented to a sale than an audio improvement.
- Before spending that much cash, ask them to allow you an in-home demo on your system of the difference between the two DACs, 24 bit and 32 bit--my money is on no noticeable difference.

Cheers,
XEagleDriver