Is a good receiver really that important? Will I be able to hear a difference?

[Mancave]

This is purely for home theater purposesd.

I don't care about specs on a receiver if I cannot tell the difference with my ears. Will a good receiver help me do that? It's like getting caught up in computer benchmarks and not being able to see the difference with the eye.


My current receiver was cheap and free and I'm thankful but I have (Yamaha HTR-5930):


HTR-5930 - HTR - AV Receivers - Audio & Visual - Products - Yamaha United States Came with a htib.


What could I get that I'd really be able to hear a difference? Maybe one that is not HDMI I could find on Craigslist, say $200 or less, if someone could help recommend one.


I have Polk Tsi300 and CS20 speakers. I'm getting the feeling I'm missing something. Just doesn't sound as crisp as I'd like. Maybe the source (hdtv), but maybe not. Room acoustics or whatever. I mean they sound good. I'm just thinking I might get a big boost in quality if I get a new receiver. Thoughts welcome.


Thanks for help.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

This is purely for home theater purposesd.

I don't care about specs on a receiver if I cannot tell the difference with my ears. Will a good receiver help me do that? It's like getting caught up in computer benchmarks and not being able to see the difference with the eye.


My current receiver was cheap and free and I'm thankful but I have (Yamaha HTR-5930):


HTR-5930 - HTR - AV Receivers - Audio & Visual - Products - Yamaha United States Came with a htib.


What could I get that I'd really be able to hear a difference? Maybe one that is not HDMI I could find on Craigslist, say $200 or less, if someone could help recommend one.


I have Polk Tsi300 and CS20 speakers. I'm getting the feeling I'm missing something. Just doesn't sound as crisp as I'd like. Maybe the source (hdtv), but maybe not. Room acoustics or whatever. I mean they sound good. I'm just thinking I might get a big boost in quality if I get a new receiver. Thoughts welcome.


Thanks for help.

In direct mode, bypassing any EQ/ DSP, you won't notice any significant audible differences.

The biggest difference will always be the speakers.

 

[Mancave]

So what do new receivers do more than old ones other than have more inputs or hdmi? btw, thanks. I didn't know what direct mode was. I never used it.

 

[Bd8653]

Improvements are made generally. I agree you are most
likely to hear a difference by upgrading your speakers, which is what I did. I went from polk LSIs to niles audio, and it took mixing the speakers for me to really hear the improvement. when I did a/b I couldn't really put my finger on the difference , but once I did the fronts niles and center LSI it was immediately clear the difference.

 

[Mancave]

I'll just stick to what I have then. Only think I can think of is that I can control the speakers individiually, set crossover, etc. with a more advanced receiver. I can adjust sml, lrg, etc, for speakers though. I'm only missing HDMI.

Do you think I would get a better video picture if I went from component to hdmi?

 

[mjcmt]

My current receiver was cheap and free and I'm thankful but I have (Yamaha HTR-5930):
What could I get that I'd really be able to hear a difference? Maybe one that is not HDMI I could find on Craigslist, say $200 or less, if someone could help recommend one.
I mean they sound good. I'm just thinking I might get a big boost in quality if I get a new receiver.

You can potentially notice a difference if you choose wisely. I noticed a difference in a big way replacing a Yamaha rxv659 (100x7) with a Yamaha htr5090 (120x7), both from '06. The 5990 was the totl HTR-series avr at the time (same as rxv1600) and the 659 was a middle of the road avr from the same year.

The 5990 has a much larger transformer, a more robust power supply, and weighs a full 10 lbs more than the 659. Though the wattage is only 20 wpc more, it is not necessarily louder, just more authority in its presentation. Also more dynamic, robust and shall I say more powerful sounding, with better bass. It has a bigger and more discernible soundstage and easier to place the location of what is going on in a movie or recording. The YAPO and EQ are also more refined with more options. The 5990 was their totl HTR-series avr when released and it shows in chassis build quality, refinement of features, plus it is THX certified. So yes to sounding better if you choose wisely.

BTW I only use hdmi from my 1080p up-converting dvd player to the tv for better picture, but use coaxial digital out to the avr for surround processing, and I'm using it in a 5.0 system with front speakers handling the bass so as not to disturb neighbors in our row of townhomes.

 

[panteragstk]

Buying a new to you receiver without upgrading to HDMI would be mostly pointless. I say that just because you would have to get something at least 5 years old. Not that there aren't good receivers out there that would work perfectly for years to come, but spending $200 on a used receiver hoping to get a big leap in performance wouldn't be worth it IMHO. Now, if it had advanced room correction or something like that, and you got it cheap enough then it might be worth it. Maybe. As cheap as HDMI capable receivers are today, I'd just get one of those and be done. You still wouldn't hear that much difference in sound if you keep the same speakers, but HDMI does keep the cable monster at bay a bit easier.

As far as going from component to HDMI, the only place you'd have potential to notice a difference is sources that won't output 1080p via component. Other than that, they carry the same video signal (no debates need to be started here ) so it wouldn't be a big difference.

Speakers, calibration (Audyssey, YAPO, MCACC, SPL meter, correct distance and crossover settings) and room treatments will show more of an audible difference than a new receiver that is just "better" than what you have.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

So what do new receivers do more than old ones other than have more inputs or hdmi? btw, thanks. I didn't know what direct mode was. I never used it.

I have a Denon 3312, 5308, & AVP-A1HDCI. The audible difference is relatively insignificant given the same sound level, direct modes, source, power requirement, setup.

Unless your room is extremely large and you play extremely loud from a far distance and your speakers have very low sensitivity and very low impedance, I doubt you need more than 80wpc with most music, especially if you set your speakers to small and crossover at 80-120Hz with a subwoofer.

The biggest difference is FEATURES.

Doubling your power from 80 to 160wpc will give you a 3dB increase in volume. So I doubt going from 80 to 100 or 120 will do much, especially with your speakers.

 

[mjcmt]

I find there is a difference in the sound quality from cheap amps to good amps irrespective of the power rating. I think this is what "Mancave" is referring too in his original post.

 

[anamorphic96]

Newer receivers also offer room correction systems which can help quite a bit with improving the sound. Especially Audyssey MultEQ which EQ's the sub. This makes a big difference to my ears.

 

[Mancave]

I find there is a difference in the sound quality from cheap amps to good amps irrespective of the power rating. I think this is what "Mancave" is referring too in his original post.

This is what I meant.

 

[PENG]

I understand what you are saying especially if you are talking about from "cheap" to "good", though sometimes cheap can also be good. However, I can tell you that my 659 sounds very much the same as my 3805,4308, and my separates (the 4308 & the separates are more than 10 lbs heavier than the 659) at SPL that I can enjoy. It's not only just me but others in the room also had said at different time "no difference whatsoever" or something like that. Mind you, I do not consider the 659 a cheap amp/avr, it is probably entry level to mid range but that is just my subjective opinion. You are among those for some reasons can hear better soundstage, more authority....kind of things even without pushing the amps beyond their limit (I assume you didn't, sorry if I am wrong). Regardless, I understand we are all different, so as they say, YMMV. Just to be clear too, I can easily hear differences when I switch speakers, or even between the CD and SACD versions of the same albums, but not always, as it varies among discs.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I understand what you are saying especially if you are talking about from "cheap" to "good", though sometimes cheap can also be good. However, I can tell you that my 659 sounds very much the same as my 3805,4308, and my separates (the 4308 & the separates are more than 10 lbs heavier than the 659) at SPL that I can enjoy. It's not only just me but others in the room also had said at different time "no difference whatsoever" or something like that. Mind you, I do not consider the 659 a cheap amp/avr, it is probably entry level to mid range but that is just my subjective opinion. You are among those for some reasons can hear better soundstage, more authority....kind of things even without pushing the amps beyond their limit (I assume you didn't, sorry if I am wrong). Regardless, I understand we are all different, so as they say, YMMV. Just to be clear too, I can easily hear differences when I switch speakers, or even between the CD and SACD versions of the same albums, but not always, as it varies among discs.

Yeah, there is no significant difference in SQ when you level match, compare apples to apples, and remove bias.

 

[markw]

Don't confuse "inexpensive" to "cheap". They are not the same. You can get a pretty fine budget receiver nowadays, and have been able to do for quite some time..

As for power, as long as the amps are kept within their operational limits, differences between good receivers (and yours is a good one) are minimal. And, if you think you need more power, keep in mind that to make a barely audible differences on peak draw situations you need at least twice your current power.

Also, when you look at a manufacturer's lineup, you'll notice that as the price goes up the features increase while the power pretty much stays the same form several increments.

IF you think that newer is better, well, there are more features available nowadays like HDMI switching and sound, but that's not what you posted about, is it? You asked about amplifiers. Here's a hint: amplifier technology hasn't really changed that much in many years. There's been some advances bu the question would be "are they audible"? Well, my $$ is on not really unless you break te bank ad go for a much higher priced, much ore powerful unit.

Now, if you want a excuse for a new receiver, HDMI is all you need to say. As for sound, I'm still using a 10 year-old Denon and feed my blu-ray directly to my TV and run the sound to my analog inputs on the receiver so, sound and video wise, I'm right up there with the new stuff.