Living Room Setup Questions

S

sega411

Audiophyte
Hello fellow Audioholics,

I need some community input on my situation.

Current Components:
PS5: used for gaming/Blu-Rays/Netflix/YouTube TV/Spotify
Old Sony Blu-Ray player: used as a CD player/transport
Turntable through a Schiit Mani
4k TV (older model - I'm assuming only 4k/30)
Cambridge CXA61
2 Klipsch bookshelves (older 41s maybe?)

System Usage:
Every day: PS5 for TV
A lot: Turntable. PS5 for streaming movies and playing Blu-Rays.
Once in a while: CDs

Constraints:
Subwoofer: very size constrained here. PB-1000 Pro is pushing it. SVS 3000 Micro is the obvious choice here. I do not need room-shaking output. I know I need a subwoofer because I am going to be constrained to bookshelf speakers.
Speakers: size constrained to bookshelves with width <9" - KEF R3/LS50 Meta/etc. There's a million of these.
Receiver/Amps: width <17"

Here is where the questions really begin. There are a lot of ways to proceed from here.

Thoughts:
- This is going to be a 2.1 (or maybe a 3.1) system in perpetuity. I have neither the space nor the inclination to up this to even 5.1, let alone 9.2.4. This is a living room setup in an open floor plan. There's just no way.
- Is getting a new AVR worth going up to 3.1? Minimum entry for a HDCP 2.3 AVR worth its weight seems to be >$1,000 (looking at Denon X3700 - can be had for $1,199 at accessories4less). I get that the center channel does a lot of the heavy lifting, just not sure. Also - I don't even have a TV that could support 4k/120, so this would be kind of a waste right now.
- I want real bass management. This would be a good reason to get an AVR. The CXA61 only has a subwoofer out to pair with a sub's low pass filter.
- I'm not going to use a Phono input on an AVR. The Mani is better and allows possibility for MC later.

Option 1 (future-proof [for now]): with this, I get what the PS5 can really do while allowing for future upgrades without re-doing a lot of work. Also the most expensive option.
Additions:
Denon X3700 or something like this. Possibility to pre-amp out to additional power amp, if ever needed. Also allows me to buy a 4k/120 TV in the future while running 3.1
SVS 3000 Micro
2 or 3 speakers

Subtractions:
CXA61

Option 2 (separates): I use a miniDSP for bass management/EQ and as a pre-amp. This renders the CXA61 useless. I buy a separate power amp. This lowers ease of use. My wife already complains about the CXA61 remote, and the miniDSP would be a huge downgrade, remote-wise. With this, I only get 2.1 audio through the optical from the TV (what I'm doing currently).
Additions:
MiniDSP 2x4
Power amp
SVS 3000 Micro
2 speakers

Subtractions:
CXA61

Questions:
- Is there a DAC/preamp/amp situation with a remote for source switching and volume control (without breaking the bank) that could be better than the miniDSP?
- Is going to 3.1 from 2.1 going to be such a huge jump that I absolutely have to do this?
- Is buying an AVR going to throw me into the upgrade-itis treadmill? With HDMI standards constantly updating, will the X3700 be obsolete?

Thank you all in advance for your input. I tried to be as thorough as possible on the front-end to eliminate a ton of back and forth in the replies.

sega
 

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