Looking for better sound. Should I upgrade receiver or buy DAC?

[scwatts01]

Hello! I am looking to upgrade my sound system. It is used mostly for music but I would like the ability to use it for video as well. I currently have a Yamaha V430 that is about 15 years old and I am considering replacing it with a newer one or buying a DAC. I have a limited budget of about $200 to spend on either a new DAC or a used receiver. All my music is coming from my computer if that makes a difference. I have also recently upgraded my speakers as well.

 

[lovinthehd]

What's wrong with the DAC in your receiver? Do you need other connectivity like hdmi/wifi for a new receiver? If you've already upgraded speakers and only have $200 I'd spend it on content myself as electronics aren't going to be worth it otherwise IMO. OTOH you don't necessarily have to go used, might look around at accessories4less.com.

 

[Rafy0126]

I updated my speakers and the placement of my surrounds, there is a big difference , now I'm looking for a new receiver, or amp and preamp.

 

[scwatts01]

hdmi/wifi would be nice but not necessary for me. I just thought there might have been some changes in technology in the built in DAC over the past 15 years which a new one might improve.

 

[lovinthehd]

hdmi/wifi would be nice but not necessary for me. I just thought there might have been some changes in technology in the built in DAC over the past 15 years which a new one might improve.

Doubtful, DACs have been pretty much been standardized for a long time now unless you have a particularly bad implementation....

 

[markw]

The biggest difference comes when you change speakers, as you have noticed. Everything else will pale in comparison to the change they made.

 

[tyhjaarpa]

What speakers do you have? How about sub?

 

[herbu]

I currently have a Yamaha V430 that is about 15 years old and I am considering replacing it with a newer one or buying a DAC.

To answer your specific question, I would go with a new receiver. However, don't be in a hurry. You're getting some good advice here. There may be other ways to spend your money that will make a bigger difference. Continue the discussion, and listen to what people here say.

 

[Latent]

If you were only listening to stereo then a dedicated DAC may be ok but if you notice a difference in sound from your AVR's DAC's it is probably not the better DAC but the voicing of the DAC that you would hear. If you had very high end and revealing main speakers then this may be money well spent.

A newer AVR will have a better DAC built in but this on its own will not be easy to notice and the sound in simple stereo direct mode should be very similar to your current AVR. The only major noticeable difference you might get from a newer AVR is room correction. Its a bit of personal taste though as some people prefer not to apply any DSP/EQ/Room_Correction and some prefer it for some content types. You could also spend your money on room treatments to improve your listening environment directly. If you want to look into AVR based room correction then you may find a second hand unit that has Audyssey MultEQ XT (ideally XT32 but second hand units with this are rare and expensive). Audyssey Dynamic EQ is also an interesting option that some people prefer as well as it makes the normal low- medium volume levels we normally use sound a bit better. Note that AVR based room correction normally does not operate on high resolution audio sources and often converts the sound down to 48khz so the DSP's have the performance to process it. The sound above 48khz is not audible but many people still think it some how matters anyway.

 

[rojo]

@scwatts01 Better sound comes from better speakers. If your sound is disappointing, upgrading your electronics won't change that. Did you upgrade your subwoofer? If not, see whether the Monoprice 9723 or the Dayton SUB-1500 would be an upgrade from what you have now. Both are within your budget. (measurements here)