Looking to make a move!

[ECLIPSEONYA]

So I currently have this:
RX-V2300
1 PR PARADIGM TITAN V.2
1 PR JBL HLS810
1 PARADIGM CC170 V.3
1 PARADIGM PDR10 V.3
SONY PS3
HITACHI 51" REAR PROJECTION NO-HDMI 3 COMPONENT IN AND DVI

So i want to upgrade my system and am looking to move into the HDMI realm with the reciever to enjoy lossless audio. I realize speakers are the most important and my set-up is my first. The wikfe wants me to keep a budget of under 1500. What would you do? A receiver, Mains and matching center and put to use the current sub and surround for the time being? ANy help and advice on equipment is appreciated.

 

[ECLIPSEONYA]

I realize its my first post but does anyone have some ideas? I saw the Yammy 1800 for 768 and the 805 for 630. These seem to be a great bargain. Any thoughts? I realize my current speaker set-up is dated and want to improve it for an eventual dedicated home theater room with a projector but am going step by step to avoid confrontation (WAF). I've read alot of posts and think I wan to go with axioms but pricing is an issue I want th m60's but could settle on some M-50s or even the M-22's pairing one of these with th VP-150.

 

[MDS]

I don't see anyting really wrong with your speaker setup and moving to Axioms will be different but may or may not be 'better'. That all depends on your own perceptions of sound quality and everyone here will tell you to go out and audition as many as you can.

If the goal is simply to move to using HDMI connections for everything then look at newer receivers with HDMI processing (and don't bother with one that is 'pass thru' - you want 'repeating'). A new receiver may make things more flexible and convenient but is not going to be a huge 'wow' type of upgrade. A speaker upgrade will do more for the sound than anything else but IMO it is the most difficult part because there are so many choices and your ears will get used to whatever you buy anyway.

 

[ECLIPSEONYA]

So basically all I would be getting with a pass-thru is the ability to hook-up via HDMI and if I am going to pull the trigger on a receiver I should look at something that does some sort of scaling? If so, what would you suggest?

 

[MDS]

Pass-thru means that the receiver can take the HDMI signal that is input and pass it from the input to the output. It does not strip out the audio portion of the HDMI signal so that it can process it. A repeater architecture means that it can strip out the audio portion and process it and that is what you want so you don't need a separate audio connection. Using a pass-thru receiver with a separate audio connection kind of defeats the whole purpose of the HDMI one cable benefit.

Scaling is a different story. Scaling is converting the video portion of the signal from one resolution to another, something your TV is going to do anyway. Scaling in a receiver can be useful if you have a lot of legacy devices, like a VCR, but only if the receiver does a better job than the TV.

I personally don't answer the 'which receiver should I buy' threads. They are all very similar and it comes down to personal preference and brand loyalty with slightly different features available at different price points from brand to brand. However, I have always liked Onkyo.

 

[ECLIPSEONYA]

Thanks for the clarification on repeating and pass-through. I think I 'm going to pull the trigger on the Onkyo. I like the feature but I've read they tend to get a little hot. Any ideas on what I could sell my RX-V2300 for?

 

[jcPanny]

HT Upgrades

Some used studio 20's and matching center would be a huge speaker upgrade with the titans as surrounds. You can get a receiver with the latest HDMI features in the $500 price range like the Yamaha RX-V663. Video scaling is a non-feature with your current non HDMI display and an HD source (which you plan to use) will not require scaling.

 

[AVRat]

I'll second the 605/663 recos. As MDS mentioned there's nothing wrong with the speakers EXCEPT the sub. Instead, put the money you save toward an SVS PB10/12-NSD or AV123 MFW-15.

 

[Pyrrho]

Forget HDMI, and get a great subwoofer instead. You will hear an improvement with every source that has bass, not just new audio formats. I personally would go with an SVS PC-Ultra, but there are other good choices.

If you must have HDMI, the Yamaha RX-V663 is tough to beat for price-to-performance ratio, and that would leave you with enough to buy a decent subwoofer (but sadly, not the SVS PC-Ultra).