More confused than ever

[pickville]

I guess I'll start with my Humble and low budget system

Jvc 27 inch TV ( can't decide which LCD to buy and how big my wife will let me go )
Motorola DCT 6416III Cable recorder running just digital cable
Panasonic DVD-F87 DVD player
Sony CDP-CX 355 CD player
Sony PS-T15 turntable ( for my 300+ record collection )
PSB Image 7PT for my fronts
Athena C.5 for my center
Athena WS-100 for my rears
Athena S.5 for my presence sound
Athena PS-P6000 for my sub
Yamaha RX-V1400

I was looking to upgrade ( at least I thought it would be ) my Yamaha RX-V1400 to a Yamaha RX-Z1. I found one that is in great shape for $500 and went to pick it up. When I got there, he also has a Yamaha RX-Z9 for sale that I have got him down to $800. Of course, I was foaming at the mouth at that, ( even more so when I saw his Yamaha RX-Z11 ) but had to check with the BOSS before I could spend the extra money.

Before she would OK it, ( yes I'm Whipped, but I'm OK with it as she make more money than I do ) I needed to prove to her that it was worth it. So I jumped on the net and researched them and when I came across this site and read all the reviews, I became baffled as to weither it would be right for me or not.

So could I please get some feedback, get someone to ask me the right questions to help me try and figure out what I really want to do and where I would like to go with this and get any kind of help as I surely need some sort of direction now.

Thanks to any and all and I hope everyone has a great day

 

[tn001d]

Picksville

Welcome to the forum

The yahama receiver that you mentioned was a phenomenal receiver at its time. Its still a great receiver today, especially for the price that you mentioned. But honestly i wouldnt get it.

To buy any receiver today without HDMI inputs is a mistake. Especially since you getting a new TV soon. HDMI is the way of the future (present too) and to get something without it is a mistake.

You could always bypass the receiver with HDMI and go straight to the display. But you wouldnt be able to enjoy new surround sound formats that can only be delivered with HDMI.

For $800 you can get a great receiver with HDMI and all the newest features.

Then when you slowly start upgrading, your receiver will be able to handle your new sources.

There are some great online retailers that you can get great deals on.
Denon, Pioneer Elite, Marantz, Sony ES, Onkyo, and even Yamaha are good to look at (perhaps even in that order )

 

[jamie2112]

Denon and Marantz both have great receivers for 800 and under. The yamaha 663 seems to get great reviews as well....

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Yamaha RX-V1400 to a Yamaha RX-Z1. I found one that is in great shape for $500 and went to pick it up. When I got there, he also has a Yamaha RX-Z9 for sale that I have got him down to $800.

I would pay the extra $300 for the RX-Z9!!!

No question about it! Awesome power. Flagship Burr-Brown PCM1792, which is BETTER than the Z11 (which has PCM1796)!!!

The only drawback of the Z9 is the lack of DTS-MA/TrueHD/HDMI-1.3, but I could live without those. The $400 PS3 can Internally Decode DTS-MA/TrueHD and send to the Z9 via HDMI. No sweat.

Get the Z9!

 

[tn001d]

Z9 has no HDMI!

 

[pickville]

Picksville

Welcome to the forum

The yahama receiver that you mentioned was a phenomenal receiver at its time. Its still a great receiver today, especially for the price that you mentioned. But honestly i wouldnt get it.

To buy any receiver today without HDMI inputs is a mistake. Especially since you getting a new TV soon. HDMI is the way of the future (present too) and to get something without it is a mistake.

You could always bypass the receiver with HDMI and go straight to the display. But you wouldnt be able to enjoy new surround sound formats that can only be delivered with HDMI.

For $800 you can get a great receiver with HDMI and all the newest features.

Then when you slowly start upgrading, your receiver will be able to handle your new sources.

There are some great online retailers that you can get great deals on.
Denon, Pioneer Elite, Marantz, Sony ES, Onkyo, and even Yamaha are good to look at (perhaps even in that order )

What new surround sound formats would I be missing? And then would I be better to try and get a Yamaha RX-V1800, or if I'm really lucky a RX-V3800? ( depending on what the boss says )
As you may have guessed I like Yamaha receivers ( started with a HTR 5650, which I still have and use in the garage and basement ) so that is why I am sticking with them.
Back when I bought the RX-V1400, I tried Harman Kardon, Denon and Onkyo, and just liked the Yamaha better. I haven't tried anything else since. Should I maybe reconsider now?

 

[m5isa540]

I was a Yamaha guy until I switched to Denon about 6 weeks ago. Don't know what it took me so long. As for HDMI.... don't even think about spending money on a receiver that doesn't have it. There are lots of tempting deals out there on used amps and receivers that don't have HDMI. I had to walk away from an awesome deal on a B&K AVR505 because it didn't have HDMI. Lots of audiophiles are dumping their old stuff for newer with HDMI equipment. HDMI is the future. Don't be tempted by older non HDMI systems. You will regret it if you do.....

 

[itschris]

What new surround sound formats would I be missing?

Primarily with blu-ray playback. The lossless surround audio formats: Dolby Tru HD and DTS Master Audio.

Take a look at some online retailers like www.soundpros.com for under $800 you can a great Pioneer Elite receiver with HDMI and full decoding of the new formats. I can tell you from first hand experience (I own an Elite 94) that it does a incredible job of upscaling lower res sources...something that'll very important to you once you get your new 1080p display.

 

[Pyrrho]

What new surround sound formats would I be missing? And then would I be better to try and get a Yamaha RX-V1800, or if I'm really lucky a RX-V3800? ( depending on what the boss says )
As you may have guessed I like Yamaha receivers ( started with a HTR 5650, which I still have and use in the garage and basement ) so that is why I am sticking with them.
Back when I bought the RX-V1400, I tried Harman Kardon, Denon and Onkyo, and just liked the Yamaha better. I haven't tried anything else since. Should I maybe reconsider now?

Either of those Yamaha receivers (RX-V1800 or RX-V3800) would be fine. If you wanted to save some money, you could go with a lessor Yamaha, like the RX-V863 or RX-V663, depending upon what you want to be able to do with it. I suggest looking at Yamaha's web site and examining the features each of these have:

http://www.yamaha.com/yec/avreceivers/rxv_rxz.html?CTID=5000300

You could switch brands, if you wanted, but there is no need to do so. If you were going to switch brands, I would recommend looking at Denon and Pioneer, but I personally would probably just stick with Yamaha.

As itschris says, the new audio formats are associated with Blu-Ray.

For an LCD HDTV that is inexpensive and still good, I recommend looking at Toshiba. I would get at least a 42" for a good home theater experience. I think that size is usually about the best value, at the moment. (For reference, the closest in height to a 27" 4:3 TV would be a 32" 16:9 TV, which would be slightly less tall, though obviously much wider. You don't want to go smaller in height than you already have.)

 

[Davemcc]

I guess I'll start with my Humble and low budget system

I'm seeing your system in a bit of a different way. In audio terms, you seem to have some fine quality components. But it seems that video technology has passed you by and that's where I'd suggest you upgrade, rather than the receiver.

Get the best display in your budget right now, along with a decent Blu-Ray player or PS3. Run HDMI from the player to the display and use digital audio to your existing receiver for the time being. This will give you the biggest bang for the buck improvement in the overall system.

Following that, I'd upgrade the center, sub, then surrounds in that order. Then finally the receiver last of all to a decent HDMI receiver. It's not imperative to replace your good quality existing receiver just for the sake of HDMI, especially if it means that you might have to sacrifice the quality of the display to do so. Concentrate on good video for now since you already have the audio covered. These are just my thoughts on the issue.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Z9 has no HDMI!

Oh, sorry, my bad!

I cannot believe that it is THAT old?

No HDMI, huh? That is old.

 

[mouettus]

First thing first! You should spend your money on a new tv instead.

Let's put it this way: you can live with DD/DTS on a 52" but you can't live with TrueHD/DTS-MA on a 27"!!!

BTW, your speakers are good speakers. This ain't no "low budget". You got decent gear. You're really just missing a flat panel!

 

[pickville]

I was a Yamaha guy until I switched to Denon about 6 weeks ago. Don't know what it took me so long. As for HDMI.... don't even think about spending money on a receiver that doesn't have it. There are lots of tempting deals out there on used amps and receivers that don't have HDMI. I had to walk away from an awesome deal on a B&K AVR505 because it didn't have HDMI. Lots of audiophiles are dumping their old stuff for newer with HDMI equipment. HDMI is the future. Don't be tempted by older non HDMI systems. You will regret it if you do.....

May I ask what made you switch?

 

[pickville]

I'm seeing your system in a bit of a different way. In audio terms, you seem to have some fine quality components. But it seems that video technology has passed you by and that's where I'd suggest you upgrade, rather than the receiver.

Get the best display in your budget right now, along with a decent Blu-Ray player or PS3. Run HDMI from the player to the display and use digital audio to your existing receiver for the time being. This will give you the biggest bang for the buck improvement in the overall system.

Following that, I'd upgrade the center, sub, then surrounds in that order. Then finally the receiver last of all to a decent HDMI receiver. It's not imperative to replace your good quality existing receiver just for the sake of HDMI, especially if it means that you might have to sacrifice the quality of the display to do so. Concentrate on good video for now since you already have the audio covered. These are just my thoughts on the issue.

Thanks for helping me look at this from a different point of view. Sound is very important to me and I tried to get some decent sounding equipment, at a reasonable price. But you are correct in that video has left me behind and maybe I should try and catch up. Once again, Thank You!

 

[pickville]

First thing first! You should spend your money on a new tv instead.

Let's put it this way: you can live with DD/DTS on a 52" but you can't live with TrueHD/DTS-MA on a 27"!!!

BTW, your speakers are good speakers. This ain't no "low budget". You got decent gear. You're really just missing a flat panel!

Thanks for helping me see the light.
So I guess I should speak to my wife aka " The Boss " and tell her that I have changed my mind and instead of upgradeing my receiver, I want a new TV.
That should go over well I just wont let on that down the road, in the not so distant future I will be upgradeing everything else!

 

[m5isa540]

May I ask what made you switch?

I have been a Yamaha guy since I purchased my CR2020 back in 1977. Don't get me wrong, Yamaha makes good products. But the Yamaha 130w - 140w AVR RX-V systems don't really stand up to the more refined Denon 130w -140w AVR 3830/4308 systems. Yes, I know Denon is more expensive in this segment; but you get what you pay for.