Opinions on current audio

[Brisco]

Well, thought I should put my first post here. Sorry in advance if this has been covered before(did search a little).

Finally upgrading, replacing my 6 or 7 year old RCA 60" DLP rear projection. Panasonic TC-P54VT25 should be here soon, Pana 3d Blu-ray coming as well(package deal).

My question is mainly regarding my receiver. I currently have a Yamaha 5740 with JBL speakers[small, same size],with a powered sub woofer.

What will a receiver upgrade do for me besides giving me HDMI ports?

How soon should I be thinking about new speakers?

The TV and Blu-ray will be linked with Viera link, do I have to stay with a panasonic receiver to use the same remote, to control all three? (or just get a universal?)

What else should I expect?, little late to the party

Mods-- please move this if not in the correct forum

Thank You

 

[its phillip]

I don't know what the Yamaha 5740 has and I'm too lazy to look it up, but if it's older than a couple years, a new reciever will give you:
* hd audio support (dts-hd ma, dolby truehd, etc)
* room correction things like audyssey, YPAO, MCACC depending on the receiver you get
* modern connections
* video processing and upscaling (depending on the receiver)
* potentially more power depending on the specs of your old receiver
* other things i'm missing

You should think about new speakers if your current ones are lacking

 

[BMXTRIX]

HD audio and HDMI 1.4 are the big upgrades with a lot of new receivers.

You should turn OFF any HDMI CEC control (Viera link or whatever Panny calls it!) and get a decent universal remote.

Go to get a disc out of your player when the TV is off? Turns the TV ON for you!

It's not at all consumer friendly, and then you have your cable box which doesn't play nicely and suddenly it doesn't work right at all.

A good universal remote should be owned by EVERYONE who has even a basic system in their home. My in-laws are completely confused by their TV, cable, and DVD/VCR system... How do you think your in-laws (or family) feels about a receiver, TV, surround system, and multiple new components? How would they feel if things started turning on, possibly improperly, when they went to put a disc in, or did NOT turn on when they just want to watch cable TV?

Yeah, a good universal remote fixes these issues.

Speakers and subwoofer upgrades are huge things. But, get good ones. A good set of speakers is something you won't really want, or NEED to change or upgrade for years - decades even. So, instead of a mediocre upgrade, just use what you have then save up and get some speakers that are worth owning for 20+ years.

I remember switching out my cheap HTiB speakers with my Def Tech BP30 speakers... I did not switch out the HTiB receiver, just the speakers, and the difference in audio quality was phenomenal.

 

[Pyrrho]

If you have plenty of money, go ahead and buy a new receiver. Yamaha is still a good choice, and for a good unit you should be looking at about $500 or so street price.

But, before you spend your money on that, if you don't need the HDMI inputs on the receiver due to having enough on your TV, and if you don't have enough money to buy a new receiver and new speakers, I would be looking at new speakers instead. True, you won't have the new audio formats (unless your new BD [Blu-ray] player has multichannel analog outputs, in which case you can have the new audio without a receiver upgrade, though that will be less convenient than having a new receiver), but your speakers will affect the sound quality more than anything you could possibly do with a new receiver. With speakers, save your money up and buy the best you can afford. You don't have to replace speakers for new features, and so they are a great investment in the future of your system (if you buy ones that are good enough that you will not feel a need to upgrade them) for that reason as well as the fact that they matter more for the sound than anything else.

As for a universal remote, many people regard them as a necessity (see someone else's post above), but I personally do not, and do not use one with my surround system, as I have wanted my money to go into picture and sound, not convenience. But you should decide for yourself how you feel about such matters, and buy accordingly.

 

[Brisco]

Thanks for the info guys. The Yamaha 5740 is 6-7 years old. No HDMI, two optical in. I think I will wait a few months on the receiver. I will order a universal remote, good point on the cable box (FIOS) and the wife being able to use the system. I think I will keep the sub woofer and rear speakers, and look to replace the front and center speakers as soon as I can.

Keeping the current receiver, will the optical input get me close? or should I say respectable.

I will start my research on new speakers, suggestions welcome, but I will check forums, reviews etc.

Once again, a very sincere Thank You, it has been quite a while since I purchased any new home AV equipment.

 

[yepimonfire]

IMO, HDMI on a receiver is not a good enough reason by itself to buy a whole new receiver, DD at 640kbps and DTS at whatever super high bitrate it is, is transparent. the only thing i see as a benefit from the HD codecs is the ability to carry 7.1, but then again the titles using 7.1 are pretty limited and not alot of people use 7.1. other reasons to get a new receiver is new DSP's such as PLIIz, which gives you height channels, but still, IMO, not good enough by itself to buy a new receiver. will the optical inputs get you close? close to what? I'm guessing you are referring to sound quality, yes, optical will sound perfect. i agree with the others who said look to upgrading your speakers, this is the biggest factor in your sound quality.