Replacing sony str-1200es

[Kalli]

Hey everyone, new here

Got myself a str1200es about 7 years ago and using it with teufel concept G series 7.1 system. It sounds absolutely fantastic in any movie in my opinion bit it's getting outdated. I'm missing digital audio decoding, hdmi audio and all networking/bluetooth. To replace I was thinking sony str-dn1060 or denon x2200w. I'm worried about the sound. Will they be as good? Must be at least same sound quality. Any suggestions in the same price class. Not too bothered about dtsx and atmos as I don't want to replace my speakers

 

[Dan Madden]

There are many here that think AVR's and amps sound basically the same. I big time disagree with that.

What is your budget ?

 

[Kalli]

Same here. I've heard expensive amps where I still prefer the one I have. I'm happy to go 2nd hand. Hoping to snatch something for 300 gbp or 350eur

 

[PENG]

There are many here that think AVR's and amps sound basically the same. I big time disagree with that.

What is your budget ?

I don't think that's totally true and as far as I know most here wouldn't make such general and unqualified statement. Typically they would qualify it with something like "well designed....", "in pure direct", "without any sound processing", "used well within limits" etc. etc... Everything else being equal, a $199 brand new AVR might sound a little different than a $999 AVR even used within their capabilities regardless.

 

[KEW]

Here are the biggest contributors to sound quality
Speakers
Room (includes speaker positioning in the room)
Source recording (quality of recording engineering is biggest factor)

Then much farther down the list, assuming the conditions mentioned by PENG are met, is difference in amplification.

Why do I believe this? I once went to lengths to do a proper comparison of two amps (a pro audio amp vs. a consumer audio amp) in the same room with two pairs of the same speakers. I fed the amps using 2 identical avr's so I could level match and quickly switch between them. I did about everything I could think of to make all things equal. When I switched between amps, I DID hear a clear difference and got pretty excited! However, to be thorough I switched speaker connections and found that the difference in sound was between the speakers, not the amps. Since these were Identical speakers, I investigated further and found it was the position of the speakers that made the difference I was hearing! I had the speakers sitting side by side with about 10" between the tweeters and that 10" difference in location had a greater audible effect than any other factor!

So, no offense, but based on my experience, I am inclined to believe if you have heard a clear difference between two amps, they were most likely with other (much more audible) factors changed, such as different rooms and/or different speakers... of course, they would sound very different!

Of course, the other big factor is psychology! If I sell my $500 Yamaha stereo amp and replace it with some lovely McIntosh mono-blocs with the big meters on the front, will I perceive a difference? Damn straight! We are human, and unless such a comparison is done blind, it is inhuman to be able to ignore the psychological factors.
One of my favorite analogies (assuming you are a typical heterosexual male) is there are two women who are identical in the way they kiss. One is your ideal image of beauty, the other is not very attractive to you. Would you perceive a difference if you kissed them both? Of course you would.
Which also leads to the question of whether or not you would actually realize greater enjoyment out of a different amp even if it did sound the same. I think the answer may well be yes. but if you are really looking for an improvement in sound, spending time tuning things in your room or switching speakers are your best bet.

 

[Kalli]

Brilliant!! Thanks so much for breaking it down. That makes perfect sense to me especially since the expensive amps I heard were in a different room. So you're saying if I only change the receiver there's little chance of sound improvement. Makes me Betty happy so I can go for features and looks then

 

[KEW]

Yes, as long as your speakers do not make unusual demands from your amplifier section, (which they must not if the Sony does fine). Any well designed mid-range AVR offering similar power level (to make sure you don't drop below the "operating within its limits" part) should sound the same.

 

[Mark of Cenla]

I agree that the amp/receiver usually makes the least impact on the overall sound. That is because most are well designed. This summer I have used a micro stereo receiver, two different stereo receivers, one integrated amp, and now a preamp/power amp combo in the rig in my signature. The difference in sound quality was subtle. Peace and goodwill.

 

[sterling shoote]

I upgraded my Sony TA-E9000ES Pre/Pro, which is over16 years old, with an Apple AirPort Express. I also installed a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD external sound card. With these additions my pre/pro is pretty much up to date digitally and I now have effectively integrated my computer audio into my home theatre audio/video system. So, if you are still satisfied with your receiver you might want to keep it and do something like I did and add the AirPort Express for AirPlay of iTunes from computer to receiver, using the Airport Express's 16/44.1 DAC or S/PDIF output, or if you just want USB to S/PDIF you could look into an X-Fi HD. There are also HDMI to RCA converters out there today which will allow you to accommodate components that just have HDMI multi-channel output.