Setup about 10 years old: worth upgrading with $400-500?

[Parasitic]

To start off, my current speakers are a pair of:

Infinity Reference, 2000.5 (www infinitysystems.com/home/products/product_detail.aspx?prod=REF2000.5BLK&CheckProduct=Y&Language=ENG&Country=US&Region=USA)

And some Boston CR7's.

I have all 4 hooked upto a 10 year-old 2-channel Technics reciever.

I've been considering replacing it all but I have no idea where to start. It just feels like it's kinda hard to get a good grasp of what to go with since speakers are often a matter of preference.

I've read that speaker technology has barely changed over the past decades, with the biggest difference being the fact that we now use more (7.1 setups, etc). How true is this?

Anyways, I'm completely lost on the whole subject. I'm more used to dealing with computer hardware where if something's old, it's likely to perform a bit worse than something new. This doesn't seem to be the case when it comes to speakers.

My main question: If I'm gonna be cheap'ish about upgrading ($400-500), is it worth doing at all? It's probably not a good comparison but my $220 M-Audio bx5a studio monitors have so much more clarity than my TV speakers. They're of course completely different types of speakers but that's kind of also where I get lost: I'm not sure how good budget speakers sound nowadays. What I have now has been in my room for ages. Listening to new ones at Best Buy hardly helps when the store is packed with all kinds of other noise.

I read that bookshelf speakers generally sound better than satellites. Size isn't a problem with me but having 4 bookshelf types doesn't seem to be common in 5.1 setups where the speakers are always satellites. Is it because of the simple fact that they're smaller and easier to setup?

I mostly do gaming while watching a film on a rare occasion.

Any help would be much appreciated and I can give more info if needed.

Thanks!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Infinity Reference, 2000.5...

If I'm gonna be cheap'ish about upgrading ($400-500), is it worth doing at all?

I say no, it will not be worth it unless your current speakers are defective.

 

[Adam]

You might get good results for $400-$500, depending on why you don't have the clarity that you want in your main system. It might be the speakers, the receiver, or the room acoustics.

Back in 2005, I upgraded my receiver to a newer one (a ~$450 Pioneer) that had auto calibration, which I'd never had before. It made a world of difference in my setup. The Pioneer sounded about the same as my older Yamaha without any EQ, but accounting for the room acoustics was a big improvement. You might want to consider getting one of the newer receivers with auto calibration in it to see if it helps. Buy from a place that will let you take it back if you don't like it, and you have no risk.

In 2007, I added an external amp. It made a big difference at loud listening levels, the levels at which my Pioneer couldn't supply the dynamic power needed to accurately reproduce the dynamics. At normal listening levels, it made no difference to me at all. Do you think that the clarity is good at lower listening levels, but not at higher ones? If so, your receiver might be underpowered for your needs.

As for bookshelf speakers all around, that's what I do. I use two pairs of the same speakers for front and back, paired with a center channel and a sub.

 

[zieglj01]

To answer your question and if you are not real serious - then
wait till your speakers get sick.

Sometimes a new receiver with a pair of bookshelf speakers,
will be an ear opener, and put that desire in you to do more.

Not well know in the U.S. > however, they do have a seller and
service center here. The bookshelf speakers perform at a higher
level to me, than the Infinity Reference, and Boston CR series.
They have a nice rich sound, with good resolution in the highs,
and mids - and good bass for the size. Mine looked brand new
and never used. They use to list for $825 a pair.
Acoustic Energy Aelite One
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Acoustic-Energy-AELITE-ONE-BLACK-ASH-pair-/280867070953?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item4164fb63e9

Then Denon 1612 refurbish receiver, is $199 at AC4L
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/DENAVR1612/DENON-AVR-1612-5.1-Channel-A/V-Home-Theater-Receiver/1.html

 

[Parasitic]

Back in 2005, I upgraded my receiver to a newer one (a ~$450 Pioneer) that had auto calibration, which I'd never had before. It made a world of difference in my setup. The Pioneer sounded about the same as my older Yamaha without any EQ, but accounting for the room acoustics was a big improvement. You might want to consider getting one of the newer receivers with auto calibration in it to see if it helps. Buy from a place that will let you take it back if you don't like it, and you have no risk.

In 2007, I added an external amp. It made a big difference at loud listening levels, the levels at which my Pioneer couldn't supply the dynamic power needed to accurately reproduce the dynamics. At normal listening levels, it made no difference to me at all. Do you think that the clarity is good at lower listening levels, but not at higher ones? If so, your receiver might be underpowered for your needs.

As for bookshelf speakers all around, that's what I do. I use two pairs of the same speakers for front and back, paired with a center channel and a sub.

I took a long time to look around at some things after making my post and I think a new receiver is what I need most. To start with the most obvious: I have both pairs of speakers hooked upto the receiver, which is an ancient Technics su-v76 with only 350w. I was just reading that doing something like this isn't really recommended.

So with receivers in mind, would it be ok to go with something a bit older, just to avoid spending hundreds more for features I'll never use (ipod dock/etcetc)? I've read various posts on other forums from people saying they've had good experiences with older ones. Do you really get what you pay for in terms of sound quality with new modern gear?

As for clarity, it seems good enough for now I guess. I loaded up a random ps3 game earlier and was paying more attention to the sound. Couldn't help but notice that one of the CR7's seemed louder. After removing the Infinity's from the setup, they seem balanced again. It was at about 4am though so I couldn't have the volume up very loud but I'll do another test when I wake up in a few hours.

I might head over to the pawn shop later today. If they happen to have a decent amount of 5.1 receivers for sale, is there anything specific I should look for when shopping for one?

 

[Adam]

I'm a huge fan of auto calibration, and I recommend it to people looking to get a new receiver.

To help compare prices, the Pioneer 1021 was regularly on sale for $300 brand new in the November-January timeframe, and that's a good unit. There have also been good sales on other brands, but I'm more familiar with Pioneer.

Buying used can be a great deal, but there are also some good new units out for not a lot of money.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Well, good auto room calibration could indeed make a world of difference, but lets not forget about crucial feature old technics receiver lacks - digital input and true multi-channel audio...

With newer receiver you'd be able to use for now at-least true 4.0 with properly calibrated setup it could sound significantly better multi-channel audio in games and movies which support it (dolby digital/dts)

You didn't mentioned what do you use to play games - I hope it's xbox360 or ps3

Other very important feature you should look for is to have multichannel pre-outs for all channel - it would allow you not to throw away your receiver if you decide to change your speakers to much more demanding - which would require additional amp to be included in the setup:

This one I recommend based on features/price/value:
MARANTZ SR5005 100w X 7ch 3-D Home Theater Surround Receiver | Accessories4less

 

[TLS Guy]

I took a long time to look around at some things after making my post and I think a new receiver is what I need most. To start with the most obvious: I have both pairs of speakers hooked upto the receiver, which is an ancient Technics su-v76 with only 350w. I was just reading that doing something like this isn't really recommended.

So with receivers in mind, would it be ok to go with something a bit older, just to avoid spending hundreds more for features I'll never use (ipod dock/etcetc)? I've read various posts on other forums from people saying they've had good experiences with older ones. Do you really get what you pay for in terms of sound quality with new modern gear?

As for clarity, it seems good enough for now I guess. I loaded up a random ps3 game earlier and was paying more attention to the sound. Couldn't help but notice that one of the CR7's seemed louder. After removing the Infinity's from the setup, they seem balanced again. It was at about 4am though so I couldn't have the volume up very loud but I'll do another test when I wake up in a few hours.

I might head over to the pawn shop later today. If they happen to have a decent amount of 5.1 receivers for sale, is there anything specific I should look for when shopping for one?

I think you are wrong going for the receiver. That Technics is a very good unit, and actually sought after. It is a class A amp and has much more capable power amps than modern receivers.

Your speakers on the other hand come after the sale of Infinity and a very bad period.

You need to concentrate on a speaker upgrade, but save for some more cash.

To really improve the situation the budget needs to be higher.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I think you are wrong going for the receiver. That Technics is a very good unit, and actually sought after. It is a class A amp and has much more capable power amps than modern receivers.

Your speakers on the other hand come after the sale of Infinity and a very bad period.

You need to concentrate on a speaker upgrade, but save for some more cash.

To really improve the situation the budget needs to be higher.

I assumed OP's speakers would be at least ok, but I know nothing about how they sound like.... Sometimes good stereo is better than crappy 5.1

To start make educated next step - OP need to go out and listen to his favorite tracks on significantly better speakers and see what he was or was not missing

 

[Parasitic]

I think you are wrong going for the receiver. That Technics is a very good unit, and actually sought after. It is a class A amp and has much more capable power amps than modern receivers.

Your speakers on the other hand come after the sale of Infinity and a very bad period.

You need to concentrate on a speaker upgrade, but save for some more cash.

To really improve the situation the budget needs to be higher.

Shouldn't I go with a new receiver for a 5.1 setup though? This Technics model is only 350w.

I've definitely considered replacing the Infinity's. They're both a bit beat up. After doing some very careful listening, I can't help but notice the right one's higher ends seem to have died down very slightly. The domes on both of the woofers are pushed in due to kids poking. Making sure that won't happen on a new pair.

I'm still debating how much I really wanna spend. My PC audio is a lot more important to me than the TV audio. Music production is a big hobby of mine so I'm always willing to spend more for my PC (currently using studio monitors).

For a home theater setup, I'm definitely not picky at all. I'd probably even say I have low standards compared to people more knowledgeable on the subject but I still like at least some quality. I'm hoping to get at least a proper 5.1 setup. I disconnected the Infinity's for now and I already miss having 4 speakers. I didn't get to go to the pawn shop today (closed) but I'll probably head over tomorrow.

Is it generally ok to go with a used pair?

 

[Parasitic]

Then Denon 1612 refurbish receiver, is $199 at AC4L

So is this receiver a somewhat solid pick for its price? I'm really considering going with this one or the 1712, which is about $50 more.

 

[zieglj01]

So is this receiver a somewhat solid pick for its price? I'm really considering going with this one or the 1712, which is about $50 more.

Either one will be solid - Denon is one of the more efficient receivers,
in the surround mode. Your choice and good luck.

 

[CaliMon]

I'm new here. So take this with a grain of salt. But I've bought lots of stuff on Audiogon used and always had very good results. You'll spend about 35-60 cents on the dollar compared to new. But most of the gear is fairly high end, so fitting your budget might be tough.

 

[jonnythan]

Spend the extra money for the 1712.

 

[Parasitic]

Spend the extra money for the 1712.

Definitely will.

Was hoping I could go get it at a Best Buy but unless it's an open box item, I'd save way more money gettin it from that website.

 

[jonnythan]

I literally just had the 1712 delivered today from AC4L.

 

[Parasitic]

Sorry to revive an extremely old thread, but I had a question about the receiver...

First off, it was delivered some time ago. I gotta say I'm pretty impressed with some of the things it can do. Being able to adjust the volume on each individual speaker is awesome - it really made my surround speakers stand out a lot more. I've heard some good things about the Audyssey feature but unfortunately I won't be using it. My room is horribly setup to have a proper speaker arrangement.

Anyways, I'm trying to get my Logitech z-2300 sub hooked up to it. I believe it's a powered sub. It has a remote wired to it which has a volume and bass knob on it. The connection is a 3.5mm. I hooked that up to a 3.5mm female to 3.5mm female adapter, and hooked up a 3.5mm to RCA connection on the other end to go into the receiver's pre out but it's not recognizing it.

Is there something I'm doing wrong or should I be using a different type of connection/adapter?

Thanks!

 

[Parasitic]

aha! I got some sound out of it! I think it was simply because I had the sub volume way too low, it has to be extra high for some reason.

I guess I could've went with the $2 cable on Amazon instead of spending $10 on what I got.

I'll have to mess with this bit more tomorrow - it's 3am at the moment so this is definitely no time to be adjusting bass volume. Should I actually get a specific connector/adapter for doing this, or is it all pretty much the same as long as the sub's connected to the receiver?

EDIT: I guess it's because I've been using old receiver tech for ages but damn, being able to adjust the crossover frequencies is amazing!

 

[jonnythan]

Why are you not using Audyssey? You should be using Audyssey. At least try it out.

And I'm not sure that sub is really worth hooking up.

 

[Parasitic]

Why are you not using Audyssey? You should be using Audyssey. At least try it out.

And I'm not sure that sub is really worth hooking up.

Well I guess I can try the setup again. I just need something to place the mic on at the center of the room. The worst part about my arrangement is that one of my surround speakers is on a dresser while the other is placed on a much lower level, sitting on the sub. Also, does Audyssey do anything that you normally couldn't do in the menus?

As for the sub, I've read plenty of times that it's a pretty bad one but at the same time, the sound feels a bit lacking without any real bass.