A few months ago I started thinking about upgrading my 6 year old Denon AVR2805 to something with HDMI. That receiver is currently pushing a Monitor Audio Radius set up consisting of R270 fronts, a R180 center, R90 surrounds, and a R360 sub. I have a big room--appx 17' wide and 25' front to back. Because of the room layout, the tv is in the front half along the 25' wall. So there is half of room that is not in use when listening/watching.
As I started looking around, I became impressed with the NAD t775hd and t785hd receivers. I then noticed that for less than the price of the t785hd I could get a NAD t955 5 channel amp and a t175hd processor. I am impressed with the combination of features, the mdc design, and what I have read to be the more "musical" qualities of the NAD product over Denon, Marantz, Yamaha etc. Whether that is true may be debatable, but in the limited time I've spent comparison listening to a t747, a t775, and marantz and denon gear, I've felt the NAD gear sounded fuller and more detailed. My current system is used primarily for movies/tv (80%) but I still want the music to sound as good as possible.
One dealer thought the separates would not be noticeably different than the NAD receivers because of the limits of my speakers. Although I think he may have been trying to sell me the t775 he had in stock, it got me thinking about upgrading my speakers as well. I've been researching speakers and have found good deals on the discontinued MA RS8 and matching center/rears/sub. I've heard the new MA RX6 and RX8 and liked them.
So this is where you all come in. Does anyone have any thoughts on this particular equipment or other stuff I should consider? Any thoughts on separates vs. a receiver for my use? I would like to keep the budget around $5,000-$6,000.
