To upgrade receiver or not

[ahblaza]

Hey guys,
I have a legacy Onkyo TX-SR702, which I've had real good performance from, it does not have HDMI. I have a BD player with HDMI directly input to my Panny and digital optical to my receiver. I'm considering the Onkyo 707 for the HDMI compatibility and lossless audio codecs. My question is with the new receiver with HDMI is there a significant difference in the audio from what I'm using now(optical), I realize the optical cable has limited bandwith compared to HDMI, but is there enough difference in your opinions to warrant the upgrade to the 707? Thanks in advance for your replies.
Best regards, Jeff

 

[ahblaza]

Hey guys,
I have a legacy Onkyo TX-SR702, which I've had real good performance from, it does not have HDMI. I have a BD player with HDMI directly input to my Panny and digital optical to my receiver. I'm considering the Onkyo 707 for the HDMI compatibility and lossless audio codecs. My question is with the new receiver with HDMI is there a significant difference in the audio from what I'm using now(optical), I realize the optical cable has limited bandwith compared to HDMI, but is there enough difference in your opinions to warrant the upgrade to the 707? Thanks in advance for your replies.
Best regards, Jeff

PS...I can get the 707 new for $489.00 delivered. Thanks again

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

There was recently article comparing lossless to lossy compression done in Dolby Labs by audio pros with extensive listening experience in ideal lab environment...

Yes, lossless is better, but experts said difference b'ween lossless and DTS is almost not existing , while with DD - difference was still pretty small.

To switch to 707 for HDMI convenience or not - you should decide yourself, however I'd spent $500 towards speakers/sub first then acoustic treatments and then electronics....

 

[m_vanmeter]

you did not mention your speaker system ??

unless you consider your speakers as fully meeting your expectations, then upgrade them before the electronics.

 

[ahblaza]

There was recently article comparing lossless to lossy compression done in Dolby Labs by audio pros with extensive listening experience in ideal lab environment...

Yes, lossless is better, but experts said difference b'ween lossless and DTS is almost not existing , while with DD - difference was still pretty small.

To switch to 707 for HDMI convenience or not - you should decide yourself, however I'd spent $500 towards speakers/sub first then acoustic treatments and then electronics....

Thank you for the quick reply, going with the 707 was not so much convenience, but rather the lossless audio, I must say I'm rather impressed with the DTS sound of BD through my receiver and setup. I think you are spot on with speakers/sub and room treatments first. Thanks for your time.
Best regards, Jeff

 

[ahblaza]

you did not mention your speaker system ??

unless you consider your speakers as fully meeting your expectations, then upgrade them before the electronics.

I don't believe my speaker setup fully meets my expectations, but they do get me close, I have done some room treatments within my means with good results, I have spent countless hours with speaker placement and listening positions. My speakers are meager to what can be had with what's available today. I have Athena F2 mains, which I have done a lot of work inside with cab walls, they tended to be a bit boomy and had side walls which also tended to resonate, I used no rez on half the cabinet walls and added internal bracing, remounted the drivers with good gasket tape and used better mounting screws. The boom is gone and I believe the bass is tighter, for lack of a better word, and they seem to pass the knuckle rap test, and I also rigged them up with spiked outriggers. Sorry for the rambling on here I know you just wanted me to mention what speakers I have. My sub is also Athena AS-P4100, my center and surrounds are Infinity Primus P162's. Thanks for listening.
Best regards, Jeff

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

With your setup - i'd consider getting better sub, like epic legend and then budget allows I'd consider changing mains for Infinity Primus p362 towers