I'm hoping to get some feedback on just how far up the ladder to climb in upgrading my system, which probably doesn't drive my speakers like it should.
I'm about 60/40 music/video so top-notch sound (and whatever DAC's will make Pandora sound as good as possible) will be important. Might eventually get a turntable and bust out the vinyl collection, so I want to future-proof for that too.
I'm currently running a 3.1 configuration with the following:
B&W 804S fronts
B&W HTM61 center
eD a5-350 sub
Sony BDP-CX690 400-disc BluRay/DVD/CD changer
** Pioneer Elite vsx21txh receiver
** Sony 50" LCD TV (old, will be replacing this year)
I'm liking what I see about the Oppo BDP-105 for playing better movies/music (including streaming) but want to get an AVR (or preamp-amp setup) that won't adulterate the music, and will also handle the home theater portion of the task.
Obviously I'd like to spend wisely, but my price constraints aren't too tight (can see dropping $4-6K pretty easy, more if warranted). So my questions:
1) Does it make sense to upgrade the receiver, and how high up the line should I be looking? Looking at Pioneer Elite Sc-67 but could go bigger on a preamp-amp as well.
2) Can I get decent audiophile sound and good HT without setting up a completely separate 2.0 system?
3) If I do go with an AVR, would it still make sense to go for a dedicated amp, or would taht just get redundant?
I am just getting started on the research phase of my upgrade, so any guidance is welcome.