Upgradeitis.... Should I or Shouldn't I?????

[CSlater21]

Hi Guys,

This is my fist post here and will be one of many to come. This is such a great site and I love the info.

Here is my current situation....

I have an HK 7200 now, but am wondering if I would benefit at all by going to a new receiver. I have been looking at the BA AVR 7120 and the Yamaha RX-V2600. Dont get me wrong, my HK is nice, but I am just not getting that Pop out of my system that I want. Please advise.

I just want a little more out of it than what I have now. I am open to all suggestions.

Thanks,

Chad

My setup is as follows:

HK 7200
Denon DVD-2910
Axiom M60s (Front)
Axiom VP-150 (Center)
Axiom QS-8's (Rears)
SVS 20-39PC+ (Sub)

 

[zildjian]

Just wondering what your looking to gain by upgrading to another receiver as the HK AVR7200 isn't a bad receiver? It has all the latest decoding for a 7 channel system. If you're looking for more 'pop' maybe upgrade your system by buying a nice amplifier and running it off your HK's preamp outputs. That'd give you more power & amp headroom, and you could get a nice amp that's quality & good bang for the buck from places like OutlawAudio .com or Emotiva (av123 .com) for not terribly more than what you'd pay for a replacement receiver which wouldn't do much more than what your current one does. Then you'd have an amp you could use for many years while you upgrade other components of your system due to upgradeitis (I have it too...). I just think that you buy a new receiver looking for more power, you'd have to buy a pretty expensive flagship receiver to get noticably more power than what you currently have, and it'd have 90% of the same features as your current receiver. I'd go with a nice external power amp.
Just my thoughts...
Brad

 

[CSlater21]

Zildjian, Thanks for the reply.

I have thought about going that way, but then I would be paying outright for the new amp. If I went the new receiver route I would be able to sell the HK and be out only around $400 give or take.

I am just trying to justify the cost. Will using the 7200 as a Pre/Pro and buying the seperate Amp justify the cost??????

Decisions, Decisions.

Thanks.....

Keep the suggestions coming.

 

[RMK!]

If you're looking for more 'pop' maybe upgrade your system by buying a nice amplifier and running it off your HK's preamp outputs.

Thats what I did. I was in the same situation last summer. My Denon 3085 was a little underpowered for the speakers I purchased so I added an amp. In my case, it was a Sunfire 200 X 5 that I just upgraded to the 400 X 5. There are many good new and used (check out Audiogon) amp options these days. If you purchase used at a reasonable price, you risk little as the re-sale market for good quality used audio components is strong.

 

[Nick250]

I am not sure an receiver or amp upgrade will give you more "pop". For me I experience lack of pop that when the recording has poor dynamic range. For example, Eagles HFO concert DVD (NOT the CD), has great dynamic range and it sounds great even using a modest receiver. In my case that is when I listened to it using a Denon 1705 and otherwise the equipment listed below on my tag. On the opposite side of the spectrum is Carole Kings concert DVD. No matter what equipment I use or how high I crank up the power, it sounds flat, lifeless. It's been poorly recorded. No amount of electronics is going to make that DVD "pop". Other than that sound is mostly all speaker choice and room acoustics. The electronics are not much of a factor. Anyway, food for thought before you go spending a ton of dough. Hope this helps.

Nick

 

[mtrycrafts]

Hi Guys,

This is my fist post here and will be one of many to come. This is such a great site and I love the info.

Here is my current situation....

I have an HK 7200 now, but am wondering if I would benefit at all by going to a new receiver. I have been looking at the BA AVR 7120 and the Yamaha RX-V2600. Dont get me wrong, my HK is nice, but I am just not getting that Pop out of my system that I want. Please advise.
I just want a little more out of it than what I have now. I am open to all suggestions.
Thanks,
Chad
My setup is as follows:
HK 7200
Denon DVD-2910
Axiom M60s (Front)
Axiom VP-150 (Center)
Axiom QS-8's (Rears)
SVS 20-39PC+ (Sub)

I would do what Nick suggested and not worry about the receiver or a new amp.
Maybe that difference you were planning on should be used to modify the room's acoustics? That is where you get most of the improvements as you have good speakers now. I bet if you saw the frequency response of that room, you'd be pulling your hair not reaching in the pocket to replace the receiver

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Your 53lb. AVR7200 is about as powerful a receiver as you're going to find for any amount of money - barr a few flagships. If you are looking for more "pop", I'd suggest looking into a Behringer digital eq. For music, run it between your cd/dvd players analog connections. You'll be able to rid yourself of muddy bass, and clean up the highs. Lowering the sound floor with music should give you plenty of pop.

Here's one of several that would work great:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=238139&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

 

[RMK!]

Good points made by the more knowledgeable here. I think room treatments and EQ might give you more bang for the buck than an amp. Your receiver appears to be a flagship model and there may not be a noticeable improvement by adding headroom (power).

My space (7000CF++) and asthetics (read WAF) factors meant I had very few options regarding loudspeaker placement and room treatments. My sub has built in EQ and that has helped flatten room response for the low frequencies but in my case the current room config. has to be lived with. I like to listen to action movies and certain music at fairly loud (100 Db + peaks at LP) levels and the additional amp power allows this. Due to a very open floor plan, when the system is cranked, most of the house is filled with sound. This is not necessarily good but without a dedicated space, some compromises are inevitable.

So I say do what feels right to you now. If you have the disposable income and are into this hobby for the long haul, you will constantly tweaking and fine tuning anyway.

 

[Josuah]

I would argue against placing a budget EQ along the analog line between your source and receiver. My experience has been that doing so introduces a great deal of noise to the signal, which is fine for a concert venue but not for a home setup.

Muddy bass is more likely due to room placement and acoustical problems in which case some bass traps would be the best solution, improving decay time and reducing constructive interference.

High frequency peaks or dips are hard to deal with because even a slight difference in your listening position can have a big effect, and unless you're doing extremely precise measurements there are just too many frequencies involved.

Regardless, it might be most helpful if the OP could explain what he thinks "pop" is.

 

[jcPanny]

Axiom speakers

Your Axiom's are efficient 8 ohm speakers and you have a very capable receiver so I doubt that power is the real issue. The people that benefit most from an outboard amp have inefficent 4-6 ohm speakers or a lower end receiver.

 

[agarwalro]

I have an HK 7200 now, but am wondering if I would benefit at all by going to a new receiver. I have been looking at the BA AVR 7120 and the Yamaha RX-V2600. Dont get me wrong, my HK is nice, but I am just not getting that Pop out of my system that I want. Please advise.

In your case, as suggested before, you will benifit most from getting your FR flatter than it is now. Think room treatements, BFD, SMS-1, etc.

 

[mnnc]

Hi Guys,

This is my fist post here and will be one of many to come. This is such a great site and I love the info.

Here is my current situation....

I have an HK 7200 now, but am wondering if I would benefit at all by going to a new receiver. I have been looking at the BA AVR 7120 and the Yamaha RX-V2600. Dont get me wrong, my HK is nice, but I am just not getting that Pop out of my system that I want. Please advise.

I just want a little more out of it than what I have now. I am open to all suggestions.

Thanks,

Chad

My setup is as follows:

HK 7200
Denon DVD-2910
Axiom M60s (Front)
Axiom VP-150 (Center)
Axiom QS-8's (Rears)
SVS 20-39PC+ (Sub)

Sounds like a set-up problem rather than equip prob. You should be slammin'. Have you calibrated w/ disc/tones using sound meter? Room acoustics? Your equipment should produce snap, crackle, and pop! Take suggestions and go from there.

 

[CSlater21]

Guys I really appreciate all the feedback.

I am gonna post a layout of my room to help give you all a better picture of what I'm working with.

My guess is that it is a placement/acoustics issue rather than equipment.

Thanks again guys.

Chad