Where should I upgrade?

T

Trippi

Audiophyte
Last year we had the living room spruced up so took down all of the stereo equipment. I just bought a new 75" Sony X900H and need to add sound to it. I am not sure if I should dust off the equipment I have or upgrade some or all of it. I suspect my receiver is lacking with some technology but not sure. From what I remember, I used to have to crank the volume up to like 60 to get any real sound. I can find a budget to upgrade but do not want to go crazy.

Here is what I was using - most was bought on budget not necessarily on what worked with each other. At the time my biggest concern was trying to get sound without having to crank it. I had some in ceiling rears but have rearranged the room so those are out of the mix now. I am not interested in relocating those.
  1. Pioneer Receiver - VSX920
  2. Polk Monitor 70 Series II tower speakers
  3. Polk CS20 Center Channel
  4. Polk Powered Sub (can't get to it to get the model number)
Where would I get the biggest bang for my buck upgrading. I would like 5.1 and maybe dabble with Atmos. Would like to stay in the 2k range.

Thanks for looking.
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
Well, short answer would be to ask:
Were you happy with how everything sounded?
If yes, then start by getting it all back out and set up properly. Re-familiarize yourself with your AVR and its capabilities.

Even without suggesting a complete budget blow-out ;) , there are definitely things to consider.
Is your AVR good for at least 4K UHD HDR? At least HDMI 2.0? (Not a big deal if not, but those are minor items that would weigh on upgrading sooner than later.)
Some people love Pol Speakers. There are better out there... again, not a ding on what you have, but only you can decide if the SQ is good for you or not.
The Sub... This is a definite short-lister for the upgrade train. Doing so is largely based on the open room volume of where it will be placed, and what space you have available. There are a lot of very good quality budget-friendly subs available that we can turn you on to.
 
T

Trippi

Audiophyte
Thanks for the quick reply. I think I was OK with the sound but as time went on I wanted more. I have to admit I have always been into the surround sound for the TV but never understood the electronics of it all. So I had it my head that perhaps my speakers and receiver were not rated correctly for each other - something about the ohms ;)

The best I can answer on the receiver is that it says DTS-HD audio, HDMI (3D) 1080P Upscaling, Dolby Pro Logic. She's old in today's world. We only stream TV through the built-in TV apps or a Roku - no gaming - may want to future add a turn table.

The living room is 19x15 with an open floor plan, TV is on the 15' wall
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Agree with what Ryan said for the most part.

If you want the 4k stuff as well as Atmos you'll basically want a new avr, altho you might be able to do some workarounds on the 4k part. I had the slightly older version of that avr you have, the 919, but it died shortly after warranty expired. May not be the most powerful avr, but might be a bit shy for low impedance high volume demands. Generally for a phono stage to be in the avr you'll be looking at mid/upper level avrs (or you can use an external phono stage as well), that's not a typical input any more but they're out there but don't assume it has one. A full set of pre-outs is a nice thing to have in an avr for amp flexibility, but also comes generally only on mid-upper level avrs these days.

Forget about the speaker wattage maximum ratings, they don't mean much beyond knowing where you might damage them. Sensitivity/impedance of the speakers are more important considerations. Try this article perhaps https://www.audioholics.com/loudspeaker-design/loudspeaker-sensitivity

I'd also think about a sub upgrade, altho could perhaps depend on specific model you have, but generally Polk subs are lacking.
 
Trell

Trell

Audioholic Spartan
...
Is your AVR good for at least 4K UHD HDR? At least HDMI 2.0? (Not a big deal if not, but those are minor items that would weigh on upgrading sooner than later.)
...
The AVR should also have HDMI ports certified for HDCP 2.2 (copy protection) or you would have problems with playing UHD content.

My 2015 model Denon AVR-X4200W have HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 while the 2014 model Denon AVR-X4100W have HDMI 2.0 but not HDCP 2.2. I would not have bought the AVR-X4200W if it did not have the HDCP 2.2, even though I did not intent to watch UHD in near future. In fact, it was this winter when I bought a new LG OLD TV that I watched UHD at home for the first time.
 
MalVeauX

MalVeauX

Senior Audioholic
Hi,

Well, if you want 4K and Atmos, the only way is with a new processor (AVR). A 5.1.4 or 5.2.4 is the best bang for buck way to go, so you're looking at an AVR that processes 9 channels.

Don't worry about having to turn things up. Your speakers are fine. They're all 8 ohm and fairly sensitive. The farther you sit from them, the more you'll have to turn it up to hear the same perceived volume. A newer AVR with more output will give you more headroom for this.

Very best,
 
T

Trippi

Audiophyte
Thanks so much everyone. Sounds like bare minimum my best next move is a new AVR and possibly some rear surrounds - I do not have any at the moment. Any thoughts on effectiveness of wireless rear surrounds? The room has a doorway that I have to get past so thought that might be the easiest solution...I have no capabilities to wire myself. If wireless rears make no sense I can scrap them altogether for now until I can line up someone for proper wiring.

Also as I am new hear is there a recent sub here that I could read to research AVRs?

Many Thanks ~
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
How did you get new surrounds out of our comments? Just that you want Atmos eventually? :)

Wireless can be hit or miss and there aren't that many solutions out there. Believe one of the avr-based systems like Yamaha's Musiccast or Marantz/Denon's Heos can do surrounds with the right gear wirelessly, tho. Wiring can just be hidden rather than in-wall, using cable raceways or similar....

There are lots of threads about avr choices....
 

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