Author Topic: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation  (Read 3724 times)

4tify

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Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« on: October 28, 2020, 06:36:53 PM »
Well, since all my travel plans have gone out the window for 2020 I’ve decided to upgrade my home theater. The old one is 10 years old so I’ve gotten plenty out of it, mainly because I bought good gear. Also I love music & film so I tend to splurge here.

I’m keeping my Bowers & Wilkins CM1s and have upgraded to a new Sony tv, and will eventually get a PS5 as well. Currently I have a NAD 326BEE receiver which is great but no bells or whistles. I’m seeing all kinds of new ones with Bluetooth and airplay etc.

Has anyone taken the plunge on one of these? I live in an apartment so two good speakers are plenty, but I’m wondering about the HDMI and 3D sound etc. Is that all worth the investment?

Shaz_Au

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #1 on: October 28, 2020, 11:12:31 PM »
LOL, NO

Sibley

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #2 on: October 29, 2020, 08:32:10 AM »
Did you get lost and post on the wrong forum? You have what sounds like perfectly good, solid, functional equipment. Is there actually anything wrong with it, or are you just trying to burn money?

4tify

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #3 on: October 29, 2020, 08:47:43 AM »
Don’t think I’m lost, no. I’ve seen plenty of posts here for recommendations of all sorts as people try to align their spending objectives with interests.

YttriumNitrate

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #4 on: October 29, 2020, 08:58:41 AM »
Also I love music & film so I tend to splurge here. Has anyone taken the plunge on one of these? I live in an apartment so two good speakers are plenty, but I’m wondering about the HDMI and 3D sound etc. Is that all worth the investment?
Two speakers for watching movies? Even in an apartment, I'd suggest getting at least a 5.1 system for surround sound. Around me, halfway decent systems often show up on Craigslist in the $150-300 range.

GuitarStv

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #5 on: October 29, 2020, 09:32:37 AM »
Two excellent quality speakers are all you need for listening to music.  I'm a fan of very flat studio monitors for this purpose.

Watching movies is more fun when you add a woofer and center/L rear/R rear.  I honestly feel that stepping beyond 5.1 sound doesn't really offer much benefit for watching movies, but I don't play video games - maybe it's a bigger deal with them?

I built a home theater PC for pretty cheap that lives in our living room and is connected to our receiver through HDMI - works great, and it's always cheaper to throw another card in the HTPC than to buy a new receiver.

Papa bear

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #6 on: October 29, 2020, 10:37:23 AM »
Check out www.accessories4less.com for a new receiver, or start looking at Black Friday deals. 

I run a 5.1.2 system in my basement and bought an onkyo a few years back that handles 7 channels, all the hdmi hookups you’d want, Bluetooth, wifi, etc for around $250.  It also handles 4k content and HDR, but I’ve got a projector and don’t plan on upgrading that until prices come waaaaaaaaay down and the current one kicks the bucket. You can use the 7 channels as a 7.x system or go with 5.x.2 and set up the atmos height speakers.

I rarely use Bluetooth on this and only occasionally use the wifi for streaming.  I’ve got it hooked up to a roku for the content and then for music streaming as well, which is what I use 90% of the time.  Disney+ has some awesome audio content, and most of the streaming services will at least give you 5.1 audio. Live streaming typically is stereo. 

It is cool having all those different channels.  I would recommend if you can do it without breaking the bank.  I build out everything myself, even having built some of the speakers for the system.  I also own my house and have a basement, so I don’t have neighbors to worry about. 


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RWD

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #7 on: October 29, 2020, 10:42:16 AM »
I've heard good things about the Yamaha receivers. Supposed to be very reliable. I've had a couple Onkyo receivers myself which while were a good value for the features had some reliability issues.

Just Joe

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #8 on: October 29, 2020, 11:42:19 AM »
If you are in an apartment why not just invest in a couple nice pair of headphones for each person viewing your movies? Your neighbors might appreciate that.

We bought a house that came with a nice older 5.1 system with projector and sub in the basement. Sounds great. And if someone is watching a movie downstairs then whoever is trying to watch TV at the same time upstairs in the family room has to deal with all sorts of low frequency noise.

I'm not going through the trouble of sound proofing beyond what the house already has. If I want to nerd out with my action movie I just use my headphones.

foghorn

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #9 on: October 29, 2020, 01:05:31 PM »
Before I begin, please disregard the folks here givng you a hard time.  If audio is a place you choose to spend money - good for you.  Your hobby of interest is just as valid as anyone else's. 

Now, as an audiophile myself I can tell you that words "Receiver" and "Audiophile" do not generally go together.  With that said, have you considered separates at all?  If you go the separates route you will certainly get better stuff than what can be packed into one box (receiver).  One place to look that won't break the bank is Emotiva.   https://emotiva.com/

If you really want to go with a receiver, the Denon AVR X48700H just won some year end awards.  https://www.denon.com/shop/avreceiver/AVCX4700H

I am sure an internet search will find you good lists of year end awards from Home Theater magazines and websites.  My stereo magazines always do their year end awards issues about this time.  So, I assume the HT mags do the same.

Also, good online retailers for real equipment are places like Audio Advisor and Music Direct.

Lastly, if you do want to go all out, try this:

https://bryston.com/preamps/sp4/

https://bryston.com/amplifiers/875ht/

4tify

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #10 on: October 29, 2020, 01:43:12 PM »
Check out www.accessories4less.com for a new receiver, or start looking at Black Friday deals. 

I run a 5.1.2 system in my basement and bought an onkyo a few years back that handles 7 channels, all the hdmi hookups you’d want, Bluetooth, wifi, etc for around $250.  It also handles 4k content and HDR, but I’ve got a projector and don’t plan on upgrading that until prices come waaaaaaaaay down and the current one kicks the bucket. You can use the 7 channels as a 7.x system or go with 5.x.2 and set up the atmos height speakers.

I rarely use Bluetooth on this and only occasionally use the wifi for streaming.  I’ve got it hooked up to a roku for the content and then for music streaming as well, which is what I use 90% of the time.  Disney+ has some awesome audio content, and most of the streaming services will at least give you 5.1 audio. Live streaming typically is stereo. 

It is cool having all those different channels.  I would recommend if you can do it without breaking the bank.  I build out everything myself, even having built some of the speakers for the system.  I also own my house and have a basement, so I don’t have neighbors to worry about. 


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Thanks will def check this site out. And yes I think you're right about streaming from TV, so I can probably knock off that part of things!

4tify

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #11 on: October 29, 2020, 01:47:50 PM »
Before I begin, please disregard the folks here givng you a hard time.  If audio is a place you choose to spend money - good for you.  Your hobby of interest is just as valid as anyone else's. 

Now, as an audiophile myself I can tell you that words "Receiver" and "Audiophile" do not generally go together.  With that said, have you considered separates at all?  If you go the separates route you will certainly get better stuff than what can be packed into one box (receiver).  One place to look that won't break the bank is Emotiva.   https://emotiva.com/

If you really want to go with a receiver, the Denon AVR X48700H just won some year end awards.  https://www.denon.com/shop/avreceiver/AVCX4700H

I am sure an internet search will find you good lists of year end awards from Home Theater magazines and websites.  My stereo magazines always do their year end awards issues about this time.  So, I assume the HT mags do the same.

Also, good online retailers for real equipment are places like Audio Advisor and Music Direct.

Lastly, if you do want to go all out, try this:

https://bryston.com/preamps/sp4/

https://bryston.com/amplifiers/875ht/

I appreciate that @foghorn. Weird how people get so agro on here.

Anyway I was looking at an amp because the one I currently have doesn't allow for any new tech, like HDMI. I'll check out all your links, thank you!


Papa bear

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #12 on: October 29, 2020, 02:02:15 PM »
If you just want to nerd out on some audio, my go to site is www.parts-express.com. That’s where I bought most of the components. 


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YttriumNitrate

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #13 on: October 29, 2020, 02:18:47 PM »
I've heard good things about the Yamaha receivers. Supposed to be very reliable. I've had a couple Onkyo receivers myself which while were a good value for the features had some reliability issues.
I've also had issues with Onkyos receivers breaking down. Rumor has it that they tend to run hotter than other brands which leads to long term reliability issues. Even with the issues, I would still buy one for the right price.

MilesTeg

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #14 on: October 29, 2020, 03:01:35 PM »
Well, since all my travel plans have gone out the window for 2020 I’ve decided to upgrade my home theater. The old one is 10 years old so I’ve gotten plenty out of it, mainly because I bought good gear. Also I love music & film so I tend to splurge here.

I’m keeping my Bowers & Wilkins CM1s and have upgraded to a new Sony tv, and will eventually get a PS5 as well. Currently I have a NAD 326BEE receiver which is great but no bells or whistles. I’m seeing all kinds of new ones with Bluetooth and airplay etc.

Has anyone taken the plunge on one of these? I live in an apartment so two good speakers are plenty, but I’m wondering about the HDMI and 3D sound etc. Is that all worth the investment?

I've always used Yamaha receivers.

Don't waste your money on fancy gimmicks in a receiver. A receiver is a long term purchase and the gimmicks change rapidly. Its job is to connect sources to outputs and to amplify signals. Any other task is better done by a separate device that connects to the receiver. There's a reason they have tons of inputs!

The only reason to change receivers is if you have an input source that the receiver doesn't support. The only common thing that fits under that is if you have a receiver that won't support 4k pass through and you want that. In many cases you can work around this though.

Also, definitely do not waste all your money on a sound system just to connect your audio source via Bluetooth. Bluetooth is an extremely low quality connection. Always, always use physical connections (HDMI or Optical or even a stereo jack).

skuzuker28

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #15 on: October 30, 2020, 12:03:13 PM »
I've had two Marantz receivers, no complaints.  I agree that a lot of features are gimmicks: my current receiver has wifi, and can be controlled through an app!  I've used it approximately never.  Important features for me were 4k passthrough and eARC.  It does a bunch of stuff that I am not utilizing.

Khaetra

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #16 on: October 31, 2020, 07:28:44 AM »
Well, since all my travel plans have gone out the window for 2020 I’ve decided to upgrade my home theater. The old one is 10 years old so I’ve gotten plenty out of it, mainly because I bought good gear. Also I love music & film so I tend to splurge here.

I’m keeping my Bowers & Wilkins CM1s and have upgraded to a new Sony tv, and will eventually get a PS5 as well. Currently I have a NAD 326BEE receiver which is great but no bells or whistles. I’m seeing all kinds of new ones with Bluetooth and airplay etc.

Has anyone taken the plunge on one of these? I live in an apartment so two good speakers are plenty, but I’m wondering about the HDMI and 3D sound etc. Is that all worth the investment?

About the PS5...can your TV support 120 FPS in 4K?  Most can't, so it really wouldn't be worth grabbing one unless your set can.  I like the look/performance of the new Xbox but while my TV is 4K it isn't 120 FPS, so I'm not jumping for awhile.

As far as the gimmicks, don't fall for them.  3D isn't worth the money unless you have a very-dedicated viewing room (home theater) and even then it's a stretch.  Bluetooth is worth it though, especially for streaming music from your phone but my soundbar has it and that's what I use.

4tify

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #17 on: October 31, 2020, 07:31:51 AM »
I did just upgrade to a 4k TV, but I don't have surround sound--just the two excellent bookshelf speakers.

From all that's been said here and some further research, I guess the only thing I'm "missing" with my current set up is 4k pass through. Is there a way to work around that with my current set up?

And forgive my ignorance but without surround sound will I even be missing that?

Papa bear

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #18 on: October 31, 2020, 08:32:28 AM »
I did just upgrade to a 4k TV, but I don't have surround sound--just the two excellent bookshelf speakers.

From all that's been said here and some further research, I guess the only thing I'm "missing" with my current set up is 4k pass through. Is there a way to work around that with my current set up?

And forgive my ignorance but without surround sound will I even be missing that?
Take your source content for video and hook them directly into the TV.  Then use the TV optical toslink cable out to an input on your current set up.  Basically, you are using the TV as the receiver and the rest is just an amp with a digital analog converter.

Plus you won’t miss what you don’t have.  If you want surround sound and a dedicated center and a sub, go for it.  Otherwise what you have now is perfectly fine.


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GuitarStv

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #19 on: October 31, 2020, 08:42:53 AM »
I did just upgrade to a 4k TV, but I don't have surround sound--just the two excellent bookshelf speakers.

From all that's been said here and some further research, I guess the only thing I'm "missing" with my current set up is 4k pass through. Is there a way to work around that with my current set up?

And forgive my ignorance but without surround sound will I even be missing that?
Take your source content for video and hook them directly into the TV.  Then use the TV optical toslink cable out to an input on your current set up.  Basically, you are using the TV as the receiver and the rest is just an amp with a digital analog converter.

Plus you won’t miss what you don’t have.  If you want surround sound and a dedicated center and a sub, go for it.  Otherwise what you have now is perfectly fine.


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Problem with this idea comes if his stereo speakers are hooked up to/driven by the receiver.  The TV can decode the signal and play it, but will be using it's own built in speakers rather than the good ones.  Built in TV speakers suck balls.  I'd rather have a television 1/2 the size than use built in speakers.

Papa bear

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #20 on: October 31, 2020, 08:46:29 AM »
I did just upgrade to a 4k TV, but I don't have surround sound--just the two excellent bookshelf speakers.

From all that's been said here and some further research, I guess the only thing I'm "missing" with my current set up is 4k pass through. Is there a way to work around that with my current set up?

And forgive my ignorance but without surround sound will I even be missing that?
Take your source content for video and hook them directly into the TV.  Then use the TV optical toslink cable out to an input on your current set up.  Basically, you are using the TV as the receiver and the rest is just an amp with a digital analog converter.

Plus you won’t miss what you don’t have.  If you want surround sound and a dedicated center and a sub, go for it.  Otherwise what you have now is perfectly fine.


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Problem with this idea comes if his stereo speakers are hooked up to/driven by the receiver.  The TV can decode the signal and play it, but will be using it's own built in speakers rather than the good ones.  Built in TV speakers suck balls.  I'd rather have a television 1/2 the size than use built in speakers.
I’ve got this set up on multiple TV’s, sure the regular tv speakers will work, but the audio signal passes through to the amp, back out to the stereo speakers.     And if it’s going to stay stereo, no big deal.  Just keep the TV volume to 0 and adjust the volume with the amp. 


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Laserjet3051

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #21 on: October 31, 2020, 08:51:07 AM »
I bought a 3 channel (L, R & SW) Bowers & Wilkens speaker set about 15 years ago annd while quite expensive, it has always and continues to deliver monster, insanely high quality sound. I don't think I will ever get rid of these. Speakers are one area where I pull out all the stops. I have these B&Ws integrated into my home theater setup in a SFH where I can turn it up to ungodly levels, and i do....regularly. However, if I was in an apartment, I probably never would have bought them as their capabilities would have gone underutilized due to the proximity of neighbors not wanting to get shook out of bed from the thunderific bass.

big_owl

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #22 on: November 01, 2020, 06:15:03 AM »
I have a denon X4000 mated with some really expensive Definitive Technologies powered speakers and an Epson projector with 110" screen for our home theater.  It's hard for me to imagine a better setup.  Ours is a few years old now so I'm sure they have better stuff out now.  Watching Blade Runner with the audio cranked up is quite an experience.   Nothing negative to note for the Denon except it is a vampire even with the power off it stays warm.

KarefulKactus15

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #23 on: November 01, 2020, 11:29:44 AM »
I currently live in an apartment so I have only 2 bookshelf speakers at this time.  I just came to say, whatever you get, MAKE SURE IT HAS ARC capability (CEC is another name it goes by) Its so nice only dealing with one device. Mine works flawlessly. It always powers up and down with the tv. The volume moves smooth and linearly regardless of what device I'm using.. etc etc.  Ill never go back to devices that don't communicate with each other.  I only wish my TV was aging as well as my receiver

Ive got a pioneer receiver that I bought used from 2010. It doesnt have Wifi or bluetooth and I dont need them! As someone else stated you can just use your TV or Roku or whatever to do all that. If you have ARC it will feel like just an extension of your tv / streaming system. Wanna listen from your phone? Stream it or chrome cast it or air cast it... etc etc.   

I've had 5.1 and its not my favorite for movies or for music.

Favorite:
I like stereo with any speaker that can produce ok base. I had the budget friendly pioneer tower speakers by andrew jones and loved it. (Im not a real audiophile. My "good" is the andrew jones speakers or some Senheiser HD598 headphones)
If your feeling fancy go 2.1 for music
If really fancy go 3.1 for movies so you get the center dialogue. (But really I cant tell a difference from 2.1 to 3.1 if I'm in the center of the listening area)  - But I personally dont enjoy going from 3.1 to 5.1 for visual and technical reasons. 

I wish I could find a small stereo receiver with ARC functionality, but they dont seem to make it for anything less thatn 5.1 or 7.1.

And now I will tell you about the MOST budget friendly sound setup I ever had.

Back when included TV sound bars were loud, I just added a cheap 8 inch sub to the output on my TV and used the sub + tv sound. - Ultra budget friendly.

Just Joe

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #24 on: November 03, 2020, 08:13:04 PM »
In my shop I use computer speakers plus a sub. Sounds surprisingly good for free. Setup was given to me. They are from the age of beige computers... ;)

KarefulKactus15

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #25 on: November 04, 2020, 09:02:06 AM »
In my shop I use computer speakers plus a sub. Sounds surprisingly good for free. Setup was given to me. They are from the age of beige computers... ;)

This may be an uninformed statement - But I imagine the basic physics of audio haven't changed much compared to the beige pc that was left behind.

GuitarStv

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #26 on: November 04, 2020, 10:06:50 AM »
In my shop I use computer speakers plus a sub. Sounds surprisingly good for free. Setup was given to me. They are from the age of beige computers... ;)

This may be an uninformed statement - But I imagine the basic physics of audio haven't changed much compared to the beige pc that was left behind.

The bass drain is a well known phenomenon that occurred some time mid '90s causing all speakers manufactured to lose power reproducing bass frequencies.  That's why we all started buying subwoofers from that point on.

Just Joe

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #27 on: November 04, 2020, 01:58:49 PM »
Funny!

This sub is small. 6" perhaps. Just right for the tiny speakers. Altec-Lansing I think. Stock speakers for a mainstream PC brand like Dell or HP in the late 90s.

Sorry to derail the real discussion.

phildonnia

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #28 on: November 04, 2020, 02:43:43 PM »
Mustachian home theater: a couch and a laptop. 

I also have a Sanyo boom-box for music.

mwulff

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #29 on: November 05, 2020, 12:13:18 AM »
You have long ago passed the point of diminishing returns. If you want modern bells & Whistles just get something sensible like a Sony DST 1080 when it's on sale.

Technology has obsoleted most of the so called "audiophile" stuff.

GuitarStv

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #30 on: November 05, 2020, 07:31:43 AM »
Technology has obsoleted most of the so called "audiophile" stuff.

I don't agree with this.

A good set of speakers is a good set of speakers.  Doesn't matter if they come from 10, 20, or 40 years ago.  A good amplifier is a good amplifier.  Again, doesn't matter if it comes from 30 or 40 years ago or was produced last year.

The stuff that gets obsoleted isn't audiophile stuff.  It's technological gizmos and do-dads (bluetooth, wireless connectivity, integration with other home theater components, internet add-ons, etc.) that have little/nothing to do with sound.

Papa bear

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #31 on: November 05, 2020, 09:16:17 AM »
While physics hasn’t changed, speaker design and materials have gotten better.  You still typically can only choose 2 out of 3 options, small size, loud, or deep without sinking a TON of money into super high end stuff. 

But cone material has gotten better, the drivers can handle higher temperatures, measurement of crossovers has gotten much more accurate, and measurement of box design has gotten better.  So a high end speaker today is better than a high end speaker from the 80’s.  You can measure the difference. 

Now. Can you hear that difference?  That’s more of the ongoing debate. 


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KarefulKactus15

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #32 on: November 06, 2020, 10:30:52 AM »
Replying to the thread above. I agree speaker technology has improved.  This is evident by the amount of bass a small tower speaker can make when designed for it.

Used to maybe you had a 12 - 15 inch single woofer.

Newer designs have shrunk the woofer to maybe 6-6.5 inches, but they are high travel with stiffer cone and also have 2x woofers doing the same thing. So the affect is a similar volume of air being moved to the older larger ones.  I think its pretty neat. But maybe I'm too easily amused.

Now I'm sure it still wont compete with a big ole cerwin vega with a 15 ... buuuuut. - Nobodys significant other is going to let them put a cerwin vega in the living room.....
« Last Edit: November 06, 2020, 10:35:39 AM by Kroaler »

GuitarStv

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #33 on: November 06, 2020, 11:32:42 AM »
I have an older 2x15 Fender bass cab from from the '60s that doesn't have any problems producing low frequencies . . .

RWD

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #34 on: November 06, 2020, 05:57:23 PM »
Now I'm sure it still wont compete with a big ole cerwin vega with a 15 ... buuuuut. - Nobodys significant other is going to let them put a cerwin vega in the living room.....
My wife is happy with our 15-inch subwoofer in the living room, though that is a cube so not nearly as intimidating as a Cerwin-Vega. She has also green-lit the idea of dual 18-inch subwoofers if I ever desire it in the future (I have my eye on the Rythmik Audio F18).

big_owl

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #35 on: November 07, 2020, 07:44:23 AM »
Now I'm sure it still wont compete with a big ole cerwin vega with a 15 ... buuuuut. - Nobodys significant other is going to let them put a cerwin vega in the living room.....
My wife is happy with our 15-inch subwoofer in the living room, though that is a cube so not nearly as intimidating as a Cerwin-Vega. She has also green-lit the idea of dual 18-inch subwoofers if I ever desire it in the future (I have my eye on the Rythmik Audio F18).

My definitive technologies have 10" powered woofers in each tower and I can't imagine having anything larger.  When it's turned up the Hvac ducting in the ceiling and floors will start to reverberate!   I guess I would have had to design the room originally with that in mind with sound damping under the drywall and in the subfloor.  Ah geez, next time....

4tify

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #36 on: November 07, 2020, 07:52:51 AM »
Still working on this.

Question now is: my current set up has receiver to tv plugged into headphone jack. It works, but would it be beneficial to run that through a DAC instead?

Forgive my ignorance on this folks!

RWD

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #37 on: November 07, 2020, 09:17:38 AM »
Now I'm sure it still wont compete with a big ole cerwin vega with a 15 ... buuuuut. - Nobodys significant other is going to let them put a cerwin vega in the living room.....
My wife is happy with our 15-inch subwoofer in the living room, though that is a cube so not nearly as intimidating as a Cerwin-Vega. She has also green-lit the idea of dual 18-inch subwoofers if I ever desire it in the future (I have my eye on the Rythmik Audio F18).

My definitive technologies have 10" powered woofers in each tower and I can't imagine having anything larger.  When it's turned up the Hvac ducting in the ceiling and floors will start to reverberate!   I guess I would have had to design the room originally with that in mind with sound damping under the drywall and in the subfloor.  Ah geez, next time....

It's not about being louder but I had a 12" Monitor Audio subwoofer before that just couldn't reproduce sound at 20-40 Hz. And that was a $1k subwoofer! With my 15" Hsu subwoofer you can actually hear those frequencies in movies and certain music tracks.

RWD

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #38 on: November 07, 2020, 09:30:55 AM »
Still working on this.

Question now is: my current set up has receiver to tv plugged into headphone jack. It works, but would it be beneficial to run that through a DAC instead?

Forgive my ignorance on this folks!

There is a good chance it will sound better plugged directly into the receiver.

ctuser1

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #39 on: November 07, 2020, 03:17:40 PM »
My recommendation - Yamaha top line gear that is just last gen.

RX-A3080 is the current top model. Not sure when they are releasing the next one. When they do, you will see fantastic deals on RX-A3080's. e.g. I have seen RX-A3070's go in a $1500 bundles where you can sell the speakers off and recoup some money, and bring your cost down to < $1000 for the receiver itself.

Please get a proper set of front tower speakers. CM1's are bookshelf, for god's sake! I am pretty sure my lower quality and half cost Jamo's will blow the CM1 bookshelf's out of the water because of the underlying physics.

Full Disclosure: I only have an entry level setup right now. I will likely go for a Yamaha + BW setup next time I am in the mood to splurge.

« Last Edit: November 07, 2020, 03:20:04 PM by ctuser1 »

WSUCoug1994

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #40 on: November 13, 2020, 02:20:12 PM »
My wife and I did a DIY Home Theater build 5 years ago.  I went with a reman Yamaha RX-V777.  We invested less in the amp and more in the RBH speakers because we wanted in wall speakers and that limits our ability to upgrade to better speakers over time.  I have been very happy with this amplifier - there are more modern ones now - but overall the cost/performance has been fantastic.  I do have a separate sub amp but that came with the speakers.  The tunability of this amp is exceptional.  I don't see any need to upgrade at this point.

Optimiser

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #41 on: November 13, 2020, 02:28:09 PM »
Replying to the thread above. I agree speaker technology has improved.  This is evident by the amount of bass a small tower speaker can make when designed for it.

Used to maybe you had a 12 - 15 inch single woofer.

Newer designs have shrunk the woofer to maybe 6-6.5 inches, but they are high travel with stiffer cone and also have 2x woofers doing the same thing. So the affect is a similar volume of air being moved to the older larger ones.  I think its pretty neat. But maybe I'm too easily amused.

Now I'm sure it still wont compete with a big ole cerwin vega with a 15 ... buuuuut. - Nobodys significant other is going to let them put a cerwin vega in the living room.....

My wife is happy that I just got rid of the 20 year old Cerwin Vegas from our living room.

HenryDavid

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #42 on: November 19, 2020, 02:57:22 PM »
Have had 2 awesome home theatre receivers, one handed down from a friend and one found in an alley with a “free” sign on it. Both Technics, worked great.
Gave both away because my antique Luxman receiver ($100) still sounds better- for music.
The world is drowning in quite good-sounding unwanted hifi stuff. By settling for slightly less than Perfection you can have great sound for . . . nothing really.

Just Joe

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #43 on: November 21, 2020, 10:00:32 AM »
I agree. Lots of great used equipment.

Our (used) house came with a (used) Onkyo 5.1 surround system and speakers plus sub downstairs.

Upstairs we also have a early 1990s Pioneer Elite component system that I bought new as part of my 20-something stupid phase back in the day. Still love that stereo. Couldn't really afford it at the time. Added Bose bookshelf speakers and a perfect vintage used Techniques linear tracking turntable from eBay for cheap. Those components go for ~$150 each now.

And then there is the 1959 Wurlitzer jukebox... ;)

While I'm sure better quality 2020 equipment is nicer than my antiques - however my listening environment will never be ideal. The closest I can get is using headphones when the family and our pets are asleep.

HenryDavid

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #44 on: November 28, 2020, 09:32:22 AM »
Here's a funny thing about audiophilia--and as a huge music lover I'm definitely drawn to it.
Some of this depends on what genres of music you like. For pop music, over the decades, a key stage in record production was checking whether the tune sounded right through crappy little car speakers. Sooooo, when you play your Motown or Classic Rawk through high-end speakers you're likely hearing  a mix made to sound good through little 6" things in the side panel of your car door.

I kove to hear Motown through my vintage 2nd hand British made speakers and vintage 2nd hand Japanese 90s receiver--the voices are Right There. And you know, soundstage bla bla bla.
However--in the end only enjoyment matters.
And lots people are loving music right now through little 6" speakers . . . .

Just Joe

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Re: Calling audiophiles—Home theater receiver recommendation
« Reply #45 on: November 28, 2020, 11:03:02 AM »
Right now I'm listening to a worn out 45 rpm record. Sounds scratchy, lots of plays on that record. Doesn't matter how good the speakers or the amp is or isn't. ;)

Meanwhile in the background is DW doing a kitchen task and two kittens with the zoomies...