In my position, any reason to go above "budget"

chamelious

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I'm going to be upgrading from an all in one 5.1 system to a receiver+speakers setup.

I'll almost certainly never want more than 5.1.

It'll be used 95% for movies and games.

I'm looking at spending £1-2k, hopefully closer to 1, and am looking at packages such as this:

Pioneer VSX-831 w/ Q Acoustics 3050 Speaker Package 5.1

(Basically decided between QA 3050, Dali Zensor5, MAudio Bronze). I prefer floorstanders from an aesthetic POV.

Only thing i'm a little unsure on is the amp. In this price range they all seem very similar, is there going to be any particular merit to spending a bit more on one?

Many thanks.

Edit: Just to add, i'd like to include as much future compatibility in terms of 4k/HDR as possible.
 
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I don't think the 831 has Atmos so I would definitely recommend spending a little more for upgradability. Maybe look at the VSX-1131
 
Thanks. As i say, i doubt i'll ever go above 5.1 for sound, its more the video formats i'm concerned with.
 
What you need in the receiver is the ability to pass through 4K et al. Most of the new generation of receivers will have this ability, it's down therefore as to how much you wish to spend. As you go up the receiver food chain it's the sound quality that improves, as does build quality, you'll also find Atmos and DTS:X built in to these more expensive models.

The same applies to speakers, the more expensive, generally the better they sound. This is where the upgrade path becomes expensive. Get a good receiver with poor or cheap speakers and you will always wonder how much better the receiver will sound with better speakers.

I would go for a good receiver in the first instance. Speakers can be upgraded section by section to improve the sound from a basic 5.1 starting with the front three.

Good hunting.
 
The 831 has 3 HDMI inputs with 4k and HDCP 2.2 support so should be fine for you from the Video pass through point of view.
 
Actually looks a reasonable package. The speakers are a bit on the asthetic side and I'll bet the sub will be shouty rather than deep, but as a starter bang for your buck system, it'll do well!

However I'd be tempted to have a look at the second hand section here for speakers.... The tech in speaker is very slow evolving and if reasonably used last for a very long time. It's a real place to grab a bargain. And a decent sub will run rings around the included one.

Amps on the other hand evolve rapidly, with new sound formats and gizmos. If you have a 4k TV go for a new amp, if you don't, ignore the "future proof" word and grab an older amp that's in keeping with your current tech as these plummet in value!
 

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