Question New 4k av receiver advice needed plz?

theredindian

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Hi,

I am looking to buy a new av receiver as I will be buying the Sony AF9 soon.

My current setup includes a Pioneer VSX-LX50 with KEF 5.1 speakers (can't remember the exact model). I also have a sky HD box and media pc connected to the amp for the surround sound. I am assuming that I will need to buy a new av receiver, as my current one is approximately 10 years old and not 4k compatible.

My main usage of the amp with the TV and PC is for movies, sports and music. So I need something with plenty of power, great sound and will work with my current speakers. I also want the amp to have 4k up scaling, and be dlna compatible or WiFi enabled so that I can use Spotify.

I was looking at the Pioneer VSX-LX503 or the Pioneer VSX933, as I quite like the pioneer setup. However, I am slightly concerned about the potential lack of support and firmware updates, as I think they have stopped making av receivers (unless I am mistaken). Am I overly worried about this?

I have also looked at the Yamaha RXA880 and Sony STRDN1080. But they look very similar to be honest.

My problem is that I am a bit out of touch, as my current setup is 10 years old. In an ideal world I would not require any changes (as I like my current setup) if it wasn't for the new TV.

Any opinions on the receivers shortlisted or alternatives welcomed. The maximum I am willing to spend on the new receiver is £1000.

Thanks in advance for your help
 
There are workarounds so you don't have to change your AVR. You could connect the Sky box directly to the TV and get 4K video, then pass the audio through the TV to the AVR, or run a separate optical cable from the Sky Box to the AVR for audio.

With your media PC, you are likely to have at least two outputs, eg HDMI / DVI / Display Port, so you could use one to the TV for video and one to the AVR for audio.
 
Interesting, don't I need a new amp for the newer audio codecs like Dolby Atmos (even though I only have 5.1 setup) or DTS:X that are used on most 4k content?
 
Interesting, don't I need a new amp for the newer audio codecs like Dolby Atmos (even though I only have 5.1 setup) or DTS:X that are used on most 4k content?
No, not unless you are planning to add extra speakers. If you have a 5.1 set-up then the Atmos and dts:x metadata in those audio streams will just be ignored by the new AVR, and you will instead get Dolby True HD, and DTS HD MA, which presumably your current AVR supports anyway?
 
Interesting, don't I need a new amp for the newer audio codecs like Dolby Atmos (even though I only have 5.1 setup) or DTS:X that are used on most 4k content?


Yes and no, you probably need a new avr to use atmos or dts:x, however both of these formats are just extra meta data, if you dont have an atmos enabled receiver or the extra speakers it will just play the 5.1 soundtrack
 

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