Sun
Prominent Member
Hi,
I've been going round the houses with AVRs over the last 2 months and I've been out of the AV game for so long that I'm getting stuff wrong and wasting time and money.
My initial setup was
So I finally decided that the 1015 was too long in the tooth as I wanted something with HDAudio, HDMI and 4k so I bought a Sony STR-DN1060 which sounded great for music, much better than the VSX, I feel it powered by speakers fare more easily. Initially I did not try to connect my Pioneer stereo amp to it as I wondered whether I could get by without it but when I made a decision to use it anyway I realised it had no pre-outs.
I then bought a Pioneer VSX-1131 which in comparison to the Sony doesn't sound bad but quite flat and under powered. I thought no problem I'll hook it up to my stereo amp but despite checking and reading the manual I made an incorrect assumption that the Zone2 on this 1131 would function as pre-outs, they do not.
So I currently have 3xAVRs and 1xAMP and cannot achieve a suitable setup or sound quality.
My latest genius idea, and I could easily be wrong again, is to stop making snap decisions and start putting the money into what's important.
I only have a 5.1 system, I don't expect that to change that much really, whilst it's a dedicated area it's unlikely to move easily to 7.1 due to space and Atmos due to ceiling shape. My thought is therefore that perhaps the best solution would be getting a simple/cheap 4K AV receiver like the Marantz NR1506 (which crucially does have pre-outs!!!!) and then teaming it with an amp with a DAC which is most suitable for digital music, the Marantz PM7005 for example.
So whilst I personally think I am on the right track now I've made two major blunders and I don't want to do it again, so am using this thread as a sanity check if nothing else. Does anyone think there are any major holes in my plan or any good alternatives I should consider?
I've been going round the houses with AVRs over the last 2 months and I've been out of the AV game for so long that I'm getting stuff wrong and wasting time and money.
My initial setup was
- Pioneer VSX-1015 pre-outs to
- Pioneer A-400X
- Wharfedale Diamond 10.3, 10.0, 10.CM (all 6 Ohm) Diamond 10 | Wharfedale Hi-Fi
- Velodyne VX10 Sub
- Marantz CD5400 OSE
- My room is only about 20sqm and has a sloped ceiling (converted loft)
So I finally decided that the 1015 was too long in the tooth as I wanted something with HDAudio, HDMI and 4k so I bought a Sony STR-DN1060 which sounded great for music, much better than the VSX, I feel it powered by speakers fare more easily. Initially I did not try to connect my Pioneer stereo amp to it as I wondered whether I could get by without it but when I made a decision to use it anyway I realised it had no pre-outs.
I then bought a Pioneer VSX-1131 which in comparison to the Sony doesn't sound bad but quite flat and under powered. I thought no problem I'll hook it up to my stereo amp but despite checking and reading the manual I made an incorrect assumption that the Zone2 on this 1131 would function as pre-outs, they do not.
So I currently have 3xAVRs and 1xAMP and cannot achieve a suitable setup or sound quality.
My latest genius idea, and I could easily be wrong again, is to stop making snap decisions and start putting the money into what's important.
I only have a 5.1 system, I don't expect that to change that much really, whilst it's a dedicated area it's unlikely to move easily to 7.1 due to space and Atmos due to ceiling shape. My thought is therefore that perhaps the best solution would be getting a simple/cheap 4K AV receiver like the Marantz NR1506 (which crucially does have pre-outs!!!!) and then teaming it with an amp with a DAC which is most suitable for digital music, the Marantz PM7005 for example.
So whilst I personally think I am on the right track now I've made two major blunders and I don't want to do it again, so am using this thread as a sanity check if nothing else. Does anyone think there are any major holes in my plan or any good alternatives I should consider?
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