Upgrade advice please

butlerpeter

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Hi,

Having recently upgraded the visual part of my setup - with a new 4K TV, UHD player, and Xbox Series X - I'm thinking it might also be time to do something with the audio side.

My current receiver is a Yamaha RX-V1067, that is 10 years old and obviously doesn't support the latest features like 4K, eArc etc.

Speakers are a set of Mordaunt Short Alumni, set up in a 5.1 cinfiguration. Although the Alumni sub developed a fault years ago and I replaced it with a BK XLS-200, which then developed a buzz that I've never gotten round to getting fixed (BK didn't respond to requests for help) so it's currently disconnected.

Because the Yamaha doesnt support 4K my current setup is that I have all of my 4K capable sources (UHD player, Fire TV Cube, Nvidia Shield, and Xbox Series X) connected to a 4K capable HDMI switch (generic brand from Amazon but works fine).

The output from the HDMI switch then feeds into a HDFury Integral2, which then splits off the audio to the Yamaha and sends the video to my LG Nano866 TV.

Everything works fine, the only issue is that I need to have variable refresh rate disabled on the Xbox.

Partly because of that issue I would like to change things around and have the Xbox connected directly to the TV but then I have the problem of getting the audio out to the receiver.

I could use ARC/eARC but, as I understand it, because the Yamaha only supports ARC I would only be able to get stereo back to it that way - certainly not TrueHD, DTS-MA or anything higher.

To help simplify things I've been thinking about upgrading the receiver, or possibly getting a soundbar, then I could use eARC to feed the audio to the receiver or soundbar. That would also let me remove the HDFury from the setup as I could connect the HDMI switch output direct to the TV and again send the audio out using eARC.

In terms of a new receiver, the Denon AVR-X2600H looks to fit the bill. It should be a straight swap out for the Yamaha. Although unless I get my sub fixed I'll still be rocking the 5.0 setup I have now.

Alternatively I've been considering a soundbar, specifically an LG SN9YG. The soundbar comes with a sub and I could then do away with my separate speakees. But I have never heard a soundbar so have no idea how effective the surround sound is from one.

So, given my setup, does anybody have any comments or suggestions about the best way to go?

Sorry for the long post!
 
Hi, tricky one. You seem to have all of the devices that mean that you should be able to use your older AVR with a newer TV. Are you using a UHD player with dual outputs - one for video to the TV and one for audio to the amp?

What is the issue with refresh rate switching?

Moving to a soundbar would be a definite downgrade, rather than do that, you are probably better off keeping what you have and connecting any troublesome devices directly to the TV and passing through audio from the TV to the AVR via ARC or optical. It won't be HD audio but it should still sound considerably better than a soundbar.

You need to get your sub sorted though - is it still under warranty? BK are usually really good at customer service so worth pursuing them.

The Denon 2600 is a decent AVR, if you can stretch to a 3600 or 3700, it is a nice jump up as you get more features and better room correction, if you are planning on keeping it for 10+ years, that would be the one to go for. You might want to upgrade your speakers in that time also. But do get the sub fixed or replaced, that will bring the most improvement!

If you use the system for music, then above doesn't apply, and a re-think is needed.
 
Hi, tricky one. You seem to have all of the devices that mean that you should be able to use your older AVR with a newer TV. Are you using a UHD player with dual outputs - one for video to the TV and one for audio to the amp?

What is the issue with refresh rate switching?

Moving to a soundbar would be a definite downgrade, rather than do that, you are probably better off keeping what you have and connecting any troublesome devices directly to the TV and passing through audio from the TV to the AVR via ARC or optical. It won't be HD audio but it should still sound considerably better than a soundbar.

You need to get your sub sorted though - is it still under warranty? BK are usually really good at customer service so worth pursuing them.

The Denon 2600 is a decent AVR, if you can stretch to a 3600 or 3700, it is a nice jump up as you get more features and better room correction, if you are planning on keeping it for 10+ years, that would be the one to go for. You might want to upgrade your speakers in that time also. But do get the sub fixed or replaced, that will bring the most improvement!

If you use the system for music, then above doesn't apply, and a re-think is needed.

Thanks for the reply.

There isn't a problem with refresh rate switching - the problem is with the Xbox variable refresh rate setting (like FreeSync). With that setting enabled the video signal keeps dropping out. Disable it and all is well. I believe it's because the HDFury Integral2 doesn't support VRR.

Unfortunately the BK sub is out of warranty now. It was in warranty when the fault first developed and I tried to contact BK about it. Unfortunately life happened and chasing them up about it wasn't too of my list.

Since I bought my current setup we've had kids (twin boys now 7) and my other half doesn't appreciate movies etc as much as I do. So the chances to properly enjoy the system, are few and far between.

At the moment my surround speakers are on stands and one in particular, near the door, is often at risk if being knocked over. Our house is rented so I don't have the option of wall mounting anything, meaning it's not an ideal setup anyway.

With that in mind, the idea of a soundbar appeals if it would mean I could get some surround sound to keep me happy and at the same time.lose the speakers (which would make her indoors happy).

Plus, if I can get some new kit to play with that's a win!
 
There is a new yamaha out with all the features you need and very reasonable in price around £450 rxv4a model number
 
Thanks for the reply.

There isn't a problem with refresh rate switching - the problem is with the Xbox variable refresh rate setting (like FreeSync). With that setting enabled the video signal keeps dropping out. Disable it and all is well. I believe it's because the HDFury Integral2 doesn't support VRR.

Unfortunately the BK sub is out of warranty now. It was in warranty when the fault first developed and I tried to contact BK about it. Unfortunately life happened and chasing them up about it wasn't too of my list.

Since I bought my current setup we've had kids (twin boys now 7) and my other half doesn't appreciate movies etc as much as I do. So the chances to properly enjoy the system, are few and far between.

At the moment my surround speakers are on stands and one in particular, near the door, is often at risk if being knocked over. Our house is rented so I don't have the option of wall mounting anything, meaning it's not an ideal setup anyway.

With that in mind, the idea of a soundbar appeals if it would mean I could get some surround sound to keep me happy and at the same time.lose the speakers (which would make her indoors happy).

Plus, if I can get some new kit to play with that's a win!
You could go that route.

Alternatively, you could lose the surround speakers and just keep the front three, add a subwoofer in (or get your one fixed by BK, they may even honor the warranty if you have proof of the initial contact within the warranty period) and connect your Xbox direct to the TV, then pass the audio out to the amp via ARC or optical.

I think that will give you better audio than switching to a soundbar, and for less money.
 
Thanks for the comments.

I thought a new soundbar might be at least in the ballpark of my 10 year old setup. If that's not the case then I'll steer clear.

So it looks like a receiver upgrade might be the way to go.

I've done a bit more reading and I had been thinking that a receiver would need to support HDMI 2.1 in order to offer eArc support. Seems I was wrong.

Apparently some older, non HDMI 2.1, receivers will support eArc too.

So, perhaps my best bang for buck would be to look at getting something like a Sony STR-DN1080 or similar (possibly secondhand). That way I can send Atmos etc to it through eArc and have the option of adding/upgrading speakers in the future.
 
That Sony is a bit old now and has some issues. This would be a good buy:


Not that much more money than the soundbar that you were considering.
 
That Sony is a bit old now and has some issues. This would be a good buy:


Not that much more money than the soundbar that you were considering.
I've actually been looking into the Denon 2700 this morning.

Mind you, whilst doing so I read about some people having audio delay issues when using eArc with some LG tv's. Although that was with different models to mine (mine is a 65NANO866). But I haven't been able to find anything to say whether my TV is affected or not.
 
Well going forward anything on the floor is going to get pulled over. The speakers are at risk and the sun too. Maybe a sound bar is a good option or wall mount the rears.
 
Given the eArc delay issues that seem to affect LG tv's (including my model I've discovered), I think a new HDMI 2.1 capable receiver is the way forward.

That way I can all my devices through it, and get the benefit of VRR, ALLM etc for my Xbox. It seems I might have an issue if I wanted to run the Xbox at 4K 120hz - but I don't know if I will need to and am sure the issues will be resolved one way or another in time.

So, will likely be looking at a Denon 2700 (the 3700 is a bit too much) or a Yamaha RX-V6A (possibly the V4A).

I've also got some capacitors on order to hopefully try and fix my XLS200 sub.
 
Well I've managed to fix my sub. Swapped out 4 capacitors and it's back up and running.

I've also pretty much decided on the Denon 2700.

I have a local Denon dealer who has one in stock. Just waiting for them to come back to me to sort payment and delivery/collection.
 

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