AV receiver for 2.0? Or another solution?

Scam said:
As far as downmix goes, surely if a Bluray offers a 2.0 mix I just choose that and always ensure (obviously) my AVR is set to 2.0
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agree, just had a look at nr1506 manual
does not seem to say what adjustment you have of the mix if you were inputting the multi-channel and driving two speakers.

[- usb capability looks nice, maybe use @ demo
- could not see if it supports internet radio dash/hls streams eg. BBC
- wondered whether people use the Audyssey Dynamic volume&Eq funtionality, to ensure voices remain discreet
(apparently for all makes when Audyssey engaged, output sampled 48Khz, due to cpu/processing requirement)]
 
james.miller said:

Dont worry, they posted pretty much the same article on the latest batch of dolby atmos/dts:x amps last october.

Manufactures are all trading power for features, it's always been a thing.

http://www.audioholics.com/audio-amplifier/power-manipulation-in-av-receivers
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That's probably why it's best to bypass AVR's own and get something like this for full Atmos. AT 60W all channels driven will outclass most AVR's which cheat in power output figures.

http://www.ati-amp.com/AT6012.php
 
Looks interesting. With ARC could I use 3 HDMIs on my TV? I know nothing about ARC apart from always seeing posts about it not working :o I think I'd rather avoid it.

I guess I'm in the minority of having a lot of devices to plug in but no need for surround sound..
 
Doesn't look too bad. Check what happens when you sent it DD/DTS/HD audio. I guess you just set LPCM on HDMI output instead.
As for power, well I doubt it's 80W, as per spec it's well trumped up. I would guess it's really max 25W x 2 (look at the power consumption spec)

Still looks good for a stereo with HDMI sources for a small room.
 
Thinking out loud now... My Panasonic GT60 puts out PCM via optical. If I leave my setup essentially as it is, but upgrade my amp to another stereo amp.. If I buy a Harmony remote to program everything (TV hdmi inputs, hdmi splitter, audio-in on the amp) for every device then surely everything will be as easy as it could be with an AV amp? Just a little more messy round the back :confused:
 
Scam said:
I'm quite sold on getting a Harmony remote too, to shut the other half up :p I've currently filled up all 4 hdmi inputs on the TV, and have a three-way splitter on one which is very tedious.
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why is the splitter tedious? if by splitter you mean switch, and that switch is remote controlled, then the harmony would control it anyway and using the harmony 'activities' you wouldnt even notice - it does it all for you. My av amps quite old now and ive only got 3 hdmi inputs - a switch is pretty much a requirement. But my harmony knows when to turn the switch on and what input to set, so it all happens transparently :)
 
It's one thing to get a splitter for a older system (or a HDMI switch, I use one as well)
But building up a new system to faff around making it more complicated, even if you use macros (which I do)

You'll find optical out from your TV to not quite be the same as optical out from your source, some don't support DD/DTS out. But if you set PCM in your sources it should work.
 
Oh I would only suggest using a switch if he cant find an amp with enough inputs of course, however at the same time i wouldn't prioritise the number of inputs over anything else (and wouldnt turn better amps away because they are lacking a hdmi port or two) as it can be worked around easily enough as to not cause any additional complexity in use. ie, my 6 year old has absolutely no problems flicking from sky to the chromecast or the firestick etc. just point the remote and press the button. He doesnt know what the switch does, probably isn't even aware its there at all :)
 
What are the 6 feeds you use - that is quite a few (htpc, roku, xbox, ...?) - need a separate thread.

The pioneer works on pass through too, like the marantz,
and also seems to have a smart-phone app (but maybe marantz too?), which maybe, reduces need for harmony;
but, isn't a harmony app + harmony wireless IR sender where it is now anyway.

If you go for an Amp, with optical pcm in, question becomes which one (..or separate dac+amp) .....
 
Well, I'm spending a work bonus so I'm happy to plump for the Harmony to make my life easier. Definitely if I need a splitter. Currently using a cheap DAC from Amazon. Sounds fine to me*, TV and sources are set to PCM where I can.

I have;
- TiVo
- Bluray
- FireTV
- Xbox 360
- Work streaming box (for watching films)
- Apple TV (for work, and NowTV)

And I want to add a Chromecast because I always get offers from Google Play (presumably because I pay for GPM and Drive)
 
jpaul said:
can't you use arc via the tv too, and have some of the video feeds plugged into gt60's hdmi
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I don't really know much about arc apart from all the threads with people saying they can't get it to work. I don't really understand the point of it if you have enough inputs to your amp? :confused:

hornetstinger said:
Would make sense if you have a USB TV stick which is stuck to the back of the TV, a short HDMI cable or plugged straight into a HDMI port, so that audio is sent to AVR on the single AVR-TV cable.
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I don't understand what you're talking about here. Again, if I have enough inputs to the amp why would I feed audio through my TV? Everything will just go Device > AVR > TV :confused:

I think I'm pretty settled on getting an AV receiver. At the end of the day for my music usage (Google Play Music, not terribly high volumes as I'm in a flat and the girlfriend complains) I really doubt I'm going to notice the difference between a decent AVR and a hifi amp.

So, long story short besides Marantz what brands are known for their 'musical' AVRs? :)
 
If you're only ever going to use 2 of the 5 or more channels I can't help feeling that it's a waste of your money. A good stereo integrated amp will surely be your best bet? You could always go really fancy and go for an AV pre amp and a stereo power amp (or two monoblocks!) but these have a habit of being rather pricey!

There must be an IR HDMI switch which will do the job for you? Run the digital output from your TV through a nice DAC and you'll be sorted.

Saying that though I can see why an AV amp would potentially provide a more elegant one box solution. I think you're getting into quite a bit of cash anyway for >=6 HDMI inputs though as you're automatically looking for the mid range receivers. These better models will probably offset the loss in musical ability of a budget AV amp. I've been pleasantly surprised with my Onkyo NR737's musical abilities, but my similarly priced Cyrus 8vs2 stereo amp is leagues above!

EDIT: I used to use a stereo integrated amp as a power amp with my system which worked well when I wanted to just listen to a CD or record. If you can get an AV amp with pre outs this is an option (mid range stuff as mentioned above). However I ended up ditching the AV amp entirely for that setup as it was a lot of faff and with a great set of front speakers I didn't need all the fancy gizmos of an AV amp to create a great movie watching experience.
 
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Admittedly I haven't had the time to follow up properly, but I'd be happy to find a decent hdmi switcher with remote yeah. Last time I looked it was a case of either buy a 3-5 switch cheapo thing for £12, or spend £500 on it :confused:
 
It's still like £200 for a 3 port switch. What gives? Can't find either of those either..

If i go for a hifi amp amd hdmi switch I'd want a universal remote. So spending £200 on a switch and £150 on the remote seems a bit pointless when i could put that money towards an AV receiver?
 
Scam said:
It's still like £200 for a 3 port switch. What gives? Can't find either of those either..

If i go for a hifi amp amd hdmi switch I'd want a universal remote. So spending £200 on a switch and £150 on the remote seems a bit pointless when i could put that money towards an AV receiver?
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yup. That's why I went for a AVR instead of a stereo amp (which I had already FYI) for the PC audio system. I went from stereo amp+processor+power amplifier+hdmi switch, plus macros and physically pressing buttons to a single AVR.
 
Scam said:
It's still like £200 for a 3 port switch. What gives? Can't find either of those either..

If i go for a hifi amp amd hdmi switch I'd want a universal remote. So spending £200 on a switch and £150 on the remote seems a bit pointless when i could put that money towards an AV receiver?
Click to expand...

I think if you're looking to spend upwards of £350 you'll start to get into decent sounding AV amps anyway. If you could forgo the latest surround sound formats and get either last years model which is being sold cheaply at a shop or a second hand one you might bag something quite nice.
 
... for tv input ... The VeLLBox HDMI 5x1 Ultra-High Performance Switcher, 5 In 1 Out for £30 have reasonable usa reviews, only hdmi1.4 (is the $$$ Octava too) and seems to be IR, not rf switching.

I would still be considering arc output from the TV - PCM 2.0 stereo and then a DAC into existing AMP, which ought to be ~£200 w/schiit dac say.
which should give better sound, than entering the >£350 AV receiver market, with all the >5.1 redundant functionality, you do not need.
*IF* you can confirm TV arc capability
(that is where I am heading to keep current amp in the loop)




 
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