AV receiver for PS5

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StartWars

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I recently got a PlayStation 5 but only have a 1080P TV so I am thinking of upgrading to a 4K TV to get the most out of it. If I can afford it, I may get either an LG CX OLED or Sony A8H series in a couple of months as lots of people have recommended them.

Currently, I play my sound through a set of Tannoy TFX 5.1 speakers, a BK Gemini subwoofer, and a Pioneer VSX323 AV receiver. My receiver has 4K passthrough but I understand that some older receivers don't support 4K content with HDCP 2.2 protection - I bought the receiver in 2013.

If I also need to upgrade my AV receiver, does anyone have any recommendations for my setup that supports PS5 and complements my current speakers? Since it will be connected to my PS5, will the receiver need to also support HDMI 2.1? I'm not bothered about 120fps as long as it still displays in 4K and HDMI.

It will be used for gaming, watching movies, and listening to vinyl records, so it also needs to have good stereo sound if possible. Probably looking at a budget of around £200-£400 since the LG CX TVs are expensive. Does anyone know if there are likely to be any good deals around Easter time?
 
lucid said:
Quite a lot in the audio world occupied by AV receivers has changed. It's not so much the AV receiver tech. Obviously HDCP 2.2 is the biggest change compared to your Pioneer 323, and there's eARC which your new TV will probably have. You also have 7.1 receivers evolving in to ATMOS receivers. 5.1 receivers are unchanged in this respect. The bigger shift has been in the whole market.

Compared to when you last bought there's far less choice now. Sound bars have taken a huge bite out of the surround system market. There are far fewer of the sort of disc-player-based surround kits that Comet and Argos sells. Also, the budget AV receiver market has shrunk too.

Eight years ago in the AV receiver market you had Onkyo, Pioneer, Sony, Denon, Marantz, Yamaha and even Harman Kardon. Some of these brands had 2 or 3 standalone AV receivers in the £200 to £500 range. There were also AV receiver + speaker kits from Yamaha, Pioneer and Onkyo. We were quite spoiled, even though we didn't realise it at the time.

The landscape is very different today. Onkyo and Pioneer are now under one company. Onkyo has all but retreated from he sub-£1000 AV receiver market. It's overheating issues caused chips to fail in the HDMI and digital audio circuits. That did for the brand's reputation. Once the darling of the AV market, it's now like Lancia with its infamous rust problems. It causes issues of trust.

The link between Denon and Marantz is now more evident than ever thanks to the Heos multiroom tech. Marantz still has a foot in the sub-£500 market with the slimline NR15xx series receivers. The rest of its products are pitched at higher price points. Denon's portfolio has shrunk a little. It has just two products now under £500. It also seems to be attempting to emulate Onkyo in making amps that run incredibly hot. Time will tell if it goes the same way. Pioneer seems to ebb and flow. Some products are good, but others mediocre.

Harman Kardon has retreated back to the States after the parent company was bought by Samsung. It's now the engineering brains behind speakers in laptops, in-car, some TVs and it makes premium performance versions of Samsung sound bars.

Sony and Yamaha are both largely unchanged.

If you're looking for good stereo music performance then you should probably look to spend at the top of your budget range. Here's a quick round-up of what's available.

Denon:
AVR-X550BT @ £250 - currently the cheapest HDCP2.2 AV receiver you can buy. The build quality and sound reflect this. Audio gets a little strident when pushed close to reference levels
AVR-X1600H @ £399 - lots of features. On paper, more Watts per £ than most other brands. Upfront and bass-heavy sound designed to excite
General Denon advice - Buy extra cooling fans. Don't put the amps in to enclosed spaces or cabinets

Sony:
STR-DH790 @ £299 - 7.1/ATMOS/DTS-X amp with support for Dolby Vision HDR. Decent for the money
STR-DN1080 @ £479 - in 2019 this was the AV receiver to beat. A few wrinkles have shown up since with HDMI compatibility. A big detailed sound. Frustrating set-up limitations

Marantz NR1510 @ £449 - slimline 5.1 AV receiver using digital/class-D amps for space and heat saving. Good range of features and nice build quality. Low power and less-than-spectacular sound holds it back for critical listeners

Pioneer VSX534D @ £399 - a bit of an oddity: The amp is 5.2 (5 main outputs and 2 out for subs), and it ATMOS compatible, but to run ATMOS or front presence speakers means sacrificing the connection for the surrounds in a 5.1 configuration. If you want to hear ATMOS sound then, everythings at the front and above but nothing from the sides/rears

Yamaha:
HTR2071 @ £299 - probably the spiritual successor to your current Pioneer. 5.1 only, and no network features, but makes up for that with sound quality
RXV4A @ £449 - a straight 5.1 AV receiver (no ATMOS) but otherwise fully HDCP2.2 compatible inc 8K. Focussed on sound quality. New design direction.
RXV485 @ £389 - outgoing 5.1 AV receiver. Lacks Dolby Vision compatibility but otherwise sonically good. Small price jump up to RXV4A a better long term bet
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Thanks a lot for the detailed response and everyone's reply so far! I'm probably torn between the Denon AVR-X1600H, Yamaha HTR2071, or Sony STR-DH790. Another thing to consider is will I notice as much improvement from one of the more expensive AV receivers on my Tannoy TFX satellite speakers? I'm happy with their sound quality overall. My only gripe is that stereo sound doesn't sound great on my current Pioneer VSX323 receiver. When playing records, the sound often gets muffled during the chorus or sections with lots of different layers. Alternatively, I may get a stereo amp later down the line if these AV receivers aren't ideal for stereo sound. Eventually, I'll probably upgrade my speakers as I bought them with my receiver 8 years ago. Also not sure if I'll have enough room to fit floor-mounted speakers if I get a new TV. My current speaker placement isn't ideal as they're placed on the bottom half of my TV stand, so I probably should get some speaker stands for them.

I also haven't settled on a TV yet. I currently have a Sony 42-inch 1080p TV so I was planning to stick with Sony and upgrade to either a 50 or 55-inch set. I was tempted by the Sony KD55A85BU as it was available with 10 percent off. I've also seen the Sony KD55AG8BU slightly cheaper - is there any difference with these models apart from the stand? However, lots of people have been recommending the LG CX series specifically for gaming so I've been leaning towards that. Also, would I need to replace my glass TV stand as it's designed to fit TVs up to 42 inches or can it handle the weight of a 55-inch TV? I've never spent this much on a TV before so any advice or recommendations would be appreciated - it will be used for gaming and watching movies. Does anyone know if there are likely to be any deals for TVs and AV receivers around easter?
 
Radox-0 said:
I use a Sony STR-DN1080. It’s a pretty solid unit and works well as others have mentioned.

The fact it does not have HDMI 2.1 is not an issue really if you can work around it. For example it does have eARC which for me with LG C9 works well. The LG CX and no doubt upcoming models also have eARC and is able to pass through LPCM signals and ATMOS fine. So what I do is plug my devices into the TV, namely PC with RTX 3090 and Xbox Series X then eARC connection to the AVR. it means your PS5 will be able to do 120hz @ 4k fine, HDR and VRR when it comes out for the PS5 hooked up direct to the TV and audio will passthrough to the AVR. These days, them amp is entirely hidden away. It turns and off with TV, volume control on LG remote, and it automatically detects the audio signal coming from the TV and any devices connected to it fine. I think some people have had issues, but for me largely been flawless with latest firmware on the AVR.
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Will simply plugging the AV receiver directly into the TV HDMI port with a standard HDMI cable enable eARC with this setup? Also, if I use my current receiver just for sound and plug my devices into the TV instead, will this work if it doesn't support HDCP 2.2? If it does will it affect the audio quality at all?
 
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Radox-0 said:
Sorry, just saw this message now. Yes i just used a 7.5m HDMI 2.0 cable (AVR is hidden away entirely now) between the AVR and the TV and works fine for eARC.

I am not an expert, but do not believe your current AVR will be able to do the same. From what I gather then eARC element is the important bit as it allows for LPCM (which the LG C9 / CX also supports as passthrough), so my PC for example when eARC is enabled on the entire chain, is able to see each speaker in my setup individually. Without that, I could only get 2.0 working or send an compressed ATMOS signal that did kind of work.
Click to expand...

So if I used my current receiver just for audio with the new TV I assume it either won't work or won't be as good quality if it's not eARC compliant?
 
Thanks for the explanation.

I'm quite torn but I'm now leaning towards the Denon AVR-X1600H, Sony STR-DH790 or Sony
STR-DN1080. Do any of these offer any different advantage? For example is one of them more likely to produce better stereo sound from record players?

I also noticed these models aren't widely available as I assume they are older models. I can't find the Sony STR-DN1080 for sale anywhere online? Richer Sounds is selling it for £429 but it seems to be available via phone order only.

It will be stored at the bottom of my glass TV shelf so it will be a fairly tight space so I'm not sure if this will be suitable for the Denon if it gets hot easily.
 
Thanks, I'll most likely go for the 1080 but I'll contact Richer Sounds to see what they can offer.

Is it also worth getting stands for the Tannoy speakers? I don't have any shelves for them to sit on so they are on the second shelf of my TV stand which isn't ideal as its low down and they are partially blocked by the legs. There's also not enough room by the side of the TV and I don't like having them in front of the TV as they block part of the picture.
 
That would be ideal but I don't know if they're still doing demonstrations when their stores are closed during lockdown? I also noticed the 1080 has WiFi connectivity which gives it an advantage so I can stream Spotify. I probably will upgrade my speakers eventually but not for a while as the TV and AV receiver are a big expense.
 
I spoke with Richer Sounds and they said they don't offer demonstrations at the moment but you can return them within 14 days of use after trialling them which is handy. Both Sony AV receivers are only available for preorder. They also said Sony AV receivers have a cleaner sound compared to Denons which have a punchier sound. Has anyone else had this experience?

With a small discount they are offering a bundle with the Sony 1080 AV receiver and LG CX 55 Oled for around £1,690 - am I likely to get a better deal closer to Easter?
 
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