All I currently have a 5.1 setup powered by bottom barrel Yamaha RX-V381 with RBH Impression Series speakers and a PSA sub. Yes, I know you are running those with that??? Receiver was Christmas present long before speakers arrived. Anyways fast forward my intentions are to move the 381 to bedroom for a 2.1 setup and upgrade the 5.1 setup. I would like to keep price under $1500. Not worried about the latest HDMI that is being released on the latest and greatest as I have a 4K tV that is a couple of years old. I am thinking I would like to move to Aventage lineup but my head is spinning from the offering from Denon, Marantz, Anthem, etc. At the end of the day I want something reliable.
Thoughts or suggestions?? This is mainly for movies and some gaming.
In terms of sound quality only, was the RX-V381 lacking in any way? If not, maybe you can pull the budget back (a lot) for a 5.1 system. Even "basic" receivers today offer many features.
For reliability, Yamaha's the brand to get. The best value for a 5 or 7 channel is probably the Costco model, the TSR-7850. It's pretty much identical to RX-A models at a lower price point (but only has 2 years warranty) for under 1/3 budget.
If you want better room correction, Denon/Marantz are the brands to get with Audyssey. An improvement on Yamaha's YPAO RSC is Audyssey MultEQ XT. It can be found on the Denon AVR-X1600H for under 1/2 budget.
If you're OK with refurbished models, the AVR-X1500H or AVR-X1600H can be found for about 1/3 your budget.
For _just about_ the best room correction for the lowest price within your price range, a refurbished Denon AVR-X3500H with Audyssey MultEQ XT32 is about as good as it gets for 7 channels or fewer, for less than 1/2 your budget.
For what's considered the best room correction under your budget, Dirac Live is considered a bit better than XT32, and is available in the Anthem MRX 520, Arcam AVR390 and NAD T 758, all at the top of your budget.
In my opinion:
If you're OK with refurbished, the Denon models are the best values.
If you want new, the Yamaha TSR/RX-A vs the Denon X1600H is an interesting comparison that I'd give the nod to Denon for the room correction.
Any of these models are more "advanced" than the RX-V381 it would replace.
I'm not sure how much you'd get from the models with Dirac Live at the high-end of your budget unless you really preferred that room correction.
What specific speakers/sub do you have? It's possible an upgrade is possible there within budget even after replacing the AVRs.
Running the RBH Impression R55Ti towers with R56Ci center and R5Bi bookshelf for surround. Sub is Power Sound Audio 15V.
Happy with sound but didn’t know if there was any room for improvement.
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