[Eddy13]

OK guys currently I have a infinity sattelite package of my mains center and surrounds and sub. I have had this for 4 years but the sound on these speakers are to thin for my taste. I want to upgrade my system with a much better one. I have a couple of questions. I currently have a 3 1/2 year old denon 1800 receiver that does 70 watts per channel I beleive. My question is if I get B&W book shelp speakers or other good book shelf speakers to replace my infinity sattelite will my system sound a whole lot better than my od one regardless if i change my receiver or will my old receiver not have the sufficient power to drive my new speakers.


My question is if I buy new speakers do i have to by a new receiver preferablly a yamaha to make my system sound good or if buy a whole new set of good speakers will they sound good with my current receiver. The guys at tweeter told me that if i buy new speakers that i would have to buy a new receiver in order to fully benefit from my new speakers he said that with the old receiver that i woudl not notice the clarity out of the new speakers that im supposed to experience. WHat do you guys recommend. Basically what im asking is what shoudl i replace first since i am going to be buying all these things a little at a time.

 

[SRR]

IMO, buy better speakers before you upgrade your receiver.

 

[CZ Eddie]

Quote:

Originally posted by SRR IMO, buy better speakers before you upgrade your receiver.

I disagree. I don't know what Infinity you have, but if they were great when you got them, then with a better amp they might be great again. Try an h/k AVR525 ($500-$600) and see if you like the Infinity any better. I'd be willing to be that you will like them much more. The h/k may give the Infinity more of a "full" sound.

 

[cschang]

I'm with SRR...


New speakers will make more of a difference than a new amp. A new amp/receiver can change the speakers a bit, but it will not be as dramatic.

 

[Eddy13]

so try the speakers and if they sound good leave the amp for awhile. what hapepns if i buy new speakers and they dont sound the way i think they should. I have heard some 1200 dollar receivers and let me tell you that they sound crystal clear.

 

[Xcalibur_255]

If you do purchase the new B&W, then at one point you will get the itch to buy a better receiver to complement them regardless. I also agree the speakers would be the most noticable upgrade, so that's the place to start. If you decide you want a new receiver, then you can focus on buying one that complement's the B&Ws sound. If you were curious, I think you could blame some of the "thin" sound you describe of your Infinitys on the Denon receiver. I use a Denon/Infinity combination as well, although more expensive, and I find the midrange to sound thin at times and I am 100% confident in blaming it on the receiver.

 

[cschang]

the same question can be asked either way...


What if you buy speakers and they do not sound like you think they should?


What if you buy a new receiver and it doesn't sound they way you think it should.


Those $1200 receivers that sound crystal clear, what speakers were they hooked up to?

 

[Eddy13]

so does this mean that the receiver is holding the speakers back more than the speakers are holding back the receiver.

 

[CZ Eddie]

Quote:

Originally posted by Xcalibur_255 I use a Denon/Infinity combination as well, although more expensive, and I find the midrange to sound thin at times and I am 100% confident in blaming it on the receiver.

Which is why I recommended the upgrade to an h/k receiver. It won't "transform" your speakers, but it might make the difference that you want.


Besides being "warmer" sounding (i had the AVR520), the h/k is a bit of a powerhouse and sounds GREAT for home theater. So much so that I've put my Marantz SR5200 (beautiful for music) up on ebay and am going back to the h/k, since most of my listening is done with movies and I want that "punch" back.

 

[cschang]

If CZ is willing to sell you his Marantz at a great price, then go that route.

 

[Eddy13]

i like yamaha receivers myself

 

[CZ Eddie]

Quote:

Originally posted by Eddy13 i like yamaha receivers myself

Well, based only on the Yamaha RX-V490 I used to have, I'd suggest not going with Yamaha if you keep the Infinity. I found mine to be "cold" sounding as well. But then, the 490 was the cheapest receiver I've ever owned. Maybe the newer Yamahas have a more full sound.


My Marantz actually is a better low volume performer than the h/k. But the h/k had it hands down at high volumes (where I like it).


Ebay item # 3072740056 if anyone is interested.

 

[Eddy13]

no im changing the speakers most defintely

 

[DMF]

Quote:

Originally posted by Eddy13 so does this mean that the receiver is holding the speakers back more than the speakers are holding back the receiver.

I don't buy it. You're not asking the amplified channels to produce bass - that's what the sub is for. 70w/ch should be able to drive the rest of the frequency spectrum with ease. Also, Denon makes pretty decent electronics, although you are at the bottom of the line.


My experience with Infinity is that the cheaper ones tend to sound thin, or clinical. Adequate as a starter set, but not all that satisfying over time.


A general principle of audio is to buy more (quality, not quantity ) speakers than you can afford and scrimp on the electronics, then upgrade electronics. But with HT it's hard to start that way since the starter kit is so big $$$.


IMO you would be best served by doing a serious upgrade to the speakers. You don't have to do all 6 or 8 at once. You could replace the center and fronts and keep the rest for a while. They're not really doing much anyway in terms of the overall sound. Then take a hard look at the sub.


But before you jump to the sub, consider replacing the receiver. Yours is getting old both in terms of features and in terms of the digital processing inside. You want new generation DACs that do 24/96 or 24/192. The weakest link in your receiver is probably not the preamp/amps; it's probably the DACs. This time you'll want to look hard at separates. They will make the next upgrade much easier.

 

[DMF]

Quote:

Originally posted by Eddy13 no im changing the speakers most defintely

B&W are good but tend to be ineffiecient. Klipsch are good and tend to be more efficient, making better use of your moderately powered amps. Unfortunately the Reference line may well be out of your price range and I haven't heard much from the Synergy line so I can't just flat-out recommend them. You'll have to do some listening. There are quite a few good alternatives.


BTW, I also find the Yamaha sound to be cold. Some people describe them as sound shrill with some speakers. Denon and H/K are good. Also check out Outlaw at outlawaudio.com

 

[Tex-amp]

Well the Outlaw is out unless you find a used one. The 1050 was discontinued recently.


Which Infinitys do you have?

 

[Mockingbird]

Quote:

Originally posted by DMF A general principle of audio is to buy more (quality, not quantity ) speakers than you can afford and scrimp on the electronics, then upgrade electronics. But with HT it's hard to start that way since the starter kit is so big $$$. IMO you would be best served by doing a serious upgrade to the speakers. You don't have to do all 6 or 8 at once. You could replace the center and fronts and keep the rest for a while. They're not really doing much anyway in terms of the overall sound. Then take a hard look at the sub. But before you jump to the sub, consider replacing the receiver. Yours is getting old both in terms of features and in terms of the digital processing inside. You want new generation DACs that do 24/96 or 24/192. The weakest link in your receiver is probably not the preamp/amps; it's probably the DACs. This time you'll want to look hard at separates. They will make the next upgrade much easier.

I agree with this strategy completely. I've been out of the "audio loop" for a while , but back in the day the rule of thumb was half of the budget should go to the speakers.