Hi all, I'm new to the forum, I see here are some knowledgeable members and @amirm doing some great reviews and tests on AVRs which I find plenty helpful and informative. Thanks for doing all those tests, they do require a lot of time and work.
I was looking to upgrade my AVR with music being the main aim. I'm not really concerned L how it will sound for movies, but very much so for music.
Some intro, I currently have an old Pioneer VSX 1021. The DAC in it is just pretty bad. Treble is harsh, sound stage flat, lacking details etc. I used external DAC (SMSL RAW MDA1) through the analog inputs on the AVR skipping the digital section altogether, and it started sounding like a totally different amp. With a good source I'd say it's a night and day difference to me, way better. So the analog amplifier in the AVR is ok, but the DAC is just bad.
The thing is external DAC limits me to just 2 speakers and has no HDMI, these are pretty much all just stereo. I use 2 main speakers, 2 surround plus 1 sub. Yes I use 4 speakers for music plus a sub, the 2 surrounding add this extra spaciousness which I really appreciate.
Out of so much testing, I'd assume one or two AVRs might stand out with at least reasonable DACs that can be recommended that can utilize surround speakers.
So my question is, what AVR that doesn't cost an arm and a leg would make most sense for music which would be an upgrade to what I have. I'd like it to have the following:
- a good DAC that doesn't suck, this is pretty much a requirement
- setup will be HDMI input to speaker output (4k would be nice but not mandatory as the AVR is the last link in my chain, I'm not using it as a pass through, just the HDMI ARC
- 5.1 channel or more, BI-AMP option preffered but also not mandatory
- at least 90W at 8 ohm per channel with 2 speakers engaged
- independent subwoofer control is also nice but still not mandatory
- I always appreciate full parametric EQ but I know they are a rarity in AVRs
Any recommendations would be welcome, thanks!
I was looking to upgrade my AVR with music being the main aim. I'm not really concerned L how it will sound for movies, but very much so for music.
Some intro, I currently have an old Pioneer VSX 1021. The DAC in it is just pretty bad. Treble is harsh, sound stage flat, lacking details etc. I used external DAC (SMSL RAW MDA1) through the analog inputs on the AVR skipping the digital section altogether, and it started sounding like a totally different amp. With a good source I'd say it's a night and day difference to me, way better. So the analog amplifier in the AVR is ok, but the DAC is just bad.
The thing is external DAC limits me to just 2 speakers and has no HDMI, these are pretty much all just stereo. I use 2 main speakers, 2 surround plus 1 sub. Yes I use 4 speakers for music plus a sub, the 2 surrounding add this extra spaciousness which I really appreciate.
Out of so much testing, I'd assume one or two AVRs might stand out with at least reasonable DACs that can be recommended that can utilize surround speakers.
So my question is, what AVR that doesn't cost an arm and a leg would make most sense for music which would be an upgrade to what I have. I'd like it to have the following:
- a good DAC that doesn't suck, this is pretty much a requirement
- setup will be HDMI input to speaker output (4k would be nice but not mandatory as the AVR is the last link in my chain, I'm not using it as a pass through, just the HDMI ARC
- 5.1 channel or more, BI-AMP option preffered but also not mandatory
- at least 90W at 8 ohm per channel with 2 speakers engaged
- independent subwoofer control is also nice but still not mandatory
- I always appreciate full parametric EQ but I know they are a rarity in AVRs
Any recommendations would be welcome, thanks!