I’m thinking of upgrading from the old trusted Denon x2000 to something that can take advantage of the latest formats, while keeping the current 5.1 speaker setup made of 4 Dali Zensor 1, Dali Zensor Vokal center and Dali E9-F subwoofer - possibly adding front height speakers at a later stage if I can figure a way to place them.
I don’t game and use it 85% for movies and 15% for casual music listening. The sources are mostly the Sony A80J streaming apps (Disney+, Prime Video and especially the wonderful Bravia Core), with the occasional old HD blue ray thrown in. I should mention that I also watch a bunch of older classics, with stereo only tracks.
Attached is a drawing of the room. The Tv sits against the wall, where the sofa is with the four speakers at the corners, forming a square about 2x2 m. I should mention that the Right rear speakers I slightly (30cm) off axis compared to the front right one due to the sofa being in the middle-I don’t if this qualifies as a “problematic “ room !!
I’m considering a bunch of options but the more more I think the less sure I am…
The Sony AN1000, which I could get open box for about 750€ was the first thought, mostly on account of its purported spatial sound ability. Or a Denon X2800 at a slightly lower price… the X3800 would also be in the same price range as the AN1000, but I feel paying for 9 channels output that I won’t use a bit of a waste.
The other option is second hand equipment: here in Germany I could get a NAD 758 v3i (which got some horrible reviews) at roughly the same price point. Or a Pioneer LX503 at half!!
My intuition is that a lot of new models emphasise features that likely will not be relevant for me (like gaming) maybe at the expense of what actually matter-a clear, enjoyable sound!
Any suggestion on how to think this through?
Thanks a lot in advance!