AVR upgrade on a budget: Sony AN1000, used NAD 758 or…?

[Prospero]

Hi everyone,

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!

 

[Golfx]

Hi and welcome to the forum. You mentioned “trusted Denon.” So you already have a biased view toward Denon’s reliability. They are usually more bug free than Sony or NAD. Regarding extra unneeded channels, the companies offer their best features combined with the most desired number of channels. So if you do not need the extra internal amps of the 3800 it will likely run cooler and deliver more proportional wattage to the amps you do use. They share the same internal power supply so if fewer amps are drawing power then more power can be shunted to the amps you are using. Plus as you said you may add heights sometime in the future. If you do, then Auro 3D has an upmixer called auromatic which presents a seeming wall of sound when used for music. Denon also has Auro 3D.

 

[ban25]

I recommend you stretch for either the Denon X3800H or the Onkyo RZ50. Here's why:

1) You mentioned modern formats being important to you. Both of these options will give you a full set of 40 Gbps HDMI 2.1 ports that can support 8K / 4K120 / Dolby Vision / HDR10+. They will be suitable for any source device for the next few years, especially if you use a modern console like a PS5 (32 Gbps 4K120) or Xbox Series X (40 Gbps 4K120 + Dolby Vision). The other receivers you were considering either don't support HDMI 2.1 at all (NAD) or have serious limitations (18 Gbps ports on the Sony).

2) Given that you have a fairly challenging open-concept room with a kitchen/dining area on one side and importantly, a glass wall to the left of your seating area leading out to the balcony, I strongly recommend getting something with good room correction. That means Dirac Live or Audyssey XT32. The Denon X3800H ships with Audyssey XT32 and can be upgraded with Dirac Live. The RZ50 ships with Dirac Live out of the box. Both are capable of taming this challenging room setup, with Audyssey just needing a bit more tweaking to get there.

Good luck!

 

[BigMiIke]

View attachment 325652Hi everyone,

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!

Did you end up getting the Sony? How do you like it if so