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Current Setup and Suggestions for Improvement

Gravebeard

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Dec 31, 2021
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Hello. With my current setup, I run an optical out from my TV to my Denon AVR-1911 which is powering a pair of Infinity Primus 250s. I realize there are problems (likely a lot) with this from a source standpoint. If I understand correctly (and admittedly I may not be) the audio is compressed by the TV before it it passed through the optical. Plus, I use Spotify which is already less than ideal. I've tried Amazon HD and Tidal but again it's via the TV so any benefit that may be there is probably lost right? So my first thought was adding a streamer to eliminate the TV from the mix in regards to music listening. I was leaning toward the arylic s50 pro+ or Andover Song Bird because they both allow the use of Wi-Fi rather than Bluetooth. I suppose I could also just use the Ethernet connections as my modem/router is close enough. I'm not really interested in Raspberry Pi because I have no experience with putting something like that together.

Anyway, I sit about 9 ft from the speakers and the room is about 16' x 24'. I don't currently have a subwoofer so I also thought that may be something to consider. I'm not unhappy with the sound from my setup (I quite like it actually) nor the bass performance though I'm sure I'm missing out on lower frequencies and could maybe benefit from one.

I was also curious if adding a DAC or DAC/preamp combo could help as my AVR is long in the tooth and the built-in DAC may not be up to snuff.

As I said, I'm satisfied with the current setup but I started getting an itch to upgrade. It seems silly if I'm satisfied. I was tempted to pick up some newer budget level speakers to audition but then started wondering if I'd even get any sort of improvement while only spending $300-$400 or would it be a side grade that I wasted money on when it could've been better spent elsewhere.

I'd appreciate any thoughts/opinions from the folks here. I'm definitely newb-ish and I apologize for they but I definitely would like some feedback. Thanks.
 

twsecrest

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Best audio.
Run HDMI from source to Denon AVR-1911
Then run HDMI from Denon to view screen (TV, computer monitor, etc.).
 
OP
G

Gravebeard

Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2021
Messages
11
Likes
2
Best audio.
Run HDMI from source to Denon AVR-1911
Then run HDMI from Denon to view screen (TV, computer monitor, etc.).
Unfortunately the Denon doesn't pass 4k so I'd rather not go that route. I'm either sacrificing video or audio quality. That's why I want to find a streamer of some sort for music listening only. There don't seem to be any great options. It's either try to build a Raspberry Pi or spend way more than I'd like to on something like a Node.
 

twsecrest

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Nov 27, 2018
Messages
894
Likes
291
Location
California
Unfortunately the Denon doesn't pass 4k so I'd rather not go that route. I'm either sacrificing video or audio quality. That's why I want to find a streamer of some sort for music listening only. There don't seem to be any great options. It's either try to build a Raspberry Pi or spend way more than I'd like to on something like a Node.
I would assume the Denon AVR-1911 comes with a feature that allows video (4K) to pass-thru the Denon's HDMI input/output?
 
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