I just moved out of a house and into an apartment. Since I don't think my neighbors will appreciate me listening to Black Hawk Down at reference level at 6 AM (I'm an early riser), I've resigned myself to the fact that I will have to be doing a lot of headphone listening.
I have Klipsch T5 II wireless earbuds that I will probably be doing most of that headphone listening on. Unfortunately, my ancient Onkyo receiver doesn't support Bluetooth. I got an Aventree Orbit to try and get around that, but, since the Onkyo can't output audio over HDMI and optical digital at the same time, the Orbit is somewhat limited in its usefulness.
So, I think it's time for a new receiver.
Here is what I think I need, features wise:
--Low-latency Bluetooth audio connection to my Klipsch earbuds. (I think that the aptX codex is the best for this?)
--The ability to output audio over HDMI and digital optical simultaneously. Well, I suppose I could live with being able to output audio over HDMI or digital optical as long as it was easy to switch between the two. (This is important because it will make the Orbit much more useful. The Orbit can play audio over two wireless headsets at the same time, which I don't think any receiver can currently do. Great for when a friend comes over.)
--I have both an Xbox Series X and a PS5, so I'd like something with at least two HDMI 2.1 inputs that support 4K@120hz.
--I use Genelec powered monitors, so pre-amp outs are essential, and pre-amp outs with XLR jacks would be a nice bonus.
--A nice to have feature would be the ability to hook up an external hard drive via USB and play my music collection.
--While I obviously want something that sounds good, I'm willing to compromise a bit on sound quality for a unit with the features I need.
--I'd like to keep the cost under $2K, but I could stretch to more than that if there is some spectacular unit out there.
Any recommendations?
I have Klipsch T5 II wireless earbuds that I will probably be doing most of that headphone listening on. Unfortunately, my ancient Onkyo receiver doesn't support Bluetooth. I got an Aventree Orbit to try and get around that, but, since the Onkyo can't output audio over HDMI and optical digital at the same time, the Orbit is somewhat limited in its usefulness.
So, I think it's time for a new receiver.
Here is what I think I need, features wise:
--Low-latency Bluetooth audio connection to my Klipsch earbuds. (I think that the aptX codex is the best for this?)
--The ability to output audio over HDMI and digital optical simultaneously. Well, I suppose I could live with being able to output audio over HDMI or digital optical as long as it was easy to switch between the two. (This is important because it will make the Orbit much more useful. The Orbit can play audio over two wireless headsets at the same time, which I don't think any receiver can currently do. Great for when a friend comes over.)
--I have both an Xbox Series X and a PS5, so I'd like something with at least two HDMI 2.1 inputs that support 4K@120hz.
--I use Genelec powered monitors, so pre-amp outs are essential, and pre-amp outs with XLR jacks would be a nice bonus.
--A nice to have feature would be the ability to hook up an external hard drive via USB and play my music collection.
--While I obviously want something that sounds good, I'm willing to compromise a bit on sound quality for a unit with the features I need.
--I'd like to keep the cost under $2K, but I could stretch to more than that if there is some spectacular unit out there.
Any recommendations?