So this is the conundrum that presents itself to anyone wanting to assemble a highly performant home theater: On the one hand, the content providers have made it virtually impossible to do surround sound audio codec processing on the most capable digital multitasker you have in your house, namely, your PC. If they would, you could receive content via eARC, decode on software like JRiver, and send a digital stream via USB to a highly capable multi channel DAC. Problem solved. But no, hell no! Copy protection makes that a non starter for the content providers. So, no way, Jose.
So, on the other hand, the the audio equipment providers have in their turn filled this gap by providing processors and receivers bundled together with DACS and amplifiers which perform at or below the level of 1960's and '70's solid state gear with a form factor most nearly resembling a college dorm room refrigerator sporting a front panel that lights up like the one on a Gulfstream V--which is totally not distracting if you want to watch a movie. All for the price of the average audiophile's US federal income tax annual refund. And, that audiophile will need that check every year because said receiver will either fail and be unrepairable after a coupla years, or else be rendered obsolete because of new connections, codecs, processing, etc. At which point it will need be tossed onto the front lawn's AV receiver pile which is next to LuLu's broken dryer and Grandpa's red,rusted out '57 Ford pick truck up on blocks.
And yeah, this Marantz does look like another one for the pile.
) haha - this was a joke, but I have seen this type of setup far too often. Point is, for those of us who take the time to properly place speakers and subs and calibrate their receivers, even substandard performance has the possibility of being good enough. Plus it sounds at least 10 million times better than rear facing TV speakers (before someone jumps on me, yes, this is an exaggeration).
