Stereo / 5.1 Equipment Check

[borcatski]

Been a long time reader of reviews and I'm finally at the point now where I'm looking to make some upgrades to my current living room setup. I have been a convert of class D amps since springing for one to use for my computer audio.

Currently, I have an old Denon AVR-S920 powering a selection of Pioneer Andrew Jones speakers in a 5.1 setup. I'm getting some new furniture in the room including a new media console and record stand, and as a result I'm rethinking the current setup and seeing how to improve. Currently I would estimate the use to be about 70% watching TV / games to 30% playing music, so I was thinking that a sort of joined home theater and hifi setup, after reading some articles about how to make this happen.

For the hifi I was thinking of the Cambridge Audio Evo 150 SE, as this could work as the MM phono and class D amplification. I have a modest record collection with a larger library on my NAS that I would use as a streamer. The Evo 150 SE seems expensive, but from what I've seen it appears to be a good improvement on the base 150, but I'm open to options if people have other ideas.

For the AVR replacement, I've found looking for class D amps much harder, without moving into separates or dropping over $8k. Please share if I am overlooking an obvious choice. I was considering getting the Denon X4800H (the pre-outs are key so I can connect to the Evo 150 SE, or so I have read). I'll use the AB internal amplification for now, with a plan to upgrade later to a buckeye amp and utilize the remainder of the surround speakers as pre-out so the Denon turns to a processor only. Call it a cheaper separates option.

Later, once my card stops smoking from the purchases above, I would upgrade the speakers, but I haven't done much research on that side yet. Maybe KEF, I'm not sure.

I want to double check if the above setup does make sense as well as checking:
Is the hifi setup irrelevant if I just consolidate the budget to get a better AVR or processor/amp?
With HDMI 2.2 announced, should I wait on the AVR upgrade until products start rolling out? I understand there's risk to adopting early, but it would be nice to maximize the lifespan of the setup.

 

[DVDdoug]

The Evo 150 SE seems expensive,

To me, it seems mostly redundant with the AVR. I think all you may need is a streamer. You've already got power amps (and you might be buying more) and the AVR has a phono input, right?

You probably don't "need" external amps either unless you are running out of power and distorting when you crank it up. Or maybe you'll want more power for your new speakers if they are less sensitive or if they can take more power and you want to listen louder.

I assume almost everything will be class-D in the future but it's the price and performance that counts and it's not necessarily "better" than class A/B. I don't even know what's inside my inexpensive Sony AVR but I suspect class-D because it's not heavy and it's rated at 5X 80W per channel.

Is the hifi setup irrelevant if I just consolidate the budget to get a better AVR or processor/amp?

What else do you want from the AVR?

Speakers always sound different (better or worse) so they are always worth considering for an upgrade.

 

[borcatski]

Good point about the X4800H, it does have MM phono input. I think a dedicated streamer is a good plan, thanks for the input!

For the AVR, I like the flexibility of the more efficient class D amps. They are lighter and put out less heat, I can hide them as I don't usually like how they look. I find the Anthem AVRs one of the few stylistically that are worth showing off. That said, I have yet to find that sweet spot between price and style, and talk of buggy UI has scared me away from Anthem.

Rregarding how the the AVR will be used, I have just a switch and laptop, currently all plugged into the TV with ARC out. Could move it all to the AVR or switch to eARC.