This is my current audio entertainment system used for home theater and music listening in my living room:
Digital Streamer: Pi4 w/Allo Boss 2 Player w/ Nirvana power supply
Amplification: Pioneer Elite VSX 80, to Parasound 2125 v2 via pre outs for front mains
Speakers: KEF LS50 Mains, Paradigm SE Center, SVS SB12-NSD Subwoofer, Paradigm Atom v.5 Surrounds
Living room is 10' by 20', I'm sitting 8-9 feet from speakers and I'm limited to standmounts due to space limitations. Speaker placement is less than Ideal, but can't be helped, and I'm not chasing a perfect system anyway. I want capable, reliable, and reasonably priced equipment that is well regarded in terms of sound quality, primarily for low volume listening to eclectic music and watching streamed TV/movies in surround sound. I don't have the luxury of a separate music listening room, so an AVR is required, not separates.
This will be my last investment in this system, and I'd love to tell you that I've got $5000 or $10000 to burn, but I'd be lying. I do have $2000 to $2500.
So the question is where to best apply the money.
My original thought was to just replace the front main speakers with KEF R3's or Revel 106's etc. (I have a long list), and be done with it. A speaker upgrade seems to be the rule of thumb in these situations. I don't see a need to replace the center, surrounds, or sub, and I would add that it's not as if I don't like the LS50's because I do.
But lately I've been thinking about replacing the old Pioneer with a Denon 3700 and swapping out the Parasound for a Buckeye 2 channel NC252MP or something similar, for the same amount of money that I'd spend on new speakers. The speakers I'm looking at might very well be a lateral move in terms of SQ, but the pontential of lowering distortion etc. in the preamp and amplification stages may make such an audible improvement in my current speakers' performance that main speaker replacement is less sensible???
Any opinions, advice, or thoughts on this will be greatly appreciated.
Digital Streamer: Pi4 w/Allo Boss 2 Player w/ Nirvana power supply
Amplification: Pioneer Elite VSX 80, to Parasound 2125 v2 via pre outs for front mains
Speakers: KEF LS50 Mains, Paradigm SE Center, SVS SB12-NSD Subwoofer, Paradigm Atom v.5 Surrounds
Living room is 10' by 20', I'm sitting 8-9 feet from speakers and I'm limited to standmounts due to space limitations. Speaker placement is less than Ideal, but can't be helped, and I'm not chasing a perfect system anyway. I want capable, reliable, and reasonably priced equipment that is well regarded in terms of sound quality, primarily for low volume listening to eclectic music and watching streamed TV/movies in surround sound. I don't have the luxury of a separate music listening room, so an AVR is required, not separates.
This will be my last investment in this system, and I'd love to tell you that I've got $5000 or $10000 to burn, but I'd be lying. I do have $2000 to $2500.
So the question is where to best apply the money.
My original thought was to just replace the front main speakers with KEF R3's or Revel 106's etc. (I have a long list), and be done with it. A speaker upgrade seems to be the rule of thumb in these situations. I don't see a need to replace the center, surrounds, or sub, and I would add that it's not as if I don't like the LS50's because I do.
But lately I've been thinking about replacing the old Pioneer with a Denon 3700 and swapping out the Parasound for a Buckeye 2 channel NC252MP or something similar, for the same amount of money that I'd spend on new speakers. The speakers I'm looking at might very well be a lateral move in terms of SQ, but the pontential of lowering distortion etc. in the preamp and amplification stages may make such an audible improvement in my current speakers' performance that main speaker replacement is less sensible???
Any opinions, advice, or thoughts on this will be greatly appreciated.