Within a given price range, is an audio-only receiver always preferable to an A/V receiver for music listening?

[twsecrest]

I plan on using the amp both for music and movies. 95% of my blu-ray/UHD collection is mono or audio. The "marginal use" is for the remaining 5% which are 3.1, 5.1 or 7.1.

What I don't understand is why extra-features are necessarily bad if I use them only very occasionally.

A 2.0 speaker setup can not take advantage of a 5.1 or 7.1 audio (Blu-ray or other)

I plan on using the amp both for music and movies. 95% of my blu-ray/UHD collection is mono or audio. The "marginal use" is for the remaining 5% which are 3.1, 5.1 or 7.1.

What I don't understand is why extra-features are necessarily bad if I use them only very occasionally.

,If the Denon comes with features you want to use and the Yamaha does not, why even consider buying the Yamaha?

 

[twsecrest]

Hmm. Seems like there's no real consensus then.

That you might just be better off getting a basic 2.0 channel speaker amplifier and an external DAC, as your using just 2 speakers.

 

[Robin L]

Yes but why?

I have marginal interest in the extra features of an A/V receiver. Hence the question.

I managed to get an old (pre-HDMI) AVR for cheap. I'm only using it for 2.1 listening right now. I've never been happier with any amp/receiver I've owned. Sound quality is just fine. I'd guess that the power supply of an AVR would be more robust on account of requiring additional power for the extra channels. I require the line-level output for the subwoofer anyway. AVRs are more plentiful than receivers these days, so the prices of AVRs tend to be lower. My AVR outputs 100 watts per channel for the two channels I'm using. I would think that used AVRs would be easy to find for cheap as so many would be downsizing, using soundbars instead.

 

[Des Esseintes]

A 2.0 speaker setup can not take advantage of a 5.1 or 7.1 audio (Blu-ray or other)


,If the Denon comes with features you want to use and the Yamaha does not, why even consider buying the Yamaha?

That's the whole point of this thread. Because 5.1 or 7.1 audio is rare enough in my collection that if the Yamaha is better for 2-channel audio then it's not worth buying the Denon if I am only going to use 5.1 or 7.1 audio very rarely. As someone who does not know much about modern hi-fi, it is still hard for me to figure out how Denon manages to put so many more options in their AVRs than Yamaha in their ARs without there being a downside for the user. I am trying to identify what that downside is.

That you might just be better off getting a basic 2.0 channel speaker amplifier and an external DAC, as your using just 2 speakers.

Apparently not everyone agrees, which is why I said there does not seem to be a consensus.

 

[Mort]

¿Por qué no los dos?

I run both and switch with a BobWire RCA1

 

[Des Esseintes]

¿Por qué no los dos?

I run both and switch with a BobWire RCA1

Because that's a lot of money.

 

[Mort]

Because that's a lot of money.

You didn't list a budget or location exactly but Wiim pro, buckeye 252, RCA1 is about $900. That's where 95% of your money should go imo.

Get a lower quality rig for movies, who cares? You aren't using it that way much.

Just an opinion...

 

[JeremyFife]

Objectively: you have a set of requirements that the Denon (or other AVRs) can meet and which no 2 channel amp can.

AVRs also bring room correction which, if you choose to use it, will improve your sound in ways that no amplifier can.

There is no evidence that a 2 channel amp offers a sound advantage. Plenty of options though.

For me it's simple: sometimes you want to hear movies in all their surround sound glory - you need an AVR.

 

[Des Esseintes]

You didn't list a budget or location exactly but Wiim pro, buckeye 252, RCA1 is about $900. That's where 95% of your money should go imo.

Get a lower quality rig for movies, who cares? You aren't using it that way much.

Just an opinion...

You're right, I should start by considering what my budget is and what that can get me and whether a more expensive amp such the Yamaha I listed is objectively better than the cheaper ones you mentioned (I had never heard of those brands before).

My budget is around 5,000€ for amp+speakers. I'm in France. If I can spend less of course so much the better.

I already have a Nuforce DDA100 that I bought more than 10 years ago, paired with B&W 685 speakers. Living as I did in a small apartment and not being able to afford anything else back then, that was good enough I suppose. I now live in a house with much bigger rooms and I am sure amps have come a long way since then.

 

[Des Esseintes]

Objectively: you have a set of requirements that the Denon (or other AVRs) can meet and which no 2 channel amp can.

AVRs also bring room correction which, if you choose to use it, will improve your sound in ways that no amplifier can.

There is no evidence that a 2 channel amp offers a sound advantage. Plenty of options though.

For me it's simple: sometimes you want to hear movies in all their surround sound glory - you need an AVR.

Related question: does an audio amp treat a stereo signal transmitted with an HDMI or coaxial cable as stereo? Or does that require codecs that only an A/VR has?

In other words, does the benefit of having an A/V receiver extend beyond just movies with a surround soundtrack or is it strictly the same as a 2-channel receiver for stereo?

Also: can a A/V receiver "upgrade" a stereo signal to surround, and if so, is it worth it?

 

[Old_School_Brad]

One important consideration, in my opinion, is that an AVR houses multiple channels within the same enclosure. This results in a densely packed design, causing components to generally run hotter than those in a stereo amplifier. Additionally, an AVR features an array of transistors on a relatively small cooling plate, which handles all its channels. Even if you’re only using the AVR for stereo listening, these transistors still carry quiescent current, generating heat. This heat is essentially wasted energy and contributes to higher power consumption compared to a stereo amplifier. Consequently, while idling or listening at low volumes, an AVR typically consumes more power than a stereo amp.

That said, it’s challenging to make a direct comparison, so this should be taken as a general perspective on the topic.

Sound quality should objectively be identical, as there’s no reason for it to differ.

 

[Astoneroad]

Hmm. Seems like there's no real consensus then.

I think the consensus is, decide what features that you will use and don't pay for more, if you're not going to use them.

 

[Des Esseintes]

I think the consensus is, decide what features that you will use and don't pay for more, if you're not going to use them.

Well that's not the consensus since some people here seem to think that you're not actually paying for more when buying a AVR due to reasons mentioned previously.

 

[Astoneroad]

Well that's not the consensus since some people here seem to think that you're not actually paying for more when buying a AVR due to reasons mentioned previously.

I thought the consensus was "get what serves your needs for the least amount of money", regardless of what you call the box. Apologies if I was sloppy with the stats analysis of the suggestions or for the definition of consensus, English is my first language... lol. Best of luck with your purchases.

 

[Des Esseintes]

I thought the consensus was "get what serves your needs for the least amount of money", regardless of what you call the box. Apologies if I was sloppy with the stats analysis of the suggestions or for the definition of consensus, English is my first language... lol. Best of luck with your purchases.

I interpreted your previous message (with the context of your earlier messages) as saying "You don't really need an AVR. You just need a 2-channel amp as you will save on those extra features you'll only be using very occasionally." Re-reading it now it's not literally what it said so I'm really sorry for overinterpreting what you wrote.

The problem when you're new to hi-fi/home theatres especially now that there are so many new technologies, room correction and whatnot, is that identifying your needs is in itself extremely tricky.

 

[Astoneroad]

I interpreted your previous message (with the context of your earlier messages) as saying "You don't really need an AVR. You just need a 2-channel amp as you will save on those extra features you'll only be using very occasionally." Re-reading it now it's not literally what it said so I'm really sorry for overinterpreting what you wrote.

The problem when you're new to hi-fi/home theatres especially now that there are so many new technologies, room correction and whatnot, is that identifying your needs is in itself extremely tricky.

Understood. You're in the right place for answers. All the new technologies blur the lines of what we call things with features like dsp previously only found on AVRs are now in other boxes, called something else. That's why I melted it down to "get what serves your needs for the least amount of money"... and call it whatever you want. You're shopping for features.

 

[Mort]

Assuming it meets your video needs, the x4800h is absolutely fine for 2ch listening and it allows you to add on a separate or additional 2ch system later if you want while having it 'all' now.

Seems like you need and want to learn.
Best way to do that is get a well regarded unit and learn it. Who knows, you might find you watch more movies now.

 

[Des Esseintes]

Assuming it meets your video needs, the x4800h is absolutely fine for 2ch listening and it allows you to add on a separate or additional 2ch system later if you want while having it 'all' now.

Seems like you need and want to learn.
Best way to do that is get a well regarded unit and learn it. Who knows, you might find you watch more movies now.

I do watch an average of 300 movies a year, only they're all pre-80's so only a handful of them in the 70's go beyond stereo (the Hollywood stuff and not all of it). That's the reason why I'm not 100% "sold" on the benefits of surround sound considering my very specific situation, especially as I do not know if upgraded mono/stereo (if such a thing exists) is worth it. Also unsure about how "regular" 2-channel "music" amps handle sound coming from a blu-ray/UHD source that's in stereo (does it require a codec for the amp to know how to assign the sound to the right channels?). I'm also unsure whether for mono/stereo, I would benefit from a central speaker (read somewhere that for older and/or low-budget movies with poor sound quality, the dialogue can be easier to follow, but I find it hard to understand why a central speaker would work better than a pair of frontal speakers correctly positioned and since I never had that much trouble following dialogues in a movie, I'm not convinced)

I suppose at some point you have to trust someone's opinion and take the plunge.

 

[vert]

Same dilemma as you.... watching thread with interest. I'm leaning more towards an AVR for the reasons stated here. BTW I used to have an AVR but didn't enjoy it fully because my main speakers weren't very good at the time. I now understand that adequate speakers should be 1st priority.

On price comparisons, it may be worth mentioning not all versions of DSP are equal, for instance with Denon/Marantz, the higher (XT32) version of Audyssey is better than the other one. Which in my case, makes the AVR pricier than the stereo amp I was considering ("plain" Yamaha AS-501 or 701 as I already have a streamer).

For simplicity's stake Yamaha stereo amps are very tempting because they incorporate a loundness knob that does roughly the same as a DSP-enabled "dynamic volume" feature on some AVRs - although not quite at the same performance level, it seems.

But otherwise AVRs clearly offer a lot more. It's fine to "pick a lane to drive on" as one other poster said, but what if you get bored driving in that lane and start eyeing the other lane and questioning your choice after a couple hours.

 

[Astoneroad]

If you're like everyone with an audio dependency, you'll do all your homework, find the best deal, get it... and in a year (or less) be sniffing around again for "something else" to replace it. Don't worry, this goes away (once you're dead).

This is how I dealt with the same process, but when trying to decide upon speakers. Salons vs 208 & 206

Depending on your location, get familiar with the used gear sites, they enable such madness.

Happy hunting.