AV RECIEVER UPGRADE

[admin_exported]

Hi all I'm looking to upgrade my Onkyo TX-SR875. And i'm seriously considering the Pioneer SC-LX83? Is there a major difference between the 2? As £2,000 is a major difference in price!! My kit includes PS3 and Kef 3005se 7.1 speakers. thx

 

[Clare Newsome]

Unless you're planning to upgrade your Blu-ray source and speakers, any upgrade from your excellent Onkyo would be overkill, IMO.

You've already got a superb system - if you want to hear even more from it, i'd suggest a dedicated Blu-ray player as a first move.

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

Whereas the 875 to LX83 is an upgrade Clare is correct. An investment in your speakers/source would give you bigger gains at this stage. The KEFs are good but you are probably getting almost everything out of them with the Onkyo.

 

[Anonymous]

Thx Clare
Any suggestions on the Blu-ray player? Never really considered getting one, so wouldnt know where to start!

 

[Clare Newsome]

Do you have an original (fat) PS3, or the new, slim one?

 

[Anonymous]

I have the original fat one.

 

[Clare Newsome]

OK, well that can't bitstream HD Audio to your Onkyo; a good-quality, new-gen Blu-ray player that can should bring you noticeable sonic improvement, as your Onkyo will be handling the decoding - something it's excellent at.

There are several examples on these very forums of people who've upgraded from a 'fat' PS3 to something as simple (and cheap) as a Sony BDP-S370 and experienced a boost in sound quality.

I'd start there (have you got friends/family with one you could borrow first?)

 

[Anonymous]

Yup I got the Fat PS3 and difference in sound and picture is far better than my PS3

Bought the sony bdp370 for 82.60 at costco inc vat which is just a stupid price

 

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately not. But i'll certainly look into it now!
I'd probably go upto around £800 or so.I will read through some of the threads on here,to give me some idea.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Honestly, with the speakers/amp you have - and no expressed desire for 3D or multi-channel music (SACD, DVD-Audio) - you won't need to spend anywhere near £800 on your Blu-ray player to upgrade performance from your PS3 and make your system shine.

 

[Anonymous]

i have moved from the old 875 to the arcam avr 600. I have the fat ps3 and recently swapped it out for the popcorn hour c200 for dvd and bluray. The difference between the 875 and the arcam is truly unbelievable. onkyo has been sitting in my ebay pile ready to go, and tbh would hate to go back. Movies and Music are on a different level. i tried the avr500 ~2k and this is very close aswell imo, so maybe worth considering if you are looking in this price bracket.

 

[Anonymous]

pioneer sc-lx72 for 899.00?

they all have digital amp which is supposed to give more clarity and depth

the sc-lx82 got an outstanding 5 stars from what hi-fi and 4-5 stars everywere else, and the 72 has the same tech inside

i am awaitin for the 72, and rx6 speakers upgrading from a pioneer vsx-819, which I bet I hear a difference between the 2

 

[Clare Newsome]

illoyd21:i have moved from the old 875 to the arcam avr 600. I have the fat ps3 and recently swapped it out for the popcorn hour c200 for dvd and bluray. The difference between the 875 and the arcam is truly unbelievable. onkyo has been sitting in my ebay pile ready to go, and tbh would hate to go back. Movies and Music are on a different level. i tried the avr500 ~2k and this is very close aswell imo, so maybe worth considering if you are looking in this price bracket.

Yes, the Arcams are great, but would be wasted on the OP's speakers - which though great, are only £1000 style speakers. The Onkyo is more than enough to drive them well.

 

[Anonymous]

Just been looking at the Sony BDP-S570. It seems pretty good? And for as little as £175!!

 

[Clare Newsome]

Yep, it's an exceptional player - gives you some 3D future-proofing, too, should you wish to upgrade your TV and receiver in the future to enjoy those delights.

 

[Anonymous]

Clare Newsome:Yep, it's an exceptional player - gives you some 3D future-proofing, too, should you wish to upgrade your TV and receiver in the future to enjoy those delights.
Well i took the plunge and went for the 570. i have to say, its a fantastic buy!
for such a small unit,its full of features! i had great joy in getting online and watching repeats of the gadget show! (call me simple!) And it performs very well with blu-ray as well of course! thx for the advice clare!

 

[richardw42]

First thing I did when I got a 570 was to watch couple of episodes of the Gadget Show.

 

[Anonymous]

richardw42:First thing I did when I got a 570 was to watch couple of episodes of the Gadget Show.