Been told my amp could be better for system

[timbo999]

Hey all.

I've recently got an Onkyo TX-NR509 and I was looking to upgrade from a DVD to Blu-ray player (to be used as my CD player, also). Focusing on the Panasonic 2011 winner or the Onkyo entry level model that's a touch more at £170 ish.

Ive been told that my amp isn't worthy of anything really better than the Panasonic.

Speakers are Mission 731 floorstanders, 75C centre, Mordaunt short big bookshelf speakers as rears and an MJ Acoustics Pro 50 mk2.

If I were to upgrade the amp, what would I be looking at? Any examples?

Reason I want a good Blu-ray player is for the HD sound, which my amp might not decode well????????

 

[Anonymous]

You're 509 will decode HD soundtracks just fine, so no worries in that department. Although it's perfectly possible to set either the Onkyo or Panasonic to decode HD audio, but only really necessary if you had an older receiver which doesn't support HD audio decoding. The Onkyo is a fine little spinner and will match the look of your 509. I've not really had experience of the DMP-BDT210 so I'll let others comment on that, I belive it does have built in wi-fi though which is a nice addition if you're not wired up with network cables close-by.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, your AVR is very middle of the road.

Your mismash of front and surround speakers is more concerning (to me).

All speakers have a personality. Not having matching speakers all the way around won't let you create a good immersive sound field.

Rather, you will just have sounds from the front and back speakers.

Subwoofer does not need to match if you are crosing over below 100hz.

If you are feeding a digital signal to your AVR (over hdmi?) then either player should work fine at this price point.

On the speaker side, the Pioneer SP-BS21-LR is a remarkable speaker at its price point (amazon $80/per pair).

Its designed by a high-end speaker designer and its larger model (Pioneer SP-BS41-LR $145/pr) is getting rave reviews in high-end circles for its performance at its price point. I have a pair of the Pioneer SP-BS41-LR's and can vouche for excellent sound competitive with entry level high-end speakers at the $400 to $500 price point.

For upgrade AVR, depends on what you want to spend. If you can reach $800 range go for Marantz sr5006. Marantz has a lower priced line but I havent heard the lower models. Cambridge Audio also has models in the $1000 price range. I can't recommend mass market brands like sony, pioneer (there speaker above is special), denon, etc. if its best sound quality you are looking for.

 

[bigboss]

It seems you've misunderstood the responses in your previous thread. It's not that your amp might not decode well. If you have a budget amp, there's no point in going for a high end blu ray player as benefits won't be noticeable. I have Panasonic BD60 which is a budget player. But it's brilliant. So don't be put off by the price of the budget blu ray player. You will be pleasantly surprised by its performance.

Bottomline is, don't waste money on an expensive blu ray player. Save the money for an amp upgrade later.

Why don't you audition the players in question?

EDIT: Check my response in your other thread.

 

[bigboss]

Well, your AVR is very middle of the road.

Your mismash of front and surround speakers is more concerning (to me).

All speakers have a personality. Not having matching speakers all the way around won't let you create a good immersive sound field.

Rather, you will just have sounds from the front and back speakers.

Subwoofer does not need to match if you are crosing over below 100hz.

If you are feeding a digital signal to your AVR (over hdmi?) then either player should work fine at this price point.

On the speaker side, the Pioneer SP-BS21-LR is a remarkable speaker at its price point (amazon $80/per pair).

Its designed by a high-end speaker designer and its larger model (Pioneer SP-BS41-LR $145/pr) is getting rave reviews in high-end circles for its performance at its price point. I have a pair of the Pioneer SP-BS41-LR's and can vouche for excellent sound competitive with entry level high-end speakers at the $400 to $500 price point.

For upgrade AVR, depends on what you want to spend. If you can reach $800 range go for Marantz sr5006. Marantz has a lower priced line but I havent heard the lower models. Cambridge Audio also has models in the $1000 price range. I can't recommend mass market brands like sony, pioneer (there speaker above is special), denon, etc. if its best sound quality you are looking for.

The speakers you're recommending is not available in the UK I'm afraid. Also, Pioneer & Denon make some of the best AV receivers in the market today.

Check the best buys:

http://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/home-cinema-amplifiers

 

[timbo999]

Cheers for the info all!

I get what you mean now, my speakers could have more power and a better amp. But, it's certainly good enough for me, for now.

My entire setup was put together on a budget. It's my perfect/ideal budget setup. It needed to be, due to a new house and new baby. as for he front speakers, they might be old, they might not have been the most expensive, but theyre amazing speakers. British classics, I think you could call them. And the centre and main speakers match, they use many of the same parts, despite them being different models. As for rears, one day they migh be KEF eggs? In my opinion thy can be different as I only use them for movie read effects. Plus, I have really cheap cable for the rears which is routed under the floor, was there when I moved in. I'm not replacing it! What a ball ache.

The Rega speakers tick all my boxes at the moment. New main and centre speakers one day, maybe in like 5 years? Ha!