Do any AVRs that delivers high quality stereo audio?

[record_spot]

Whatever does it for you but I am sure if you let another five different people decide the outcome would be different. Particularly if you substituted the Exposure for a Creek Evolution 50A.
However, at the end of the day it all comes down to whatever you prefer.
Personally, the only one I have heard that came in with a chance was the Anthem MX520 but these go for around £1650 probably out of budget for many looking to set-up a system.

You could throw in a Leema Pulse, a Harman HK990, you could throw in any number of amps, but the point remains that a £1000 AVR was as good as a very highly regarded Exposure 3010s. Are we to go round every stereo amp to find one that sounds better but doesn't offer the required functionality?

And I wasn't buying for five other people...

 

[record_spot]

I wasn't saying that every stereo amp would beat every AV amp at a given price point, merely that in the vast majority of cases there are irrefutable logical reasons for believing this to be so.

And I'm not saying every AV amp is up to it, but many are, and that's many more than most audiophiles would countenance. Their loss I feel.

 

[plastic penguin]

I have two LS-50 speakers being driven by an inexpensive Yamaha AVR (RXV-679) and am not happy with the quality of the audio. The setup is ok for watching movies but not very satisfying for music listening. I want to upgrade and am considering buying a new AVR (like the Yamaha 2080 or 3080) or going with a stereo integrated amp (e.g., Riga Breo or equivalent) plus a streaming device with a high quality DAC. I currently am not using surround sound speakers but would like to have that option for future consideration. I also plan to add a subwoofer.

I have a vinyl collection that I haven't played since my 40 year old Yamaha stereo receiver died but will need to buy a new turntable and cartridge. My Dual 1009 has not been used in over 10 years and may not even be serviceable.

So the first question is whether I can expect decent audio quality from one of the high-end AVRs or are they simply outclassed by a good integrated amp selling in the $500 to $1000 range? Put another way, does the AVR option even pass the "laugh test?"

One other complication. I recently moved into a new apartment that combines the living room dining area and kitchen in an "open living" configuration, The size of the room is about 8 x 8 meters with a 3 meter ceiling. Is this going to be too large for the LS-50s to fill? And if not, how much power per channel will I need to make them come to life? I'm assuming it will require at least 100 watts into their 8 ohm impedance.

Like @bigboss I attended the first Big Question in 2009 comparing stereo speakers. Anyway they gave us a tour of the "Towers" and in the Cinema testing room they had a Arcam AVR 600 powering some Mordaunt Short Performance 6 speakers. That is still one of the best set-ups I've heard below silly money.

More recently, about 5 years ago one of the dealers I buy from had a Yamaha warming up with PMC Twenty 23 speakers. Again that sounded very impressive.

Unfortunately hi-fi and music in general is always going to be a compromise. It never has been or will be an exact science, but if I had the need a multi-channel set-up I would be happy to play my vinyl and CDs on it.

So to answer your question: Yes a dedicated two-channel will be better than a receiver at music but the compromise with even the best integrateds is a lack of flexibility. It's whatever fits your needs and room the best.

 

[Al ears]

You could throw in a Leema Pulse, a Harman HK990, you could throw in any number of amps, but the point remains that a £1000 AVR was as good as a very highly regarded Exposure 3010s. Are we to go round every stereo amp to find one that sounds better but doesn't offer the required functionality?

And I wasn't buying for five other people...

It was an example, you bought what was right for you.
You'll perhaps note that functionality never came into the original question this is something you have introduced to justify your point, the OP simply asked about sound quality.

 

[record_spot]

It was an example, you bought what was right for you.
You'll perhaps note that functionality never came into the original question this is something you have introduced to justify your point, the OP simply asked about sound quality.

Happy to set it as sound quality alone. Why would I not?

The added bonus was the icing on the cake.