Inflation and Tech advancement

[Cricketbat70]

I currently own a Yamaha DSP-AX761 7.1 channel AV receiver they were £600 when launched in 2007, I got mine in 2008 from RS for £220. The best deal I could get from work at the time was what we paid trade £300. (We had bought 6 and not sold a single one in 12 months). I checked the Bank of England inflation calculator last night and £600 from 2007 is now £963. If my Yamaha was to die there is no way I could afford to pay nearly £1000 for a new AV receiver. In real terms thanks to inflation I am earning less than I did back in 2008
Question is, has technology moved on enough that an AV receiver around the £300 mark would be as good a replacement. To be honest I've never used all 7.1 channels.
Obviously I'm hoping my Yamaha will keep going for a lot more years, it's been into work once for a repair in its life so far.
Also, my very first amp a Denon PMA 250mk 2 £150 in 1991 now £328 which is not far off the entry Level Marantz stereo amp. I'm assuming the Marantz would knock spots off a 32year old Denon, which is still working and I use at work. I've even recently considered going back to just a stereo amp and ditching the Yamaha, I can't remember the last time I watched a film in surround sound. My family said don't do it you'll regret it.

 

[roaduck]

Haha I`ve got no room downstairs for an AVR or even big fronts or rears.I have two 2.1 systems on simultaneously but they`re tiny.
My only big thing downstairs is a BK Monolith+ FF I use a table for a plastic Dual haha !
I don`t need 5.1 or 7.2 - I have some serious AVR gear upstairs but I might get rid and just have a tiny Chinese valve int with bluetooth and some pintpots - that`s all I need nowadays.
I don`t need four foot dipoles and five foot horn subs anymore - I live in a 3-bed terrace and a man has to know his limitations.I`m nearly sixty - I don`t need 128 db 15HZ bass anymore.Gotta think of the neighbours and I`m not inconsiderate.

 

[Cricketbat70]

Haha I`ve got no room downstairs for an AVR or even big fronts or rears.I have two 2.1 systems on simultaneously but they`re tiny.
My only big thing downstairs is a BK Monolith+ FF I use a table for a plastic Dual haha !
I don`t need 5.1 or 7.2 - I have some serious AVR gear upstairs but I might get rid and just have a tiny Chinese valve int with bluetooth and some pintpots - that`s all I need nowadays.
I don`t need four foot dipoles and five foot horn subs anymore - I live in a 3-bed terrace and a man has to know his limitations.I`m nearly sixty - I don`t need 128 db 15HZ bass anymore.Gotta think of the neighbours and I`m not inconsiderate.

To be fair the Yamaha has never been used to its full potential. I have a pair of standmount Eltax Monitor III from the same era as the amp a £50 wharfedale centre, a pair of wall mount Eltax bipole surround all from RS because they were all I could afford and a paradigm sub- I bought second hand from a work colleague who ditched all his gear for a Bose LS25- the sub is currently used as a plant stand, oh and it was briefly used as a nice little nest when the children's hamster we had back then escaped from its actual home and climbed into one of the rear ports🤣I also live in a three bed terrace. I used the sub once and my wife said "think of the neighbours if we lived in a detached in the middle of nowhere it would be OK"

 

[roaduck]

To be fair the Yamaha has never been used to its full potential. I have a pair of standmount Eltax Monitor III from the same era as the amp a £50 wharfedale centre, a pair of wall mount Eltax bipole surround all from RS because they were all I could afford and a paradigm sub- I bought second hand from a work colleague who ditched all his gear for a Bose LS25- the sub is currently used as a plant stand, oh and it was briefly used as a nice little nest when the children's hamster we had back then escaped from its actual home and climbed into one of the rear ports🤣I also live in a three bed terrace. I used the sub once and my wife said "think of the neighbours if we lived in a detached in the middle of nowhere it would be OK"

Brilliant Eltax were good solid value for money boxes from Richersounds and you could even breathe on them with new bass/mids / tweeter/ crossovers from Wilmslow Audio for example as the cabs were 18mm MDF plus put some sound deadening in them.

I totally understand Cricketbat70 - For years all I had was a Sugden 20 watt integrated I got new with MM input for £600 and some Mordaunt Short pintpots - totally fine.I just had to put a Musical Fidelity X-Cans headphone amp on it cos it didn`t have a socket for `em.
Now I am going Diddy Chinese haha - that`ll do me.