Next upgrade, BD player or new receiver??

[Oldboy]

Hello all,

I'm after your advice yet again...i have been looking at the next potential upgrade for my system as after buying the Dali Zensor 5 speaker package i'm sure i can get more from the speakers and have been looking at upgrading my BD player to either a Pioner BDPLX55 or go all out and get the Denon DBP2012.

What i would like your opinions on is whether or not i should upgrade my current Panasonic 310 BD player and how much of an increase in performance in terms of sound and picture quality i would get from a new bluray player? What i was thinking is that if i'm thinking of an upgrade would the receiver be a better idea to upgrade because if i'm prepared to spend £450 potentially on the Denon bluray player then just a few hundred extra would enable me to go up a level in receiver.

The only spanner in the works is that i haven't had my Onkyo 609 receiver that long (6 months) so i'm a little reticent to replace it so soon but ever since i got my new speakers i'm sure they could be driven better...would a bluray player upgrade provide enough of an upgrade in sound to justify it or should i just be looking at a new receiver and look at upgrading the player to something more substantial after that??

Ant advice would be gratefully received, thanks :?

 

[bigboss]

Pioneer LX55 will be a sidewards step for you, not upwards. In my opinion, the heart of any system is the AV receiver. I don't see any point in the blu ray player being more expensive than it. See what the 2012 players are like, & then decide.

 

[duaplex]

I had a play with the 609 receiver recently and its a good piece of kit, why upgrade? I have to agree with the above.

+1

 

[Oldboy]

Thanks bigboss, wasn't aware the Pioneer LX55 would only be a sidewards step so that means it's out of the running then i guess unless it's replaced with a better player this year. I was looking at the Panasonic 320 review but i really want something better built than the rather cheap and flimsy feel of my 310 bd player with extra performance and i doubt the 320 will satisfy so i will wait for the 2012 players to arrive from the other manufacturers and decide then.

In the meantime i have been looking at this as my next potential upgrade:

http://www.richersounds.com/product/av-receivers/pioneer/vsxlx55/pion-vsxlx55

Again it's a 2011 product but i think it might just provide the leap in sound i'm looking for and is reasonably priced, any thoughts? I'm now pretty sure that the 609 is what i need to upgrade first but should i wait a little longer (and get better value from my 609) until the 2012 receivers are launched or pick up a VSXLX55 at the current price point?

Many thanks.

 

[Oldboy]

I had a play with the 609 receiver recently and its a good piece of kit, why upgrade? I have to agree with the above.

+1

Why upgrade? Simple...new speakers! I'm sure they can be driven far better than the Onkyo 609 is capable of plus i need an excuse for at least one upgrade this year lol, plus of course i'm thinking of the other benefits such as an increase in sound quality and surround performance.

I'm happy with the 609 and it is indeed a good bit of kit but i want a little more from my speakers and i know they can deliver that given an upgrade to my system.

 

[duaplex]

Don't worry I am also itching for an upgrade, in fact this thread made me look at the Denon DBP-2012UD

If you can stretch yourself a worthy upgrade in the pioneer series would be the lx83. You can get them for an absolute bargain these days.

 

[Oldboy]

I've had a good look through google but i can't seem to find any LX83 receivers available to buy so that bargain seems to have passed me by unless you know of anywhere which has them? I really don't think it would have been in my price range anyway as i only have a budget of £800, just out of interest is the LX83 3D ready?

Many thanks for the tip and yes i can really feel the upgrade bug eating away at me but for a change i'm in no rush and am quite happy to bide my time for the right upgrade to come along at the right price

 

[bigboss]

just out of interest is the LX83 3D ready?

Yes.

Many thanks for the tip and yes i can really feel the upgrade bug eating away at me but for a change i'm in no rush and am quite happy to bide my time for the right upgrade to come along at the right price

Patience pays. 4K2K ready receivers are just round the corner. Onkyo has already announced its range.

http://www.uk.onkyo.com/en/features/4k-upscaling-76033.html

 

[Oldboy]

Many thanks for the info bigboss, appreciated. My 609 amp will upscale to 4k so i will keep an eye on the new range, i have had a good search but the new range has yet to arrive at retail so i will remain patient and wait for the right receiver at the right price then dive in.

 

[Chewy]

To echo what BigBoss and Duaplex have already said, the LX55 wouldn't be a significant upgrade. The Denon BD player would be an upgrade but again, probably only marginal and not your best 'bang-for-buck'.

You are right in thinking that your reciever might be a better area to upgrade, but given that the 609 is a very good piece of kit, you will have to spend considerably more to get a noticable upgrade.

That said the recomendation of the LX-83 is a good suggestion from Duaplex, these are very good machines and certainly a step up from the 609, and being an older generation, they can be had for around £850 if you search around, though you might have to consider second hand options too.

The 4k2k upscaling is a bit of a red herring I think. Native 4k2k sources are quite a way off and even the new recievers can't accept a proper 4k2k source.,If you intend to get the reciever to upscale a 1080p source to 4k2k, you will still need a native 4k2k screen to display it - which in turn will likely have better quality upscaling chips in it at the point in which you upgrade anyway.

 

[Oldboy]

Many thanks for the advice gdavies09031977.

I have had a good search but i can't seem to get an LX83 anywhere, not even on ebay or gumtree second hand so that seems to be a no go. Seeing as though the LX85 is £1700 i won't be getting one of those either but i am seriously thinking that the LX55 may be my next upgrade as for the price it does represent a clear step up in class for my system but the BD player will come after i've upgraded the receiver and the 2012 players have come out.

I have a good grasp of 4k2k upscaling and i know it means a new tv or projector in order to use it but it's always a good idea to future proof yourself as much as possible when buying new kit and although i have no intention to use the 4k features it would be nice to know it's there should the tech arrive. It's by no means a deal breaker for me though, with 4k being so far away from a genuine consumer proposition it's not a must have feature for me right now and if a receiver i was looking at didn't have it that wouldn't stop me from purchasing.

I think for now i will just see if i can get a demo of the LX55 and see if i think it represents enough of a leap forward to justify a purchase, if not then i will wait and continue to save so that if something arrives this year i can dive straight in but i'm in no rush...the LX55 is seriously tempting however!

Many thanks again for the advice, it's really appreciated thank you :clap:

 

[Chewy]

Many thanks for the advice gdavies09031977.

I have had a good search but i can't seem to get an LX83 anywhere, not even on ebay or gumtree second hand so that seems to be a no go. Seeing as though the LX85 is £1700 i won't be getting one of those either but i am seriously thinking that the LX55 may be my next upgrade as for the price it does represent a clear step up in class for my system but the BD player will come after i've upgraded the receiver and the 2012 players have come out.

I have a good grasp of 4k2k upscaling and i know it means a new tv or projector in order to use it but it's always a good idea to future proof yourself as much as possible when buying new kit and although i have no intention to use the 4k features it would be nice to know it's there should the tech arrive. It's by no means a deal breaker for me though, with 4k being so far away from a genuine consumer proposition it's not a must have feature for me right now and if a receiver i was looking at didn't have it that wouldn't stop me from purchasing.

I think for now i will just see if i can get a demo of the LX55 and see if i think it represents enough of a leap forward to justify a purchase, if not then i will wait and continue to save so that if something arrives this year i can dive straight in but i'm in no rush...the LX55 is seriously tempting however!

Many thanks again for the advice, it's really appreciated thank you :clap:

No problem Oldboy, happy I could be of some asistance. There is a very good classified section on a very well know audio visual forum that I dar not mention by brand name in fear of moderator reprisal! - A good selection of AV recievers, including those from Pioneer, frequently appear on there.

 

[bigboss]

No problem Oldboy, happy I could be of some asistance. There is a very good classified section on a very well know audio visual forum that I dar not mention by brand name in fear of moderator reprisal! - A good selection of AV recievers, including those from Pioneer, frequently appear on there.

You mean AV forums? House rules have been amended recently. You are allowed to even link competing sites. Just make sure that the links don't contain any profanity or abuse of WHF staff.

 

[BenLaw]

LX83 FS here: http://www.avforums.com/forums/amplifier-receiver-classified-adverts/1615850-sale-pioneer-sc-lx83.html