Which is more important - the AV receiver, or the speakers?

[simonbolster]

Thanks in advance for any advice!

I am planning to purchase a new AV receiver and a set of 5.1 speakers in the coming weeks, with a max budget of maybe £1200 / $1800 / €1500, give-or-take.

I'm struggling to decide how to split that budget - e.g. £450 on the receiver and £750 on speakers...

In general, do you feel that spending relatively more on the speakers or on the receiver is likely to result in a better all-round experience? Should one splash out on the speakers, on the basis that the reciever can be upgraded at a later date, or vice-versa?

Would spending £250 on the receiver, and £950 on the speakers, give you better bang for your buck?

Thanks all. Simon.

 

[CnoEvil]

It may depend on how important music is to you.

 

[simonbolster]

I know this may offend the sensibilities of some people... and I can understand why... but I would say that music and movie performance are of equal importance to me, and I'd like one system (AV receiver plus speakers) to serve both purposes. I know a dedicated stereo amplifier and speakers would provide a purer musical experience, and there will be compromises required, but that's where I'm at...

Make sense?

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

I'm very happy with the stereo sound I get from AV Receiver, so as long as you get a decent set up, you'll be happy with it.

Have a look at some of the deals available below at Richer Sounds and Creative Audio for starters.

http://www.creative-audio.co.uk/HDLIST.php?HOTDEAL=YAM_1030

http://www.richersounds.com/products/home-cinema/home-cinema-separates/home-cinema-separates-bundle-deals/1

 

[CnoEvil]

It makes perfect sense, but it means you need to choose a little more carefully.

Most cheap AVRs are perfectly competent at bringing movies to life, but (imo) leave a bit to be desired when it comes to music.

My advice would be:

- Look at brands known to be better for music eg. Yamaha, Marantz, Denon. and possibly Arcam (if you can find one in budget).

- Look for discontinued AVRs with a big price drop.

- Get a decent vfm sub from the likes of BK to fill in the bottom end.

- Look for offers on speaker packages.

So allow for a sub £215 (Gemini) / £315 (XLS200), then split the rest evenly between amp and speakers. Remember, the better the speakers, the better the amp needs to be to get the most out of them.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

It makes perfect sense, but it means you need to choose a little more carefully.

Most cheap AVRs are perfectly competent at bringing movies to life, but (imo) leave a bit to be desired when it comes to music.

My advice would be:

- Look at brands known to be better for music eg. Yamaha, Marantz, Denon. and possibly Arcam (if you can find one in budget).

- Look for discontinued AVRs with a big price drop.

The deal for the Yamaha RX-A1030 I linked to is good, and along with Q Acoustics 2000i 5.1 package, it comes under budget. The RX-A1030 would be an excellent receiver for both music and movies, my 2020 certainly is.

 

[CnoEvil]

It makes perfect sense, but it means you need to choose a little more carefully.

Most cheap AVRs are perfectly competent at bringing movies to life, but (imo) leave a bit to be desired when it comes to music.

My advice would be:

- Look at brands known to be better for music eg. Yamaha, Marantz, Denon. and possibly Arcam (if you can find one in budget).

- Look for discontinued AVRs with a big price drop.

The deal for the Yamaha RX-A1030 I linked to is good, and along with Q Acoustics 2000i 5.1 package, it comes under budget. The RX-A1030 would be an excellent receiver for both music and movies, my 2020 certainly is.

That is exactly the sort of thing I'm talking about...though the BK might still be a good idea, as the Sub is so important.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Personally, I don't use my sub anymore, as my Zensor 3s go deep enough for me, but I agree the Q Acoustics would need a decent sub, and I've no idea how good the sub is with that package.

If I was the OP, I'd buy the 1030 asap, as there aren't many left, and that's a great price from a good dealer.

 

[bigboss]

I would spend 60% on speakers and 40% on AV receiver.

 

[bretty]

For me, with your budget, I'd get a Sony STR-DA1200ES, second hand. I got one a couple of years ago, for £70 from EBay, and it genuinely was brilliant with movies AND music. The caveat is that is doesn't decode HD audio (the reason I eventually moved on from it). if that doesn't matter to you, for now, I'd get it and spend the rest on speakers.

If HD audio is important, I'd still go down the second hand route for the receiver, getting a lot of bang for your buck, leaving a bigger chunk for some quality speakers.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Don't disagree with Bretty entirely, as you will get much more for your money with a used receiver, but I personally wouldn't go for the Sony because of it's lack of HD audio decoding, as well as it's lack of streaming, internet radio etc.

A used Yamaha from the adventage range would be one route, and though not as cheap as the Sony, it'll be packed with features, and will sound awesome with music and movies.

Look for a RX-A810 / 1010 / 2010 /3010

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-Aventage-RX-A1010-Surround-Sound-Amplifier-/281517542424?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item418bc0cc18

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-Aventage-RX-A810-Home-Cinema-AV-Amp-Amplifier-Receiver-/171567943689?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Home_Cinema_Receivers&hash=item27f23f1009

 

[atkins4725]

http://m.richersounds.com/#!/product/CAMB-651R-BLK

http://m.richersounds.com/#!/product/PAH011903

 

[simonbolster]

I hadn't considered buying a second-hand receiver, but its a great idea. Something that was high-end a couple of years ago can be had for less than half its original cost, and still perform tremendously. So I have a bid in on eBay for a Yamaha RX-A2010. Fingers crossed I'd like a "style" package of speakers, so I'm seriously considering getting a new set of Q Acoustics Q7000i speakers. Given the "style" requirement (i.e. physically small!!) of she-who-must-be-obeyed, does anyone disagree with this choice? Thanks once again folks - great advice.

 

[CnoEvil]

It's not really up to us to disagree, as it's your ears that matter.....FWIW. It should be a great choice, but I personally would want to hear the Kef E305 as well.

Good luck and let us know how things go.

 

[FunkyMonkey]

Easiest question ever.
Speakers.
Decent speakers can last dedecades.
they are mechanical devices so they vary between models a great deal.
Receivers are electronic and so don't vary much (relatively speaking) between each other at a given price point.
Plus, receiver features and specs change year on year.
So I would happily spend twice as much on speakers than the receiver.

 

[bretty]

I'm sure the Yammie and Q's will sound great. The speakers defo look the part. The missus will have nothing to complain about with those.

Just don't bid too much on the Yammie. If it goes too high, give it a miss, there'll always be another one to bid on.

Good luck, matey

 

[simonbolster]

So I took the plunge

I got the Q Acoustics Q 7000i speaker package, including the fancy pants stands for the sats, for a total of €1250 (£990) from HiFiHut.ie in Dublin.

And I got an incredible deal on the Pioneer VSX-1124 receiver discounted by $250, for a total of $350 (£225) from Crutchfield in the US.

Now I just need a new TV, a TV stand and speaker wires...

Thanks again for the very useful input!

S.