Why is my AV system SO poor?

[roger06]

Hi all

I hope someone can help. I have a great 2 channel Naim system which I love. It powers Dynaudio Audience 52SEs. I have a Yamaha 'add on' AV processor with multi channel inputs and a Sony BDP S550 Blu Ray which does the decoding.

Centre speaker is a Dynaudio Audience 42 - front set up shown in photo. Rears are currently Gale Mini Monitors, Sub is a cheap Paradigm thing about 10 years old from Richer Sounds.

The surround sound just does NOTHING for me. Yes I can wow people with loud blasts of helicopter or gunfire scenes but in general there's no punch, there's no 'feeling' or being surrounded by sound - in fact I seldom notice the rears but they're there and working. Even the three fronts just seem lifeless and uninteresting. I had a short listen in a shop to a Marantz sound bar which just sounded awesome by comparison.

So what's letting it down? Is is the processor (Yamaha DSP E492) ? or the fact that all the speakers aren't from the same manufacturer?

Have been thinking of upgrading the amp to one of the cheaper Yams or the Sony STR 2400 as need something with pre outs.

Or is integrating with my 2 channel system the problem ?

Any suggestions would be really appreciated as I'm almost inclined to please the wife and pack up the speakers and just use those on the telly!

 

[pete321]

Definately the Yamaha 492, I had one for short time quite a few years ago now when I wanted surround sound but didn't want to comprimise my Cyrus system. It was pretty poor by comparisson to todays AV amps. I think you'll probably need to buy a modern AV amp and connect the front pre-outs to your Naim stereo amp. Just down to your budget as to which one to go for. It may be worth checking the classifieds of that other forum of scandalous untruths!

 

[roger06]

Thanks Pete

That confirms my suspicions. I've always had Yamaha AV amps (well I've only had two!) so am keen to try the Sony especially as it would be a good match for my BD player. It's been out a while so am hoping it'll drop in price but it doesn't seem to want to !

 

[pete321]

I think you'll find the current batch of Yamaha AV amps are amongst the best, but the 492 is a bit long in the tooth now. It's a shame there are not some modern alternatives out there, in essence it's what most of us who value quality stereo want, keep your stereo amp and add a quality HD processor + 3 channel amp. Unfortunatley I don't think there's anything out there that fits that bill, so it means doing as I did, get the AVR600, or get a 7.1 channel AV amp and connect the front pre-outs to your stereo amp. Seems a bit of a waste of 4 channels of amplification though, that money could be saved or put towards better components in a modern version of the DSP-E492.

 

[roger06]

Indeed - I've had the 492 ten years so I guess it's due for a replacement!

Ideally I'd go down the Naim route for AV stuff there's no way I could afford it plus it takes up too much room. The AVR600 is way out of my budget too.

I am surprised too there are hardly any 3 channel add-on amps. There used to be loads and they make perfect sense. I notice Cyrus do one but it doesn't have any HD capability so pointless.

I guess I'll have to see if I can demo the Yamahas and Sonys to compare.

Oh - and I did notice last night, three quarters of the way through Gladiator on Blu Ray, that my sub was turned off so things did sound a little better with that turned back on!