Looking to upgrade receiver for LSi surround sound
LSi9 fronts, LSi Center Channel, LSi7 rears, Klipsch 10 in powered subwoofer. I currently have a Yamaha RX-A680 receiver. It was a hasty replacement to a much higher end Yamaha receiver that died a few years ago. The system has not sounded quite right since. I am 60/40 music and movies. The music sound is very important to me.
Crutchfield and a local hi fi shop have independently recommended a Marantz Cinema 60 receiver. Another Crutchfield "expert" recommended an Onkyo TX-RZ50 receiver. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated?
Crutchfield and a local hi fi shop have independently recommended a Marantz Cinema 60 receiver. Another Crutchfield "expert" recommended an Onkyo TX-RZ50 receiver. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated?
Comments
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Budget?!
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LSi9 fronts, LSi Center Channel, LSi7 rears, Klipsch 10 in powered subwoofer. I currently have a Yamaha RX-A680 receiver. It was a hasty replacement to a much higher end Yamaha receiver that died a few years ago. The system has not sounded quite right since. I am 60/40 music and movies. The music sound is very important to me.
Crutchfield and a local hi fi shop have independently recommended a Marantz Cinema 60 receiver. Another Crutchfield "expert" recommended an Onkyo TX-RZ50 receiver. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated?
Those 9s are actually pretty gnarly to power. I would recommend, ideally a pretty beefy receiver with pre-outs and a two-channel amp for the 9s.
if you must just go with a receiver, this should work pretty well: https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/yamrxa2080bl-rb/yamaha-rx-a2080-9.2-ch-x-140-watts-a/v-receiver/1.htmlLiving Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es
Game Room 5.1.4: Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra
Bedroom 2.1 Harmon Kardon HK3490; Bluesounds Node N130; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer -
Budget?!
$2000 or less. Ideally $1000-$1500. I also want a receiver that gives me flexibility to upgrade to front towers in the next year or so.
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LSi9 fronts, LSi Center Channel, LSi7 rears, Klipsch 10 in powered subwoofer. I currently have a Yamaha RX-A680 receiver. It was a hasty replacement to a much higher end Yamaha receiver that died a few years ago. The system has not sounded quite right since. I am 60/40 music and movies. The music sound is very important to me.
Crutchfield and a local hi fi shop have independently recommended a Marantz Cinema 60 receiver. Another Crutchfield "expert" recommended an Onkyo TX-RZ50 receiver. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated?
Those 9s are actually pretty gnarly to power. I would recommend, ideally a pretty beefy receiver with pre-outs and a two-channel amp for the 9s.
if you must just go with a receiver, this should work pretty well: https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/yamrxa2080bl-rb/yamaha-rx-a2080-9.2-ch-x-140-watts-a/v-receiver/1.html
I will bi amp the fronts. Does that make the Marantz make sense even though it is only 100 watts per channel? -
You can't bi-amp with an AVR.
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You can't bi-amp with an AVR.You can't bi-amp with an AVR.
Now I am totally confused.
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Bi- amping requires more than one amp and more than one power supply, avr bi- amping is just marketing.
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LSi9 fronts, LSi Center Channel, LSi7 rears, Klipsch 10 in powered subwoofer. I currently have a Yamaha RX-A680 receiver. It was a hasty replacement to a much higher end Yamaha receiver that died a few years ago. The system has not sounded quite right since. I am 60/40 music and movies. The music sound is very important to me.
Crutchfield and a local hi fi shop have independently recommended a Marantz Cinema 60 receiver. Another Crutchfield "expert" recommended an Onkyo TX-RZ50 receiver. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated?
The RZ-50 is a powerful and very good AVR. If your room is small to medium, your in good shape. Also the RZ-50 sounds awesome. It sounds exactly like the Integra models do and they are awesome and in my opinion one of the best sounding AVR's on the market. I would pick it all day long over the Cinema 60 from Marantz. The Marantz is way sexier looking but doesn't sound better. It's a good sounding AVR, make no mistake but if you compare the 2, the Onkyo/Integra models have a punchier sound to them. More dynamic.
You don't always need an external amp unless your room is big and you sit far away from your speakers to warrant the extra power. Most people over sell amps when not needed but in many cases they are.
The LSI's run perfectly fine off most AVR's that can support 4 ohm loads. And if you are running them in small , which you should , it will be perfectly fine.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
So an AVR has one power supply (bi-amping, by definition, requires TWO power supplies). The more channels you drive, the more the power to each channel DROPS. Most AVRs like yours will do around the WPC specs into two channels (some of the real cheap ones will have high distortion even then), but the power is cut in half or more once you go to five channels. Yamaha is fairly reliable, so you probably get 80 decent watts into two channels, but 30-40 WPC into 5 channels.
So, if you get 80 WPC into two channels and 30-40 WPC into five channels, was does "bi-amping" do for you?Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es
Game Room 5.1.4: Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra
Bedroom 2.1 Harmon Kardon HK3490; Bluesounds Node N130; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer -
LSi9 fronts, LSi Center Channel, LSi7 rears, Klipsch 10 in powered subwoofer. I currently have a Yamaha RX-A680 receiver. It was a hasty replacement to a much higher end Yamaha receiver that died a few years ago. The system has not sounded quite right since. I am 60/40 music and movies. The music sound is very important to me.
Crutchfield and a local hi fi shop have independently recommended a Marantz Cinema 60 receiver. Another Crutchfield "expert" recommended an Onkyo TX-RZ50 receiver. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated?
The RZ-50 is a powerful and very good AVR. If your room is small to medium, your in good shape. Also the RZ-50 sounds awesome. It sounds exactly like the Integra models do and they are awesome and in my opinion one of the best sounding AVR's on the market. I would pick it all day long over the Cinema 60 from Marantz. The Marantz is way sexier looking but doesn't sound better. It's a good sounding AVR, make no mistake but if you compare the 2, the Onkyo/Integra models have a punchier sound to them. More dynamic.
You don't always need an external amp unless your room is big and you sit far away from your speakers to warrant the extra power. Most people over sell amps when not needed but in many cases they are.
The LSI's run perfectly fine off most AVR's that can support 4 ohm loads. And if you are running them in small , which you should , it will be perfectly fine.
No disrespect Dan, but even though I'm not an installer, I disagree about amps based on a number of different setups in different rooms in two different homes that I have owned. With decent speakers (even my little Polk RT25is), an external amp has always made immediate audible improvements over a receiver, even at modest volumes. Typically, the bass gets tighter, the soundstage gets bigger, and you can hear more individual instruments since they have more separation. Imho and all...Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es
Game Room 5.1.4: Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra
Bedroom 2.1 Harmon Kardon HK3490; Bluesounds Node N130; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer -
love it when someone asks a question, you take time to answer, and then they disappear...Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es
Game Room 5.1.4: Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra
Bedroom 2.1 Harmon Kardon HK3490; Bluesounds Node N130; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer -
appreciate all the advice from everyone. December is insane for my business so pardon the delay rooftop59
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I am also contemplating upgrading to L600 fronts. I would keep my LSi center, LSi7 rears, and Klipsch subwoofer. Our TV/listening room is 11' x 16'
Would the L600s be a huge upgrade over my LSi9s in terms of sound quality? Sadly living in Maine, brick and mortar hi-fi shops are a thing of the past so I haven't heard them. The reviews are great and I have been listening to Polk exlusively since the 1980s so not sure I want to make a hard shift to another brand. January is slooow so I won't ghost anyone's opinions. -
@Jacko1972 Have you ever been to New England HiFi near the Maine Mall ?..
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I am also contemplating upgrading to L600 fronts. I would keep my LSi center, LSi7 rears, and Klipsch subwoofer. Our TV/listening room is 11' x 16'
Would the L600s be a huge upgrade over my LSi9s in terms of sound quality? Sadly living in Maine, brick and mortar hi-fi shops are a thing of the past so I haven't heard them. The reviews are great and I have been listening to Polk exlusively since the 1980s so not sure I want to make a hard shift to another brand. January is slooow so I won't ghost anyone's opinions.
The L600 will absolutely outperform LSi9’s in every regard. I would not hesitate to pull the trigger on them.The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
nooshinjohn wrote: »I am also contemplating upgrading to L600 fronts. I would keep my LSi center, LSi7 rears, and Klipsch subwoofer. Our TV/listening room is 11' x 16'
Would the L600s be a huge upgrade over my LSi9s in terms of sound quality? Sadly living in Maine, brick and mortar hi-fi shops are a thing of the past so I haven't heard them. The reviews are great and I have been listening to Polk exlusively since the 1980s so not sure I want to make a hard shift to another brand. January is slooow so I won't ghost anyone's opinions.
The L600 will absolutely outperform LSi9’s in every regard. I would not hesitate to pull the trigger on them.
I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. You may want to check out the Anthem MRX series. It has preouts so you can independently amp your speakers. I have the MRX 540 and use separate amps for my mains, but I'd recommend the 740 because you can reassign unused amps on that model. The 740 would be a stretch for your budget though and I'm very happy with my 540. Arc Genesis also works on the speakers you choose to amp independently. -
I have a Yamaha Aventage RXA1050 with Atmos and DTS-X. 7.2. I've never really been impressed with it's HT performance. Object just don't move around the room very well. I have also used Onkyo and Denon in the past. This Yammy replaced a Atmos capable Denon 7.2. I honestly could not tell you what one was better . They all were mediocre. I've had the best luck with Pioneer Elite when it comes to really bringing HT alive. I could make people duck in the seats. My next AVR will probably be a Pioneer Elite. Their room correction seems to do better for me.
Since someone mentioned the 9s are power hungry maybe look at Emotiva's new AVR?? They seem to focus a bit more on power.
I hate that some manufacturers are now rating power @10% THD (not .10. but 10%) at 1k hz and 1 channel driven. Horse **** I tell ya.
