Worth It ?

Dan2036

Thinking about upgrading my Harmon/Kardon Avr120 to a refurbished Pioneer Elite VSX-91TXH that i would be getting for around 500$, I only want to make this upgrade if it will seriously impact stereo sound quality. Anybody got any ideas ?

Dan2036

Also it's a pretty small room, don't wanna overpower the room, just want really sweet sounding stereo (:

Monster Jam

The Pioneer has a million more more bells and whistles, but it looks like you wouldn't be using any of them. If future upgrades were a purchase criteria, the replacement would be a no-brainer. In fact, you'd be forced to upgrade.

I would only make the change if I could sell the H/K to take the sting out of the Pioneer purchase.

You are only concerned in stereo? I personally would not make the change.

dorokusai

Stick with the HK and find something else to tweak....

Monster Jam

Have you thought about changing out the sub?

thuffman03

I would only go with it if it had features that the HK did not that you want/need.

I don't know the HK AVR's very well these days but if it has pre amp outs you would be better off putting the $500 into an external amp.

rcrook317

i agree.....spend that money w/ an external amp.
if ur only looking for stereo sound upgrade thats where the biggest difference will be had.
thats if ur avr has pre-outs

Dan2036

Ya there's my problem HK has no pre outs, would there be a way to hook up the H/K receiver and a stereo amp on the same two front speakers without having a pre-outs ?

tonyb

Dan2036 wrote: »

Ya there's my problem HK has no pre outs, would there be a way to hook up the H/K receiver and a stereo amp on the same two front speakers without having a pre-outs ?

Nope....no preouts...no amp.
But thats the least of your worries. I would upgrade the sub first,then the receiver. Your speakers are pretty easy to drive, any mid level on up AVR would work.

cnh

I have to agree...if you want better stereo why not try a refurb Polk Micropro 1000. You'd be surprised what a difference that may make for you. The M60s can use the tight musical bass this sub puts out.

Try it you'll like it...I'm pretty sure you could find it within your budget above.

cnh

wutadumsn23

Here is a Polk Audio Micropro DSW 1000 on Newegg. Brand new, free shipping for $350.


-Jeff

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290129&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Home+Audio+Speakers-_-Polk+Audio-_-82290129

rcrook317

now thats a deal......all my speakers are matching cherry wood other wise id be all over that sub.....id take a look at kef subs.they look great and can be had for around $3-400.either way both subs would be an improvement

Dan2036

So for the biggest impact on stereo you think a sub would make the biggest difference, is polk the best choice for subwoofer or is there another choice, does it have to match the front speakers ?

Dan2036

Their isn't any kind of A/B switcher so i can have to different sources hooked up to one set of speakers?

rcrook317

there are many,many choices out there for subs
kef,velodyne,list goes on and on.i went w polk because
A.good price
B.matches rest of setup
C.cant beat beautiful cherry wood finish

lsiwill

A great sounding sub can make a difference. You just need to consider what your habits are with your rig as far as what you listen to, music or movie or games, whatever. Also take into consideration the size of the room and the other speakers. But if you like a big sub get one, some people do.

Dan2036

I just want something that will have the greatest impact on the music listening in a small room, Am i really getting the most out of my Monitor 60's with my receiver and sub ?

lsiwill

Maybe not, i'm not sure what the 60's can handle. An amp on those might make a world of difference. If you plan on upgrading other things down the road, get the Elite. I'd love one. If not, maybe sell the HK and get something for a little less with pre outs and get an amp for the M60's. It might be like night and day. A friend put an amp on his RTi A5's and they really woke up.

Dan2036

I'm thinking worst case i can get some banana plugs for the ends of the speaker wire then get a good stereo amp and switch between the two when i want stereo or 5.1 kinda annoying but might be worth it.

rcrook317

like i always say,im no expert.
but an external amp is best way to go.you get solid clean power and as many on here sayitll"bring your speakers to life"i dont know specs on ur particular speakers but buying a used amp wouldnt be too expensive and along w/ a sub will make the biggest difference imo.

Dan2036

Any suggestions on amps something between 200-300$ ??

lsiwill

Dan I would say that sounds like a good idea, but you're still going to need either a new AVR with pre outs or you could get a pre amp.

lsiwill

Find out what the specs on your speakers are and look at some used Carver.

Dan2036

Would a pre-amp work with my current avr ?
I have Monitor 60's 20-200 w/channel 90db

Dan2036

Any thoughts on the Harman Kardon HK 3390 found one for around 250$

lsiwill

A pre amp wont work with an AVR. An AVR is really a tuner, pre amp, power amp and video processor all in one. If you want to make your Monitors crank and you're planning on getting amps anyway, a nice used pre amp is a way to do it w/o spending a lot of money on a new AVR with pre outs. If you have a CD player or some other source, you run that into the pre amp and the pre amp to the power then to the speakers. You can probably find a decent pre amp for a good amount cheaper than a nice new AVR. Then you would just have to look into how many channel setup you want and so on. Obviously the more channels you want the more its gonna cost.
This is only one way to go...
The other way to go is to get a nice AVR that puts out some good power on its own and it will make a good bit of difference on your speakers. If you get one with some good options then you can expand from there. There's a lot of choices, the problem is picking the best one for you.

rcrook317

heres what i did.
hk354list 499/refurb from hk ebay store=300
comes w 7.1preouts,then just add used amp(or new if u want to spend it)use ics to connect and ur ready to roll

Dan2036

Thing is i'm really not looking to spend that much at this point, Is the H/K 3390 really not gonna have an major impact ?

wutadumsn23

rcrook317 wrote: »

now thats a deal......all my speakers are matching cherry wood other wise id be all over that sub.....id take a look at kef subs.they look great and can be had for around $3-400.either way both subs would be an improvement

I know, I thought it was a misprint, lol. I damn near bought one myself when I saw that.

-Jeff

domflane

You have a lot of things mixed up Dan. The 3390 is an integrated stereo receiver. Its 80W x 2. Thats two channels only. Your AVR120 is 50W x 5.1 and its an audio/video receiver. If you want to use all of the speakers you have listed in your sig, you need to get a multichannel AVR, like the Pioneer Elite you mentioned earlier. All AVR's can run in stereo mode, and since you already have a 5.1, theres no reason to limit yourself to only two channels. Get yourself a better AVR with more WPC and preouts and you'll notice a big improvement right off the bat. I second the Harman AVR354.

Dan2036

I'm fine with the 5.1 set up i have now i'm just looking to kick up the stereo and don't want to invest in a brand new avr and preamp, so i was looking at getting the 3390 to have on the side to switch between that and the avr for music/movies. Movies sound awesome it's the music where i feel i could be getting more out of these speakers.