Looking for AV Advice

[Tamu8104]

So looking for some advice on home AV. I currently have a Panasonic TV hooked into an Apple TV. Our movies and music are all in a Mac Mini that the Apple TV can access along with our other Apple devices. I have an old Onkyo receiver and speakers that are probably about 10 years old. The receiver is dying and I need to replace it. I will also probably be replacing the TV in the next year or so. Parameters I'm working within for the new stereo/speaker system:
-Don't want to spend a ton, $200-300 range and don't mind hunting for deals or buying lightly used.
-I'm not a hifi guy and am good with Shimano 105 type functionality
-Would prefer something compact and relatively hidden, thinking soundbar or similar, minimal wires, etc
-The current powered sub still works great so I could tag that in to another system
-Would like it to be relatively future proof, something that will work for the next 5-10 years, but I'm not sure what that means, optical is fine? HDMI a must? Completely wireless?
-The effective space is about 12x14 for movies, larger for music since our living room, kitchen, and dining space are all one big open area.

Any thoughts/reccomendations? Thanks in advance!

[rec head]

I'm not very familiar with soundbars but any decent one is going to be better than TV speakers. I think many of them are all-in-one solutions and don't require a receiver. So keep that in mind when pricing them. I got my mom one recently and it even has bluetooth connectivity so she can connect her phone and jam out in her little apartment. When looking a soundbars think about whether or not you want it to do surround processing or not. Some will just be like a normal stereo speaker setup jammed into a nice looking soundbar. Some will emulate a 5.1 system.

If you get a receiver and you want to be kinda future proof make sure it has HDMI 2.0a and that it passes HDCP 2.2 (copy protection). That is the most recent spec and covers all the 4k stuff to date. Older HDMI 2.0 might not deal with newer 4k. Ridiculous. Unfortunately that is probably more than your budget. If you aren't planning on getting a 4k bluray player then it probably won't matter. If you connect everything to your TV first, then connect the TV to the receiver with an optical cable it won't matter at all. Many TVs have optical out.

If you are happy with your speakers keep them and get a new receiver. If not the soundbar may be the way to go. Personally I think the soundbar is the way to go for most people for movie/TV watching. It might not suite your needs for music but I bet there are some that are pretty good.

I hope any of this makes sense. Please ask for clarification if it doesn't.

I have been waiting a while to upgrade as the new technologies sink in a bit. I really want a new receiver and TV but I'm glad I have waited. I'll get a receiver this year and finally get to hook up all the speakers I made last winter. But for the TV I am waiting until next year's models come out for sure. The 4k stuff is still getting sorted.

[mmoore]

soundbars will leave much to be desired (in general) compared to a decent 2.1 stereo. what speakers do you have now?

-HDMI is a must to stay future proof, IMHO. I wouldn't bother with 4k, but that's just me.

-Its another feature to consider, but if you have apple products, some receivers include network capability. I have a Denon AVR-1913 that we have had for ~4 years and it has this. basically you can use your phone as a remote with the app (as long as its on the wifi) and you can use the apple airplay feature. we use it quite a bit.

-If you care, most multi-speaker receivers can do zones too. adding some speakers to your neighboring kitchen/living room for some speaker fill in those rooms can be added quite easily and you can still place small satellite speakers out of the way as to not see them (but they sound better if you do)

-Lastly, my suggestion is to get a receiver that comes with a self tuning software and microphone like audyssey. it time aligns and flattens the response based on your speaker placement in the room and such. its NOT a gimmick unless you are a pro audio guy and set everything up yourself. I am not, and the system sounds much much better with this software running.

[rec head]

I should add that the Chromecast Audio is a great way to get multi-room audio. Not sure how great it is in an IOS environment but if you have and Android phone it is easy. It probably depends on the specific app.

As to 4k or not to 4k - You probably won't be able to get 1080 TVs in a few years.

I also like Audyssey. My speakers are so well aligned that I often think the center is playing when it is only the left and right.

[maunahaole]

There is a google cast app for iOS. It works pretty well.

[Ken C]

HDMI inputs are the way to go.

What about a refurbished Receiver from Accessories4less.com? A Marantz 1504 is $279 if you don't care about 4K or a Marantz 1506 for $349 if you do want HDCP 2.2. Both have AirPlay and Audyssey. I don't care about 4K right now and recently purchased a Marantz 1604 from Acccessories4Less and have been very happy with it. Don't really use the Bluetooth or networking features since I use my Roku for streaming music so the 1504 would have been a better choice.

Other options would be a Yamaha VX-475 for $279, Onkyo 626 for $249 or 636 for $249. The 626 has Audyssey but is not HDCP 2.2 compliant, the 636 is HDCP 2.2 compliant but uses an Onkyo room correction called AccuEQ.

I would spend the $200 to $300 budget on the receiver for now, keep your current speakers and then hunt for used ones later. That is what I did. I had some older Klipsch Reference front speakers and an old Yamaha receiver from 2005. I bought the Marantz receiver for $349 then found a set of Klipsch KSB 2.0 bookshelf speakers at a thrift store for $15 to use for rears and then a reference center channel from a pawn shop for $100 and finally purchased a Dayton Audio Sub new for $148. Not counting the front speakers I already had I pieced together a 5.1 surround system for $612.