I just wanted to say that I respect your truthfulness. Even though you're getting some 'hate' from some in the industry for your honesty, I for one appreciate it!

@zebunker

2 жыл бұрын

Hate, facts. Tomatoes, bananas. Same thing.

4:05 exactly. I recently bought an A/V receiver. I went with the older and higher model, I bought Denon AVR-X7200WA instead of Denon AVR-X6300H which had similar price. Then I found out that new Denon models stopped supporting front wide channels. So you cannot go with 9.1.2 setups or even with just 9.1 setup. I am very happy with my purchase.

Can't tell you just how much I've enjoyed your videos since discovering your channel, Gene. What I can tell you, however, is that up until I did, I didn't even know what I didn't know when it came to home audio! I have learned SO MUCH from you guys and have become a much wiser (and happier) consumer of home theater equipment as a result. Nothing beats getting to go into an audio shop now & flexing the knowledge that you guys have given me. No one in my family will ever be swindled by an unscrupulous electronics salesman again. lol Thanks so much & keep up the great work!

This video was FANTASTIC! I couldn't agree with you more. There is such BS in the Home Theater industry. I definitely appreciate your honesty and subtle humor in the way you presented this important topic. I don't comment much on KZread videos, but I HAD to comment on this one. GREAT JOB!

@thunderpooch

7 жыл бұрын

The key to good audio is Bose speakers connected to 2 gauge gold speaker wire. I've heard things I've never heard before listening to this setup. Mostly shouts of, "You're a freakin moron!!!" in perfect unison from friends, family, and neighbors. The sound is so pure and life like.

Everything you said was DEAD ON Gene! I was wondering what some of the topics were going to be & what was going to be said. You nailed it on the info. There were a few things I was hoping you'd mention, for those who aren't in the know, you mentioned nearly all of them. Kept it simple, understandable & to the point! Well done🤙🏼...btw, where has Hugo been? He cracks me up, always up beat & laughing, I hope he is still on board.

I'm still rolling with my 20-year old Yamaha RX-V995 receiver -- which I'm admittedly too attached to. This video has helped me decide to make the leap to modern-day surround codecs (learned a new word, too). Thanks very much. Will watch more of your videos to hopefully guide me to a reasonable upgrade choice. I'm excited.

Gene great video! Best AV investment I ever made was subscribing to your channel! :-) As for recent purchases, bought a second hand xpa-5 a few months ago. What an absolute beast, weighs more than double the amount of my receiver. I had high expectations but everything you guys said was true my AV receiver must have an eenie weenie amp section because with the xpa my Kef Q900's are singing! Now on the hunt for an xmc-1!

@Audioholics

7 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the compliments.

nice info, just upgraded my 2008 Denon to a 2017 Yamaha, added Atmos ceiling speakers and replaced my very old bose 501's with Klips added 12 ga. speaker cable and new HDMI 4k cables to go with my new 82inch screen.... it's an awesome upgrade to my 2008 system. Your vids were lots of help.

About six months ago I bought an Oppo UDP 203 blu Ray player for many of the reasons you described. The old one was very slow. I was blown away by the improvement. I even noticed a picture and sound quality improvement. I also added two bookshelf speakers to take my setup from 5.2 to 7.2, and I really love it. Something I noticed of course was just like in a real movie theater, you’re sort of expecting 100% sound all the time and that’s not the case. It’s just that when the sound should be there, it is. Especially in 7.1 blu Ray movies.

Great video Gene! The last video I asked a question about was on your Q&A video when I asked if I should upgrade from my Denon 4520ci to take advantage of the new Dolby Atmos & DTS:X codecs. I really loved my 4520ci too, but I had the upgrade bug. So I got a pretty good deal on a Denon X-7200WA and I had in ceiling speakers added so I can truly take advantage of these new codecs. I must say, it was definitely worth the upgrade! I'm blown away with these new codecs! I thought my theater sounded great before but I just couldn't ignore these new codecs.....

man I love this guy he tell it the way it is

@gaurd3

7 жыл бұрын

Yeah he has been telling it like it is well before youtube. His site moves and stops the "needle" to AV company's chagrin.

My favorite upgrade was getting a proper rack to put my equipment in. Beats cheap theater furniture from Target any time of the day! Yes, they're pricey, but if you don't need a lot of space, look at the ~30-36" tall ones. I have one in a regular sized living room/theater room and it doesn't stand out. AND, look around, search the webs over and over. I found a RCS-1824 for almost a full 50% of the list price (with free shipping and lucked into no tax) and I love it!

Just got the Oppo UDP 205. Running the 5.1 analog outputs into my Yamaha DSP A-1 (circa 1998) and it sounds great. Will eventually upgrade to a new Yamaha A/V receiver, which is next on my list; will do it for the HDMI compatibility/simplicity. Great advice. Thanks for putting it together.

Will probably change the speakers next, recently added a bigger sub, which was the best decision ever! Great info!

@SteveSunny

6 жыл бұрын

What on earth, I literally see you everywhere on everything audio related.

I recently put a Denon 9.2 Atmos receiver in my system with an additional 2 channel amp to make it 11.2. The difference is AWESOME! Atmos encoded movies are light years beyond DTS-HD, etc etc. I'm with you on the cables. Smoke and mirrors. Digital cables will either pass the appropriate signal or they won't. Period. Same with speaker wire. Just get the right gauge and that's it. My next upgrade is going to be acoustic panels. My room is way to lively to get the most out of my equipment. Going to try and make my own sound absorbing panels. See how that goes! Great video. I totally agree with everything you said.

Thanks Gene - appreciate the video. Personally I have found upgrading speakers to have the largest impact in terms of improving sound quality. I recently bought a Denon X7200WA and have a PA for my front 3 speakers running a 7.2.4 setup. Honestly couldn't be happier with it. Going to keep it for a good few years. I'll just use a separate HDMI cable to go to the TV once HDMI 2.1 becomes useful. So pleased I bought it now rather than at RRP.

Clear, well explained, unbiased advise. Thanks a lot for the info. You know your stuff and you’ve answered tons of questions I was struggling with. Keep up the good work.

@Audioholics

6 жыл бұрын

my pleasure, thanks for the compliment.

I really needed an upgrade. I haven't upgraded my sound system since 2001. Sad to say, but I am just putting it out there. I always had great speakers, so I decided to start off with a Yamaha A3080. From there I will begin began change other components, like my Blue which was purchased 2014 and the TV. I really appreciate you schooling us on what to buy and what not to buy. Thank you. Of course I subscribed to your channel. :-) Looking forward in learning more.

I'm pretty broke, but I find that buying the older stuff can make for an AMAZING home system for the price of a cheap soundbar. I have an Onkyo SR806, Yamaha RX-V1600, Emotiva XPA-200, and 4 pieces of Sony ES products (ie.. SACD, Cassette). The highest price I paid was $200 for the Emotiva, and all but the Onkyo came with original box with manual and remotes. I would never trade my setup for some sound bar or HTiaB.

Kimber Kable silver interconnect cables have made a huge difference in my system. Their speaker wire is great too. Bought then 25 years ago and I am glad that I did. Very expensive, but worth it. HDMI, just get Blue Jeans

Gene - another, great and informative video! Thanks for taking the time to get this out. Any upgrade in the future would be a new DTS:X receiver....

Great video, I had a lightning strike really close to my house, which fried out my plasma panasonic tv, (from 2011), Yamaha reciever 673 I think (from 2013), Dell xps pc (from a little over a year ago and fixing it). Have to replace tv, and reciever. I had 7.1 surround with jbl Northridge speakers all the way around including jbl pb12 from around 98 as well. I have always wanted an svs sub (Since I demoed a cylinder one back in 98/99 and actually felt the bass push my chest) I do plan on adding the pb1000 or pb2000 for an upgrade I have always wanted since that day.

I only use 3.1 setup using a Cambridge Audio amp and blu ray player. I bought my Dali bookshelf speakers in 1998 and they still sound great. I bought a Krix subwoofer just last year and it really added life to my system. My setup suits me fine and I'm happy.

Excellent advice, thanks Gene!

You are so right about speaker cables and interconnects.

Thanks Gene, you rock 😊 Would be great to have a video on HDMI such as how to setup CEC on all components.

An excellent and honest broker, the opposite of a used car salesman. Thank you I really learnt something and should save a whole lot of money.

Biggest upgrade impact by far was quality dual subs for me and eliminating that cheapo single sub. Properly setup and balanced they crushed my other upgrades for the smile factor. Thanks Gene, keep telling like it is.

Hi Gene, thanks for another great video. As always you talk a lot of sense, however regarding receivers, there is another approach that is worth considering. As you were saying amps tech is not changing radically at the moment, while the digital tech is, so splitting the two makes sense and then when the time comes just upgrade the AV pre-amp. But rather than go for an expensive AV pre-amp/power amp combo (Are there any cheap ones?) instead just buy the power amp and drive it directly from an Oppo Blu-ray player. These are quality audio outputs and Oppo have included sufficient functionality to make this work. I did this for my last upgrade, when a few years back I bought an Oppo 95 and an ex-demo Marantz MM8003 multi-channel power amp, now for my next upgrade (to 4K HDR) I’m only going to have to buy a new Oppo 203 or 205, which is way cheaper than the equivalent quality Blu-ray player and receiver. Keep up the good work Gene, we love to hearing you tell it as it is!

I really enjoyed this video and I strongly agree with the advice given in the video. I tend to the opposite extreme. My speakers are nearly 20 years old and I just recently updated my receiver and Blu-Ray player. I can't follow all the advice due to room limitations in my house, but I appreciate the honest advice. It is also refreshing to hear audio enthusiast that doesn't buy the crazy audiophile snake oil. Thank you!

New house, started with my 8060st and A60 modules and just using the built in subs on the towers along with some OLD Klipsch bookshelf speakers hung from the ceiling for Atmos channels on my SR5010. I've since added an SR7011 using the 5010 for new RSL C34E in ceiling speakers, rear 8020ST Det Tech's and side Def Tech in wall speakers for 7.1.4. I also added an SVS PB 16 Ultra and for the first time in my life I have true surround sound and sub subsonic sound in my house. Last week added the Oppo UDP203 and enjoying that, looking forward to Atmos/TrueHD support on .mkv files soon. Last step will be to score a lightly used Sony 665 projector and a ~180" motorized screen to use at night with all the lights off, lights on time will be seen on my open box 79UB9800 TV I scored for $3K last year. Thanks for the great video, definitely agree on the cable scenario, I used to love mess with the sales guys when they told me toslink cables that were expensive were better than my cheapies, light is light, right? :) BTW, my favorite thing to do is score last year's models during close outs at big discounts instead of the latest and greatest if I can. :)

I kinda upgraded everything, except the cables. All my gear was 8-10 years old. That being said I went with the previous year's models and got everything on clearance and saved a ton. I wanted a bigger TV and a projector, which meant a new receiver with more hdmi in and out, otherwise I would have stuck with the old one. I did go with a separate power amp for the mains, the new speakers were simply because I didn't have good speakers and decided this is the time.Mediabridge are incredible, and not at all expensive, for speaker wire, Amazon Basics. They're my new go to cable brands.

Oppo, fantastic brand. I have a BDP-103 that was released back in 2012-2013 (I think) and they are STILL releasing firmware updates. Great product support. Great Video also, always learning something new. Cheers from Melbourne Australia.

Dual subs, best upgrade you can do and this channel got me into that

@jdubdoubleu

5 жыл бұрын

What does two subs do better that one alreay does?

@poulhansen2415

5 жыл бұрын

Did you watch the video?

@thegoat164

5 жыл бұрын

I don't have room for another sub so I'm out.

@poulhansen2415

5 жыл бұрын

@MAD GRUMPYMAN Not many speakers goes down to 20 hz.

@charrobond8650

5 жыл бұрын

@MAD GRUMPYMAN my speakers go down to 30 hertz, basically that bass is great on this speakers they are Klipsch rp280 f, I'm basically putting 2 subs for the theatre not for music, don't really need a sub for music the speakers are great

Great Video. It's nice to hear that some audiophiles know what they are talking about and aren't afraid to tell the truth and say it how it is. I just upgraded my receiver to the Sony STR-DN1070 from the Sony STR-DA2400ES. I love Sony's ES series, but I just can't afford the price line right now and everyone seems to want to sell old or discontinued ES equipment for what it cost when it first came out. I am depressed that the 1070 receiver doesn't have any pre-outs, but from the reviews I have seen, I think I can live with it for a while. Looking forward to upgrading my TV next to a 4K.

Thanks for videos. I was deciding how to upgrade my home theater . After watching some of your videos, I decided to add a second subwoofer and decided to run wires for back surrounds. I'm going to use old speakers that I've had since the early nineties for now .7.2 is enough for me Thanks again.

I love your advice and common sense approach, thanks Gene....

This video is spot on!! Too many people rushing out to get the next big thing only to find it's a very minor update that has barley nothing to do with the AQ. This video needs to be seen by all, especially with everyone that gets itchy feet.

Excellent realistic advice Gene.That is hard to come by theses days when most tend to be biased to their sponsors.

I have had an Onkyo 5.1 AVR and the Bose Acoustimas speakers since 2009 but then I used to live in a 450 sq ft. apartment as a student working night shifts. It was plenty for the room size and my neighbors LOL. However, in the new house, I have a 20x20 bedroom and needed to upgrade. So, I started with the AVR first and picked up a Denon S930H - 7.2. Added the Bose speakers to that with a couple of old Samsung speakers to make it a 7.1. Then, recently, switched out all my main and the sub with 2 Polk S-50s, 1 Klipsch RP-250C and a Klipsch R-10SWi. Picked up a LG 65" 4K to replace the old Samsung 60", and replaced the old Xbox One with One S for better gaming and 4K BD player. I got lucky to find deals during this Thanksgiving and also, I looked for open box items and bought them $150 - $200 less than brand new price. Like Gene said, go in increments from highest to lowest of priorities. Oh and also switched out the old 20 AWG cables with 16 AWG. Next, I'll prolly upgrade the surrounds with a couple of bi-poles.

Speaking of older Amps, I still run the mx600, Yamaha amp I got in Germany in 1990, and it still rocks😊I may upgrade my Yamaha receiver though, mine doesn't have the hdmi connections

Most recent upgrade was going from a Marantz SR-5010 to their AV-7703 Processor and MM7055 separates. I'd say (especially for the money) that 7703 is one of, if not the best multi-use processor on the market, plus the meat and potatoes of the processing sounds brilliant as well!

I just recently bought a 4k Ultra HD OLED TV so also needed to upgrade my blu ray player and receiver as my current one does not support any of the new standards for 4k UHD etc. Had my old receiver for almost 8 years. Still works great!

I really enjoy this channel all full of useful info. I upgraded my speakers about 8 month ago with jbl l880 towers and 8400p sub. I am getting a good sound but my av receiver is just not cutting it anymore is on the way out. I am looking a the Yamaha rxv 3081.

Thanks for the much needed tips I just bought a denon 2800h because my old pioneer vsx1128k was incompatible with the newer Apple TV 4K and my TV. The pioneer is still solid although 10 years old but it was time and I will still keep pioneer and use it elsewhere in the house.

Gene Like to commend you for your professional reviews and recommendations . Great video!

I enjoyed another video. Thanks. I just upgraded from a Pioneer to a Marantz. Pioneer HDMI Outputs died. Also just added SVS rear elevation. That’s my latest changes.

The best teaching I have got in yeras for my music set up, Thank you. very much.

This is a great informative video! I’m curious do you guys have a room acoustics how to/do’s and don’ts video?

Thanks for valuable information. You really point out where is marketing hypes and where should we focus really. Thanks indeed.

Upgraded panel 12 months ago from a 10 year old Samsung 1080p HL-S6187W DLP that was ISF calibrated to a 4K Sony XBR X65850C Had been using my old Oppo BDP 83 and Denon 3808ci until a month ago. Tried playing a native 4k source (Planet Earth II broadcast) from my Dish Hopper 3. No pass thru old Denon. Got bit by the upgradeitis bug, sold the old Denon for 150 and the Oppo for 170 and settled on Oppo UDP 203 new from Crutchfield for 485 shipped and a Denon AVR X4300H for 1149 from an authorized dealer. Was happy to get 2k+ of new new for 1,316 by doing a minimal amount of wheeling and dealing. Now new stuff sitting in shipping boxes until the last component(s) arrives, matching surround Yamaha's from my current 7.1 to install as front heights and expand the soundstage to 7.1.2 After 9 years and a very demonstrable non 4k passthru experience with the mrs, was a sensible and subsidized upgrade cycle....

@jaxw2628

5 жыл бұрын

Sadly theres barely any 4k chanells on dish :(

Absolutely fantastic video and I am so pleased to see you back on your feet safe and well but I must admit it is so nice to see a supplier speak the truth because new is not always better I've commented on your videos sometimes and with new stuff it's like a very strange version of fishing it catches more fisherman than fish and you couldn't have put it better if something is not broken do not fix it great video love from the UK

Amazing stuff. I'm just getting into high end audio by reading and watching videos. Big fan of your site. Love the vids. You know what's funny. I was at a local Best Buy just this past week. Wanted to listen to some b&w speakers they had on hand. The sells person told me I should budget my system equally 3 ways on speakers, amplification/receiver, and cables 😂😂!!! He literally said I should spend 30% of my budget on CABLES!!! Hahaha couldn't walk outta there fast enough.

good info, seems i been doing pretty good thus far, about my audio equipment and needs

Really excellent advice and enjoyed listening. I have what was a fairly high end 5.1 home cinema system purchased in 2009 and recently have been considering a new LG OLED TV to replace my pioneer Kuro. But i would also need a new 4k amp and 4k blu-ray player to get the most from it. But my existing set up still is very good. And you're right its just not good value for money to swap old but perfectly good kit for new and better kit but with such a big cost impact. The return on investment just isn't there. I am however now going to consider two sub woofers!

Hi, I'm new to this channel and you may well have covered this topic. My experience is that most people are ignorant about the importance of having components that are HDCP 2.2 compatible when upgrading to UHD/4K. If they're not, they won't talk to each other. For example, I can't use my AV receiver as the output source of signal to my UHD television because the television is HDCP 2.2 compliant but the receiver is not. To overcome this so I have both picture and sound I simple connect the source components (UHD player etc) to the televisions HDMI input and use the optical audio output from the TV to return an audio signal to my receiver. The only drawback is that I can't use the receiver as a switching device for HDMI inputs.

A very frank and honest video. What was said might not be what people want to hear, but it is the best advice I heard in a long time.....

I like your no nonsense advice honest and direct

My Yamaha RX-V2090 is my way to go since I bought it back in the early 90's ! Great video; and a new subscriber here!

Great info for a newbie like myself to hear first hand. Thanks buddy.

Great video as always Gene - you guys are amazing

Incredible video as always my friend. Thank you. I learned everything from you. Your biggest fan, Raymond

There are very few in the Audio industry whose opinion I respect more than yours Gene. Thank you for having the courage to speak honesty even at the cost of industry backlash. As always keep up the good work and strive on with integrity and honesty.

@Audioholics

7 жыл бұрын

Thx, I've honestly given up caring what the "industry" thinks of me long ago and yet....I'm still here ;)

@Audioholics

7 жыл бұрын

Ryan yes sadly the days of flagship super receivers are long gone. If you want a brand that still maintains the integrity of a meaty amp section but doesn't give you ALL the latest features, NAD is probably your closest bet. Nothing by today's measure in a one-box solution comes close to the Denon AVR-5805 or Yamaha RX-Z11. Those were works of art. Even the only Onkyo / Integra stuff was really superb back in the day.

@thebarfle

7 жыл бұрын

Gene, I've NEVER been a fan of receivers, going back to the 1970s. That was when I got a separate amp and tuner/preamp (Altec 721, if memory serves). Not only are the setups more versatile, but when you're not trying to cram power gear in with processing gear, the electronics always seems to work better. Right now I'm using a Marantz 7700 driving Emotiva Pro Stealth 8s in the front, and it's clean no matter what the level.

@thunderpooch

7 жыл бұрын

They're only getting worse. I used to recommend the HK 3490 stereo receiver for people wanting to get into good stereo quality. It was a nice and competent start to a respectable system. The replacement is now half the weight and runs hotter. What an improvement...not! The industry is adding every Bluetooth, wifi, pandora/spotify whistle, while the meat of the amp is being reduced. Screw this. DSP units are now cheaper and more affordable. I'm gonna go active and flip a bird to these crappy consumer units and ham-fisted passive crossovers.

love listening to your words of wisdom Gene

Great video Gene, ya know what, I may get picked on, but I still have a DD 5.1 setup and with the higher end gear, it still sounds great! I am tired of the constant upgrade cycle. The car analogy was great, because the newer cars are using such cheap materials these days.

Talking about speakers, I'm still running a pair of 1979 NS1000s balanced atop a pair of YST-SW800s as my mains. Now while I will admit they are not as efficient as some of the modern day stuff, the sound quality is undeniable and I don't plan on trading either of them any time soon. I've never been too concerned about cables though, except that they be beefy 10guage or so, with soldered connectors. I generally just get these from a local hardware store when I need to. I really don't understand the whole oxygen free, molecularly aligned, ion enhanced, space shuttle tested, cable religion thing. Cheers Gene, thanks again for the informative video.

I agree 100%...room acoustics can make a huge difference vs replacing equipment.

Also...talking about upgrade;: would love to hear your opinion/review of the new Tekton Double Impact speakers...

Always great informative videos ! Still very happy with my Denon 4308 receiver , Oppo BDP-103 , Klipsch RF-83 , RC-64 , RS-62 , R-115SW , Pro-Ject Carbon Debut DC table , Panamax and Richard Grey's Power Company line conditioning , Vizio 70" 4K display....when it comes time to upgrade it would be to an Oppo 4K player and most likely another Denon capable of 4K. I still enjoy my vast DVD , Blu-Ray collection and of course all the Porcupine Tree 5.1 mixes , Steven Wilson Blu-Ray's :)

My most recent upgrade was a new AV Receiver I bought, because my old Yamaha one started acting up, and it always had some weird balance and buzzing issues in some settings. Either way, it was little too advanced for me with all the different nubs and settings. My new Sony one was on sale, and I was sold by the "calibration mic" auto calibration. Im still using my old-but-gold Tanberg speakers that are from around 1983 (my father's old ones that I repaired at some point). The speakers now sound fantastic, so much better than they previously were, I have more HDMI slots available, there are a couple of useful/neat features like the "simulated surround", and now I have the option to include a 5.1/5.2 system in the future. Best 239€ I have spent in a long while.

Great review, thank you for your honesty.

I have a Denon AVR-3805 and it weighs 37 lbs and it's made in Japan, great build and sound quality. I'm running a Anthem D2v processor because I want lossless HD audio, but the Denon served me well for years.

Great advice Sir.. Thank you for being so honest.

Thank you very very very much for your honesty. I’m a huge fan of your channel. 👍🏻

Last year i bought a Denon DHT-1311XP which comes with very thin cables from factory, like 22AWG. In this particular case it's convenient to buy any larger thicker cables? Like you said, i have no trouble at all with my equipment, but maybe i can improve something. Can´t tell you how much i´ve learned with you guys, thank you so much and i will, for sure, keep listening!

Speakers if you go from a lower end to a higher end model along with room austoics can make what you already have sound better. Those are likely 2 of the biggest things you can do to get better audio.

I been having my Sony 5.1 receiver since 2014 now and I love the way it sounds now I'm ready to upgrade to a Pioneer VSX 831 Receiver it's has two subwoofer output and it has ultra4k and bluetooth/Wi-Fi. like my Sony Pioneer always deliver power so don't have to worry about that.

I always like this guy he is always real tells you the way he's. My upgrade that I done to my home theater recently I hard a monolith power amplifier to my marantz sr7012 which gives more power to all my SVS speakers.

Good video, thanks! My rig consists of a Yamaha CX-A5100 Pre-amp, Outlaw Audio 7 channel 200 W per channel Amp (It weighs 95 lbs!), BIC Venturi Sub, Arcam P38 100W per channel amp for running my effect speakers. I just purchased a Klipsch Reference Premier RP440C Center channel speaker and I just ordered two Klipsch R625 FA Atmos speakers. I have four Bose 301 speakers for side and rear channels. I'm replacing my old Bose AM7s which I used for center and effect speakers. I'm also ditching my Bose 901s which I'm using for left and right channels. I realized how bad the AM7s sound, and how limited the 901s are. I also use my XBox One to play Blu Rays and pay per view, as it's Atmos capable. The new center speaker sounds way better than the Bose AM7 cube, and can't wait for my new Klipsch L and R speakers!!! Then, I'll be done for quite a while :-)

Thanks Hugo, I have the Yamaha 2050, and was thinking up upgrading to the 3070 for the DV or waiting for next year's HDMI 2.1 models to come out.

Had a Denon AVR 2808 but couldn't handle just 2 HDMI inputs anymore. I already upgraded amplification using the pre outs so I decided when upgrading to move to the Marantz 7702mkii pre/pro. Plenty of HDMI inputs and now room to grow into Atmos when I get there, HDMI 2 spec and HDCP 2.2 compliant

I upgraded to a second subwoofer. Hsu research vtf MK5. Certainly a noticeable improvement. louder. And more even bass distribution. So I would say it's worth the money cuz the results are very noticeable and when you have a high-end speaker system the law of diminishing returns is definitely true as money increases. I know Jean said that bass sounds the worst when you're up against the wall, but my room it seems to sound the most natural and has zero localizable effects no matter where in the frequency range. I use an 80 Hertz receiver bass management cut off. But yes it is more boomy there.

Thank you for your honest advice. I plan to upgrade my Sony Bluray player because once in a while it locks up and it will not work or turn off unless I unplug the unit and re-plug it again and then it works. I also plan probably later this year to buy a 4K tv. I plan to buy the Oppo 203.

Great tips. Missed the visual part, TV / Projector etc though .

i just upgraded to a marantz SR5011 for the pre-outs and bought 2 emotiva A-300 to run my fronts and center and soon A 800 to run my surround speakers

Jean you talk a huge lot of sense i have the marantz sr 7013 a. Year old and im only barely into it im just learning audessy setup with the app this amp is superb

Only had my setup for a year and I’m already getting the upgrade bug, especially the more I watch audioholics. But I agree with all of Gene’s points. I’m going to focus on learning how to do my own measurements and Bass management first. At the end of the day this stuff is not an investment, it all depreciates. I saved 50-75% off retail just by buying N-1 or N-2 model year equipment that was still new in box or in some cases open box returns.

great advice ! I just ordered a new 2017 Oled TV from LG and an Opo 203 br player. I would have liked the 205 but they are very expensive in Europe and I believe the cheaper model will cover my needs.

Still have my old Onkyo 7.1 receiver and I think it is breaking down. Takes ages to start up and lacks support for 4K so I have to connect all my devices to TV and run passthrough for the sound to the reciever. So I'm looking to upgrade and I will be getting a 9.1 receiver with support for atmos but I'm gonna wait until my Onkyo breaks. Good advice and good video!

Currently using Onkyo 9700THX HTIB, decent system but I knew I would upgrade eventually, I run Mediabridge HDMI and speaker wire in my small room, I will be upgrading to SVS Speakers and Subs eventually, I’m happy but I want to upgrade the sub to Duel SVS SB16, from the reviews I read it is the Onkyo weak link and I agree with that.

I'm looking to upgrade my subwoofer. I'm still running a Yamaha from 1998 with dual 8s in it. SVS seems to be the route I'm going in x 2 for sure.. Next is a 7.2.2 receiver.

Thank you for the honest advise!

Great video, so refreshing to hear the truth for change. You guys should have a lot more subscribers! :)

Fantastic discussion, review, and honest suggestions! BEST I've seen and heard! Thank you for a job well done!! I will start by adding a second sub :)

Excellent video and and advice Gene👍🏽.

Thanks for your expertise! My next purchase is a better 📺, I want to get an Oled, I just don't know what brand to go with : 1st generation Sony, panasonic or LG....

Thank you very much for the useful info!

Excellent review!

I'm rocking with a pair of Klipsch KG-4's that are 25+ years old. They're beautiful and crank!

Thank you very much for your honesty. You make great videos👍👍