Enhance or Change Yamaha RX 361

[denzong]

Hi Guys,

i have a yamaha rx 361 avr.

i need to know the suggestions as to should i enhance this avr. are there any additions i can do to the current set up or is it better to sell this off and get a 7.2 channel avr

if this can be enhanced and i would be able to get better sound then i am ready to experiment with the hardware setups

regards

 

[spirovious]

What is your plan of upgrade?BDP?

 

[kapvin]

Hi Guys,

i have a yamaha rx 361 avr.

i need to know the suggestions as to should i enhance this avr. are there any additions i can do to the current set up or is it better to sell this off and get a 7.2 channel avr

if this can be enhanced and i would be able to get better sound then i am ready to experiment with the hardware setups

regards

denzong,

you need to be a bit clear as to what your AV goals are and your budget is. any advice would be dependent on that as well as it would be on which room you plan to use it in.

some questions for you-

what speakers are you using currently?
do you plan to use an HD media source?
Is HD-audio a critical "must have"?
have you auditioned any speakers? if so, which ones, and what was your impression?
what is your budget?

I owned a 361 till a brief while ago and found it quite appropriate for the use I put it to. my reason for change was to get HDMI switching, single cable to TV and HD-audio. I am not really sure how much any mods will help for the yam. in anycase, the most noticable difference will come from changing the speakers and the Sub.

all the best!

 

[denzong]

denzong,

you need to be a bit clear as to what your AV goals are and your budget is. any advice would be dependent on that as well as it would be on which room you plan to use it in.

some questions for you-

what speakers are you using currently?
do you plan to use an HD media source?
Is HD-audio a critical "must have"?
have you auditioned any speakers? if so, which ones, and what was your impression?
what is your budget?

I owned a 361 till a brief while ago and found it quite appropriate for the use I put it to. my reason for change was to get HDMI switching, single cable to TV and HD-audio. I am not really sure how much any mods will help for the yam. in anycase, the most noticable difference will come from changing the speakers and the Sub.

all the best!

i am not looking for a BDP. will be buying Playon HD mini within this week.

what speakers are you using currently? i am using Yamaha HT set
do you plan to use an HD media source? yes
Is HD-audio a critical "must have"? Kinda yes cause otherwise i have a good setup
have you auditioned any speakers? if so, which ones, and what was your impression? no auditions yet
what is your budget? nothing specific

also if there are other things which i can add like a NAD, etc to enhance the current capability. or is it advisable to sell this and buy a new

 

[denzong]

will adding a Digital Home Receiver help

what are the other areas i can look forward to. i am just trying to align the AVR right now. not the speaker or players. just the AMP

 

[kapvin]

i am not looking for a BDP. will be buying Playon HD mini within this week.

what speakers are you using currently? i am using Yamaha HT set
do you plan to use an HD media source? yes
Is HD-audio a critical "must have"? Kinda yes cause otherwise i have a good setup
have you auditioned any speakers? if so, which ones, and what was your impression? no auditions yet
what is your budget? nothing specific

also if there are other things which i can add like a NAD, etc to enhance the current capability. or is it advisable to sell this and buy a new

do some auditions first..

my advice... till you are clear about what kind of speakers you want; stick with this avr. it's fine.. esp with slightly better speakers that the plastic stuff that yamaha normally dishes out. afaik, the playon does not support hD audio (only passes the core stream)

of course, your post seems to suggest that you have set your heart on changing the AVR and are looking for external affirmation

btw - what did you mean by "add a NAD etc?"

 

[denzong]

do some auditions first..

my advice... till you are clear about what kind of speakers you want; stick with this avr. it's fine.. esp with slightly better speakers that the plastic stuff that yamaha normally dishes out. afaik, the playon does not support hD audio (only passes the core stream)

of course, your post seems to suggest that you have set your heart on changing the AVR and are looking for external affirmation

btw - what did you mean by "add a NAD etc?"

adding a NAD player

 

[NetFreak]

will adding a Digital Home Receiver help

You already have an AVR with digital audio inputs (Coaxial and Optical). Replacing the Amp would not give you better sound since weakest link in your system is speakers at this point.

With these speakers, you would not be able to:

1. Drive them at a higher wattage
2. Perceive any difference between DTS Core and DTS HD

And given that videos with HD Audio (and video) are between 15- 30 GB in size, there is no practical source of such videos other than a BR Player.

 

[denzong]

i am more of a music guy. most of my music is flac and mp3

which of them are a good buy:
1. Onkyo SKS-HT540 7.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System
2. Klipsch HD 300 Compact 5.1 High Definition Theater system

or any other system that i can build over a period of time. i dont mind building it with time but want to build a very good set.

any suggestion is more then welcome

 

[NetFreak]

If music is primary usage, then 7.1 would not give you better results then existing one.

Reason is, current AVR delivers 100W to all channels at full frequency range. Systems like HT540, have "peak" wattage of 130W, but they do not specify full frequency response.

Ultimately if you primarily listen to music, then it does not make too much sense to replace this Amp. Better bang for buck would be to upgrade speakers.

However, if you are planning to upgrade to Blu Ray, then you might want to upgrade Amp + Speakers.

 

[kapvin]

If music is primary usage, then 7.1 would not give you better results then existing one.

Reason is, current AVR delivers 100W to all channels at full frequency range. Systems like HT540, have "peak" wattage of 130W, but they do not specify full frequency response.

Ultimately if you primarily listen to music, then it does not make too much sense to replace this Amp. Better bang for buck would be to upgrade speakers.

However, if you are planning to upgrade to Blu Ray, then you might want to upgrade Amp + Speakers.

netfreak, i think the guy's made up his mind, just waiting for validation.

a last parting bit of advice; you could buy the best amp / avr in the world, but when paired with those speakers, it's unlikely that you will get much (any) improvement.

changing one HTIB with another is really not what you should be posting here; maybe the HTIB section may be a better bet.

ultimately it's your money