HT upgrade recommendations

[fLUX]

Hi,

I am looking to upgrade my HT setup and have not yet decided on a budget. I would like to understand what would be a substantial step up to my existing HT system and I can think of a budget accordingly. My current setup is as follows

Xbox One X -> Denon X2600H -> Concept 20 (Front L/R) + 3090ci ( Center) + 3020i ( Rear L/R) and SVS SB-2000

While this system performs well , i am intrigued what it would take it to the next level. Some thoughts i had are listed as following
i) Front Speakers- Will moving to floorstanders make a major difference considering i have a decent sub. Some options would be Concept 40 FS or Dali Opticon 6 and any other alternatives you guys can suggest
ii) Center - Will need to be matched as per the front per upgrade.
iii) Surround Speakers - Since tone/timbre matching is not that neccesary, will probably use the Concept 20 here
iv) AVR - Should i upgrade the AVR to 3500H before i upgrade any of the above

I would be willing to spend round about 2L on the upgrade.

Would really love your opinion on the same. My room size is roughly 14 * 11 feet and have a 1080p Benq projector setup along with above system. Its a guest bedroom with a queen sized bed and wardrobe so rear speakers are placed sideways

 

[fLUX]

Any inputs would be great here FM's

 

[Yogesh]

First upgrade you could aim for is Atmos. Second is upgrading your fronts with FS. Concept 40 would be logical choice followed by 3050 FS. Third would be Concept Vocal for 3090.

Your surrounds are just fine, Don't push C20 to surrounds, Either you can do an additional stereo setup or sell them. For surrounds 3020 are more than adequate. For Atmos get ceiling mounted or dedicated Atmos speakers. For Atmos you can opt for budget options.

 

[fLUX]

Sorry forgot to mention i have dedicated atmos upfiring speakers, i think its possible to mount them as well (Onkyo SRH410). Would Concept 40 be a substantial upgrade over the C20 considering that the lows are already taken care of by a subwoofer. Would it be better to go for something like SVS Prime series/XTZ floorstanders with their centre ?

 

[Love4sound]

Hi,

I am looking to upgrade my HT setup and have not yet decided on a budget. I would like to understand what would be a substantial step up to my existing HT system and I can think of a budget accordingly. My current setup is as follows

Xbox One X -> Denon X2600H -> Concept 20 (Front L/R) + 3090ci ( Center) + 3020i ( Rear L/R) and SVS SB-2000

While this system performs well , i am intrigued what it would take it to the next level. Some thoughts i had are listed as following
i) Front Speakers- Will moving to floorstanders make a major difference considering i have a decent sub. Some options would be Concept 40 FS or Dali Opticon 6 and any other alternatives you guys can suggest
ii) Center - Will need to be matched as per the front per upgrade.
iii) Surround Speakers - Since tone/timbre matching is not that neccesary, will probably use the Concept 20 here
iv) AVR - Should i upgrade the AVR to 3500H before i upgrade any of the above

I would be willing to spend round about 2L on the upgrade.

Would really love your opinion on the same. My room size is roughly 14 * 11 feet and have a 1080p Benq projector setup along with above system. Its a guest bedroom with a queen sized bed and wardrobe so rear speakers are placed sideways

Go for a better avr lik the Denon 3600 or the 4500. I upgraded from 2400 to the 4500 and noticed good improvements. The 3xx series above have audyssey x32 which is better then the one on 2600. Also you get dual sub management. If it is a dedicated room plan for 5.2.4 set up.

 

[fLUX]

@Love4sound Would the benefits outweigh a speaker upgrade?

 

[Love4sound]

@Love4sound Would the benefits outweigh a speaker upgrade?

Your speakers will get more power and the processing will be better so you will notice a good difference in the sound stage in a 5.1.4 or 5.1.2 set up. You can always upgrade the speakers later. This will definitely be a good upgrade compared to just speakers. No doubt the 2600 is a decent avr but with 4500 or the 3600 you get more options like adding a PA, expanding to 5.2.4 or 7.2.4 set up which will give you a sound stage which is way better then the 2600 can provide

 

[Yogesh]

With your budget you can upgrade both AVR and speakers.

 

[fLUX]

With your budget you can upgrade both AVR and speakers.

The AVR would set me back by roughly 90k. I doubt I will get a substantial upgrade at around a lakh in terms of speakers (considering center and fronts). Would it be wiser to wait for newer model to release in India and expect lower prices?

 

[Yogesh]

The AVR would set me back by roughly 90k. I doubt I will get a substantial upgrade at around a lakh in terms of speakers (considering center and fronts). Would it be wiser to wait for newer model to release in India and expect lower prices?

For speaker upgrade, You need to upgrade LCR & Sub only. Your surround and height are fine AFAIK. And as I see you already have systems in other rooms, You can sell your current AVR, LCR+Sub add your fresh 2 L and upgrade.

 

[fLUX]

Decided on upgrading my AVR first. Might need to audition the speakers before i decide spending a higher amount, so i guess that will have to wait for some months due to current scenario.

 

[rpmahale]

I will suggest you just enjoy your system now, it is not yet outdated. You may not get best price for your gears now or you may not able to audition new gears with full potential. Its time to enjoy existing system and do home work for new gears. Once a year pass you may be in the better position to know what you want and where you may get it and within what price.

 

[superczar]

The biggest sonic change in your setup will come from a LCR upgrade.
Having said that, your sub, AVR and speakers are already at the diminishing returns inflexion point from a HT perspective.

I think you will need to spend quite a bit to get very small improvements.. Personally I think it will be a pointless endeavour unless you really want to blowup cash

 

[fLUX]

@superczar @rpmahale Yup totally get your point

I got a good deal for an AVR and my living room AVR is quiet outdated. Hence the thought to get a better one to replace the X2600H and use the 2600H in my Living Room.

Any future upgrades would be towards the front LCR, eyeing the Aria so that it can double up for stereo as well as HT usage. But would really like to try out alternatives in a similar price range before I take the plunge, hence postponing the purchase unless some nice used deal pops up

 

[RRR]

Would you like to consider the Dali Opticon 8, since you mentioned Opticon 6.

 

[superczar]

@superczar @rpmahale Yup totally get your point

I got a good deal for an AVR and my living room AVR is quiet outdated. Hence the thought to get a better one to replace the X2600H and use the 2600H in my Living Room.

Any future upgrades would be towards the front LCR, eyeing the Aria so that it can double up for stereo as well as HT usage. But would really like to try out alternatives in a similar price range before I take the plunge, hence postponing the purchase unless some nice used deal pops up

Ha, I was in a similar boat not too long ago. I decided to convert my study room into a HT and then got tempted to upgrade my living room AVR and do a swap-out ..
Good hunting - there are plenty of options in the market!

 

[fLUX]

I did go through your entire long-term project thread. Really nice planning and setup you got there

 

[drkrack]

I would be willing to spend round about 2L on the upgrade.

For your Room size small FS or large BS is a good option. Concept 20 are really good speakers, Keep concept 20 or move them to Surrounds if you get concept 40 FS ( I'd not advice concept 40, coz BS to FS is not next level in my experience). You'd have to go with better speakers like Aria 926 to feel the improvement, but it'll be another setup of headache to tame bass response of Arias in that room. Also you'd need a power amp like Crown XLS to get the best out of the focals, assuming your Denon has front preouts. Wharfedale Evo floorstanding speakers would be another option so will be Dali Oberon. Don't bother about timbre matching of fronts with Surrounds because it doesn't matter much.

If your Denon has front preouts, get a power amplifier/s instead of upgrading the AVR or LCR itself. You'd notice a better improvement. If it doesn't have front preouts it's definitely worth upgrading to higher series ASAP.
Your subwoofer is already good enough, no need to upgrade anything on that front.

If you haven't got a Stabilizer ; Get a Servo Stabilizer and a average Power conditioner like rontek. That's a one time investment which goes long way.

PS: Was is a similar boat with Denon x2200w and Polk RTI a5 setup and cash of 2L at disposal 4 yrs ago.
Went with a Partial Acoustic treatment for the room with a professional, Felt transported to next level immediately, inspite of keeping the same setup. Its been documented on the forum. Even BT speaker sounds next level in this room compared to other rooms in my house. It has been One of the best investments.

 

[liverpool_for_life]

If you're open to upgrading on the video side, one option would be to combine the Epson TW9400 with a HD Fury device to emulate dynamic tone mapping( that is currently natively available only on the JVC PJ's): https://www.avsforum.com/threads/do...hdr10-conversion-w-dtm-on-projectors.3097934/

Might have to stretch your 2L budget slightly, but this (4K + dynamically tone mapped HDR) will be a serious upgrade on the 1080 P Benq, IMO.

 

[fLUX]

For your Room size small FS or large BS is a good option. Concept 20 are really good speakers, Keep concept 20 or move them to Surrounds if you get concept 40 FS ( I'd not advice concept 40, coz BS to FS is not next level in my experience). You'd have to go with better speakers like Aria 926 to feel the improvement, but it'll be another setup of headache to tame bass response of Arias in that room. Also you'd need a power amp like Crown XLS to get the best out of the focals, assuming your Denon has front preouts. Wharfedale Evo floorstanding speakers would be another option so will be Dali Oberon. Don't bother about timbre matching of fronts with Surrounds because it doesn't matter much.

If your Denon has front preouts, get a power amplifier/s instead of upgrading the AVR or LCR itself. You'd notice a better improvement. If it doesn't have front preouts it's definitely worth upgrading to higher series ASAP.
Your subwoofer is already good enough, no need to upgrade anything on that front.

If you haven't got a Stabilizer ; Get a Servo Stabilizer and a average Power conditioner like rontek. That's a one time investment which goes long way.

PS: Was is a similar boat with Denon x2200w and Polk RTI a5 setup and cash of 2L at disposal 4 yrs ago.
Went with a Partial Acoustic treatment for the room with a professional, Felt transported to next level immediately, inspite of keeping the same setup. Its been documented on the forum. Even BT speaker sounds next level in this room compared to other rooms in my house. It has been One of the best investments.

Current AVR doesnt have any preouts , that is one of the primary reason for getting an upgrade (other than the XT32 over XT for Audyssey). I will certainly look into the room treatment option but considering there are wallpapers and so forth, not sure how much i will be allowed to put diffusers/absorption materials across the room , can certainly accomodate on the speaker/projector screen wall.

Will it make sense to go for an Aria if i put bass traps on the rear as that would help in taming the bass response ? In many cases i have noticed that reducing the bass knob on the stereo amp to low levels to considerably reduced the bass quantity, but I understand thats not the desired way to do it as the song presentation gets altered.

Power conditioner and servo stabilizer i will add to my plan of things to get in future.