Need Advice: Keep Yamaha Tower Setup + Upgrade AVR or Switch to Denon Wireless Home Theater for Apartment Living?

[praashant]

Hi all,
I’m in a bit of a dilemma and would appreciate advice from fellow audio enthusiasts.

Current System:
• Yamaha RX-V465 AV Receiver (about 12-15 years old, no HDMI ARC/Bluetooth/Wi-Fi)
• Yamaha YST-SW315 Subwoofer
• Yamaha NS7900 Towers x 2
• Yamaha NS-C7900 Center
• Yamaha NS-E7900 Surrounds

I’ve always loved the look of my Yamaha speakers, they blend beautifully with our living room decor, and my wife especially likes their aesthetic. However, the system sounds best only when played loudly; at low or moderate volumes, dialogue often feels muted or dull and the treble doesn’t sparkle, even after tweaking the old receiver. The receiver also feels dated due to lack of modern features like HDMI ARC/eARC support, Wi-Fi streaming, Bluetooth audio, voice assistant integration, advanced room calibration like Dirac Live or Audyssey, and newer immersive audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X decoding.

Recently, I had the chance to acquire a Denon Home Soundbar 550, Denon Home Subwoofer, and a pair of Denon 150 bookshelf speakers at a great deal. I was surprised by how much better the dialogue clarity is at all volumes on the Denon setup - voices are crisper, and movies are easier to follow, especially at night when I can’t turn up the volume due to neighbors (apartment living, not a dedicated theater room). The wireless/compact nature of the Denon system also makes it easy to rearrange.

The Dilemma:
• I’m considering keeping the Yamaha speaker set for its aesthetics (as my wife prefers) and possibly upgrading just the AV receiver to a modern one with dialogue and room correction features. However, once I purchase the receiver I won't be able to return it in case it doesn't tick all the boxes, so it’s a bit of a gamble.
• On the other hand, the Denon system has really impressed me with its convenience, dialogue clarity at low volume, and smart streaming features.

What would you do in my situation?
• Would a modern receiver noticeably improve dialogue and general sound at moderate/low volumes on the Yamaha setup?
• Is it worth sticking with the Denon for apartment use and moving on from the Yamaha towers, despite their great looks and potential for better sound with newer AV receivers?
• Any other creative ideas based on your experiences?

Looking forward to your expert advice!

Thanks in advance.
Prashant

 

[sandeepmohan]

Have you re run YPAO auto calibration? You can always dial up the center channel gain if you find the volume too low.

I don't necessarily think a new receiver is going to solve your problem. Sure, it will have a more modern auto calibration system, HDMI, wifi and what not. Personally, I don't really care about voice assistants. Atmos is useful only if you're going to have ceiling speakers. In a living or family room, I doubt if you really want all that mess. Up to you really.

If you find the Sound bar more satisfying to use, then I'd move on from a AV Receiver/Speaker setup.

 

[rwnano]

I'd upgrade my speakers and let the AVR be. Old AVRs are better than newer ones.

 

[chander]

Well there are a few ways to look at it.

1 - The easy way -
- If you really like the soundbar system for TV watching - keep it.
- use your yamaha towers with the AVR as a stereo setup in another room/ same area. This could work for music as a secondary system.

2 - The tough way -
- what is your source?
- if streaming is your primary consumption and you do consume modern media - yes the old AVR will definitely be missing on a few codecs & processing chops.
- HOWEVER - upgrading the AVR will only guarantee that you have the plethora of the new tech at your disposal, but WILL NOT guarantee better sound.
- I would however hazard a guess that your speakers could be the reason of your discontent, I know you love the way they look but they were never really known for the sound quality.
- So at this point replacing either the AVR or the Speakers might not help. You may have to replace both.

If I was in your place & I really did enjoy the sound of the soundbar system - I would personally keep that as my main - TV setup and leave the old AVR + Speakers + Sub as my stereo listening setup (if there is a need for that) or move that to another room in the house.
Your Old AVR will also probably do better with driving only the towers + sub with music.