New TV/AVR help

acerinpa

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OK- Tech people - I need advise on a new AVR and 4k TV ( 65 inch). Its been 10+ years since purchasing a new receiver/TV and frankly I don't understand some of the new tech (ARC/Earc,etc.). TV's have also come a long way with the new OLED stuff. I would like to play my PC games on the new TV - if possible- currently use an older plasma 55 inch in my man cave which works "ok" in 1080P. Max price on AVR= $600, TV= $2000. I am currently using Comcast cable- but have been thinking about cutting the cord. So, one of many questions is about "smart/apps" . Do I need a smart TV if I am using a "smart AVR" with built in apps and a ROKU/apple TV/what ever streaming device attached to it in one of the HDMI inputs - then sending video signal from the ARV via HDMI cord to the TV? Seems dumb to have both the ARV and the TV to have the same apps on them and since Audio is best processed by the ARV why even use apps on the TV.
 
Pretty much any new TV you buy these days will be a Smart TV, but that doesn't mean you have to use the built in apps unless you want to. I think you need to prioritize whether or not you want content quality or gaming latency then can decide from there. My TV is now a year old and I still like it. In game mode it has about 19ms of latency in 4k HDR and like 12 in 1080p. Being on a 1ms monitor constantly it's hard to play FPS PC games on the TV as I can still feel the latency. Playing a console on the other hand is no big deal. Now if you had like 5-6k to blow on this, you could wait and get the new TVs coming out from Acer/Asus/HP which are 4k, 120hz, HDR, with a built in Shield lol.

The receiver, well that's a different story. All depends on what exactly you want, and what you plan to expand to. I mean you can get a basic 5.1 receiver or you can go crazy with 9.2, Atmos, etc.

For a "smart box" I personally suggest the Nvidia Shield.
 
Yep- looked heavy at Yamaha= But most reviews say it lacks the music refinement of the Denon or Sony units. Specifically missing in mid range accuracy with harsh treble, and boomy bass ( damage to my ears from my Wegener's disease has made me super sensitive to low frequency - so boomy bass is literally painful to me) . Since I want to start listening to my vinyl again I want to have good music sound as well as good home theater sound. One reason I really looked at the Yamaha that was on sale at Costco just before Christmas for $399 - and it has a turntable pre-amp built in. I did not read reviews specific to the one you linked- so will do that now. Here is the one I was looking at - it is really a 781 - but for Costco they changed the model number so Costco has its own pricing for it.

https://www.costco.com/Yamaha-TSR-7...7.2-Channel+Network+AV+Receiver&storeId=10301

While the reviews ( both professional and consumer) are positive for it. Those reviews that really discussed the music sound all agreed it was lacking mid range - which I like as I like Jazz, horns, voice, harmony, etc. I do not like drums taking over ( over bright treble/cymbals and over dominant bass drum or electric bass guitar) . Kind of like the old Bose speakers - many people really liked them- I didn't. Don't get me wrong --they were good heavy rock and roll speakers- but just not for me. So , I will have to purchase a new turntable with a pre-amp built into it - or find my old turntable ( in attic somewhere) and purchase a pre-amp to boost the signal before it plugs into the new AVR.
 
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Most regular consumer reviews have a pretty terrible ear. I personally like to go to Best Buy (since we have a Magnolia store here) and play with each amp I can touch. Yamaha amps are typically more warm, as in the excel in the midrange area rather than lack it. Bi-ampable amps and speakers also introduce more of a midrange to your setup. If you are super sensitive to lower frequency I'm not particularly sure why you're looking at 7.2 setups.

That amp at Costco is actually a different model altogether.
 
Yes, thats what I thought about Yamaha as well. But , after reading about it i became dubious.I would be perfectly happy with a 5.1 AVR. But have not found one with the streaming, decoding, power ,etc that i want. I will probably never use 7.2.
 
I actually really like my Yamaha out in the living room. It's older with no HDMI or anything but I don't really need it. I have zone 2 bi-amped to the front towers and it's pretty loud, only have HDMI going to the TV from my Shield and turn the volume up or down from there. Only reason I want something else is so I can move to a higher speaker count with Atmos and a second sub.
 
For me , I am upgrading due to the streaming of both tv/ movies and music, the pass thru upscaling, bluetooth/wifi. Handshake and volume issues with old tv, avr, etc.
 
Upscaling is usually terrible on all of these units and if you have the speakers on the TV speakers really should be off due to delay. I personally don't need any of the fancy stuff but it just comes with these bigger units preloaded. Like I'll never use the wifi/multicast, bluetooth, multi-room, upscaling, HDMI passthrough for anything but my Shield, or local volume controls. It's why I've been so happy with my old Yamaha for so long and I wouldn't even bother upgrading but I want the higher speaker count, newer sound tech, and higher fidelity.
 
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