AV Receiver Recommendaions forNew TV watching Room

Bones13

Bones13

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Seattle, WA
We should get our stuff moved to the new house in about a month. There is what we are calling a "den" where we will have our shared TV, and lounging area. The house was extensively remodeled in the '70s, including this room. There are in wall speakers for R/C/L and rears. There are also some wiring to other rooms for audio use, which I may, or may not use, as the wife prefers Sonos for her use. Now that I won't be using a Sonos ARC bar for this system, I will be looking for a 5.1 Receiver. What are "better" AV receivers that are simple to use. I have not broached the subject of sub to her yet. This TV will be doing streaming, either from the "smart" nature, of the yet to be purchased TV, or an AppleTV.

Ideal for me would be a single box, with eARC (or toslink) input with a volume control, and be controlled by the TV remote. Has anyone seen something like this?

I don't want a hulking large box. I don't need more channels, or extra zones. I would not mind good processing, and would not mind one of those EQ/Balance systems using a microphone in the seat position.
 
I use one of the Marantz slim line A/V receivers. I'm not sure what the current model numbers are. I've been happy with it. They are rated at 50 wpc but seem strong enough. You may want to consider a sub if the speakers are inefficient. I added one eventually, sometimes the Dynamic EQ would get turned on which really increased bass response, the in-wall speakers, Revel, would begin to bottom out. Adding the sub fixed the issue.

I also saw Audio Control has these thin integrated multichannel amps that looked like they'd work for what we are doing but the news release didn't say anything about whether it had decoding or bass management etc. Sounded like they were actually designed to go behind the TV.
 
I suspect I will get one of the slim line Marantz units, there look to be a few (perhaps different trim / release years). These look good, and are small. I want this den to be functional, easy to use, and fun. My study (man cave) will have an Apple TV and BlueRay player, but will be only a 2.0 audio system. (unless I add subs, but won't have an AV processor)

For the den, I am trying to decide on whether to use an existing Apple TV for source, or just use the apps in the Smart TV. I am not 100% sure about using the eARC/CEC control to allow simple use of a single remote to run the system. It will be streaming only in this space. My old den had 10 year old gear, and I used a cable box, BlueRay player and the Apple TV. No plans for cable in the new house - cut the cord!
 
I can't remember a certain brand off the top of my head but I have been noticing more integrated amps offering HDMI with ARC input. It makes it nice for the type of set up you want for the 2-channel.
 
Thanks for the suggestion. There are 5 in-wall speakers in that room. Adding a sub will complete the 5.1.

My man cave will sport stereo sound via TOSLink from the TV to the MSB DAC. There is even a “video” setting for the DAC that causes good audio-visual sync With multiple sources, having the TV as the HDMI chooser remains the simpler option. I don’t want/need a video processor in my system.
 
I sell Marantz now for AV Receivers, but I’ve been using an early NAD at home for years. It’s starting to act up though, so it will need to go for repair.
 
Mike said:
I sell Marantz now for AV Receivers, but I’ve been using an early NAD at home for years. It’s starting to act up though, so it will need to go for repair.
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Thanks Mike, I will continue to look at things. It’s always nice getting stuff through you.

Pending my IRS calculations, that Cinema 70s looks perfect.
 
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Mike said:
I sell Marantz now for AV Receivers, but I’ve been using an early NAD at home for years. It’s starting to act up though, so it will need to go for repair.
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Hopefully you have better luck that I had with NAD. I had a NAD equipment that went bad after warranty. It turned out that it was cheaper to buy a used one than paying for the repair.
 
nicoff said:
Hopefully you have better luck that I had with NAD. I had a NAD equipment that went bad after warranty. It turned out that it was cheaper to buy a used one than paying for the repair.
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Yeah, my NAD has gone bad too. I might be buying a Marantz.
 
Mike said:
Yeah, my NAD has gone bad too. I might be buying a Marantz.
Click to expand...

I recently upgraded my HT to a 9.2 system with Dolby Atmos. I bought a Marantz Cinema 40 and I'm very happy with it. I realize it's far too big for some people on this thread, but they have different requirements for their systems.
 
Mike said:
Yeah, my NAD has gone bad too. I might be buying a Marantz.
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I bought my Marantz AV8003 new when that model came out and it is still working flawlessly. I hate to look how old that unit is. My Marantz NR1605 I've had for years with no issue. Hope the brand is still as reliable it will be great for you.
 
Bones13 said:
I suspect I will get one of the slim line Marantz units, there look to be a few (perhaps different trim / release years). These look good, and are small. I want this den to be functional, easy to use, and fun. My study (man cave) will have an Apple TV and BlueRay player, but will be only a 2.0 audio system. (unless I add subs, but won't have an AV processor)

For the den, I am trying to decide on whether to use an existing Apple TV for source, or just use the apps in the Smart TV. I am not 100% sure about using the eARC/CEC control to allow simple use of a single remote to run the system. It will be streaming only in this space. My old den had 10 year old gear, and I used a cable box, BlueRay player and the Apple TV. No plans for cable in the new house - cut the cord!
Click to expand...
FWIW - one advantage I have learned of the Apple TV, is that the Apps are always kept up to date. I have found the TV makers do not commit to keeping the TV operating system or apps up to date.

They seem to do okay for a few years but I have been taught not to trust them.

The Apple TV keeps me going. I suspect, although have no direct experience, that other devices from Amazon or Google will also keep the apps up to date.
 
I have 2 rooms I am working on setting up.

My Main System will be in my man cave, and will continue to be a 2.0 setup with audio fed to the system via TOSLink.

The den that I am discussing on this thread already has in wall speakers for a 5.1 system. My old Sony Receiver was left at the old home.

I am currently trying to decide between the nice Marantz Cinema 70s, or one of the Sony AV receivers, particularly if I end up choosing a Sony TV.

Does eARC work as well as described?

Still deciding whether to stream from the AppleTV in the Den system, or rely on TV apps. I would really like to use only a single remote to power, and control this simple system. In my old den, I used a Logitech universal remote with one of those Harmony hubs. More limited universal remotes out there it seems. Has the consumer universal remotes out there just disappeared? I guess more of the control functions have migrated into modern A/V gear, and simpler "all in one" remotes will handle the job.
 
Keep in mind that all the smart TV’s are tracking your viewing /listening selections and selling the data to third parties. It’s all in the EULA that no one reads. Apple does the same with the Apple TV, and they claim to not sell the data, recent lawsuits to the contrary aside.

There are some very nice universal remotes out there but all seem to be for the custom integration market.
 
Yes, we had a professionally installed Universal Remote Control at the beach house. The guy installed the in wall speakers to pre-installed wires. It was a nice system. The device was generic looking, but he had a whole programming (macro?) system that he programmed it with, using his computer. Seems like I looked into that system once, and could not obtain the programming app. I might look into that again. The remote was a bit clunky, as was its use, but the system was a bit complicated (it used the "other" zone of the A/V receiver to power the in wall speakers). Actually pretty good for 20 years ago though.

I need to make another pass at looking at that system to just run the one A/V system. Around the house music (wife's usage predominantly) will continue to be Sonos. I was planning a Sonos soundbar and surrounds until we bought a house with an in wall surround system already being present. Even the Marantz Cinema 70s will be less expensive than the Sonos device.
 
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