Replacing a rather good but old Sony str db930 amp. Help pls
Discussion
As per the title really.
First of all I must say , I don't want to replace . New technology boooo.
I have posted recently regarding needing a new tv and now have a Samsung 4K uhd 55" TV coupled with a new Xbox S which is also Uhd .
Well pic is marvellous going through my firestick and I have this coupled to a TiVo box .
My lovely Sony amp, mega reliable , built like a tank. Has buttons and dials that my 4 year old can't pull off and also sounds fantastic when playing music through it.
I will add that I'm using large Eltax symphony 6.2 speakers and a morduant short centre channel and it does not need a separate sub as this set will easily rattle the house apart and sound rich and full when required.
As you can tell I need a new amp as currently my old DVD player was connected via scart and an optical cable to the amp. Newer amps are all connected via hdmi and hence I can't watch any dvd combo at the moment if wanting to use the surround feature.
I have tried connecting my TiVo box to the amp using a lead that richer sounds supplied me , however it appear ps to only work in stereo . Usually if the amp can decode anything. It lights up blue and tells you what format it's processing the sound.
For the time being I reckon the Xbox will take care of my dvd requirements although I'm not sure about the firestick .
So a couple of questions pls to those that are more upto date than me .
Will a new amp act as the central hub, Ie to connect Xbox to the amp and amp to tv as opposed to Xbox to tv direct . I hope this makes sense.
Do I need a 4K up scaling amp especially if I have a 4K ready Xbox S.
Just to add I called into audition a newer setup in richer sounds and was somewhat disappointed in a much more expensive setup. There amp was a 1k pioneer with smaller speakers and I thought it lacked depth. I suppose my setup is naturally bassier and would want to keep 5.1 as I already own the speakers.
So first of all is ther anyway to keep my current amp setup as it's got plenty of life left, or am I best off simply buying a new amp and selling my amp for peanuts .
I have had a look and this amp seems to be a nice spec.
http://www.richersounds.com/product/av-receivers/p...
It's also wireless and will stream Apple Music which is a bonus for me. I also use a chrome cast for music.
Now I had a look at this in the flesh and to be honest build quality is not great. Feels very cheap compared to my old Sony but specs appear good.
Can anyone offer any advice pls. Or has anyone done similar recently . If like to know your thoughts .
Many thanks
Col.
First of all I must say , I don't want to replace . New technology boooo.
I have posted recently regarding needing a new tv and now have a Samsung 4K uhd 55" TV coupled with a new Xbox S which is also Uhd .
Well pic is marvellous going through my firestick and I have this coupled to a TiVo box .
My lovely Sony amp, mega reliable , built like a tank. Has buttons and dials that my 4 year old can't pull off and also sounds fantastic when playing music through it.
I will add that I'm using large Eltax symphony 6.2 speakers and a morduant short centre channel and it does not need a separate sub as this set will easily rattle the house apart and sound rich and full when required.
As you can tell I need a new amp as currently my old DVD player was connected via scart and an optical cable to the amp. Newer amps are all connected via hdmi and hence I can't watch any dvd combo at the moment if wanting to use the surround feature.
I have tried connecting my TiVo box to the amp using a lead that richer sounds supplied me , however it appear ps to only work in stereo . Usually if the amp can decode anything. It lights up blue and tells you what format it's processing the sound.
For the time being I reckon the Xbox will take care of my dvd requirements although I'm not sure about the firestick .
So a couple of questions pls to those that are more upto date than me .
Will a new amp act as the central hub, Ie to connect Xbox to the amp and amp to tv as opposed to Xbox to tv direct . I hope this makes sense.
Do I need a 4K up scaling amp especially if I have a 4K ready Xbox S.
Just to add I called into audition a newer setup in richer sounds and was somewhat disappointed in a much more expensive setup. There amp was a 1k pioneer with smaller speakers and I thought it lacked depth. I suppose my setup is naturally bassier and would want to keep 5.1 as I already own the speakers.
So first of all is ther anyway to keep my current amp setup as it's got plenty of life left, or am I best off simply buying a new amp and selling my amp for peanuts .
I have had a look and this amp seems to be a nice spec.
http://www.richersounds.com/product/av-receivers/p...
It's also wireless and will stream Apple Music which is a bonus for me. I also use a chrome cast for music.
Now I had a look at this in the flesh and to be honest build quality is not great. Feels very cheap compared to my old Sony but specs appear good.
Can anyone offer any advice pls. Or has anyone done similar recently . If like to know your thoughts .
Many thanks
Col.
First things first, if you like the sound of the amp then keep it.
£20 will get you a decent BR player from AVForums and that will cover your DVD viewing as well as blu Rays. Take the HDMI output from this to the TV for video and fibre optic to the amp for 5.1 surround. You won't get DTS-HD, Atmos or any of the latest sound formats this way but you will get vanilla DD and DTS.
If you opt for one of the latest av amps make sure it will pass through 4K rather than upsample - this way you'll get true 4K from the XB which the amp will 'pass through' to the TV whilst taking the audio side and processing it.
They're great acting as a switch box/audio hub but it's handy if it switches input whilst in standby - my earlier amp didn't and it was a pain having to turn amp on just to switch inputs.
Check the audio settings on your TiVo box and make sure it's set to output bitstream and/or DD from the digital output - sounds like it's converting multi-channel to stereo on board and outputting 2 channel PCM.
I'm not too clued up on your particular TV but doesn't it have an optical output somewhere?
If so, connect this to a spare input on your amp then check audio output settings on the TV - some will output 5.1 from any input or built in app but it needs selecting as most TVs default to stereo.
£20 will get you a decent BR player from AVForums and that will cover your DVD viewing as well as blu Rays. Take the HDMI output from this to the TV for video and fibre optic to the amp for 5.1 surround. You won't get DTS-HD, Atmos or any of the latest sound formats this way but you will get vanilla DD and DTS.
If you opt for one of the latest av amps make sure it will pass through 4K rather than upsample - this way you'll get true 4K from the XB which the amp will 'pass through' to the TV whilst taking the audio side and processing it.
They're great acting as a switch box/audio hub but it's handy if it switches input whilst in standby - my earlier amp didn't and it was a pain having to turn amp on just to switch inputs.
Check the audio settings on your TiVo box and make sure it's set to output bitstream and/or DD from the digital output - sounds like it's converting multi-channel to stereo on board and outputting 2 channel PCM.
I'm not too clued up on your particular TV but doesn't it have an optical output somewhere?
If so, connect this to a spare input on your amp then check audio output settings on the TV - some will output 5.1 from any input or built in app but it needs selecting as most TVs default to stereo.
I've just been through this and like you the main reason for doing so was to get the updated connectivity. I was quite happy with the old Yamaha AV amp I had but the connectivity options were limited. It seems a lot of modern media boxes only have an HDMI output so unless you have an amp that has those inputs you are limited. I did do an optical tosslink experiment passing through the TV but it was rubbish as it was only in stereo and also had time alignment issues.
So, I thought sod it and trotted off to Richer Sounds and came home with one of those smaller Marantz jobbies. Only about half as powerful as the old Yamaha but that isn't an issue as I very rarely used it at high volume. I also plumped for the Marantz being a slim amp as current full sized ones are massive, it is like there is an arms race going going on to see who can make the first one as big as a Borg cube !
I'm really enjoying the updated features such as;
One button press on one remote to change the source.
The amp is networked so you can stream music from anything connected to the network
Internet radio
On screen menus and adjustability
It all works very well and has 4k pass through for as, when or if I upgrade to 4k. Currently running the non tivo Virgin media box, a crappy non 5.1 now-tv box and a networked Panasonic bluray which takes care of netflix duties in 1080p and 5.1 or interstingly (for me) DTS if using a bluray disc. Best thing is there is room to add either an Amazon device or a Roku 4 when it comes out.
In my mind it was well worth doing the upgrade.
So, I thought sod it and trotted off to Richer Sounds and came home with one of those smaller Marantz jobbies. Only about half as powerful as the old Yamaha but that isn't an issue as I very rarely used it at high volume. I also plumped for the Marantz being a slim amp as current full sized ones are massive, it is like there is an arms race going going on to see who can make the first one as big as a Borg cube !
I'm really enjoying the updated features such as;
One button press on one remote to change the source.
The amp is networked so you can stream music from anything connected to the network
Internet radio
On screen menus and adjustability
It all works very well and has 4k pass through for as, when or if I upgrade to 4k. Currently running the non tivo Virgin media box, a crappy non 5.1 now-tv box and a networked Panasonic bluray which takes care of netflix duties in 1080p and 5.1 or interstingly (for me) DTS if using a bluray disc. Best thing is there is room to add either an Amazon device or a Roku 4 when it comes out.
In my mind it was well worth doing the upgrade.
Edited by colin_p on Saturday 1st October 06:32
Am pretty sure you won't need to bin the amp. A cursory look on Google suggests your TV has optical audio out.
Your TiVo box should be OK (Google again suggests there may be firmware updates for it to get audio out working properly).
The XBox has optical audio out.
Google on the firestick for more options on that (additional box needed).
So you should be OK IMO.
I just had to replace my venerable 925 as the rear channels failed...replaced it with a Denon 2300W. Very happy with it. Loved my old Sony too.
Your TiVo box should be OK (Google again suggests there may be firmware updates for it to get audio out working properly).
The XBox has optical audio out.
Google on the firestick for more options on that (additional box needed).
So you should be OK IMO.
I just had to replace my venerable 925 as the rear channels failed...replaced it with a Denon 2300W. Very happy with it. Loved my old Sony too.
I posted on another thread earlier today saying that I has reversed the way all my 'bits' were connected when I bought a decent new TV. I went from having everything connected to my AV amp then having 1 HDMI link from the amp the TV to use the old TV as a dumb monitor - when I bought a cleverer modern TV I ended up switching it all around and have everything connected to my TV, then linked my TV to my amp with an optical connection.
The amp I've got is the Sony STR1200 (?), the model up from yours I believe, and a great powerful amp. It now acts as nothing more than an amp and 5.1 speaker driver for anything playing via my TV. I've got all my picture and sound sources connected to the TV and use the TV to select what I want to watch/listen to. (PS3, virgin, sonos, laptop, DNLA NAS drive, etc...).
The AMP stays on just the 1 selected device, and auto senses the various sound signals being fed to it via the TV's fibre optic output connection. Never need to change/switch anything on the amp now other than turning it on and off and adjusting the volume.
The amp I've got is the Sony STR1200 (?), the model up from yours I believe, and a great powerful amp. It now acts as nothing more than an amp and 5.1 speaker driver for anything playing via my TV. I've got all my picture and sound sources connected to the TV and use the TV to select what I want to watch/listen to. (PS3, virgin, sonos, laptop, DNLA NAS drive, etc...).
The AMP stays on just the 1 selected device, and auto senses the various sound signals being fed to it via the TV's fibre optic output connection. Never need to change/switch anything on the amp now other than turning it on and off and adjusting the volume.
Just an update and many thanks for all the replies.
I did manage to find an optical connection from the rear of the tv and linked that direct to the amp. I initially did hippy his via the TiVo box but had stereo sound only.
Trying the settings on the TiVo didn't result in the blue light coming on meaning it was receiving or decoding the signal.
When I connected to the tv and amp direct and specifically on the tv settings there is an option to choose where the sound comes from.
It showed, the following.
Tv speakers which will also produce sound in stereo from the amp simultaneously .
A Bluetooth sound bar , no thanks not yet .
And also optical out with no tv sound .
The last option brought on Dolby dts and appears to work fine, so I'm a happy chappy.
It is a pain having to go to the to menu though to physically select the option everytime I want to put the amp on though. But hey ho i can't complain.
My next experiment is to see if I need another optical from the Xbox s to the amp . In theory the tv does this now but it might mean no switching ie as above .
Just need a new optical cable and take it from there. Shame there expensive , on a side note is the optical cable same fundamentals as an hdmi cable .ie I mean as in its irrelevant of the cost , it either works or it doesn't . A £100 expensive branded cable offers no advantage over a £3 Chinese eBay special.
Richer sounds sold me one reduced down to £20 from £30 but it's 1m in length , I need a slightly longer one for the Xbox and would prefer not to be spending £30 .
Ps I'm not that tight lol.
Thanks again.
Colin.
I did manage to find an optical connection from the rear of the tv and linked that direct to the amp. I initially did hippy his via the TiVo box but had stereo sound only.
Trying the settings on the TiVo didn't result in the blue light coming on meaning it was receiving or decoding the signal.
When I connected to the tv and amp direct and specifically on the tv settings there is an option to choose where the sound comes from.
It showed, the following.
Tv speakers which will also produce sound in stereo from the amp simultaneously .
A Bluetooth sound bar , no thanks not yet .
And also optical out with no tv sound .
The last option brought on Dolby dts and appears to work fine, so I'm a happy chappy.
It is a pain having to go to the to menu though to physically select the option everytime I want to put the amp on though. But hey ho i can't complain.
My next experiment is to see if I need another optical from the Xbox s to the amp . In theory the tv does this now but it might mean no switching ie as above .
Just need a new optical cable and take it from there. Shame there expensive , on a side note is the optical cable same fundamentals as an hdmi cable .ie I mean as in its irrelevant of the cost , it either works or it doesn't . A £100 expensive branded cable offers no advantage over a £3 Chinese eBay special.
Richer sounds sold me one reduced down to £20 from £30 but it's 1m in length , I need a slightly longer one for the Xbox and would prefer not to be spending £30 .
Ps I'm not that tight lol.
Thanks again.
Colin.
Just an update and many thanks for all the replies.
I did manage to find an optical connection from the rear of the tv and linked that direct to the amp. I initially did hippy his via the TiVo box but had stereo sound only.
Trying the settings on the TiVo didn't result in the blue light coming on meaning it was receiving or decoding the signal.
When I connected to the tv and amp direct and specifically on the tv settings there is an option to choose where the sound comes from.
It showed, the following.
Tv speakers which will also produce sound in stereo from the amp simultaneously .
A Bluetooth sound bar , no thanks not yet .
And also optical out with no tv sound .
The last option brought on Dolby dts and appears to work fine, so I'm a happy chappy.
It is a pain having to go to the to menu though to physically select the option everytime I want to put the amp on though. But hey ho i can't complain.
My next experiment is to see if I need another optical from the Xbox s to the amp . In theory the tv does this now but it might mean no switching ie as above .
Just need a new optical cable and take it from there. Shame there expensive , on a side note is the optical cable same fundamentals as an hdmi cable .ie I mean as in its irrelevant of the cost , it either works or it doesn't . A £100 expensive branded cable offers no advantage over a £3 Chinese eBay special.
Richer sounds sold me one reduced down to £20 from £30 but it's 1m in length , I need a slightly longer one for the Xbox and would prefer not to be spending £30 .
Ps I'm not that tight lol.
Thanks again.
Colin.
I did manage to find an optical connection from the rear of the tv and linked that direct to the amp. I initially did hippy his via the TiVo box but had stereo sound only.
Trying the settings on the TiVo didn't result in the blue light coming on meaning it was receiving or decoding the signal.
When I connected to the tv and amp direct and specifically on the tv settings there is an option to choose where the sound comes from.
It showed, the following.
Tv speakers which will also produce sound in stereo from the amp simultaneously .
A Bluetooth sound bar , no thanks not yet .
And also optical out with no tv sound .
The last option brought on Dolby dts and appears to work fine, so I'm a happy chappy.
It is a pain having to go to the to menu though to physically select the option everytime I want to put the amp on though. But hey ho i can't complain.
My next experiment is to see if I need another optical from the Xbox s to the amp . In theory the tv does this now but it might mean no switching ie as above .
Just need a new optical cable and take it from there. Shame there expensive , on a side note is the optical cable same fundamentals as an hdmi cable .ie I mean as in its irrelevant of the cost , it either works or it doesn't . A £100 expensive branded cable offers no advantage over a £3 Chinese eBay special.
Richer sounds sold me one reduced down to £20 from £30 but it's 1m in length , I need a slightly longer one for the Xbox and would prefer not to be spending £30 .
Ps I'm not that tight lol.
Thanks again.
Colin.
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