Change AV amp for HiFI amp?
Discussion
I have a Sony STR DN1080, sort of low/mid AV amp from five years ago.
It’s ok but it’s a bit of pain to use, my wife just gets rattle if she watches TV in that room, even drives me a bit scatty.
Anyone gone back to a normal stereo amp ?
Got an Xbox, turntable, DVD player and Sky Q mini in there.
Are newer AV amps less like hard work ?
Would I regret going back to a stereo amp, budget of say £700, assuming would get £200 back for the old one.
It’s ok but it’s a bit of pain to use, my wife just gets rattle if she watches TV in that room, even drives me a bit scatty.
Anyone gone back to a normal stereo amp ?
Got an Xbox, turntable, DVD player and Sky Q mini in there.
Are newer AV amps less like hard work ?
Would I regret going back to a stereo amp, budget of say £700, assuming would get £200 back for the old one.
J4CKO said:
I have a Sony STR DN1080, sort of low/mid AV amp from five years ago.
It s ok but it s a bit of pain to use, my wife just gets rattle if she watches TV in that room, even drives me a bit scatty.
Anyone gone back to a normal stereo amp ?
Got an Xbox, turntable, DVD player and Sky Q mini in there.
Are newer AV amps less like hard work ?
Would I regret going back to a stereo amp, budget of say £700, assuming would get £200 back for the old one.
I actually run audio via optical cable now rather than my amp as the hub. Means the wife and child can just use the remote.It s ok but it s a bit of pain to use, my wife just gets rattle if she watches TV in that room, even drives me a bit scatty.
Anyone gone back to a normal stereo amp ?
Got an Xbox, turntable, DVD player and Sky Q mini in there.
Are newer AV amps less like hard work ?
Would I regret going back to a stereo amp, budget of say £700, assuming would get £200 back for the old one.
I know it probably means we're not getting top tier surround quality but given its a 15 year old AV amp and my lounge is very compromised, I'm not too bothered.
You could turn CEC on, on the TV and an AVR with Arc (nearly all new models will have it), then the AVR will turn on/off when your TV does and you can use the TV remote for volume on the AVR as well.
It all depends how much you use each function within the room and your priorities. AVR's do tend to be overly complex which is a tad frustrating when all you use is a small number of functions.
It all depends how much you use each function within the room and your priorities. AVR's do tend to be overly complex which is a tad frustrating when all you use is a small number of functions.
J4CKO said:
I have a Sony STR DN1080, sort of low/mid AV amp from five years ago.
It s ok but it s a bit of pain to use, my wife just gets rattle if she watches TV in that room, even drives me a bit scatty.
Anyone gone back to a normal stereo amp ?
Got an Xbox, turntable, DVD player and Sky Q mini in there.
Are newer AV amps less like hard work ?
Would I regret going back to a stereo amp, budget of say £700, assuming would get £200 back for the old one.
If your TV has HDMI ARC then it should be a case of enabling that on both TV and AVR (as well as CEC on the TV/AVR) connect Xbox/DVD/SKY Q to the TV and the TV remote should turn on TV and AVR and control volume on the AVR (and you'd have a sole input on the AVR for all sources connected to the TV so you wouldn't have to select a specific source for the one you wanted to use if they were all connected to the AVR)It s ok but it s a bit of pain to use, my wife just gets rattle if she watches TV in that room, even drives me a bit scatty.
Anyone gone back to a normal stereo amp ?
Got an Xbox, turntable, DVD player and Sky Q mini in there.
Are newer AV amps less like hard work ?
Would I regret going back to a stereo amp, budget of say £700, assuming would get £200 back for the old one.
But to answer your question, yes - I moved from my ancient AVR to a stereo amp...well more I combined two separate systems (I had TV/AVR running a 3.0 speaker set-up/Xbox Series X at one end of the room, and a stereo 2.2 set-up at the other end) I done that mainly because the AVR was a pre-HDMI model and the Series X, unlike the previous One X, didn't have an optical output; I'd been using an HDMI splitter from the Series X to gain an optical out for the AVR but it was causing what I can only describe as bright patches on the image (only really noticeable on dark/black content but I feared it might damage the TV long term...
My stereo amp has HDMI ARC so I done away with the old AVR/PMC L/R/Centre/HDMI splitter and there's been a noticeable usability improvement (thanks to HDMI ARC/CEC) and the image issue is no more - I do sometimes miss the centre speaker but the extra bass from two subs offsets that - it's now easier for the kids to use because turning on the Xbox via a controller turns on Xbox/TV/amp and goes to the correct input, whereas previously if the TV/AVR had been left on a different input it'd result in 'DAAA-AAD!'. But with a fairly recent AVR you should be able to achieve the same, as long as your TV has HDMI ARC/CEC.
I started with an AV amp as the 'jack of all trades' amp for tv, home cinema, music, etc.
Now as long as the TV makes enough noise I am happy but have a decent stereo amp which is enjoyed far more. I still have an AV amp and the speakers, the stereo amp can drive the fronts but it just gathers dust as the tv is good enough, one where the screen is the speaker which is far better than I expected.
Now as long as the TV makes enough noise I am happy but have a decent stereo amp which is enjoyed far more. I still have an AV amp and the speakers, the stereo amp can drive the fronts but it just gathers dust as the tv is good enough, one where the screen is the speaker which is far better than I expected.
As above, using the Arc between TV and AVR means that it’s super simple to get them working together.
For some added complexity, in one room we have the AVR powering the centre speaker (and sending the signal to the sub) and the stereo hifi amp powering the front left and right speakers. In that case switching on the Apple TV triggers the AVR and TV to switch on. The AVR also triggers the stereo amp to switch on. And the same when switching off. Super simple.
In another room we have just the AVR powering the centre and front left and right speakers. No sub or surrounds. Again, triggers by the Arc connection, though the TV is a bit more temperamental and often doesn’t switch on the amp, but TV speakers are often fine in that room.
For some added complexity, in one room we have the AVR powering the centre speaker (and sending the signal to the sub) and the stereo hifi amp powering the front left and right speakers. In that case switching on the Apple TV triggers the AVR and TV to switch on. The AVR also triggers the stereo amp to switch on. And the same when switching off. Super simple.
In another room we have just the AVR powering the centre and front left and right speakers. No sub or surrounds. Again, triggers by the Arc connection, though the TV is a bit more temperamental and often doesn’t switch on the amp, but TV speakers are often fine in that room.
Just a thought, have you considered a remote control upgrade to remove the faff. I've tried most of them including £300 plus remotes that can perform lots of complex scripts to turn things on/off, change sound modes and settings etc to take care of the faffing. However, the latest one is a One4All I picked up at the local supermarket for £40 or so, and it does pretty much what the top end ones did, and a lot simpler to setup and use.
I have an Eversolo play CD edition in the bedroom and its great.
Streaming/HDMI eARC, and a cd player in a nice small box with a touch screen interface. The app is pretty good also so you have full control via your phone. A basic remote is available for about 20 quid if needed.
You can also ger the screen to display VU meters, which is awesome!

Streaming/HDMI eARC, and a cd player in a nice small box with a touch screen interface. The app is pretty good also so you have full control via your phone. A basic remote is available for about 20 quid if needed.
You can also ger the screen to display VU meters, which is awesome!
J4CKO said:
No HDMI ARC means you're restricted to optical between TV and the CA, so you/your wife will be juggling remotes by having to use the TV remote for TV functionality and the CA remote to adjust volume.You should be able to streamline usability with your current set-up to sort the issues you're having - connect all sources to TV, connect TV to AVR via HDMI ARC connection, enable HDMI ARC/CEC in both TV and AVR settings, TV remote will control TV functionality and adjust volume on the AVR - spending a grand on stereo that doesn’t have the correct inputs definitely can't solve the current issues (whatever those are as you never described the issues beyond saying it drives your wife scatty, and you also whenever you use it?)
stevoknevo said:
J4CKO said:
No HDMI ARC means you're restricted to optical between TV and the CA, so you/your wife will be juggling remotes by having to use the TV remote for TV functionality and the CA remote to adjust volume.You should be able to streamline usability with your current set-up to sort the issues you're having - connect all sources to TV, connect TV to AVR via HDMI ARC connection, enable HDMI ARC/CEC in both TV and AVR settings, TV remote will control TV functionality and adjust volume on the AVR - spending a grand on stereo that doesn t have the correct inputs definitely can't solve the current issues (whatever those are as you never described the issues beyond saying it drives your wife scatty, and you also whenever you use it?)
Might just be that particular amp, wonder if modern ones are less like hard work, with remotes that arent fiddly and confusing. I work in IT and it gets on my tits !
Darko just did a comparison of the Eversolo vs the Wiim amp ultra:
https://youtu.be/9sxbhIWZCdM?si=ot_zoNIDac03-loP
I've been tempted by a Wiim amp due the HDMI Arc functionality which even the base model has.
https://youtu.be/9sxbhIWZCdM?si=ot_zoNIDac03-loP
I've been tempted by a Wiim amp due the HDMI Arc functionality which even the base model has.
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