Receiver/Amp suggestions for 2.2 setup? AVR?

[Luke]

I have 1961 towers on order and will likely run a single or dual sub setup with them in my living room. I’m pre-wired for multi-channel throughout, but I will very likely not add surrounds or height speakers in the foreseeable future to keep the aesthetic nice, unless I come up with something in-wall and super clean.

That said, what are some suggestions for powering these for TV and music if I am streaming everything from an Nvidia Shield TV Pro and would like to have quality room correction? An AVR? I’ve been told a DDRC-24 MiniDSP with Dirac might be a good idea, but I’m not exactly sure how that setup would work starting from scratch (but open to it).

I’ve seen the Denon DRA-900H 2-Channel Stereo Network Receiver, but there is no room correction, the subwoofer outputs appear to not be discreet, and its unclear if its rated for 4 ohm.

The X3800H seems to be the lowest model from Denon with Audyssey XT32.

Others have recommended the Marantz Cinema 50s in another thread, but that is out of the price point I’d like to be in. The Cinema 70s looks underpowered.

Ideally, I’d like to keep this under a street price of say, $1,500, unless there’s a convincing argument in favor of another option (like higher level Dirac DLBC).

[arkmann]

Luke I used a Denon AVR to run my Arendal 1723 towers in the past with great sound.  Denon has a room connection system but you may have to buy their microphone separately.  I did.  I also upgraded to a separate preamp and amp for my 2.2 system but the cost was much more than the budget you noted.  Suggest checking out used equipment if you’re trying to stay within your budget.  There’s a lot of used AVRs available online because of all the upgrading people do.  Also open box and scratch and dent deals available from manufacturers and retailers.  I have purchased both and haven’t seen or heard any issues.

[Luke]

@Arkmann The 1723 towers are a much more efficient speaker at 92dB compared to the 1961 towers at 87db. That could be a factor. You didn’t mention which Denon you owned or which room correction software you used, but after my S910W was clearly not up to the task I used a Denon AVR-X4800H with Audyssey MultiEQ X32 and the paid app to adjust it. It’s better, but not great. I might return the speakers rather than try to buy even more electronics for them. I still have a couple of weeks or so to decide.

[Lukas]

@Luke

maybe you did not see my last post. You just confirmed it by testing the bigger Denon.
It is a room issue.

here is the last post:
Thank you for seeing the photos and it pretty much confirmed my suspicions.I am sure you are experiencing room acoustic problems and not problems with the AVR.You have an open space with a lot of flat and hard surfaces. The sound will reflect a lot and create a diffuse and masked sound. That is what you are experiencing with the lack of detail and soundstage.You could look into acoustical treatment or try a better room correction to minimize those effects.

[Luke]

Hi Lukas, I think you are right that the room is a big factor. I considered that when ordering these, hoping their more narrow dispersion pattern would limit room interaction and therefore be a better choice for these constraints. I hooked up my cheap older HSU Research HB-1 MK2 bookshelves and they were much better in terms of sound stage, dynamics, and detail. They couldn’t hang with how tight and controlled the 1961s were, but it made me think that certain speakers are designed better for less optimal room treatment than others and maybe I should be looking for a speaker with a different dispersion pattern.

[Lukas]

That could very well be, as the HSU uses a horn with a much narrower dispersion. So that checks out.
The 1961 Tower will have a wider dispersion, which also means more room interaction.

[Gunnar Aasen]

Hi Luke,

I was looking at the pictures of your room. An easy improvement would be to move the carpet closer to the speakers (or move the speakers closer to the listening position)

This will minimize the first reflection from the floor, which will give a better stereo image.

Also, sitting too close to the wall behind you, will affect the sound stage.

 

[arkmann]

Luke my Denon AVR is the 3805.  I used the Auto Setup and room equalization function contained in the Denon.  I ended up making my own adjustments instead of using Denon’s EQ.  I find the EQ programs are more like the old loudness function on receivers.  I ran pure direct with my Denons with no adjustments and it sounded good to me in my room.  You’re right about the towers.  I never listened to the 1961s.  I previously had the 1723S towers and upgraded to the 1723 towers.  FYI I moved on to a 2 channel system just for music with the Arendals connected to a Rotel RB1582 MKII amp putting out 200 watts and The RB1572 MKII preamp.  No EQ.  Sounds great for music.

[Luke]

Thank you for the tips. I wish I could put the carpet in that area, but it’s the walk path from the front door to the house. It’s conceivable that I could move the couch a foot or so closer, however.

[Luke]

That’s good intel. I think the Denon X4800, or even the X3800, could push the 1723 speakers, but the 1961 speakers are far less efficient.

[Lukas]

Hello Luke,

The Denon X4800 pushes over 200 Watts into 4 Ohm in stereo (X3800 190Watt), which is more than plenty of power for the 1961 Towers. Power is not the issue here.