Help a guy out? Renovating home theater system after 10 years and have a few questions.


I am going to modernize my family's TV situation.  We have a 60 inch Pioneer 1080p plasma. My speakers are Paradigm Millennia with two MIllenia 20 Trio as towers and then Millenia 30s for center and surrounds.  The subwoofer is a Paradigm, but not sure what model.  The Receiver is a Denin AVR 2807. I have not done anything with it in a decade. 

I am getting an LG 86SJ9570 because why not.  The receiver definitely need to go, and I have settled on the Yamaha Aventage for no good reason. I was looking at Onkyo, but I get the sense the Yamaha may be easier for me to figure out.  My inclination is to look for more receiver than I need but buy something maybe a few years old. Whatever it is will be a learning process.

I have figured out that the model numbers reflect the series or the date.  When the Aventage came out in 2010, it was 60, 700, 800, 1000, etc.  Then they have the 810, the 820 and so on.  So we now have the 70 series.  I suspect that if I bought a 7 year old receiver, I would be missing some things that I really want or need, but I have no idea how far back I can go safely.  I cannot find a chart of the changes by series.  An RX-A1070 is $1,199 at Amazon, and an RX-A2060 is $929.  I can get a 1040 for $550 and a 1030 for $450. But I have no idea what a good cutoff point would be.  If anyone has an idea, I would really appreciate the help.

I also would be curious if my speakers make sense.  We sit about 18 feet from the TV, and I sometimes feel like there is not enough mass to the noise if that makes sense. For some reason, it seems to me like that might be more of an issue with a bigger screen.

Thanks, I really appreciate any help. 
vasubandu
vasubandu,

     You have some good equipment to get started with if you want to cobble together a good ht system. 
     However,  I think you need to decide what your goal is for the final result.  Do you want a  good ht system that utilizes as much of your existing equipment as possible to save some $ or do you want a very good ht system that takes advantage of the latest technology?  No matter which route you decide on, you'll then need to give a budget estimate in order to receive useful suggestions.
     I  know I, and believe most members here, would offer different suggestions based on your goals and budget.  
     I think I can give you some useful advice no matter which method you decide on but I also need your budget to better tailor them to your expectations.

Thanks,
  Tim
     
     
For the OP, why not get separates for electronics?  Get a nice powerful multichannel amp that will really make the speakers you use sing before you decide to replace them, and add a processor that will do all the new things that your present pre amp section can’t do. Then as technology changes you can change the pre amp but leave the power amp in place
For the OP, why not get separates for electronics?  Get a nice powerful multichannel amp that will really make the speakers you use sing before you decide to replace them, and add a processor that will do all the new things that your present pre amp section can’t do. Then as technology changes you can change the pre amp but leave the power amp in place
OLED is the latest screen technology and it every bit as good as plasma but has far better resolution than plasma every achieved. My TV is the LG 4K OLED 65 inch and the quality is stunning. I checked it with professional photos on a memory stick and it has superb colors without any if the horrible backlighting of LED or LCD - superbly accurate.

Actually I believe QLED is the latest technology (in the case of Samsung, OLED in the case of LG). As to horrible backlighting of LED/LCD, this isn’t necessarily the case. For instance, consider my (pro calibrated) Samsung UN65KS9800. It features Full Array Local Dimming (FALD) and is every bit as black as any OLED I’ve seen. In fact I’m pretty sure even test/bench measurements indicate it can be a matter of splitting hairs. And, of course you realize that should you need the television in a particularly bright environment, OLED would not be your solution.
gdhal,

    Technically, I believe you're correct that Samsung's QLED is the most recent technology.  IMO, however, OLED is the much more impressive technology.  The  latest 65" LG and 65" Sony (which uses an LG panel) 4K  with active HDR models clearly offer the superior picture quality.  
     Don't get me wrong,  I think your Samsung 65" QLED offers probably the best picture quality of any 4K  LED/LCD FALD hdtv on the market and Samsung's new QLED  technology could be the reason why.  But OLED panels, especially with the 4K and HDR improvements, are definitely superior.  Just view both and compare off axis picture qualities; the OLEDs pq will remain consistently unaltered as off axis viewing angle is increased while the QLED's pq will fade in brightness and resolution as off axis viewing angle is increased. 
      OLED also offers superior color, resolution and black levels since each of the multi-million pixels on a 65" OLED panel are controlled individually and emit their own light intensity and color while also being capable of being completely turned off for ideal black levels.  Samsung's QLED uses backlighting which is less precise although the FALD technology likely helps.

     For years, Value Electronics has been conducting an annual hdtv shootout in Scarsdale, NY which consists of a panel of professional video reviewers and calibrators comparing the top hdtvs and then voting on which is best.
     The OP's  60" Pioneer plasma, if it's a Pioneer Elite Kuro model, was considered by these experts to be the finest hdtv for years in the early years of this competition.
     In 2013, the 65" Panasonic VT60 plasma (with the hiring of many former Kuro engineers and in Panasonic's final year of plasma production) became the first hdtv to top the Kuros in the shootout..  This is my current tv that I've owned for the last 4 yrs.
     LG OLED hdtvs have won the top award at this competition each of the last 4 years (2014-2017).
    The only hdtvs I've seen in person that I would consider replacing my Panasonic plasma with are the LG and Sony OLEDs.
     gdhal, my intention is not to offend you but to give the OP the most complete and accurate information as possible so he can make an informed decision. Him believing that Samsung QLED technology  provides in-home pq that is similar or even within the same class as the pq that OLED  technology provides is just not accurate.
 
 Tim