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Recommendation for a New HT AVR?

I have a B&K AVR 507 since '04 and it's wonderful with my B&W speakers. I just upgraded my video side of my HT last night to a 1080p 55" LED LCD and a Blu-ray player. Now I've got a problem with the audio options.

My 507 has 5.1 analog inputs as well as digital optical and coax inputs, but no HDMI. I had been connecting all my previous equipment to my 507 with the digital optical or coax. Now, the new Dolby codecs won't send 7.1 down the digital optical output, just the HDMI cable or analog outputs. I can get a slightly more expensive Blu-ray player that has 7.1 analog outputs but my 507 has only 5.1 analog inputs. So, this leads me to my question...

If I were to sell my AVR 507 for ~$1,000 and replace it with something else for around ~$1,000 (new or pre-owned), what should I look for that has HDMI inputs?

Thanks
norma_s
loomisjohnson
1,943 posts
 
HDMI IS FOR BEDWETTERS. KEEP YOUR Bk AND RUN DIRECTLY TO YOUR MONITOR--IT'LL SOUND BETTER THAN THE ONKYO/DENON STUFF OTHERS WILL TOUT
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,680 posts
 
$1000 does not buy what it once did. ;-)

Kal
john_z
178 posts
 
I would keep the B&K for now and invest in a player with internal decoding and multi-channel analog outs. A quality pre-amp and amp like what's in your B&K will go a very long way in the overall sound of your system.

If you look at the amount of movie software available that is actually mixed in 7.1 discreet it's very minimal. Heck, the Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES 6.1 formats have been out for years and there's still only a small percentage of movie soundtracks that actually use it. Even many Blu-ray titles still use regular Dolby Digital! Remember: Dolby True-HD and DTS-master audio are just nice options, NOT a requirement of the new Blu-ray format.

If you have your surrounds placed correctly and calibrated properly in your system I should think 5.1 will still sound great with Blu-Ray. Just my $.02 :-)
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