I had an AVR but then went the separates route. The overall sound is much better, but I don't need to rehash what others have said.
I got a used 5 channel amp, and added it as an outboard amplifier. The AVR has line level outputs, and I connected those to the amp. The advantage of this type of setup is that you can use a cheaper AVR without much power, and you can use the separate amp to power your speakers.
Then, in my case, I later wanted to upgrade to support 4K video, and I was able to score a $1k Denon AVR on clearance for less than $600. It has all the software support I could need for up to 9 channels, including Atmos. And, I can use the built in amps for the Atmos speakers if I decide later to go that way.
In your shoes, if your AVR has line output, then I would just get a separate amp. If it does not, and doesn't meet your codec requirements, then you can get a nice amp for under $1k (I paid $600 for an older 150 wpc Adcom 5 channel amp), and a nice (lower power) AVR under $1k. In the future, you can meet any software changes with a low cost AVR, and connect it to your nice power amp.
This option is way better to me than upgrading to a $2k AVR because when you want to update the AVR, you also have to pay the cost of the amps... meaning another $2k investment.
I got a used 5 channel amp, and added it as an outboard amplifier. The AVR has line level outputs, and I connected those to the amp. The advantage of this type of setup is that you can use a cheaper AVR without much power, and you can use the separate amp to power your speakers.
Then, in my case, I later wanted to upgrade to support 4K video, and I was able to score a $1k Denon AVR on clearance for less than $600. It has all the software support I could need for up to 9 channels, including Atmos. And, I can use the built in amps for the Atmos speakers if I decide later to go that way.
In your shoes, if your AVR has line output, then I would just get a separate amp. If it does not, and doesn't meet your codec requirements, then you can get a nice amp for under $1k (I paid $600 for an older 150 wpc Adcom 5 channel amp), and a nice (lower power) AVR under $1k. In the future, you can meet any software changes with a low cost AVR, and connect it to your nice power amp.
This option is way better to me than upgrading to a $2k AVR because when you want to update the AVR, you also have to pay the cost of the amps... meaning another $2k investment.