Bottleneck / Upgrade Recommendations - Yamaha RVX-475 Receiver, Pro-Ject Phono Box MM


Hey all, first post here. Apologies if I’m not following standards.

I have the upgrade itch but not sure where to start. Here’s an overview of my current setup:

Speakers:

Polk RTI A1 Bookshelf on Sanus Natural Foundations speaker stands

AV Receiver:

Yamaha RX-V475 AV Receiver

Turntable and Pre-Amp:

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO with Sumiko Rainier cartridge and acrylic platter

Pro-Ject Phonobox MM Preamp

Other:

Sony PS5 for media streaming

Samsung PN60F5300 Plasma TV

Hifman Edition XS Headphones

FiiO Q15 Headphone Amp/DAC

Room Layout:

Apartment living room in a mostly open floor plan on the first floor. Living room area with my gear has hardwood floors with a rug covering like 90% of the space. 9ft ceiling

Uses:

Moslty used to stream music and play records. I also game and watch movies with this setup but music is the focus.

Overall I’m fairly happy with my set up but would like to revamp it. I’m leaning towards replacing the receiver first with something like the Marantz STEREO 70s. I don’t see myself getting surround sound anytime soon and like the option to transmit bluetooth audio to my DAC. Also looking to get something that supports 4k so I can eventually replace my ancient plasma. Would you recommend I replace the receiver first? I’m not opposed to getting a modular setup either. I was thinking if I ever do get a dedicated speaker amp(s) I could still use a receiver as a preamp. Budget isn’t a huge concern. Trying to keep costs under $3k or so. I’d love to demo gear in person but there aren’t really any shops around me that I’m aware of besides big box stores.

I’ve also considered upgrading my turntable styles to the Sumiko Moonstone though I’m not sure how big of an improvement that would be. Audio is more of a priority for me so I’d also be ok hanging on to my receiver for a while if a new preamp or stylus would be the biggest improvement. I guess I don’t really know what I’m missing.

 

EDIT: To clarify what I’m asking, what seems to be the weakest link in this setup? Where would I see the biggest improvement by upgrading? I’d love a subwoofer but don’t want to drive my neighbors crazy.

 

hifidan26

Given you are dealing with a living room as opposed to a dedicated  A/V room I agree on forgetting the 5.1 system. Allows for distribution of budget across 2 channels for higher quality sound. Also you are budgeting for both vinyl and digital playback. You would not have to focus on upgrading both at the same time.

With vinyl it is important that the phonostage mates well with the cartridge regarding gain and loading to achieve the desired presentation. Your DAC will have to have inputs for connection to your TV (likely optical) and streamer (most often coax or USB). Many streamers come with their own DACs. 

If I were you I would be inclined to focus on the purchase of a line level integrated amplifier that mates well with my speakers.  I would then upgrade my phonostage or streaming  capability as independent events.  Make use of this forum for each level of upgrade. Explore the AG marketplace. I have made several great purchases  from this site.

Good luck in your endeavor.

 

 

 

 

 

@mesch If the OP can connect his AVR to an integrated’s HT bypass I think he could just run the optical cable from the TV to the AVR and not worry about having an optical connection on a DAC although he wouldn’t be able to just ditch the AVR entirely, which is a bit inconvenient.  The Hegels I recommended earlier could handle both.

@soix Yes, It just seems to me the OP didn't want to deal with the AVR. I was also thinking he wanted to go with an external DAC and phonostage. I could be wrong in my interpretation. I agree the Hegel integrateds are a good choice if wanting an integrated with an internal DAC. I was once considering them for my living room system where I use a 2-channel system to augment movie watching and for streaming.