5.1 and 7.1 AVR's are overkill for downsizing. Need Stereo Receiver w/HDMI

[CRA]

We are retired (62) and downsizing. That means we don't need a big 7.1 or 5.1 HT System. Currently we have a very nice 5.2 system (Marantz AV7005 processor, Emotiva 3 channel 200w and 2 channel 300 watt amps, two Velodyne Optimum 12" subwoofers, four Paradigm Studio 100's, a Paradigm CC-590 center channel, and an XBR75-850 Sony TV. This all works because we have a large dedicated theater room. But this is way over kill for our new winter home down in La Quinta (Palm Springs area) because it does not have a dedicated theater room like our home here in Portland. Given that, we prefer a nice 80w - 100w STEREO receiver with HDMI and the ability to stream music. Need HDMI to simplify Blu-ray, cable box and Apple TV cabling through the receiver with one HDMI cable to TV. Then all we need is a nice pair of high end bookshelf speakers and a small 300w subwoofer. Pretty simple, great sound, and elegant.

But I have not been able to find a nice stereo receiver with HDMI. And buying a 5.1 or 7.1 AVR is overkill and a waste of money. I heard there were some HDMI stereo systems coming to market but they will be well in excess of $1000. By my gut tells me that I should be able to get a good quality 80w - 100w Stereo HDMI system with streaming/Bluetooth/USB for about $500. Emotiva hints that they may have something in the works but I have no idea what that means with respect to when it will go to market.

Does anyone here on the forum know of a Stereo Receiver with HDMI? Has anyone else been down this road?

I love my big home theater system but it makes absolutely no sense in a smaller vacation home.

[madmac]

You are in a bit of a pickle there! The whole point of a AVR with HDMI is multi channel sound, You are unlikely going to find a 2 channel receiver with HDMI because there is no point to it.

I would suggest that you by a AVR for video switching (HDMI) and play it in 2 channel stereo. That way, you'll be able to add a subwoofer to it as well. There are plenty of AVR's in your price range. However, I fear that you will be disappointed because your current system rocks by the description of it above!

[Ovation]

We are retired (62) and downsizing. That means we don't need a big 7.1 or 5.1 HT System. Currently we have a very nice 5.2 system (Marantz AV7005 processor, Emotiva 3 channel 200w and 2 channel 300 watt amps, two Velodyne Optimum 12" subwoofers, four Paradigm Studio 100's, a Paradigm CC-590 center channel, and an XBR75-850 Sony TV. This all works because we have a large dedicated theater room. But this is way over kill for our new winter home down in La Quinta (Palm Springs area) because it does not have a dedicated theater room like our home here in Portland. Given that, we prefer a nice 80w - 100w STEREO receiver with HDMI and the ability to stream music. Need HDMI to simplify Blu-ray, cable box and Apple TV cabling through the receiver with one HDMI cable to TV. Then all we need is a nice pair of high end bookshelf speakers and a small 300w subwoofer. Pretty simple, great sound, and elegant.

But I have not been able to find a nice stereo receiver with HDMI. And buying a 5.1 or 7.1 AVR is overkill and a waste of money. I heard there were some HDMI stereo systems coming to market but they will be well in excess of $1000. By my gut tells me that I should be able to get a good quality 80w - 100w Stereo HDMI system with streaming/Bluetooth/USB for about $500. Emotiva hints that they may have something in the works but I have no idea what that means with respect to when it will go to market.

Does anyone here on the forum know of a Stereo Receiver with HDMI? Has anyone else been down this road?

I love my big home theater system but it makes absolutely no sense in a smaller vacation home.

I don't know if you were planning to cover the cost of new gear by selling off old gear but you might want to simply keep the Marantz and the 2 channel amp, and possibly a pair of the 100s (if they're not too large for your new space) and simply remove the rest. In my living room, I run a 2.0 rig, but the AVR is a MCH one, my previous HT AVR. I wanted to have a stereo rig in the living room as there is no practical space for a 5.1 setup and I wanted to upgrade my AVR in the HT "cave". I did contemplate buying a stereo receiver or integrated amp (I actually don't need HDMI in the living room as yet, still running an SDTV in there) but my Integra DTR 6.4 runs perfectly well in 2 channel mode and has all the video switching (analogue in my case) I need. I did need speakers, so the money I saved by re-purposing my older AVR was put towards better speakers. Going the "stereo receiver" route will either be costly (if you insist on HDMI) or an exceedingly long search (if you want to stick to your 500$ budget). If you do not want to keep the processor/amp setup (does take up extra space), then I'd recommend an AVR anyway, considering your video switching needs. However, if I were in your shoes, I'd keep the Marantz, the 2 channel amp and a pair of the 100s (space permitting). Otherwise, I'd look for a smaller footprint speaker set and still keep the Marantz/amp combo (an amp can be tucked away, if necessary). Just noticed you're considering a smaller subwoofer. That makes the Marantz an even better option than any stereo gear with HDMI, as the latter is unlikely to have nearly as sophisticated a way of integrating your subwoofer into your overall system. As for a small subwoofer with good performance, the SVS SV-2000 is worth considering. I have the PB-2000 (larger and ported) but in the application you describe, the smaller, sealed SB-2000 would seem an excellent fit. Of course, there are many options out there, but the SVS one is a reliable option and an excellent performer.

[BWLover]

How would you like to stream music? From a computer in your house, or from the integrated amp? Like how some avr's have Pandora built into the unit is what I'm getting at.

Are you dead set on HDMI? Because if you are not you could use optical or coaxial digital connections to the integrated amp and HDMI to the TV with this Rotel unit. Not sure how much it costs though

http://rotel.com/product/ra-1570

Although if you would like the unit to crossover for the sub you'll be out of luck. The sub will need to have its own crossover, and I'm gathering that with bookshelf speakers you'll need a crossover somewhere.


Bowers & Wilkins 683S1 Speakers
Rotel RB-1090 2 Channel Amp
Rotel RC-1082 Stereo Pre Amp
Rotel RCD-1072 CD Player
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon w/ Ortofon 2M Red (sitting on a piece of slate supported by 3 "solid tech feet of silence" isolation feet)
Rotel RLC-1040 Power Conditioner
Shynyata Research SR-Z1 Power Outlet & Venom 3 Power Cords x 4
Tara Labs RSC Vector 1 Speaker Cables & Interconnects
Primacoustic Room Treatments

[CRA]

The primary reason I want a Stereo Receiver with HDMI is to eliminate the cabling mess (per wife's request). New 65" TV will be hung on a very elegant wall and I don't wants several cables to and from the TV dangling out bottom of TV. Yes, I know I can buy an AVR and run it in two channel mode, but that is a waste of AVR and the remotes are usually too complicated for my wife to use. We want simple, simple, simple... Something that blends into the background and doesn't yell out 5.1 or 7.1 home theater system.

[wkhanna]

sound bar?

hey, do not knock it till you heard it......
this does NOT, i repeat, NOT have to sound like a Bose-type product....

for example: B&W Panorama 2

just my 2 cents....i will go away now.....

[Ovation]

sound bar?

hey, do not knock it till you heard it......
this does NOT, i repeat, NOT have to sound like a Bose-type product....

for example: B&W Panorama 2

just my 2 cents....i will go away now.....

If simplicity is the primary goal, a high performance sound bar is likely best--I'd add the Yamaha YSP-5600 to the list.

[CRA]

So it seems there are no stereo receivers with HDMI on the market (yet). Emotiva hints at one in development for those of us that are downsizing and have no need for 5.1/7.1 AVR's but wants a simple cabling solution bundled with a quality stereo receiver. Thanks for all the feedback.

[Ovation]

Another option is to route devices to the TV and then use a toslink connection to a stereo receiver (many options here, including this Yamaha--I don't have any affiliation with Yamaha, just very happy with my Yamaha AVR). Here is an Onkyo version (I've had good experience with my Integra--made by Onkyo).

Found a stereo integrated amp with HDMI, but I imagine it is VERY expensive as it's a Krell. Only two inputs though.

There are ways to run the required cables to the TV unobtrusively and you would have a simplified setup. Just about every sizeable TV I've seen lately has a digital optical output so this could be a solution. Everything would be two channel PCM in any case, so sound quality would be the same whether HDMI or toslink. Just a thought.

[Chris D]

As others have alluded to here, you could keep your current AVR or use any other HDMI AVR, regardless of its max capability. Then in the AVR setup, configure it and tell it that you just don't have surround speakers or a center channel. It will DOWN MIX everything that you sent to the AVR, to output to whatever your configuration is. (stereo, if that's what you tell it you have)

[Alaric]

While I'm a big fan of Krell , their amps can be a heat issue in a smaller room. The part of the specs that bear that out:

Heat output
Standby: 41 BTU/hr
Idle: 239 BTU/hr
Maximum: 4436 BTU/hr