Is this upgrade worth considering? (1 Viewer)

[Maneesh]

I have a Kenwood VR-507 receiver which is part of the HTB-504 HTiB. I have upgraded the front speakers as well as sub. As a result, I have a complete set of extra speakers lying around.

I am considering selling my Kenwood and getting a Pioneer vsx-d811s and using a 6.1 setup. This should cost about $100-$150 depending on how much the Kenwood goes for.

- is the improvement from 5.1 to 6.1 worth it?
- is DTS Neo 6 better than PL II
- is the amp section of the Pioneer comparable? Have read many good things here about the 507's clean power and certainly have no complaints

Other not so imp reasons for me -

- future expandability with preouts for all channels. It will be at least 1 year before I can afford a separate amp
- component switching as I only have one source (dvd)

So basically just trying to find out if 6.1 is THAT much of an improvement to justify the upgrade.

 

[JackS]

Tough question Man. I'm still using a 5.1 system and have really never craved after 6.1. I enjoy the distinct seperation between the rear channels which are a little clouded over when you start adding rear middle speakers. Go to a showroom and listen for yourself. If your opinion is positive for 6.1, then I would be the last person to try to talk you out of it. Decisions can be made without the opinions of others. Try it. Theres great satisfaction when you decide to buy what you want and not what others want you to buy.

 

[Jed M]

Maneesh, that is almost a lateral move so I don't know. If you plan on using 6.1 a lot I would say go for it. In my opinion DTS NEO is better than DPLII, but I would say NEO is almost identical to the Circle Surround I think you already have. I would say the amps in these two receivers would yield negligible difference but I am sure people will disagree with me. If you just want to upgrade then you would be doing that, but if you are asking if its a 150 dollar value upgrade then that is really up to you. I like Pioneer and Kenwood so I would recommend either solution.

 

[Maneesh]

Thanks guys. I guess my post was fueled more by upgraditis (dangerous disease well known to all HTF members ) rather than a real need to upgrade.
I also realized that I don't have any space behind the couch so its going to be an 'overhead' and not rear center .
and yes I do like CircleSurround a bit more than DPLII.
So maybe its best to stay put and save the $$ for a worthwile upgrade or just buy more dvd's