Home audio advice please

[flabum1017]

I have not kept up on the latest and greatest in home theater receivers, so I am in need of some advice.

First, I'll tell you what i have..... I have a Samsung non-smart T.V. The T.V. has 4 HDMI in's and an Optical out. (along with all the analog crap.) I have a BluRay player, HDMI cable box and a computer with HDMI and optical outs. I like to keep the video and audio separate out of the computer so the TV does not have to be on when listening to music from the computer. I have a set of Blutooth headphones (which at the time is receiving from a BT adapter plugged into the headphone jack). I have another BT receiver to stream from my phone. The current receiver does not pick up the audio through the HDMI, so any device hooked up to it with HDMI needs a separate audio source which I do by feeding all the HDMI's to the TV and the TV opti sends the audio to the receiver. This defeats the purpose of having all those HDMI port on the receiver IMHO. It's an Onkyo 7.1 receiver. The zone 2 on the receiver has a bad channel and when I have zone 2 turned on the 2 rear channel are turned off but still has the left channel not working., time to replace it. I only use 5.1 channel speaker set.

What I'm looking for...... Looking to get a new receiver that will do this:

Pick up the audio from the HDMI port so there's no need for an extra cable back to the receiver from the TV. This way I can have all the devices feed the receiver and have only one HDMI cable to the TV.

Have a Bluetooth transceiver so I can use my phone for streaming and use my Bluetooth headphones.

Have 2 zones or more for extra rooms, am open to wireless like what Pioneer offers (though, running wire to the extra room are not a problem).

Be able to control it from my phone thru an app.

USB reader for music files.

Have a programmable optical audio input for the computer (computer HDMI does not carry the audio)

Last but not least, I have a Harmony One remote that I'd like to use with it. I can always upgrade to a new remote.

I was thinking of getting a couple Bluetooth soundbars with subs for the extra rooms instead of regular speakers. I don't know if there are any receivers that will pair more than two devices to their Bluetooth output. I know I would not be able to control the volume to the soundbars through the receiver this way, but that's not a concern.


I'm open to any good brand but also am not rich, so I think about $500 is my limit.

[mjw930]

Denon AVR-S930H or AVR-S730H

https://usa.denon.com/us/product/hometheater/receivers

$499.99 @ Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVRS930...s930h+receiver

I’m a huge Denon fan, have been for many years. Their audio quality is unsurpassed for receivers and they have recently seriously upped their game on new technology integration. You really can’t go wrong with their receivers. The only reason I’ve replaced my last 2 was to get new technology capabilities. In 20+ years I have never had one fail.

[mjw930]

You didn’t mention whether you were looking for speakers or not. There’s a line of speakers that aren’t a big household name but provide some of the best sound for the money I’ve ever heard, NHT. I installed a number of their original systems back in the early 90’s in musicians homes and studios and they absolutely loved them. They went through some rough times but came back into the market a few years ago and have come back with a vengeance. Worth a look.

https://www.nhthifi.com/

My current system is an older Denon AVR-2809CI with NHT Absolute speakers (left, right, center, rear and 12” powered sub). It’s primarilly used for home theater but with the Audyssey MultEQ equalization the musical tone is superb and still is able to fully immerse you when watching even the most action packed movies.

[flabum1017]

Speakers will be next year, right now I am using some Boston Acoustics.....

[CDave]

I can tell ya a good buy on traditional home speakers is some used gen 4 or 5 Paradigm Studio series.

If you want the latest in speakers read up on Dolby Atmos. The A/V reciever has to be Atoms capable. I believe most good receivers are these days.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolby_Atmos
https://www.dolby.com/us/en/technolo...lby-atmos.html

[NATHAN HOLT]

Outlaw Audio sell web base only, biggest bang for the buck www.outlawaudio.com/