I have an old Yamaha HT setup with a RX-V473 and wired speakers connected to my new Samsung TV, Foxtel and Apple TV.
Whilst it works ok I am looking to refresh with something more modern, perhaps with better wireless connectivity for speakers and phone streaming. Appreciate any advice / bargains.
I think OP is wondering what he should get.
Did you just assume gender?
Why would I care?
Agreed why should we care about anything, nothing matters we are all just meaningless space dust that will eventually absorb back into the universe.
@theHMASfriendship: We are hardly meaningless dust. Each of us is comprised of matter which has existed for over 3.5 billion years. Contrary to the once-popular 1985 hit song, we aren't the world. We are the universe.
More than that, even, we are the Big Bang. We are the origin of the universe and the question the answer for which scientists have been searching endlessly.
For all you know, you could contain the atom which originally triggered this whole dog & pony show.
Doesn't your 473 do AirPlay? Are you upgrading aesthetics, audio quality or both?
It does, but isn’t particularly reliable to connect. May be the unit. Not really aesthetics, more audio quality
What speakers & sub are you running currently?
It was a YHT 798. Sub, and four speakers. Two larger, two smaller.
@andrewm71: Acknowledging that audio is wholly subjective, I think the speakers in those low-cost YHT packages are somewhat underwhelming. Connectivity issues aside for a moment, there's otherwise nothing wrong with an RX-V473. If you have the space one upgrade path is mains, centre and sub. Can't really comment further without knowing room size, budget, etc. I have an RX-V4A with tower mains and dual subs for watching TV and movies. For ambient music I have a bunch of HomePods.
@sumyungguy: Ok. Thank you. Might have a look at some better quality, affordable speakers on some audio forums. Thanks again
@andrewm71: fwiw I 2nd the motion by @sumyungguy. Otherwise decent budget amps are almost always packaged with substandard speakers.
Audio forums usually have a 2nd hand section, which can be a great way of experimenting for not very much outlay.
Looking to replace Yamaha RX-V473
I've always preferred Kawasaki to Yamaha….
modern, perhaps with better wireless connectivity for speakers and phone streaming
Audio streaming would be easy to add with an external unit (Bluetooth or streaming option)
Unless you plan on throwing out everything the point of your seperate component system is you don't need to throw everything out just to add features.
What's lacking currently, apart from being able to cast or stream audio from your phone?
I was thinking that with a newer unit I would be able to retain the wired speakers but also add wireless satellites. But I wasn’t clear on whether I should go amp or a new alternative
but also add wireless satellites.
Unlikely, not aware of any component surround system with just 'ad hoc' wireless rears
That's more the all in one or soundbar kind of setup, which would be you essentially throwing everything out and starting again.
Ok. Thanks.
@sumyungguy: Thats becuase its a soundbar and most of them do that, Sonos, Bose, Samsung, LG etc..
Hifi Amps dont tend to support that
@solidussnake: Yamaha A/V receivers with MusicCast are wireless rear speaker ready, but I think OP will get more improvements elsewhere
while we're on the topic do any of the modern units have the capability of sending a wireless signal to rear surrounds (and is the SQ any good?) while using wired connections to the front speakers?
That was also something I was keen to know. As it will inform if I am better to stick with what I have, which is working ok.
@andrewm71 Not really aesthetics, more audio quality
Then Bluetooth may not be the way to go, although some lossless formats can be quite good. A lot depends on your source material as well. Try to build the best system you can afford, stop spending when you can’t hear or appreciate the differences. I used sources like What Hi-Fi, and time to listen in premium audio stores with my own source material. A good reference point to start with are pro reviews of the components you already have, and then see what the same review sources think are better options. Good luck and happy listening. I have a decades old cracking system with a Class A valve 2 channel amp. Although it sounds fabulous I mostly use streaming and wireless for convenience. I even replaced my top end Grado headphones with Grado Bluetooth recently. They are not quite as good, but the freedom from wires is great.
Thanks very much. I appreciate the guidance.
Bluetooth audio is compressed and will cause loss of audio quality lossless audio sources. If you have a choice, go wired for best audio quality.
Anything Bluetooth / wireless in signal chain will result in loss of audio quality.
I would get a Sony STR-AN1000