Question Home theater upgrade options

[yallmf]

Hi all,

I'm currently running an older Yamaha 7.1 receiver (and Onkyo 5.1 speakers that are even older) and I'm generally happy with the sound quality.

I'm in a medium sized basement area (right now the 5.1 speakers ring a space that's about 9x9 although the surrounding area is larger) and have mostly been using the optical connection for my Xbox and TV.

I've recently upgraded my PC to a beefy rig that can also handle 4k, but sadly, while the receiver has HDMI passthrough, it won't handle HDR and the mobo doesn't have a digital audio output beyond HDMI (Asus Prime Z790-P).

I was debating options including a newer receiver that can handle passing through a 4k/120hz signal, some type of cheapo solution to split or mirror the output to the display and receiver, or even going HAM with an upgrade to some type of Atmos rig.

I haven't really looked into any home audio in a while, so I don't know if an atmos sound bar might make the most sense or if just getting a cheaper receiver or an even cheaper splitter might be best. My first post on this forum but I know it's knowledgeable community so would like to hear some opinions. Thank you in advance.

 

[kanewolf]

Hi all,

I'm currently running an older Yamaha 7.1 receiver (and Onkyo 5.1 speakers that are even older) and I'm generally happy with the sound quality.

I'm in a medium sized basement area (right now the 5.1 speakers ring a space that's about 9x9 although the surrounding area is larger) and have mostly been using the optical connection for my Xbox and TV.

I've recently upgraded my PC to a beefy rig that can also handle 4k, but sadly, while the receiver has HDMI passthrough, it won't handle HDR and the mobo doesn't have a digital audio output beyond HDMI (Asus Prime Z790-P).

I was debating options including a newer receiver that can handle passing through a 4k/120hz signal, some type of cheapo solution to split or mirror the output to the display and receiver, or even going HAM with an upgrade to some type of Atmos rig.

I haven't really looked into any home audio in a while, so I don't know if an atmos sound bar might make the most sense or if just getting a cheaper receiver or an even cheaper splitter might be best. My first post on this forum but I know it's knowledgeable community so would like to hear some opinions. Thank you in advance.

Much cheaper would be using an audio stripper on your PC HDMI connection -- https://www.amazon.com/Optical-Toslink-Bi-Directional-Converter-Splitter/dp/B084T4QDFP/

 

[yallmf]

That's pretty darn cheap and just might do the trick. Thank you very much.

 

[drivinfast247]

Much cheaper would be using an audio stripper on your PC HDMI connection -- https://www.amazon.com/Optical-Toslink-Bi-Directional-Converter-Splitter/dp/B084T4QDFP/

Am I reading that right? It only supports 4k@30fps?

 

[kanewolf]

Am I reading that right? It only supports 4k@30fps?

OK, maybe that specific one is suboptimal, but it was posted as an example of what to search for.

 

[yallmf]

Ah, good catch, thank you.

I'm struggling to find one that supports 120hz. Most seem to be 60 and a lot of them require a wall wart too.

 

[kanewolf]

Ah, good catch, thank you.

I'm struggling to find one that supports 120hz. Most seem to be 60 and a lot of them require a wall wart too.

4K 120Hz REQUIRES 25Gb/s data. 4K HDR 120Hz requires 32Gb/s. That is a LOT of data and can't be supported by the minimal power provided by the HDMI port. References -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#Refresh_frequency_limits_for_standard_video

 

[yallmf]

I might bite the bullet and pick up a Sony STRDH790. Has a few upgrades that would be nice and isn't too pricey.

 

[yallmf]

I might bite the bullet and pick up a Sony STRDH790. Has a few upgrades that would be nice and isn't too pricey.

Edit: scratch that. Seems it only does 60hz as well. Gonna check out some other receivers.