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Upgrade Time: Speakers then Receiver or Vice Versa?

Al Griffin  |  Mar 12, 2015

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Q I plan to purchase a new AV receiver and a set of 5.1 speakers. What strategy will deliver a better all-around experience: spending more on the speakers or on the receiver? Should I splurge on speakers, with the idea that my receiver can be upgraded in a few years, or vice-versa? Simon Bolster / via e-mail

A I’d strongly recommend weighting your home theater audio budget toward the speaker side of the equation. Receivers tend to become outdated every few years as new features and capabilities get introduced. Consider all the new tech that’s been added to receivers in the past two to three years alone: Dolby Atmos, HDMI 2.0, 4K upscaling, AirPlay—the list goes on. And while the first generation of receivers touting fancy new features are often pricey, those same features usually filter down into less expensive mainstream models fairly quickly.

Speakers, on the other hand, are about as stable a product category as there is. A 5.1 speaker system bought to convey Dolby Digital soundtracks on the then-new DVD format in 1997 could easily be used today (with a few enhancements) for Dolby Atmos soundtracks on Blu-ray. Also, most speaker manufacturers’ step-up models usually provide improved sound quality over entry-level models—something that’s particularly true with subwoofers.

So yes, invest the bulk of your money in speakers. Receivers fall in and out of fashion following the latest audio trends, but your speakers will be with you for the long haul.

COMMENTS
jvw997's picture
Submitted by jvw997 on March 13, 2015 - 6:44am

On the other hand, ive been using the same speakers since 1999 and a recent reciever upgrade has made a noticable improvement in sound quality.

TheBaird's picture
Submitted by TheBaird on March 13, 2015 - 11:52am

Everyone says you always make a better investment by upgrading your speakers. That is true, assuming the only gain you would get with a new receiver is more watts.

My receiver and 5.1 speakers are over 10 years old. This means I have a receiver without any HDMI ports or onboard processing for the audio formats on blu-ray discs. My speakers still sound great. So if I could only upgrade one or the other, I will get more bang for the buck with a new receiver.

mikem's picture
Submitted by mikem on March 16, 2015 - 12:34pm

I had 4 definitive towers (BP2006 I think) and the 2500 center. I had them 6-7 years? and frankly never liked them. I then pulled my Atlantic Technology 250.1 system out of mothballs and wondered why I ever got rid of them. I upgraded the center channel and kept the 2 subs and then bought a Pioneer Elite receiver for 7-channel input. I then bought two new Atlantic surrounds and fired every thing up and couldn't find my 2 cats for 3 days::}} The speaker system is now helping me to save up some money on a new SVS system in a few years but in the meantime I am more than happy with my 'old' speakers. I did buy a new Pioneer Elite receiver last year and this should last until If and when I decide to go the Atmos route.

paul's picture
Submitted by paul on March 16, 2015 - 9:45pm

I my self will be updating my gear i have a marantz 8400 av receiver that's is going on 12Yrs old.there is some signal issues with my hi def TV a plasma from PANASONIC.or it could be the signal form cable provider,the PCM indicator will flash some times as if to say no audio signal coming through. so as to that person looking to get new gear,the AV receiver is just as important...

Ovation123's picture
Submitted by Ovation123 on April 4, 2015 - 12:03pm

I'm on my second AVR with my current speakers (11 years old) and will likely go through one or two more before I consider changing my speakers. It's not like I change AVRs every couple of years, but my speakers have no format changes to worry about, so unless and until they're damaged, they'll remain in the system.

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