>>More than enough power (110) and 5.1. Good speakers (like his ventriloquist) and good sub (like his middle range 399.00 model) and I'd have all I needed.
Reality check...
The Kenwood is definitely all the amp you need for Ventriloquists or anything in that range. They are great speakers for the money but let's be realistic, they are in a totally different league from the midrange or high-end Axioms.
Going to a bigger/better amp or receiver *is* going to make a difference in sound assuming you are using a fair amount of the available power. If you have small speakers and listening to relatively quiet music then an upgrade wouldn't make much difference.
When we discourage people from rushing into an electronics upgrade it's because the benefit/$$ ratio is relatively small-- not because there is no difference at all.
Every incremental improvement in sound costs a lot more than the one before it. Several people have looked back with the same concerns as you -- "could I have spent less and been just as happy ?".
Don't worry, the answer is "nope". Now, could you have spent less and been 80% as happy ? Quite possibly, depending on your listening habits. If you put on carefully chosen media, sit in the sweet spot, turn up the volume and bask in the sound, you would be a lot less happy with a lesser system.
If you put something on, wander off and listen to the music from another room while you work on something else... yeah, you could have spent quite a bit less and still be happy.
Where are you on that line ?
M60ti, VP180, QS8, M2ti, EP500, PC-Plus 20-39
M5HP, M40ti, Sierra-1
LFR1100 active, ADA1500-4 and -8
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