Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners What would you upgrade with $2000 ?

Another for vote option #1...

Not knowing what type of display you have, my choice may not be relevant.

For $1100 you can get the Denon 3808 from Sixth Avenue. I’ve had bad luck with Marantz and suggest you consider that purchase very carefully.

I’d then buy a Toshiba A35 for about $400 and a Panasonic BD30K for about $425. The combination of those three will give you the ability to hear all the new audio formats, and you’ll probably get better stereo sound as well, although that one’s harder to qualify than the surround improvements.

You will get more “wow” (both audio and video) by going HD over upgrading the speakers you have now. If anything, I’d swap out the surrounds you are using with some QS8’s before upgrading the rest of them. The Q’s are probably the best surround speaker made.

I would go the receiver & HD DVD/Blue Ray Route. And replace the surrounds with QS8's

Denon 2808 CI ($1200):

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8355601&type=product&id=1177717702254


Samsung BD-P1400 BD ($300):

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8497897&type=product&id=1186004519330


And factory QS8's ($486)


grand total? $1986


Then you could enjoy next gen HD surround in all it's glory!

And don't forget that you could move the existing surrounds to the rear, so you'd also be going from 5.1 to 7.1.

Ya forget the Marantz and spend the cash elsewhere.
Although the speaker finish is nice to see, so is a new fron screen projection system and hi def movies.

Man you guys are killing me! I was about to pull the trigger on the complete high gloss system M80 system, now I am reconsidering.

QS8s are a definite. Despite my brother-in-law, I will consider other options than the Marantz. I am still agonizing though -- why can't I be really rich?

Nitro,

I haven't followed this thread but I can tell you that no one, absolutely no one, should be without M80s. As long as you have the room for them in your space and can form an equilateral triangle between you and them (or close to it), you will be in audio Nirvana.

I concur. M80 all the way (no kidding, just 100% listening).

EP500 and some M60's

Listen to the man, he knows of what he speaks.

Personally I'd probably keep the M60s & VP150 and just get a matching pair of M80s. The M60s would make excellent surrounds, no?

I wouldn't spend a dime on HD DVD or Blu-ray at the moment, there's too much uncertainty as to which will prevail and too many comments from the studio types hinting at unification to a single format in the near future. E.g., the head of Fox studios said yesterday that in his opinion, "... by CES it will be apparent that there will be a single HD format." CES is in about 3 weeks and he should be in a position to know things we consumers don't so I'd think it is a poor time to invest in an HD disc player of either flavor.