This thread has some longevity but caught my eye because I was in the same situation with the same Yamaha AVR - still have my V1800 as the center of my HT system.
I went with an external amp from my 2-channel rig - Carver m-1.0t with gobs of power.
Did it make a difference? Yup - sure did.
Did I stay satisfied? Nope - cuz an AVR will always be a compromise sonically, imo as a pre.
So, I went with a hybrid setup - kept the AVR, but added an integrated amp with HT Bypass.
Consider that....
I went with an external amp from my 2-channel rig - Carver m-1.0t with gobs of power.
Did it make a difference? Yup - sure did.
Did I stay satisfied? Nope - cuz an AVR will always be a compromise sonically, imo as a pre.
So, I went with a hybrid setup - kept the AVR, but added an integrated amp with HT Bypass.
Consider that....