how to set up good home theater sound (and picture)


I am very new to the latest home theater formats. I have a new 4k TV but I don't yet have any devices that will stream 4K. My fios box does TV and I do netflix, amazon, and disney through our PS4. I just got a Marantz AV 7702 processor. I used to run Theta digital equipment for DVDs but no one buys disc players anymore, right (even 4k disc players)? Oppo seems to have gone out of business. Is the new PS5 an audiophile quality player? Will a new FIOS box satisfy? I'm wondering why I even have a good processor but I definitely miss good quality sound for movies. It's only OK running the current equipment into the Marantz and nowhere near what I remember from a Theta DVD player and my old Sunfire processor. It should be much better with the new sound formats. One option for video would be to run the apps directly from the TV, which would optimize video, but then I'm running an HDMI cable from the TV to the Marantz, and I assume that would be poor sound quality? How do you get audiophile quality movie sound these days? Thanks all.
dbw1

Showing 1 response by millercarbon

Well the good news is you're listening, and you're hearing. The bad news is you bought into the surround processor sales schtick. Those things are death to sound quality. No amount of money in a processor will get you even close to a run of the mill $800 integrated. Sad but true. 

The good news is this means you can save a whopping lot of money because you need only 2 speakers and a few subs, only 2 channels of amplification, etc. 

There's a whole slew of video sources you can figure that one out yourself. Whatever one(s) you choose simply connect the video directly to your monitor, connect L/R audio to your integrated, and you're set with sound quality no processor can touch, and all for a fraction of what you would have been chasing on the hamster wheel of HT.  https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367