In 2004, I bought a HT system with a Yamaha RXV 1500, Paradigm Studio 40's, B&W ASW 650 a B&W center and Klipsch surrounds. So I have this HT equipment and it gets lost on me. When it comes to HT, I can hardly tell the difference and could care less. I like listening to music through multiple sources in 2.1 audio.
5.1 audio, particularly the 7 channel stereo setting on the Yamaha provides some nice depth and interesting sound fields, depending on the source, but when I am able to perform critical listening (wife and kids aren't home), I keep going back to the 2-channel stereo set-up on the Yamaha, which is actually 2.1. While the Yamaha has a direct stereo and a pure direct feature, the Studio 40's alone don't do it for me as I cannot do without the sub.
Here are the questions: Would it be worth the $1,000, which is my budget, to buy a 2-channel amplifier and use the Yamaha as a pre-amp for the studio 40's. Is there an amp in this price range that would provide a noticeable improvement? Would the Yamaha be a sufficient pre-amp for an amp in this price range.
Two things, I would hate to spend the money and not get improved performance from the amp or have the new amps performance limited by the Yamaha.
I have no experience with this kind of set up and would like to hear from those who have had both set-ups (both integrated and separate amps).
BTW, before you suggest buying new speakers, please note that I have considered this option, but that tends to lead to buying a whole new system. I just want to add-on, not replace. The studio 40's are great for the room size and they are able to be perfectly placed. It seems though that the Yamaha amp falls short on power for these speakers.
With $1k to spend, keeping the Yamaha is not a good decision. IMO a $349 NAD or Cambridge integrated amplifier would offer far more musical satisfaction. Of course, that is in my opinion the wiser choice. I have no idea what you consider to be "better" or whether you've actually taken the time and made the effort to consider just what qualities would need to be present to say "improvement" over your Yamaha HT receiver. But it has been several decades since Yamaha has been serious about sound quality in the vast majority of components they produce. Even back then the name Yamaha had a fairly short lived career in the arena of high quality components that didn't rely on button and knob technology to woo the consumer away from other feature laden monsters.
Define what it is you feel is lacking in what you presently own. Can these failings be remedied in any way other than to scrap that receiver and begin again with higher quality gear? If not, what are your priorities for music reproduction? If you've never though of this question as specific priorities, it's time you began thinking about music and not just what you might buy with $1k. Just consuming new product without first thinking about how you build a successful system isn't going to achieve anything more than a few days or weeks of satisfaction that you spent some money and a lightening of your bank account - or an increased credit line - by some $1k. If you have no defined goals, you'll end up with another mishmosh of mismatched gear that still is incapable of convincing you musicians are performing for your benefit.
So, what is it you're after in terms of higher quality music reproduction?