help upgrading AVP/DAC

[Jovi1964]

I've outgrown my Onkyo TX-NR807. I recently built my HTPC and can play my over 1,200 (lossless) CDs and 150 + movies (ISOs) straight from the PC using J River MC software. I'm currently running HDMI out to my Onkyo, but the sound is not satisfactory. I've been looking at various AVPs to include Integra 80.2, Marantz AV7005 or Marantz 8801. I expect to also need a multichannel DAC. Below is my current build.

 

Any ideas appreciated. Keeping the cost under 3K is a plus.

 

Onkyo TX-NR807

Furman ELITE-15 DM i

Anthem Amp: PVA 8 (8 channels, RCA inputs, 125 continuous watts per channel)

Paradigm S6 v3 (right, left and center)

Monitor Audio GS 10 (2009) rears

Outlaw ECS-10 (x2) (one next to each front)

Velodyne DSL-R (rear)

Panasonic TCP60GT30

HTPC (i7 Processor, 4-3 TB HDs, 120 SSHD for OS, Gigabyte GE Force GT640 Video card, ASRock Extreme 6, 8 Gig Ram)

Kimber Kables (due in January 2013)

PS3

Wii

[Audio_ELF]

No one replied to your thread so I will ask a couple if questions to maybe help you...

 

First off, are you primarily wanting to improve the music or the movie experience?

 

Reading your equipment list, am I correct in assuming you use the Onkyo as a processor and then use the multi-channel outputs to the Anthem power amp?

 

When listening to music, do you use 2 channel or a multi-channel / surround processing mode.

 

Finally, you say the "sound is not satisfactory" but can you give some indication in what way it's not satisfactory?

 

Eloise