Honestly, if you want a flagship AVR from Yamaha - just keep an eye out on all the clearance sales for last year's models coming up. Get the A3060 while you can, it'll be significantly cheaper than the A3070 and the difference is insignificant.

The DAC "upgrade", I don't want to touch on that. There are people who will swear that they can hear the difference between a 9026 and 9018 ESS, so... yeah.

Well for one, the A3050 won't have DV and HLG firmware update eventhough in theory - the hardware is capable of supporting it. So, is DV important to you?

As for the PEQ range going down to 16hz, that was the only significant upgrade over the 2015's model. But understand that you WILL have to buy a better mic that can measure down below 20hz (like an Omni6 or UMIK1), know how to use REW and know how to port the results over. The automated YPAO is still limited at 30hz due to the subpar mic Yamaha refuses to change.

If you ask me, if you have no plans for DV - the A3050 is the wiser choice. By saving near RM2k, you can use that fund to import a minidsp (or an antimode or whatever similar) and buy a good mic, learn how to use REW and you get MUCH more options and capability in how to EQ your system over what YPAO can do. A minidsp and a UMIK1 + import tax + shipping doesn't even come close to RM2k.

I have no experience with the 64bit calculation for YPAO, nor have I seen any concrete test reports on how much better it is. So, no comment on that.

If you're just going to use YPAO manual and nothing else, then no - you don't need a minidsp. A minidsp is only needed if you want more control over how to EQ your system.

So yes, all you need is a capable mic and know how to use REW.

I imported the mic and the minidsp separately (although minidsp was kind enough to charge them in the same shipping bill), so mic wasn't taxed. But since I got the DDRC-24, which is too expensive to escape tax - I was charged for that. I don't remember how much though, around RM300+/- I think.

Huh? Best "dolby atmos" speakers? The best speakers are the speakers you can mount on your ceiling without burning a hole in your pocket. Don't understand your question...? Do you mean upfiring "dolby atmos" modules?

As for sub, buy the best sub you can afford.

Any speakers that are 8ohms rated, fairly average sensitivity (about 87db) will be fine. The v681 will struggle with 4ohms speakers or low efficiency speakers (below 85db).

So other than that to look out for, basically anything that suits your ear is fine.
I've been liking the Q Acoustics 3020 these days, nice speakers! I would go with the v681 simply for the virtue of better YPAO.

The Wharfedale Diamond 121 at RM880 is a pretty price I think. Depends which you like better, to be honest I prefer the QA3020 over any Wharfedale in the same price range because the QA3020 does not dull the highs as much as the Wharfedales. The only Wharfedales I like now a days are the Jades, that's my 2 cents. That said, try and go demo the QA3020 first. You may or may not like it at the end of the day.

As for center, you can go with the same QA3090 center? It's a general MTM design though so try to avoid having very wide sitting areas off axis.


RM20k is a pretty healthy budget as long as the projector is 1080p.

In a room that size, 7.1.4 may be a challenge. But IMO, if your cousin is up for 5.1.4 that will absolutely be the way to go if Atmos/DTSX is an interest for him.

x2300w is nice, but keep in mind it only has 7 channels of processing so if your cousin is up for 9 channels, then this receiver is a no go. But if 5.1.4 isn't a consideration, then the x2300w is a decent receiver.
However, my suggestion would be to go for the Marantz SR5011 instead as it is the same price as the x2300w but offers pre-outs of which can always be useful in the future if your cousin decides to add hard to drive speakers for his front LCRs. External amps can then be used instead of throwing the entire x2300w away.

For sub, definitely look for an SVS or PSA sub. The latter is kind of overpriced in Malaysia, but it beats SVS subs handedly. Ported is preferred for max output but if space is a concern, then sealed is the way to go.

There is no such thing as "overkill" in audio. There comes a point where you can play at a low volume yet hear all the intricacies in a content, enjoy it as a whole. The saying is that if you get very expensive speakers and only play at a low volume is "overkill" is a common misonception with people who associates everything to cars. Speakers are not cars, not even remotely similar.

I like the ELAC Debut speakers as budget speakers. Fairly cheap, does many things pretty decently but they don't excel at any department. The glaring flaw it has is that it cannot handle high volumes (reference level) in a large room, the drivers will distort and cone break up is very obvious.

So yeah, they're decent but nothing exceptional to put in a nut shell. I'd still recommend it for those on a budget.

Contact htkaki for the latest pricing, he's the official distributor.

It's a mediocre receiver, nothing bad but nothing good either. RM1.2k is an alright price though.

Do know that it doesn't support Atmos or DTSX though. If you're just doing the basic 5.1 (I don't recommend 7 speakers unless you're setting a high crossover or in a small room as the amp on this receiver is quite wimpy), then it fits the bill fairly alright.
Passthrough of 4k HDR is not an issue too btw, I can confirm as I do have a spare RX-A850 with no issues of 4k passthrough. The v579 is a cut down model of the A850, but the HDMI controller and board is the same.

For surrounds you can just buy the small 2010i and call it a day since your space isn't too big. They're quite cheap, they play fairly loud without killing itself and don't sound too bad either.

Sub.. Maybe get a second hand SVS SB1000 or PB1000.

Ultimately, try and plan for at least dual subs though. You can get one now and get another later.
The addition of a second sub is by far the biggest upgrade one can add to their system short of changing out their entire LCR setup.

Dual subs = quality bass, not just more bass.

This post has been edited by SSJBen: Jun 23 2017, 10:41 PM

Why not just tahan for a while without a sub? Save up some money, then get a good sub where you can use and enjoy for many years instead of a sub where you might only use for a few months and get angry at?

The Q Acoustics bookshelfs DOES have some bass, they are not soundbars that sound like tin cans without a sub. So don't have that stigma of a sub is an absolute must have and that you would compromise quality for a low price.

That klipsch sub is mediocre if you want to know the answer.

This post has been edited by SSJBen: Jul 1 2017, 11:43 AM

To put it in a simple nutshell, ported subs has significantly more output than its sealed cousin because they usually have a bigger cabinet and has port(s) to push more air. However ported subs have a cut off point (or known as the port tune), which means say below that it won't have any more output.

Example the SVS PB2000's port tune is 17hz, so anything from 17hz to 40hz it will easily beat the SB2000. However the SB2000 being sealed does mean that below 17hz, it CAN have more output than the PB2000 due to room boundary gain.

Which is better? Depends on your needs and your space constraints. My preference is to always go ported, because it offers so much more output below 30hz and they are very beneficial to movies and games.

Some people will tell you that a sealed sub will sound better for music because... Lol the driver is "tighter and punchier". IMO that is debatable. Example an SB13u isn't better than the PB13u in sealed mode, because guess what? They use the same driver! Hell the PB13u actually does better than the SB13u because it gets a 2db overall average on volume output due to a bigger cabinet!


The v781 isn't available in Malaysia. The equivalent of a v781 is the A860. The A860 being nearly 4k is simply not worth it as the Denon x3300w is a much better receiver for about the same price.

I feel that the extra Rm500 is worth it for the v681 as you get a better version of YPAO. The v681 also has sub PEQ, which can quite useful when you employ your sub in the future.

This post has been edited by SSJBen: Jul 3 2017, 10:34 PM

More trouble than it's worth. Does your receiver have pre-outs? You need to at least have preout for the surround channels to connect to a transmitter and that transmitter must be able to have the same frequency transmission to the wireless speakers.

No, you cannot connect your rear channels binding posts to anything else other than the speaker because that signal has already been amplified by the receiver it self. Sending it to a transmitter which doesn't have a high impedance will cause damage as the transmitter is not receiving a pre-amped signal.

If your receiver has pre-amp outs, then yes - it is possible. Just like how you could get a wireless transmitter for a subwoofer, it can work for individual speaker channels too.


Okay, so..?

Suuure. Unfortunately there hasn't been a single soundbar that comes close to matching an entry level pair of bookshelf lol.


No way to go up the ceiling or on the side walls? Speaker cables aren't that expensive, just get 16awg cables and as long as you don't exceed 50ft per channel you'll be fine.


Virtual surround sound requires bare walls to work properly. By going bare walls, you then sacrifice mid range and treble performance to be hazy due to flutter echoes, ringing and a poor distinction between the room mode and what is actually coming out from the speaker.

But hey, to each their own. Again, I've not heard a single soundbar (and I used to do plenty of soundbar reviews) that comes close to even matching an entry level bookshelf that costs rm1k or so.

Possible to mount your rear speakers on the wall then?

A classic case of too many placement limitation issue. You could hang it off the ceiling, but it it may or may not sound good (I don't know what your rear satellites are to say anything concrete) - pretty much the next best thing you can do. Try it out maybe?

If you are ever going to change out/upgrade your system future and remain in the same area, my suggestion is just to put ALL your money into the best front L, R and Center speakers you can afford instead of dealing with surround speakers.

In terms of raw numbers? Of course the PB1000. Has a bigger cabinet and has a fairly wide port for a sub of this size.

To put it briefly, the PB1000 has nearly 6db advantage over the SB1000 25hz and lower. 6db is nearly TWICE as loud. The advantage of the PB1000 carries forward until 50hz with an average of 3-4db more output.
Beyond that, both subs will start to have a similar amount of volume output up until 150hz before they start rolling off.

That said, the PB1000's port tune is specified at 19hz (though measurements has shown that it is actually closer to 21hz). That does mean that below 19hz, the PB1000 has significantly lower output where as the SB1000 with the provision of room gain may actually sound louder. Then again, anything below 20hz requires massive amount of volume to even be usable in a real world scenario - something the SB1000 cannot achieve either ways.

Additionally, some people will swear on their grandma's grave that ported subs are ALWAYS worse for music simply because a ported sub will be "boomier", have distortion or have excessive port chuffing. While yes those kind of issues does exist, they are only present on cheap fart boxes that you pay less than RM1k for. Most decently built subs avoid these kind of plague because they are built to a certain standard.

Have I heard a PB1000 chuff? Yes of course, all ported subs CAN and WILL chuff if you play at obscenely high volumes (and I'm talking about volumes that crack your plaster ceilings). Does a PB1000 ever sound boomy in music? Nope, not unless I place it in an idiotic location. Does a PB1000 ever distort? A little, but the chances of it distorting is very uncommon due to SVS aggresive in-built limiter that in most cases wouldn't allow the sub to kill itself playing frequencies it can't.

So yes, the PB1000 is a better sub. But the more important question is, do you have space for the sub? If yes, go with the PB1000. If not, obviously look at the SB1000.