Receiver

[madmax123]

Was wondering which HT receivers out right now are the best for around $1000.00 Which brands and what sites test them. Might be looking into upgrading to get HDMI cause mine doesn't have it right now.

[Woochifer]

Judging from your system, I would go with a pair of matching surround speakers before upgrading the receiver. You've already got a decent receiver, and matching the surrounds will give you a far more substantial sound quality improvement than the receiver. HDMI receivers will still be there when your budget allows, but the matching Paradigm speakers might not. If you're looking for HDMI switching, you could just get a HDMI switch and let that handle the task. Yes, you'll be missing out on the lossless audio format decoding in the meantime, but I think the surround speaker matching is far more vital.

I don't know which version of the Studios you use, but Paradigm tends to update them every 2-3 years and some of the timbral changes between series updates tend to be more drastic than others. Ideally, you want to match your Studio 20s up front with another pair of identical Studio 20s as your surround speakers. Obviously, you can't buy them new if they're discontinued.

[madmax123]

Yeah I should focus on my rears, I have studio 20 v.3 and I love them!!
I was thinking about going with studio 40's or 60's in the front and moving the 20's to the rear. i guess the receiver question came up because I was thinking about all the new bells and whistles on these new ones. But yes I do have a good receiver it does the job well! Please tell me what you think about the 40's or the 60's??

[blackraven]

If your into any kind of 2ch music, upgrade the fronts to the Studio 40's or 60's, you will appreciate the big difference in sound. If your a stickler about absolute timbre matching for HT, then try to find the matching rear 20's.

[Woochifer]

For the v.3 series, I would actually look for another pair of Studio 20 v.3s. The imaging on those speakers is incredible, and superior to what I heard from the 40s and 60s. Having four of them in a surround configuration would be quite good, especially since you plan to plug a BFD into your Servo 15.

I would only go with the 40s or 60s if you plan to do a lot of two-channel listening without the subwoofer, and really want the extra bass. IMO though, it is a tradeoff because the imaging on the 20s is that much better. The 40s and 60s image quite well, but the 20s are exceptional in that regard.