Audyssey XT32 - Yup, you guys were right....

[TWG1572]

Last year, I picked up a Yamaha RX-675 because it was a well priced open box deal at Best Buy. Several people pointed out that Audyssey was a must have but I figured YPAO was close enough for my non-refined ear. Well, since then I've descended deeper into the rabbit hole they call home theatre and started realizing more and more what Audyssey offered. I've been watching the good deals forums, and have been seen the Denon X4000 dropping in price as the x4100 comes in. This week, it dropped to $799 on Amazon so I stopped by Best Buy yesterday and did a price match. I set it up last night, did the Setup and sat back and listened. I get that all this is as subjective as it gets, but my immediate impression was the sound was cleaner/clearer. Bass notes are much more pronounced and evident. My wife came down, and her first impression was that the sound was richer and more full. I watched a movie, and there was a noticeable difference in the sound and the surround atmosphere. Take that evaluation for what it's worth. I don't have REW graphs to prove it out, and I know it's subjective and the Internet is full of people trying to justify their new toy purchases. I was ready to take it back if it didn't make a noticeable difference in the sound, but so far the difference seems to be there. I don't think I'm going to be able to take this back. Maybe I could achieve the same with YPAO and REW, but I'm liking the automated option.

 

[bepperb]

I think it somewhat depends on how messed up your room is. Upstairs I don't do any processing since the room is pretty well setup for music. In our oddly shaped basement Audyssey needs to work pretty hard to keep things under control. And there it does make a noticeable difference.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: TWG1572

This week, it dropped to $799 on Amazon so I stopped by Best Buy yesterday and did a price match.

I thought BB only price matched against other B&M stores. Good to know.

 

[TWG1572]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete

Originally Posted By: TWG1572

This week, it dropped to $799 on Amazon so I stopped by Best Buy yesterday and did a price match.

I thought BB only price matched against other B&M stores. Good to know.

They changed that policy last year, i have to pay tax on Amazon items anyway, so it makes it a nice option. Plus you can get it that day vs. waiting on shipping. And best buy has rewards points you also get, so the net result is cheaper than Amazon. If you live in a state where Amazon is still tax free, than the decision gets a bit more complex.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: TWG1572

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete

Originally Posted By: TWG1572

This week, it dropped to $799 on Amazon so I stopped by Best Buy yesterday and did a price match.

I thought BB only price matched against other B&M stores. Good to know.

They changed that policy last year, i have to pay tax on Amazon items anyway, so it makes it a nice option. Plus you can get it that day vs. waiting on shipping. And best buy has rewards points you also get, so the net result is cheaper than Amazon. If you live in a state where Amazon is still tax free, than the decision gets a bit more complex.

That is great to know.

 

[Zeus33]

Originally Posted By: TWG1572

I've been watching the good deals forums, and have been seen the Denon X4000 dropping in price as the x4100 comes in. This week, it dropped to $799 on Amazon so I stopped by Best Buy yesterday and did a price match. I set it up last night, did the Setup and sat back and listened. I get that all this is as subjective as it gets, but my immediate impression was the sound was cleaner/clearer. Bass notes are much more pronounced and evident. My wife came down, and her first impression was that the sound was richer and more full. I watched a movie, and there was a noticeable difference in the sound and the surround atmosphere.

XT32 is VERY impressive. I have had every version of Audyssey and always thought they made very subtle changes. When I switched to XT32, I expected more of the same. Boy was I wrong! It was staggering the improvement that it made. The only thing that it does that I don't care for, is set the sub level too low. It usually requires a 3db boost to bring the bass back. Your opinion is subjective, but the results from XT32 are not. They have been proven over and over with frequency response graphs. It works and it works well! I did something similar. I set up the receiver while she was gone and didn't mention it. We watched a movie later that night. About ten minutes into the movie, she says "did you get new speakers? It sounds better than it used to." I didn't need her confirmation, but it was interesting that she noticed that quickly. Congrats on the new receiver. The X4000 is a nice piece.

 

[TWG1572]

Originally Posted By: Zeus33

The only thing that it does that I don't care for, is set the sub level too low. It usually requires a 3db boost to bring the bass back.

What is entertaining is that XT32 gave me some incremental improvement in bass. I'd read many similar conclusions, and had not expected any improvement in that area, but there is unquestionably more bottom end with this new setup. I'm not sure if was able to address some room nulls/issues through the equilizer or what. But it worked. x2 on the new speakers comment. I'd say the same if I didn't know better. I'm a thrify soul, and my innate nature would have loved for there not to be a discernable difference so I could take it back and save the $$. I've sat down several times to listen to it so I could talk myself out of it, and every time I've walked away sold. It just works. Really well.