hd dilemma part 2
Proposed A/V rig.
I have two goals in mind:
- Be able to play mp3s through the stereo without the TV on or a laptop plugged in to a RCA->3.5mm jack
- Have a device that can easily throw up youtube/vimeo/web browser on the TV.
The box in the middle is a Marantz NR1501, which is available at an awesome price because they just introduced the upgraded NR1601. This seems like a step down to me actually because (a) there’s no unamplified out to drive the preamp, and (b) it adds 2 more channels of surround sound I don’t need. (I don’t even have 5.1 now so a bump from 7 to 9 channels doesn’t matter at all to me) The addition that does seem nice with the 1601 is the native ipod docking (you can navigate ipod with the remote). But with the appleTV that seems like a non-issue.
Open Questions:
- Is there a comparable box that has a “real” set of line-outs for preamp instead of using the VCR out on the Marantz? The Yamaha V567 looks like it but information is scant on it.
- Is all of this really necessary? Seems like a minimalist but functional option would be a simple audio DAC like this Gefen box for TOSlink audio from the AppleTV and leave everything else as it is.
Augh! AV Angst. What do you all think?