Center Channel on an Integrated Stereo Amplifier

@shawnpmathew:

Hi Shawn. OPPO is a good choice, but there are others as well. It depends on the feature set you are looking for and your budget. If you go the AVR route then you don't have to spend as much on the player. On the audio end, the main difference in choice will be whether you want to utilize the onboard DAC in the player or the DAC in the AVR.

I've had good luck with Panasonic and Sony, but ended up becoming a dedicated OPPO user due to their 'higher end' audiophile players. In terms of OPPO, which I am currently familiar with, the 203 will be a good choice if you go the AVR route. Other companies also have good offerings for about the same or less (in price).

If you skip the AVR, then I would recommend trying out the 205. OPPO has a very reasonable return policy and you can test the 205s performance for CD playback, computer based audio, etc., and its DAC vs your current Simaudio DAC and streamer, and  CD/BD player.

You might be very surprised. If that makes it happen for you, you can keep the 205 and get an older previously high-end AVR for pennies on the dollar and use it for amplification purposes only. And then bring in the center channel.

If I were making the decision, this is the route I would take. If the OPPO outperforms your current components you will have One Box replace Three Boxes. If it doesn't, return it and you are likely only out shipping fees.

The above is in relation to audio alone. In addition, you will be getting top of the line Video processing as well as a truly universal disk player.

On the current AVR side, there are many well reviewed choices across a wide budget range.

In terms of AVRs, I haven't been  familiar with Pioneer Elites for years now. My last AVR was a Marantz. Before that Sony ES and before that Yamaha. I think you will have a number of good choices. One I would recommend looking into is Anthem.

@david_ten - Just a little confused...
Why should I upgrade my blu-ray player? Are you saying my current one doesn't have the ability to have its audio output multi-channel formats? 
If I get a receiver with HDMI in's and out that will be able to carry video and audio, so I should be able to get my multi-channel sound through that, right? If that's true, then I might not need to upgrade my Blu-ray player yet. 

Anthem's are expensive! Great reviews though... 

Your current BDP will output multichannel via HDMI to your receiver.

The argument for upgrading is only if you want to get a more up to date BDP (and more specifically a UHD with current video processing) and possibly more output options, like analog out.

You can also output audio via HDMI from your TV, if it allows for it.

Your budget is of course a factor. If you want to keep your spend lower, then only invest in the new receiver. The other path(s) are options you could also pursue.

The main reason a center channel sounds better on movies is that they tend to use it primarily for the voices in order to "bring them out" (eg higher volume, closer miking) and these can easily be correlated with the folks being portrayed, which tend to be center staged.

The most straightforward way to get what you want would be to buy an older AV preamp with a pass-thru.  Use it for movies, keep your current preamp, and use it for your stereo listening with no audible deterioration.  Your sub, if it has both line and speaker inputs, could use the line input from your AV receiver, and the speaker inputs you are now using for stereo music.