Pioneer Elite vsx-14 enough for hdi-3800? Alternatives?

Thanks for the responses!

@mattmiller 

Integrated amp with good power and excellent SQ!

I am doing my best research to understand what exactly would indicate an amp I am looking at has good power an excellent SQ. Any recommendations on reading?

@sunshdw 

If this is not a part of a surround sound system the I'm with Matt's recommendation of going after a nice integrated amp. Like this one that is barely used (it's mine they're selling for me)

It will be almost exclusively for stereo music, with future potential for a sub if I really feel like I'm missing low end. An integrated amp sounds like a logical next step, though my budget is not close to those you are selling, maybe in a couple years .

My budget would probably max out under $1.5k with a preference under $1k. Do you have any recommendations that would be worthwhile in that range?

I'm interested in the NAD 3050 and the Cambridge Audio CXA81. Anything more suited in this ballpark?

Is there an example of a bare minimum integrated amp at $500-$600 that would do better than what I am working with?
 

room correction, stable to 4ohm and has good clean power.

Thanks for these criteria. I also have learning to do to understand how I can know if an amp has good clean power. Any recommended readings here?

I have Sonorworks reference, so I may be able to get by without built in room correction for most listening.
 

Thanks @deep_333 I'm looking into it! What would you say the strength of the R-N800A is?

good value for a modest budget of ~$1000.

What do you feel the next step up would be in terms of a price point that has noticeable differences in sound quality?

It is a dedicated conservatively rated stereo all in one solution (integrated amp + streaming dac) that can deliver greater than 200W/channel Class AB into your speaker with enough current. The DAC implementation is good and Yamaha's Musiccast streaming features are glitch free/fairly robust (it has been around for a minute to get all kinks ironed out). To summarize, It should be a good step up sonically for 2 channel use than your older Pioneer multichannel receiver and good value for a modest budget of ~$1000.

@deep_333  Thanks for the thoughtful response! This looks like a really good option in the more affordable price range.

@sunshdw I will take a look!
 

Ignore my comment on room correction

Too late   I started thinking about it, I'm really curious what Dirac would do for me. It sounds like with mini-dsp it can always be added later.

@sunshdw also got curious looking at the NAD 389 and Arcam SA30 after looking into dirac. Sounds like no sub output on SA30 for some reason though. Leading in the 389 direction at this point.

@loomisjohnson That is a good point. Now that you mention, definitely need to listen first, as enticing as new gear is. The JBLs (I hope) will be a huge upgrade from my speaker setup already (technics SB200 / Cerwin Vega at-12). I was supposed to get them today, but rescheduled to tomorrow for unknown reasons.

I got these setup today with the vsx-14. The added detail is really nice! I am feeling like I'm missing low end I had with the Technics for some reason. I have the bass eq turned way up and the treble down and still seem to be a little overwhelmed with high end.

Is it possible that this is the amp not providing enough power to get the low end I'm looking for?

The Technics are rated to go down to 38hz, so spec wise, not too different. I'm pretty surprised that I am finding these speakers thin, based on reviews like these (https://www.audioholics.com/tower-speaker-reviews/jbl-hdi-3800) they should have relatively powerful bass. I even have them close to a wall so I expected  to be working against it being overpowering.

Is there something else I am possibly doing wrong or are my expectations for these speakers just off?
 

Thanks for the responses!
 

1. Cabinet size  2. Sensitivity 3. Bass extension/impact....pick 2 (can’t have all 3)

@deep_333 This is interesting. I assumed as cabinet size goes up bass extension goes lower and more impactful. Curious if that means sensitivity has to be lower to get more bass? Or are you saying smaller cabinet size is what you can't have.

@loomisjohnson, I experimented . I bought a NAD 389, and its clear the vsx-14  was not working with these speakers. Definitely interested to know if the bass (Capacitor or other failing component) issue you mentioned @deep_333 was part of this because the difference is night and day!

I'm now at a place where I definitely don't "need" a sub although I know it would be that much better.

I'm really interested to see what the dirac does for me, but software issues have been a struggle on the NAD so far, so I have not gotten there yet. When I install dirac live on my computer it crashes at startup

The bluos has been a pretty bad experience too, have tried the upgrade on the NAD about 10 times and always fails. Hopefully support can help.

Outside the world of software, really happy with the sound!