Receiver Too Weak?

OP, this very issue is what set me on the road to upgrading from a so-so HT system to what I like to think is a fairly decent hi-fi system that allows for TV intergration via  HDMI or Optical, depending on what I’m looking at ( for instance, multichannel movies/streaming shows or 2 Chanel YouTube music videos like “Tiny Desk, etc).  I too found my AVR wasn’t cutting it, however I did have a pre-out and started with using a powerful 2 or 3 channel amps for the LCR (Used Acurus, Emotiva, etc) and let the AVR (Denon) handle the surrounds and subs (x2).  I made sure to use the room correction ( Audyssey) to get the multichannel mixes right (very important for HT!).  That made a HUGE improvement for HT.  I used DEFTECH flagships (9080s) for all the speakers, including the CC which all rated at 95db sensitivity, so everything played with power and ease. Keep that in mind as you consider any change in your speaker/receiver/amp upgrades: make sure you get high sensitivity speakers so your power amps or receiver have plenty of head room to power your listening space.  I now have a low sensitivity setup with Maggie’s so I use a lot of power (Parasound A21+) that match-up pretty well.  I believe your bookshelf B&Ws are 89db, which is ok, but will definitely struggle with high peaks in action sequences and have your turning up the center channel volume for quiet dialogue with your Yamy’s 95w/per.  It is pushing up to 7 amps in a cramped box w/ likely a pretty noisy transformer. I learned the hard way how important it is to match the speaker/amp setup.Your Yamy is a solid AVR, just not strong enough to push all those lower sensitivity speakers.  If it’s for HT exclusively I recommend getting high sensitivity 3-way floor standing speakers and leave the B&Ws for 2 channel music. Upgrade your AVR to one that has a pre-out and get an external power amp (there’s plenty of good powerful older models on EBay or Reverb to try-out until you find what you like). Whatever you do, remember it’s the matchup bw the sensitivities and power. Good luck!

Op,

Here's my short list to solve what I'll call your HT amplification problem: Can't hear details (dialogue, or otherwise), (plus, maybe weak soundstage?): 

1. Mostly HT: high sensitivity speakers for sure (95db or more)

2. Size of your room?  Sm/Med (Your speakers w/ subs (+ AVR/amp of 200w or more); Large Rm: floor standing 3-way speakers (DefTechs are great for movies, not so great for music) + Sub/s   with almost any AVR not less than  100w/ch for ALL surrounds (which really means you'll need an AVR or amp pushing 200w/per anyway).

3. Subs ALWAYS for HT.  I recommend 2, but you have a large SVS, so may be fine.

OP-One more thing..(my Columbo...)

I really got as big boost in my HT system when I used the pre-out to a separate 3 way amp (It was an Acurus 200x3) to handle the fronts and center channel.  I mean EVERYTHING changed then and there.  My setup was a Denon x4500h (still in the system handling TV sources) and the Deftechs: 9080x fronts, CS 9040 and SR 9040s for a 7.2 system.  The fronts had 12" woofers but I still used  2  8" subs. 

Just consider what you've been seeing posted so far:  If you want a great HT system you need high sensitivity speakers and a moderate to high-powered amplification from a outboard amp or heavy duty AVR.

Again, good luck!