To upgrade or replace surround sound sytem.

[RFAurora]

1. Hi all, I currently have a Yamaha RX-V379 5.1 AV receiver with Yamaha 4 NS-B40 speakers, one NS-C40 speaker and a NS-SW40 subwoofer.  I’ve had it since roughly 2015.  I got it at the time because of the multiple HDMI inputs and single output.  I came home today and found one of the B40 speaker had been pulled off of the wall due to cat and broke.  I’m lost on whether I should replace all
2. of the speakers or just go to a 5.1 soundbar with a wireless subwoofer and rear speakers.  Looking for help reaching a decision.

[dilpickle]

You're the only one who can make this decision. Especially since you didn't give any criteria like budget. I don't see how you could go to a sound bar after 5.1 but you do you. 

[dalekphalm]

On 11/4/2022 at 10:31 PM, RFAurora said:

1. Hi all, I currently have a Yamaha RX-V379 5.1 AV receiver with Yamaha 4 NS-B40 speakers, one NS-C40 speaker and a NS-SW40 subwoofer.  I’ve had it since roughly 2015.  I got it at the time because of the multiple HDMI inputs and single output.  I came home today and found one of the B40 speaker had been pulled off of the wall due to cat and broke.  I’m lost on whether I should replace all
2. of the speakers or just go to a 5.1 soundbar with a wireless subwoofer and rear speakers.  Looking for help reaching a decision.

Is there anything that your current system is doing badly or not doing, that a 5.1 soundbar with rear speakers would do?

 

It would certainly cost a lot more money (especially if you want to maintain similar quality). Your best bet would be to try and find a replacement speaker (NS-B40). I couldn't quickly locate new ones, but someone is selling a pair of used ones on eBay for ~$50:

https://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=ns-b40&_sacat=0

 

Alternatively, you could replace the missing speaker with a comparable current-model alternative - either from Yamaha, or from another brand. That could cause sound-mismatch issues, but IMO I would go down this route, especially if I couldn't find used B40's or I wasn't happy with their performance.

 

If you replace the single B40 with something similar but different, I would suggest making sure your front L + R are a matched pair of B40's - if you're gonna have a mismatch, having it on the Surround Speakers will likely cause less noticeable issues.

 

[sm1th5]

Do not downgrade to a soundbar. You will regret it.

 

Just replace the speaker. Even if it's one pair at a time. You will be far happier with this option.

[dalekphalm]

8 hours ago, sm1th5 said:

Do not downgrade to a soundbar. You will regret it.

To be fair, a soundbar is not necessarily a downgrade - it really does depend on the soundbar in question. Though he already has a fairly decent setup, so I personally would not want to scrap the whole setup over a single dead speaker.

8 hours ago, sm1th5 said:

Just replace the speaker. Even if it's one pair at a time. You will be far happier with this option.

IMO he doesn't even need to replace them in pairs - just replace the one dead speaker. At most, re-arrange them so that the Front L+R are matched (OP didn't specify which speaker broke).

[dilpickle]

Also check if your speaker is actually broken or not. It might just be the case or the wiring.

[dalekphalm]

1 hour ago, dilpickle said:

Also check if your speaker is actually broken or not. It might just be the case or the wiring.

True - though if it fell off a taller shelf or the wall and hit the floor, even if the driver is fine, it's probably toast due to a busted housing.

 

Could likely salvage parts from it to either rebuild or repair if the OP wanted a fun project, but it's not something for the faint of heart.

[wseaton]

14 hours ago, sm1th5 said:

Do not downgrade to a soundbar. You will regret it.

 

Just replace the speaker. Even if it's one pair at a time. You will be far happier with this option.

This.

 

I've heard most of the mid to higher end sound bars and prefer my $400 Emotiva T0 towers in two channel mode. DSP can't make up for lack of physics in terms of drivers.

[sm1th5]

On 11/10/2022 at 4:33 AM, dalekphalm said:

IMO he doesn't even need to replace them in pairs - just replace the one dead speaker. At most, re-arrange them so that the Front L+R are matched (OP didn't specify which speaker broke).

Good luck buying a single speaker. 90% of the time they come In pairs. The only singles are when it's a center or maybe ceiling speakers.

 

Bookshelf and towers. Generally not available in a single. At least not in my country that I've ever seen.

[dalekphalm]

8 hours ago, sm1th5 said:

Good luck buying a single speaker. 90% of the time they come In pairs. The only singles are when it's a center or maybe ceiling speakers.

 

Bookshelf and towers. Generally not available in a single. At least not in my country that I've ever seen.

I'm sure it varies. I've seen both pairs and singles, but pairs do seem to be more common. Either way, OP should be spending the minimum amount necessary to solve the issue - if that means buying a pair, so be it. I just don't want him to think he needs to buy a pair of speakers, if he can get his hands on an individual replacement.