Looking for the best reciver plus subwoofer I can get for under $500 total.

[mattso88]

Right now I have an old Sony receiver and one of the passive "super woofers". I'm aware that the sub woofer won't work with new receivers so I need a new one. I have Pioneer SP-BS22-LR
fronts, which I am very happy with. Anyways I'd like to not go over $500 for the pair. I'm pretty sure most things would sound better than what I have now.

* A few notes about my personal needs- I'm in a smaller room and the main thing I care about is audio quality. It'll be in a 2.1 setup, but I'd like the capability of 5.1 or more in case I move it into a bigger room. The receiver I have now doesn't even have things like bass management. I don't consider my self an audiophile and I can't necessarily notice slight nuances between two similarly priced receivers/ speakers, I can definitely tell the difference between the receiver I have now and the more modern receivers. It would be a bonus if I could somewhat future-proof with things like HDMI 2.0 and 4K features, but I mainly want the best sound for the money. The only reason I want a sub-woofer is because I need a new one because the one I have now doesn't work with new receivers.

 

[GIEGAR]

Hi Matt. Welcome to the forum!

For the money, I believe the following will give you performance that's very tough to beat:

• Sub $270 See this post: http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/help-buying-1st-subwoofer.92231/#post-1055187
• AVR $220 Factory refurbished Denon AVR-X1000: http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavrx1000/denon-avr-x1000-5.1-channel-networking-receiver-w/airplay/1.html

The Denon AVR-X1000 does not have HDMI 2.0 or 4K/Ultra HD compatibility, but has the potential for superior sound quality by virtue of running the very good Audyssey MultEQ XT.

For HDMI 2.0 and 4K/Ultra HD compatibility at that price, you would need to go for something like the Denon AVR-S500BT ($190+shipping), but you give up ground on sound quality due to the lack of Audyssey. (And possibly not all that future-proof anyway.)

Edit: In respect of future-proofing, have a read of this article: http://www.audioholics.com/hdtv-formats/hdmi-2.0-hdcp-2.2 and this excellent post: http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/denon-avr-x5200w-and-avr-x4100w-av-receiver-preview.91590/#post-1045671.

The Denon AVR-S500BT does not indicate HDCP 2.2 compatibility for it's HDMI 2.0 port(s), so when native 4K content eventually arrives, it will not accept it. Therefore, scratch the S500BT from consideration.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Hi Matt. Welcome to the forum!

For the money, I believe the following will give you performance that's very tough to beat:

• Sub $270 See this post: http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/help-buying-1st-subwoofer.92231/#post-1055187
• AVR $220 Factory refurbished Denon AVR-X1000: http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavrx1000/denon-avr-x1000-5.1-channel-networking-receiver-w/airplay/1.html

+1. For $500 total budget you won't find better options. Only way to top the sub (at this price) is with DIY, but it's whole another topic...
You could peruse local CL for used stuff, but I am highly doubtful of great deals or honest sellers. Keep in mind AC4L refub has real 1 year warranty, same as a new product.

 

[mattso88]

Hi Matt. Welcome to the forum!

For the money, I believe the following will give you performance that's very tough to beat:

• Sub $270 See this post:
• AVR $220 Factory refurbished Denon AVR-X1000:

The Denon AVR-X1000 does not have HDMI 2.0 or 4K/Ultra HD compatibility, but has the potential for superior sound quality by virtue of running the very good Audyssey MultEQ XT.

For HDMI 2.0 and 4K/Ultra HD compatibility at that price, you would need to go for something like the($190+shipping), but you give up ground on sound quality due to the lack of Audyssey. (And possibly not all that future-proof anyway.)

Edit: In respect of future-proofing, have a read of this article:

The Denon AVR-S500BT does not indicate HDCP 2.2 compatibility for it's HDMI 2.0 port(s), so when native 4K content eventually arrives, it will not accept it. Therefore, scratch the S500BT from consideration.

Do you think it is wise to spend more on the Sub? Would it be smarter to buy something like the F12 and go with a more expensive receiver?

Deleted links because I need more posts.

 

[GIEGAR]

Sorry Matt, what's an F12? Is it a cheaper sub?

If you're asking if it's wise to spend more on a sub in comparison to an AVR in a system, I'd say: absolutely, yes! Money spent on speakers/subs will always yield a bigger sonic dividend than that spent on electronics. In this case, I chose the best value <$350 sub I know about first, and then the best (IMO) AVR that kept the total under $500. If I had ~$2K to spend on a setup with HT priority, I'd aim for a ~$400 AVR with the balance split almost evenly between speakers and sub (probably slightly favouring speakers).

Edit: Hit this thread a few times to get enough posts to post links: http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/post-pad-thread-for-new-users-that-are-not-spammers.49318/

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

yes, spend most on speakers (including sub) and the bare minimum on electronics. Sub mentioned above is much better choice than bic F12.
Good sub is crucial.