New Receiver for PS3 and Blu-Ray

[bcasey03]

Hey all, new here and am shopping for a new receiver, probably one of the models mentioned in this thread. I'll be upgrading from a 6-7 year old pioneer and one question I have from looking at pictures is why do none of these receivers have a power outlet for a sub?

Aside from that, I'll be hooking up time warner cable box via hdmi, ps3 hdmi, and a wii through component to my Samsung HL-T5687SA(56 inch LED DLP).

Would appreciate suggestions for sub $500 receivers.


Thanks.

 

[bandphan]

why do none of these receivers have a power outlet for a sub?

Thanks.

Huh? power outlet?

 

[bcasey03]

Right now my sub plugs into the back of my receiver for electricity. Do they not work like that anymore?

 

[Seth=L]

Right now my sub plugs into the back of my receiver for electricity. Do they not work like that anymore?

Are you refering to an actual switched AC outlet on a receiver? I would never recommend doing this for a subwoofer, even on an older receiver such as yours. Switched outlets aren't typically well equipped to handle high wattage devices such as subwoofers.

Or...

Are you refering to a speaker like terminal that is used with a passive subwoofer (meaning a subwoofer that doesn't have an internal amplifier)? No stand alone receiver supports such a feature in the current market. Passive subwoofers are a blast from the past, or parts of cheap home theater in a box systems you see at Wal-Mart.

Basically, neither of the above is a good thing. Current subwoofers have "auto signal detection" which means if the subwoofer isn't receiving a signal it goes into a low power state called "standby". Using a switched outlet with such subwoofers is completely unnecessary. Current receivers have subwoofer (line level) preouts that are used to connect powered subwoofers to a home theater system.

 

[bcasey03]

AC outlet. Sorry that was unclear.

 

[Seth=L]

AC outlet. Sorry that was unclear.

Most receivers in this budget don't feature switched outlets, mostly because of the lack of necessity for such a feature based on current standards.

 

[chuck10553]

The best value reciever I can think of with the options you want is the Yamaha 663. I think about the cheapest it can be had for new is around $400.

i have actually been ambitiously looking for this one at a good price and found it for 373 with free shipping here
http://powersellernyc.com/product/view/Yamaha-RXV663BL-Receiver-22124.html?ref=googlebase

sometimes ebay will have it for 350 with free shipping too!! but yea i looks like the best one as far as yamahas go for the price :-D

 

[abefroeman]

The Yamaha RX-V661 is last years model, but it includes HDMI audio processing. Look for one in the $300-350 price range or save a few more bucks for the newer 663. Onkyo is about to come out with some new models (606) so also check for deals on the 605. You definately wont find these kind of prices at BB or CC.

Yup, Just bought a 661 for $295 before shipping. Can't wait for it to get here. Its got to be the cheapest receiver that does all the HDMI stuff.

 

[PENG]

Hey all, new here and am shopping for a new receiver, probably one of the models mentioned in this thread. I'll be upgrading from a 6-7 year old pioneer and one question I have from looking at pictures is why do none of these receivers have a power outlet for a sub?

Power subwoofers can draw a lot of current so it is better to plug them in to separate outlets, in fact a separate circuit if possible. To provide such an outlet for subs, the power cord for the receiver will have to be pretty thick, say AWG#10 instead of the commonly used #14. There are other factors, mostly unfavorable.

 

[H2OFSU]

Top 3 Receivers for PS3?

I'm also looking for a new receiver for my PS3, however I have a budget of $1,500 or less.

I've looked through multiple forums but I can't find any that gives a list of compatible receivers with the PS3. Everyone just says how certain ones won't work. (Mostly because of bitstream vs. linear PCM to decode TrueHD and Master Audio)

I guess I'm looking for a receiver that can handle multichannel 7.1 linear PCM input pass through. But I'm having trouble finding that on spec sheets for receivers when I look for one on BestBuy, CircuitCity, or Crutchfield.

I looked at the Yamaha RX-V3800, but it will only pass through 2 channel PCM. And I've read that it doesn't do well on upconverting video very well. (This is important for my cable box input).

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[kadrik0]

Well, I got the 663. It is a great receiver. I did run into two minor problems. First, for some reason my remote was not working when I went to edit the inputs. The arrows would not work. I just had to have the amp button activated, nothing big, but stopped me for a while.

The second problem I ran into is that I connected the component and hdmi as video outputs to my tv. I am able to get the hdmi video, but not the component. I e-mailed Yamaha. This might be a hdmi priority thing. No big deal if it doesn't, I can just plug my 360 directly into the tv.

Sound: It is amazing. DTS HD and Dolby HD tracks are incredible from my ps3. The system even sounds just as good as my old expensive Yamaha receiver which introduced dolby digital. I did run a side by side comparison of bitstream and lpcm mode on a dolby digital dvd. I used Fleetwood Mac the Dance as test. They basically sounded the exact same. The only difference was that I had to slightly increase the volume by five notches more with lpcm than bitstream. I'm glad I am able to get the exact same sound. Makes me happy for things like Dolby TrueHD where I don't have the equipment to bitstream dolby true hd to the receiver. I highly recommend this product.

One last thing, the speaker connections are kind of close together on the back. If you are skilled in wiring, I would recommend using banana connections. I ran the old fashion way and it took a little while with my fat fingers and short speaker cables. (New entertainment center that really cut the slack on my speaker wiring.) Thanks for all your help.

One last little comment. I may not recommend buying from that seller on ebay for $349.99 and free shipping. He makes you have to sign for packages from UPS. I just became full time and work 9 to 5 so I miss the ups guy. I had to drive an hour into downtown at night to pick this up since that was my only realistic way to get the item.

 

[meliath]

Warm Fuzzy's

Since the PS3 cannot bitstream Dolby TrueHD or DTS-MA (it decodes/converts them to LPCM internally) it's irrelevant whether the receiver has on board decoding for those formats. But as you say, it's technically superior to have the PS3 handle the decoding internally anyway. In this case bitstreaming* is inferior and only has one advantage. The advantage is that warm fuzzy feeling of seeing the DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD logo lighting up on the screen. It makes no audible or visual difference where the decoding takes place.

*Bitstreaming is inferior because it cuts out any secondary audio, such as commentaries or menu sounds.

I recently picked up a PS3 (80g) for a Blu-Ray player. I'm using the optical output from the PS3 for the audio. I've noticed that PS3 games along with regular DVD's will give me the "Multi Channel Decoding" light on my Sony receiver (STR-DE685)...but blu-rays won't. Is this the "warm fuzzy" your talking about in your previous post? Also, I have to manually select Normal Surround Sound when playing a blu-ray disk since my receiver doesn't auto-detect them like it does other DVD's...am I missing something? Do I need an upgrade in the receiver department?

 

[thedude65]

Onkyo 905

Hmm I don't even think you can find one used at that price unfortunately

hi! how long do you have the 905? can you tell me if it gets extremely hot after normal use?

 

[Seth=L]

I recently picked up a PS3 (80g) for a Blu-Ray player. I'm using the optical output from the PS3 for the audio. I've noticed that PS3 games along with regular DVD's will give me the "Multi Channel Decoding" light on my Sony receiver (STR-DE685)...but blu-rays won't. Is this the "warm fuzzy" your talking about in your previous post? Also, I have to manually select Normal Surround Sound when playing a blu-ray disk since my receiver doesn't auto-detect them like it does other DVD's...am I missing something? Do I need an upgrade in the receiver department?

Strange, I would think the PS3 would convert the HD audio formats to standard 5.1 Dolby and DTS formats. Is the Optical output on the PS3 set to bitstream?

 

[thedude65]

Onkyo tx-nr905

Hello to Panjsherri and to anyone else out there that has the Onkyo 905. does it run extremely hot like i've been hearing? I was thisclose to buying one and then hesitated when i heard about the intense heat issue and started to worry about its longevity. Any other problems with the 905? I am stuck between the 905 and the Emotiva UPA-7 amp and Yam863 as a "pre-pro". Any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks!!!!

 

[Seth=L]

Hello to Panjsherri and to anyone else out there that has the Onkyo 905. does it run extremely hot like i've been hearing? I was thisclose to buying one and then hesitated when i heard about the intense heat issue and started to worry about its longevity. Any other problems with the 905? I am stuck between the 905 and the Emotiva UPA-7 amp and Yam863 as a "pre-pro". Any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks!!!!

What is your reason for choosing the RX-V863 over the RX-V663 for the pre/pro?

 

[meliath]

Strange, I would think the PS3 would convert the HD audio formats to standard 5.1 Dolby and DTS formats. Is the Optical output on the PS3 set to bitstream?

Currently my PS3 audio is selected to (Optical) Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, LPCM 2ch 44.1khz, LPCM 2ch 48khz. The LPCM's are pre-selected and I'm unable to de-select them. My receiver prefers the LPCM 2ch 48khz when I play a Blu-Ray...and I have to select Normal Surround sound manually.

 

[thedude65]

Yam863 over 663

What is your reason for choosing the RX-V863 over the RX-V663 for the pre/pro?

hello Seth. the 863 has an xtra hdmi, xtra optical, hd radio, sirius as well as xm radio, and an xtra 10 watts for my outdoor speakers hooked up to the b terminals. a decent amount of xtras over the 663 for not much more in price. the Yam 863 is probably the most up- to- date , feature-rich receiver out there in its price range. the Onkyo 606 is getting a lot of attention as of late, but it only has a sub pre-out while the 863 (and 663) has pre-outs for 7 channels plus DUAL sub-outs. not bad.

 

[meliath]

Seth...your a genius! Your question about being selected to bitstream was right on the mark. Unfortunately still being a newbie with the PS3, I was looking under the Audio options and couldn't find the bitstream option. I got a response from Sony that pointed me to the BD/DVD audio options...selected bitstream and all is good! My receiver now recognizes the Dolby Digital on the Blu-Ray disks and sounds fantastic! Thanks for the help

 

[Seth=L]

Seth...your a genius! Your question about being selected to bitstream was right on the mark. Unfortunately still being a newbie with the PS3, I was looking under the Audio options and couldn't find the bitstream option. I got a response from Sony that pointed me to the BD/DVD audio options...selected bitstream and all is good! My receiver now recognizes the Dolby Digital on the Blu-Ray disks and sounds fantastic! Thanks for the help

LOL, glad to know it worked out for you.

hello Seth. the 863 has an xtra hdmi, xtra optical, hd radio, sirius as well as xm radio, and an xtra 10 watts for my outdoor speakers hooked up to the b terminals. a decent amount of xtras over the 663 for not much more in price. the Yam 863 is probably the most up- to- date , feature-rich receiver out there in its price range. the Onkyo 606 is getting a lot of attention as of late, but it only has a sub pre-out while the 863 (and 663) has pre-outs for 7 channels plus DUAL sub-outs. not bad.

Understood. So long as your only reason wasn't the "power" increase, as it means next to nothing if nothing at all.