Please comment on this HT setup

J

John D

Enthusiast
Thanks in advance for anyone who cares to look at this thread and post comments.

I've been doing some HT upgrades recenty, mainly because the surrounds in my Mach Ones turned to dust and didn't realize I could fix them until after I ran out and bought the RM6005 set at the Future Shop Boxing Day sale. Got in line at around 5:00 AM for that one!

I've included the prices (in Canadian dollars w/o taxes) for the recent speaker purchases for anyone who wishes to comment on if the prices were good or not.

Here is my present setup: (after returing the Polk setup for the Velodyne subwoofer). I know it is by no means top of the line, but my budget was very limited.

Receiver: Kenwood VR-409
Front Speakers: Paradigm Titans ($200)
Center Speaker: Paradigm CC-170 ($220)
Surround Speakers: Paradigm Titans ($200)
Subwoofer: Velodyne DPS-12 ($429 -- reg price was $600)
-----------
TV: Just an old RCA 27" which I plan to upgrade to a larger HDTV within the next year or so (hopefully).
VCR/DVD: Toshiba SD-V392
CD Player: Citizen 5 disc (Model number 4007 or 4003 or something like that -- I can't remember). If anyone has any info on this, can you please let me know. I don't really know what the specs are for this one, but it has lasted over 10 years without any problems.

Thanks again for any replies.
 
Rocky

Rocky

Audioholic
heh, its alright, I would seriously look at upgrading the receiver though. I have a kenwood right now and I dont like it at all, and the specs are wayyyyy bloated
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
The receiver is definitely the weak point. That is pretty close to my first setup - Titans front and rear with a CC-170. Not bad at all for the money.

There's a "Member's systems" area for this sort of thing.
 
J

John D

Enthusiast
Sorry, I didn't notice the 'Members systems' area

j_garcia said:
The receiver is definitely the weak point. That is pretty close to my first setup - Titans front and rear with a CC-170. Not bad at all for the money.

There's a "Member's systems" area for this sort of thing.

The receiver is several years old. I recently looked at the specs in the manual and noticed that the 100W ratings were either in stereo (100W + 100W) or with one channel driven in surround mode. I am content with the setup for now (especially after getting rid of the RM6005 satellites -- didn't have them hooked up for a week before I was looking for something else!). The receiver has all the inputs I need for the time being, and I cannot watch movies too loud now anyways because our 14 month old ends up waking up on us. When he gets older (or I get my dedicated HT room -- read:garage), I may be able to get a better receiver. I may even have some more cash to do it with.

Having said that, can anyone suggest a low-budget decent receiver that has the inputs of this Kenwood (or more), but would be a better receiver (Just in case I end up spotting something for sale used or with a large clearance-type discount)?

Thanks for the replies so far.

With regards to having posted this in the wrong forum, I coudn't find out how to move it myself, so if one of the Moderators could move it for me, it would be appreciated.
 
jcPanny

jcPanny

Audioholic Ninja
Budget receiver

Look for the Yamaha HTR-5840 or Onkyo 503 for about $200 new. You can also get some good deals on refurbished Onkyo, Denon, and Yamaha receivers from sites like ubid and ecost. If you have more money then step up the model line.
For <$500 you can get a refurbished Yamaha RX-V2500 from ubid. It would make a great mid-fi receiver and provide plenty of power for your paradigms.
 
J

John D

Enthusiast
Have a few more questions

OK, so my receiver may be the weak point of my setup. Is it weak simply because of the lack of power, or is it because it doesn't do a good job of accurately reproducing sound?

The reason I ask is because after reading through several threads on the subject of power output and such, I believe that with the volume turned up on my receiver, I may only be using a couple dozen watts or so while watching movies in surround. Right now, I don't listen to anything at ear-bleeding levels. The most I've turned up the volume to is around -30dB (in stereo mode) or so (reading on the receiver). When I have movies turned up, it is still only around -40 or -45dB. Can anyone give me an estimate as to how much power I am using in those situations? The range is from -99 to 0.

Since I've upgraded to the DPS-12 subwoofer, wouldn't that take most of the strain off the amp in the Kenwood so it could more easily handle the power required for the other speakers at 80Hz and above? I could understand the amp being underpowered when I was using my Mach Ones as mains, without a sub, but shouldn't it be adequate now?

Any input/help/clarification would certainly be appreciated.
 
L

Leprkon

Audioholic General
Hey John,

you might think about a Yamaha RX-V557:

http://www.ubid.com/actn/opn/getpage.asp?AuctionId=10624253

it's the same basic model as the HTR-5840, but it is rated at 90 wpc for the full spectrum while the HTR-5840 is only rate at 1000 Hz. It's running about $ 189 right now, plus shipping.

The next step up they have at U-Bid, the RX-V757 at $ 319 has really good features, but is not much of an improvement sound-wise over the 5840.

I didn't see any today, but they sometimes have the Onkyo 602 for under $ 230, which would be a really solid buy. It's last year's model and won't have all the video bells and whistles, but it has some solid audio specs. Keep your eyes open and bide your time. It doesn't sound like you are in a hurry.

As far as the TV, you might want to look at this site. They have some excellent prices on 30 inch standard HDTV's

http://www.outlet.philips.com/b2c_redesign/b2c/productdetail.do?productguid=41907ABB9A6F008D00000000828BD47242B93049051F0A7500000000828BD443&productarea=41907ABB9A6F008D00000000828BD472&scenario=catalog&shop=OUTLET

I got my Mom's 37 inch LCD Christmas present there and have a 30 inch LCD form them of my own.
 
Sheep

Sheep

Audioholic Warlord
There's a "Member's systems" area for this sort of thing.
Thats only for showcasing your Setup. Advice on the setup can be done ins amp, speaker, or general AV forums.

Another reciever might be a better option. Check out the Pioneer 1015TX, VSX-815, or some of the Yamaha's in your price range.

SheepStar
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
John D said:
The receiver is several years old. I recently looked at the specs in the manual and noticed that the 100W ratings were either in stereo (100W + 100W) or with one channel driven in surround mode. I am content with the setup for now (especially after getting rid of the RM6005 satellites -- didn't have them hooked up for a week before I was looking for something else!). The receiver has all the inputs I need for the time being, and I cannot watch movies too loud now anyways because our 14 month old ends up waking up on us. When he gets older (or I get my dedicated HT room -- read:garage), I may be able to get a better receiver. I may even have some more cash to do it with.

Having said that, can anyone suggest a low-budget decent receiver that has the inputs of this Kenwood (or more), but would be a better receiver (Just in case I end up spotting something for sale used or with a large clearance-type discount)?

Thanks for the replies so far.

With regards to having posted this in the wrong forum, I coudn't find out how to move it myself, so if one of the Moderators could move it for me, it would be appreciated.

Your receiver has power to meet your needs. Looks like it has the inputs you need. You live with real constraints of a family. I don't see a need to upgrade at this point. Save for tomorrow.:D
 
J

John D

Enthusiast
Thanks for replies

Thanks for all the helpful replies and advice so far.

With regards to suggestions of budget receivers, 'budget' in my sense of the term would be in the $500 to $700 range (CDN of course). I see that Future Shop has the Yamaha HTR5890 on right now for $799 ($200 off), so if I was looking to spend 500 to 700, I would definately be looking at this one! But, I won't need to worry about this now, because I will be winning the RX-V2600 from this site! :) I guess it's safe to assume that any of the models from this Yamaha line (HTR5840 through 5890) would be a good choice -- based on my needs. I am using Future Shop models as examples because the other HT stores in my area don't have very informative websites, but when I get in the market, I will certainly be checking the models from other stores and researching specs/opinions online (most likely this website/forum).

Funny thing happened this morning. The GF told me that when she turned on the stereo this morning, she could hear some kind of static coming through the speakers before the sound turned on (there is a few second delay between power up and actual sound -- I believe it is a feature of the receiver). I haven't heard anything myself, but I will be paying more attention now.

With regards to the HDTV, thanks Leprkon for the link, but when I do upgrade to the new TV, it will be most likely be around the 48" to 55" size. If I ever manage to get a HT room, I may even consider a good Front Projection setup.

Thanks mtrycrafts for the advice. It may actually be the best advice yet! But, sometimes when someone gets an upgrade 'itch', it is sometimes difficult and expensive to scratch! I think I have my speaker upgrade itch scratched ( I was actually quite happy, until the surrounds in my Mach Ones turned to dust -- and it all spiriled down from there), but I may have to quit these audio forums cold turkey to keep from getting the receiver upgrade itch! :D
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
John D said:
Thanks mtrycrafts for the advice. It may actually be the best advice yet! But, sometimes when someone gets an upgrade 'itch', it is sometimes difficult and expensive to scratch! I think I have my speaker upgrade itch scratched ( I was actually quite happy, until the surrounds in my Mach Ones turned to dust -- and it all spiriled down from there), but I may have to quit these audio forums cold turkey to keep from getting the receiver upgrade itch! :D
Don't you have free medical up there? Call for an appointment about that itch:D It should be cheaper.:D
 
J

John D

Enthusiast
mtrycrafts said:
Don't you have free medical up there? Call for an appointment about that itch:D It should be cheaper.:D
Yes, the government medical plan is free here (covered through taxes), and I also have another health plan through work, but neither of these cover this type of illness, which is classified as 'cosmetic'!
 
mtrycrafts

mtrycrafts

Seriously, I have no life.
John D said:
Yes, the government medical plan is free here (covered through taxes), and I also have another health plan through work, but neither of these cover this type of illness, which is classified as 'cosmetic'!
Well, in that case, be prepared for an expensive bill:D
 

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