Hi everyone!
I'm a complete noob in a/v, so please bear with me. I have some questions about receivers and speakers, and was hoping people could provide some input or point me in the direction of some good resources. I'm in the process of starting to piece together an entry-level system that I can slowly add to over the years as I get both more experience and more money.
1) Receiver:
I'm trying to decide between the Pioneer VSX-823-K and the Denon AVR-E300. I actually have enough airmiles points to get the Pioneer with airmiles (so free!), and it has more HDMI inputs than the Denon which was something that was important for me. I'm just wondering if there is anything that anyone with more experience (who isn't a salesperson) knows that I don't and should be aware of.
Also, do I need/should I be looking at getting an amp as well as the receiver?
2) Speakers:
I currently have a Yamaha 2.0 stereo system that has speakers that I think would work for this system. The speakers are the Yamaha NS-BP100's, @ 6ohm with 30w nominal and 90w max power specs (from back of speakers). I'm still researching speakers for the home theatre system, but would these Yamaha speakers work in the interim? The Pioneer pumps 100w/channel and the Denon 80/channel.
Also, I've been reading lots about Polk speakers, and am liking what I'm learning about their stuff (like the look of the TSi and RTiA series). I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about other brands (Boston Acoustics?) that I should check out. I listen to a WIDE variety of music and watch a fairly wide array of movies/shows, so I assume versatility is important (if that's even an issue with speakers). Hoping to drop maybe $600 on either 2 bookshelf or 2 bookshelf + sub to start the system.
Sorry for the long post. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated! You can always pm me off-board if you'd prefer to contact me that way. Thanks in advance!