Hey everyone,
I've been having issues with my Onkyo 707 and am now looking for a replacement. The Denon 4311 looks nice but I'd like some second opinions.
For the past several months, my 707 will randomly lose video while watching (TV, blu-ray, Xbox-source doesn't matter). The sound still plays and the TV shows the "no source connected" message. Changing HDMI cables and inputs on the TV didn't help; power cycling will occasionally help but usually I just have to wait. My conclusion was the HDMI board is going bad but I wanted to try a processor reset first. Well, I did that today and when I was re-measuring the sub response I found that the receiver is mis-applying the LPF to the subwoofer signal. What I get is a knee around 60 Hz but a slope that changes when I adjust the crossover frequency in the settings. I'm not sure if this is new (not likely, as I've been trying to solve a subjective lack of upper bass for a couple years), but either way I've had it with this POS.
Here's my current equipment
-Emotiva UPA-5 amp
-Usher UA-721 fronts, Paradigm Monitor surrounds and rears
-2 DIY Kappa Perfect subs driven by a Behringer amp with on-board EQ
-Panasonic VT50 plasma
-Denon DBP-1611, Roku, DirecTV and Xbox 360
-URC MX-450 with base station and RF lighting
-Belkin power center (for turning off sub amp)
-DIY and GIK acoustic treatments
Here's what I need in a new receiver
-Preouts: XLR sub outs would be nice but not required
-2 HDMI outputs: I'd like to add a projector in the future, mirrored is fine
-1 or more 12V trigger for my amps
-IR flasher input
-Room Correction: I'm leaning toward Audyssey XT32 for the dual sub setup, everything else is pretty much a wash
-At least 7 channels, preferably 9+. Assignability is desirable but not required. I have the external amp channels for the receivers that need them to expand past 7
-At least 5 HDMI inputs
Stuff I don't care about
-Video processing: the VT50 makes it superfluous
-Network features: Airplay would be OK but the rest of it does nothing for me. That's why I have the Roku.
-Multi-zone: won't really be used, besides the 2nd HDMI output for the future projector
-IP/RS232/bluetooth: probably won't be used
-3D/4k: not impressed by either really
Budget: $1300 max (retail price of Denon x4000). I'm ok with refurbs if they come from a reputable place like Accessories4less.
From my looking, the top choice is the Denon 4311. It's $1000 at accessories4less right now. The price and build are better than the x4000, and the extras (4K, DTS neo:X, networking) aren't on my priority list.
I happen to have some extra amps so a pre-pro could actually work for me. The Sherbourn PT-7030 looks interesting, but pre-pros are an area where my familiarity is lacking.
Thanks for your help!
Mike