new receiver for 2.1 home theater

[bikemig]

I need (OK really want, ) a new receiver for a 2.1 home theater. Not that it matters much but the speakers are Ascend CMB 170s.

I'm sorely tempted to buy the Onkyo TX 8270 stereo receiver as it has everything I need (HDMI inputs, ample power, airplay, chromecast, bass management). I can pick up one refurbished for right around $350 plus shipping.

My only concern is whether some of the devices I'm likely to connect to it are likely to use some kind of audio codec (and apologies since I'm not really familiar with the right terminology) that a stereo receiver (as opposed to say an AV receiver) will be unable to handle.

I have 3 devices connected to my home theater set up: a chromecast TV dongle, a blu ray player, and a cable box. I reckon that I can always set up the blu ray player to output 2 channel but I'm not so sure about the audio streams for the chromecast device or the the cablebox. My guess is that I really don't understand the technology that well and this is not likely to be a potential problem?

Obviously I could get an AV receiver and they are very competitively priced but I don't need all the bells and whistles they come with so I was hoping to get away with a stereo receiver that has HDMI inputs like the Onkyo.

 

[Drunkpenguin]

I have a 7.1 receiver driving my 2.1 living room. You don't need to change any settings on bd players or chrome cast. The receiver will handle all of that for you and output stereo mode. I watch netflix all the time on that system and it outputs as stereo. I'm not sure if the receiver down mixes or chooses a stereo mix, but it works fine.

 

[bikemig]

Getting an AV receiver even for a 2.1 is the easiest isn't it? Otherwise I think I'd have to set up all the inputs (google TV dongle, blu ray, and cable box) for 2 channel since the stereo receiver can't do this. Still that Onkyo TX 8270 is a nice unit but perhaps not for this job.

 

[lovinthehd]

Another vote for avr having all the features and more, even if you don't use/need them (now). For the price especially. Size of box may lean towards the 8270, tho.

 

[bikemig]

I suspect all the votes on this website will be for an AV receiver. They're good value given economies of scale and they can handle different audio streams.

What I was trying to figure out is how a stereo receiver with HDMI inputs like the Onkyo TX 8270 would deal with different digital audio streams. I suspect what you would have to do is to configure each of those streams--from a blu ray player, cable box, video streamer, etc.---so that the audio stream is only 2 channel. I'm not entirely sure how to do that especially for the cable box.

Edit: I think this answers my question. I'll need to double check with the manual for the TX 8270 but I think this is how it works:

"HDMI inputs support PCM and DSD audio formats only; no built-in Dolby® Digital decoding"

So basically I need to set all the devices that input into the stereo receiver to send the digital audio out using PCM or DSD and I should be good to go. I have no idea what format a cable box uses though. I guess I'll find out. I really like the TX 8270. It will be a heck of a lot easier to set up than an AV receiver, the amp section looks good, and the price is very competitive at $350 refurbished.

 

[lovinthehd]

I think most cable boxes still have a way of outputting 2.0 via pcm. Just find the audio menu for the cable box and see what your options are. AVRs aren't that difficult to setup, tho; many simply remember your preferences per input for sound format until you change.

 

[bikemig]

I think the emphasis is on most. I've been doing some reading online about cable boxes and apparently some do not have a way of outputting 2.0 via pcm. I only have 2 HDMI inputs for the TV and one of them is for the google dongle, sigh, lol. Looks like I'll be doing some more research.

Well the ONKYO TX RZ820 looks to be a beast of an amp and the prices on it are very good, $599 new and $480 refurbished. It has a heck of an amp section and more bells and whistles than I'll ever use or need.

 

[lovinthehd]

While I don't think of receiver amps in terms of being "beasts" it does remind me of this article https://www.audioholics.com/av-receiver-reviews/onkyo-rz-series-a-v-receivers

 

[PENG]

I think the emphasis is on most. I've been doing some reading online about cable boxes and apparently some do not have a way of outputting 2.0 via pcm. I only have 2 HDMI inputs for the TV and one of them is for the google dongle, sigh, lol. Looks like I'll be doing some more research.

Well the ONKYO TX RZ820 looks to be a beast of an amp and the prices on it are very good, $599 new and $480 refurbished. It has a heck of an amp section and more bells and whistles than I'll ever use or need.

Aside from the codec thing, the audio specs of the AVR-X3400H and TX RZ820 are superior, most likely more powerful and may result in better sound quality, all else being equal. For under $500 refurbished or $580-$600 brand new in the box, they are the better values even just for 2.1 systems.

The reason why people are recommended those 7.1 AVRs to you is the deep discount you are getting now for them. They were $999 at launch time.

 

[bikemig]

While I don't think of receiver amps in terms of being "beasts" it does remind me of this article https://www.audioholics.com/av-receiver-reviews/onkyo-rz-series-a-v-receivers

I was just thinking that the listed specs,

• 130 watts per channel into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at .08% THD, with 2 channels driven

Was better than anything else I was looking at, plus it has a lot of other bells and whistles. I use both chromecast and airplay for music streaming. It may be worthwhile buying one new at $599 for the 3 year warranty. . . .

Of course if I buy this, I'll want to upgrade my TV and blu ray player, .

 

[lovinthehd]

Of course if I buy this, I'll want to upgrade my TV and blu ray player, .

LOL that's normal around here....

I was just thinking that the listed specs,

• 130 watts per channel into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at .08% THD, with 2 channels driven

Was better than anything else I was looking at, plus it has a lot of other bells and whistles. I use both chromecast and airplay for music streaming. It may be worthwhile buying one new at $599 for the 3 year warranty. . . .
.

Well, 30 watts translates to about 1 dB difference in spl so don't read too much into that (takes a doubling of power to gain 3dB). It also has a full set of pre-outs should you decide an external amp is the way to go.