Recommendations for 5.1 compatible AVR

[jeremyrutman]

Hi - I'm looking for a good avr to use with a 5.1 speaker set (HK TS2) , used off ebay for e.g. $100 or less, with HDMI (or I gues optical, both of which my smart TV has) . Can anyone recommend something? I've run across the following in a few days of searching :

HK AVR1700
HK AVR247
Marantz NR1403
Denon AVR1613

 

[BMXTRIX]

Of those, I would get the Denon. It offers up more power and has stable firmware compared to others.

None of these units can pass 4K video over their HDMI ports, so if you want something which will work with HDMI 2.0, you would need a newer unit which would cost more. But, definitely, I would lean towards that Denon.

 

[jeremyrutman]

Would a Sony STR-KS370 do the trick? Also - is there maybe some easier way to get to what I need other than trying to decipher the specs of each model I run across individually - like a table of all units from the past decade, with specs and some rating as to how it sounds....

 

[lovinthehd]

Would a Sony STR-KS370 do the trick? Also - is there maybe some easier way to get to what I need other than trying to decipher the specs of each model I run across individually - like a table of all units from the past decade, with specs and some rating as to how it sounds....

How would anyone be able to rate how it sounds? How it sounds is subjective and we don't all agree Amp sections vary somewhat in how powerful or how low an impedance load they'll handle. Also depends how you use an avr's dsp, where the biggest differences lie otherwise.

The Sony STR-KS370 is a home theater in a box set receiver. These receivers are often dedicated to the speaker set they come with, and may not be particularly interchangeable with other avrs (and to an extent their speakers). STR DN (1080 for example) series is a decent lineup of avrs, though. I wouldn't concentrate on the 5.1 aspect, 7.1 is far more commonly the base model now.

 

[jeremyrutman]

I found a STR-DN1000 without a remote - is it possible to set these up without remote at all? It has an 'input selector' button on the front panel. Will this be able to handle audio from a smart TV which has an HDMI ARC port?
Also , iiuc the thing you need to get right with speakers is the impedance which in the case of the STR-KS370 is expected to be 3ohms, which itself is kind of idiosyncratic no ? So is that what you meant by 'receiver dedicated to speaker set'?
Sorry for the cluelessness, its a bit of a maze in here

 

[lovinthehd]

Briefly looking at the manual for the Dn1000 does appear for setup a remote would be needed since the only front panel control is the input selector. Otherwise could work for your speaker set....

Yes, many HTIB speaker sets are of the 3 ohm variety, often even passive subs so the receivers for them can be a bit specific (a modern avr will only provide for a powered sub). They'd still work with your speaker set, tho the HTIB receivers tend to be very limited in features/connectivity compared to a normal component avr....

 

[Teetertotter?]

@jeremyrutman, I have a Denon 2015 model, S-910W, 7.2, 4K, UHD, HDMI, with remote w printed instructions. It works perfectly. I live in Janesville, WI., for P/U.... $150

This past summer, I bought a 2020 yr Denon model.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I found a STR-DN1000 without a remote - is it possible to set these up without remote at all? It has an 'input selector' button on the front panel. Will this be able to handle audio from a smart TV which has an HDMI ARC port?
Also , iiuc the thing you need to get right with speakers is the impedance which in the case of the STR-KS370 is expected to be 3ohms, which itself is kind of idiosyncratic no ? So is that what you meant by 'receiver dedicated to speaker set'?
Sorry for the cluelessness, its a bit of a maze in here

I would make sure to keep things slow on your end. Go ahead and learn a bit more about how all of this stuff works together.

I think you get the idea that you want to look for a traditional AV receiver with 5-way binding posts for the outputs and a RCA jack for the subwoofer connection.

Be aware that the listed 'OUTPUT' will typically carry the letters (ARC), often in parenthesis, next to the HDMI output to show that it can handle audio return channel (ARC). If it doesn't include those three letters, you would need to refer to the manual to see if the AV receiver is ARC compliant. Even then, I would often just use the optical audio output connection from the TV to the receiver, which would typically work fine.

If you don't have speakers, then take your time there... You seem to indicate that you do have speakers, but I'm not finding a 5.1 set for the HK TS-2 that you listed. Certainly not as a 5.1 set.
But, if you aren't driving things too hard, then I would expect many receivers to not be overburdened by a cheaper 3 ohm speaker set, and then give you some time to get some more standard 8 ohm speakers for the setup.