Entry Level A/V Receiver

[Ryan8886]

I'm trying to get some suggestions to give to my cousin. He's presently running some sort of Polk HTIB speakers (unsure of model) off an old Onkyo TX-SV424. I've had a hard time even finding anything on this receiver....seems it's only an old ProLogic model.
Anyway, I've already told him he'd be better off starting with a speaker upgrade, but he says he's thrilled with the sound from whatever it is he has. So, I'm looking for some A/V receiver suggestions to bring him into the world of improved sound!
Price range is $400-$500 and he's looking to use it as the hub for his system, so it needs video switching. HDMI may not be a requirement but a bonus if it fits the price. I believe he runs everything to a 55" Sony HD RPTV. Not sure if it's CRT or DLP or how he has it cabled. I hope to be able to eyeball this setup sometime this week for a better idea of where he stands.
I favor H/K but want to present him with a few other alternatives....Onkyo, Pioneer, Yahmaha.

 

[Nick250]

If he already has an Onkyo another one would be fine. As long as a given receiver has what he wants, any of the major brands would be fine. The Onkyo is more user friendly than the others, and he already is familiar with them, so there's some logic to that choice. I would think HDMI would make the video switching easier, but it's certainly not a necessity.

Nick

 

[Seth=L]

Onkyo TX-SR604, 674, 605

Yamaha RX-V659, 661

There are many more receivers from Denon, Marantz, Pioneer, H/K that would fit your cousin's needs.

There is no doubt that if he upgrades from a Pro-logic to Dolby Digital/DTS (and formats associated) he will have improved sound even with his present speakers. He can ugrade his speakers sometime later if you can convince him.

 

[MDS]

Just FYI, the Onkyo TX-SV424 is a ProLogic receiver and was released sometime around 1996. I had a TX-SV525 (the next model up) and it is currently in the garage of my sister/brother-in-law's house and still going strong.

They were good receivers but definitely out of date and not good for much more than stereo nowadays.

I'd suggest looking at the Onkyo TX-SR50x models. The current 505 is leaps and bounds ahead of the SV424 and even retail can be had for less than $300.

 

[darien87]

See my review of the Yamaha 661. It's an awesome receiver for the money. Plus it will do up to 7.1 uncompressed surround via HDMI from Blu-ray. That feature alone makes it worth the money IMO.

 

[angstadt530]

If it's 5.1, Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneer, and Denon all have <$300 (bought online) receivers that should work fine. He could use the left over cash to get a decent sub.

 

[Seth=L]

See my review of the Yamaha 661. It's an awesome receiver for the money. Plus it will do up to 7.1 uncompressed surround via HDMI from Blu-ray. That feature alone makes it worth the money IMO.

So it does do 7.1 LPCM, those guys at Yamaha are liars!

 

[darien87]

So it does do 7.1 LPCM, those guys at Yamaha are liars!

Well, I haven't tried it yet. But according to the manual, it does. One weird thing though, the display only has icons for 7 speakers. Maybe it only does 6.1?

 

[Ryan8886]

Onkyo TX-SR604, 674, 605

Yamaha RX-V659, 661

There are many more receivers from Denon, Marantz, Pioneer, H/K that would fit your cousin's needs.

Thanks for the help Seth! I heard the other day that Onkyo was releasing a new receiver. The 605 looks to be a really sweet deal. Lots of nice features at a resonable price. HDMI 1.3, Dolby True HD, DCDi and Audyssey EQ all for a retail around $500 is pretty good. Thinking of advising him that way.....and maybe throwing my H/K on ebay I hate it when that happens!

 

[apatel25314]

the new onkyos look amazing!!!