Home theater purchase question

[Derelict]

Hello everyone,

I am in need of some advice for a component(s) purchase. Currently I have a 10+ year old Technics receiver which I am looking to replace. My current budget maxes out at about $2000 and the front runners were the Denon 3808CI and the Onkyo TX-SR875. They seem comparable and offer video processing which is well beyond what I currently have and audio processing leaps and bounds above the Technics.

So the advice part comes here. I started doing some research and realized that with a budget of $2000 I could purchase a system of separates to provide the abilities the Denon and Onkyo have...but maybe do it better. The second system I had in mind would be somewhat like this: Onkyo TX-SR605, Emotiva LPA-1 and a DVDO VP20 all coming to roughly $2000 (according to pricegrabber anyway). What do people think? I am looking for objective and subjective opinions and even suggestions on other receiver/amp/video processor combos that would fit into the $2000 budget. Mostly though I am curious to know which of the options people think would lead to better sound and/or picture.

Fire away!

 

[avaserfi]

While knowing what speakers you own will help with the recommendations as of right now I like the Onkyo over the Denon but when the models are released that could easily change. If you were to go the seperates route I would probably get a Emotiva LPA-1 alongside the Onkyo 605 if its connectivity suits you.

One thing to note is the Emotiva is on sale right now through the 10th for 10% off and free shipping.

 

[Derelict]

While knowing what speakers you own will help with the recommendations as of right now I like the Onkyo over the Denon but when the models are released that could easily change. If you were to go the seperates route I would probably get a Emotiva LPA-1 alongside the Onkyo 605 if its connectivity suits you.

One thing to note is the Emotiva is on sale right now through the 10th for 10% off and free shipping.

Well I don't think I will be making a purchase by the 10th sadly, as much as I want to, but thanks for letting me know about the sale

As for speakers, I am running Paradigm Studio 60 v4 fronts and CC-170 center which will soon be replaced by a Studio CC-690.

I must ask what you meant by the connectivity suiting me? Is it reflective of the 605 having fewer inputs or is it some other factor?

 

[avaserfi]

All I ment is that you wanted to make sure whatever receiver it is had enough audio/video ins/outs to suit your needs as some people need tons or want very specific features.

Your speakers look like they should be pushed by any of the receivers you mentioned previously as well as the receiver/amp combos you mentioned so that shouldn't be a worry.

 

[Derelict]

Sounds good Thanks for the advice!

Is there anyone out there who would be willing to weigh in with opinions on the difference video wise? Would the DVDO make a significant difference from the Onkyo 875 or Denon 3808CI?

 

[jcPanny]

Receiver options

There are some good receiver options in your price range with several new HDMI 1.3 models comming out in the next couple months.

Concerning the Onkyo 605, it does not have pre-amp outputs for use with the LPA-1 or other outboard amp. The Yamaha RX-V661 is a comparable receiver with the pre-amp outputs.

I am currently using the LPA-1 with a Yamaha HTR-5860 and noticed an improvement with my 4 ohm Onix Ref 1 speakers.

For video scaling, unless you have a killer 1080p front projection setup with 120" screen, I would hold off on the external scaller. Consider investing in an HD-DVD or BluRay player (and/or upgraded cable or sat package) so you have an HD source rather than trying to make SD material look better with a scaler. For about $200, the oppo digital DVD players do a great job of upscaling standard DVDs and the new >$1k receivers are starting to include pretty impressive video scaling.

Also what is your speaker setup? The speakers and the room are the most important audio components in your system. Spending $500 on a new receiver and $1500 on speakers and/or room treatments might be a better upgrade path.

 

[Derelict]

Concerning the Onkyo 605, it does not have pre-amp outputs for use with the LPA-1 or other outboard amp. The Yamaha RX-V661 is a comparable receiver with the pre-amp outputs.

Haha, well that will show me for not doing some basic research on my other options. Thank you for pointing out that 605 does not have pre-outs, lets me know to take it out of consideration. The Yamaha looks like an intriguing choice, though I wonder if I am better of going to an RX-V1700 and not getting the Emotiva...or maybe even the Onkyo TX-RS805. This would get me a good mix of power (even bi-amping if I want to try it) and I will just leave video processing out of the equation.

Also what is your speaker setup? The speakers and the room are the most important audio components in your system. Spending $500 on a new receiver and $1500 on speakers and/or room treatments might be a better upgrade path.

My speakers are described above, the beginings of a Paradigm Studio setup with a new Studio centre coming irregardless of the receiver choice. As for room treatments I think the layout of the room, two walls of all windows, one of all doors and the back being open to the kitchen make any room treatments impossible (outside of getting some nice heavy drapes to block out the sun for daytime movie watching).

On a side note, looking at the new receivers coming in the near future I noticed that very few have more then one HDMI out (except of course ones out of my price range). From a set up perspective isn't this a great limiting factor? If I wanted to run a cable box, dedicated Blu-Ray player and a gaming console all from the receiver to the display, would I not be stuck using only one of the display's HDMI inputs and be limited to only having one set of calibrations to cover all three sources? Is there some way around this or is my theory incorrect?

 

[MDS]

On a side note, looking at the new receivers coming in the near future I noticed that very few have more then one HDMI out (except of course ones out of my price range). From a set up perspective isn't this a great limiting factor? If I wanted to run a cable box, dedicated Blu-Ray player and a gaming console all from the receiver to the display, would I not be stuck using only one of the display's HDMI inputs and be limited to only having one set of calibrations to cover all three sources? Is there some way around this or is my theory incorrect?

Yes and that would be the same if you used composite, s-video, or component video cables too.

There is no way to calibrate for the cable box unless you happen to find a channel that broadcasts test patterns, perhaps very early in the morning. The dvd player and game console would both be calibrated using a calibration disc. So for all intents and purposes calibrating for a single input on the TV is close enough.

If you really want to maintain separate calibrations per input then you'd have to run the video straight to the TV and use macros on a universal remote to change the TV input when you change the receiver input.