Need recommendations!

[rbelden]

Yup. I'm a newbie to the site and I have searched high & low for a reviewing site or publication that could supply recommenations for an A/V receiver based on my requirements. I know there must be a thousand posts here with suggestions but my requirements are different so I too must ask for your help. I'll try and supply as much info as possible for all of you.

Installed Area: 16x20 Theater area with raised seating enclosed by 2 walls and heavy fabric curtain on 2 sides. Not sure how much this matters but I want to be thorough.

Speakers: I'll be purchasing another speaker setup from ORB audio as we already have a set on our upstairs theater. Their sound is quite plentiful and good enough for my needs plus my wife likes the facts that they are so small you barely notice them. If you have a better suggestion for the speakers that can provide the same sound & size for less money I'm all ears!

Video: I plan on purchasing a projector unit (not sure which model yet) with a motorized drop down screen. Need to make sure that the receiver will be compatible with any good quality video unit I decide upon.

Feature requirements:

1. I have 3 different listening needs for this receiver
Movies in the theater.
Music in the same area (with the curtain out of the way)
Outside entertainment area by the pool.

I would love to be able to provide for more than one area at a time but understand if that is asking too much.

2. IPOD ready for my 8 yo daughter.

3. Network capable so that I can forward music & video to it from my PC during events.

4. Price really does not matter but I don't believe in waisting money either. I don't see the need for 11 channels or even any more than 5 for that matter. I know that most movies don't support more than 5.1 anyway. However, I don't want to buy the unit and wish I had went with more channels 6 months from now.

I think that's it for now. If I can provide any more info to help let me know.

 

[chadnliz]

Well you going to need more then 5 channels if you want second zone speakers so you are at 7 channels now, 9 if you ever want 7.1 which looks like you dont. Onkyo units do everything you need at a reasonable price.

 

[Seth=L]

Yamaha RX-V3800, Integra DTR-5.8, and the Denon AVR-2808CI all feature Networking ability along with the other features you require. You may need additional amplification (one two channel amplifier) to power the second zone for the pool (this would allow both the pool area and theater to be run at once). You may be able to use the surround back channels on some of these receivers (the Integra does this, I am pretty sure) to power the second zone speakers outside.

The DTR-5.8 is probably the least expensive (MSRP) but it is only available at authorized B&M dealers. The Denon can be found for as low as $700 online.

 

[rbelden]

The Yamaha 3800 was one of the units I was leaning to. I happend to notice the RX-Z11 while I was on Yamaha's website looking at the 3800 and wanted to know if anyone thought all those extra bells & whistles were worth the cash. We have a Yamaha RX-V992 unit upstairs that we have had for many years and it has performed excellent. People still comment on how good it sounds. Thanks for the input!

 

[Seth=L]

The Yamaha 3800 was one of the units I was leaning to. I happend to notice the RX-Z11 while I was on Yamaha's website looking at the 3800 and wanted to know if anyone thought all those extra bells & whistles were worth the cash. We have a Yamaha RX-V992 unit upstairs that we have had for many years and it has performed excellent. People still comment on how good it sounds. Thanks for the input!

The extra power and flexibility might be worth the price for the RX-Z11 for some buyers, but your speakers don't need that much power and most people don't need those features. I would look heavily at the DTR-5.8 if you have a local Integra dealer.

 

[jcPanny]

Receiver options

I would recomend a receiver in the $4-500 price range like the new Yamaha RX-V663. It will have more than enough power for the orb speakers and has the Zone 2 feature you need to power a couple speakers on the deck. You might also condier in-wall and in-ceiling speakers for better performance that rates high on asthetics. You can paint the grills to match the wall color.

Consider the Apple TV for streaming Audio, video, and pictures for the PC. You won't need a seperate iPod dock. It is wireless and has a very nice GUI. The networking built into most receiver is not is refined and is limited to audio streaming.