New Receiver?

[Mike.A]

Well i am looking onto upgrading my receiver fairly soon here seeing as all the prices have been dropping around my home. I am still unsure of what one i would like, i have been looking into the Onkyo's.

If anyone has suggestion because after all i am fairly new at this so any information or help would be much appreciated.

First off you might need to know what I would like it to come with...

I would like 4 HDMI inputs (if not more), have DTS MA, Dolby TrueHD, and all that good stuff. I'd prefer it to have 7.1 channels. Im not doing a pre/pro so i don't need any of that, speakers will be right off the receiver so more what the better right?

Id be mainly using it for my Blu-ray player, XBOX 360 Elite, an HD cable box from comcast.

ANY suggestions?!

 

[Adam]

Any budget limitations?

There's a number of good choices out there, IMO. Onkyo is a good brand, as are Pioneer, Yamaha, and Denon (among others). The Onkyo 606 seems like a good receiver for the price. The Pioneer Elite VSX-01 has my attention, but that's just because of the features that I'm looking to get. Last year's Pioneer Elite VSX-92THX and VSX-94THX have gotten some good reviews here lately, as has the Denon 3808.

 

[Davemcc]

speakers will be right off the receiver so more what the better right?

It would help to know which speakers you have so we can have some idea of how robust a power supply you need before making a suggestion.

 

[Mike.A]

For budget I was looking at around 5/600 give or take. And for the speakers I have Klipsch RF62's for fronts, RC52 for the center, and the RS52's for the rears. It might not be the best set up but I did get an amazing deal on them that I couldn't turn down.

I know in that price rang that the HDMI inputs might be limited, but like I said give or take on the price. So if i could get all I was looking for I'd be willing to pay a little extra.

 

[Chopin_Guy]

I will try to contribute here as I have looked at just about every receiver under the sun in my own recent AVR update. First off, I have not heard the Klipsch speakers you have but did look at the specs, and they are (on paper) extremely sensitive speakers with efficiency ratings in the high 90's (97 for the mains if I remember...might be higher). This means that they will play at higher levels more easily--as such, are easy on the receiver. Which is a bonus as in this price range it would be hard to find a unit with abundant power....

As for the HDMI's I won't sweat that too much either as you can easily get a switcher in a heart-beat. That said, there aren't many receivers in this price range have *4* HDMI's.

So here are the units I would suggest to you:

Onkyo TX-SR606 -- $399 --- *4 HDMI's* / 90 watts x 7 / HD-codec decoding
I only list list because it does have 4 HDMI inputs....for your money you can do much better though....

Yamaha RX-V663 -- $499 -- 2 HMDI / 95 watts x 7 / HD-codec decoding

Marantz SR4003 -- $549 -- 3 HDMI / 80 watts x 7 / *NO* HD codecs


And now a couple that are a little outside you price range...

Denon AVR-1909 -- $649 -- 3 HDMI / 90 watts x 7 / HD-codec decoding

Onkyo TX-SR706 -- $749 -- 4 HDMI / THX Select 2 100 watts x 7 / HD-codec


All of these are good pics....but as I was writing this I remember the current great deal that you can get and IMHO this would be the best use of $600 that cannot be touched by a long shot.

6th Ave. Electronics, who is a Denon dealer, has an unbelievable sale on the AVR-2808ci for $598 shipped....this is for a $1,200 AVR and these are BRAND NEW and not refurbs. 110 watts a channel, with all the HD-codec decoding you wanted, the nicest Audyssey calibration system the MultiEQ XT....and a bunch of other good features. I called 6th Ave. and Denon just has them selling out the remaining supply for this great price, as the 2809ci is on the market now. This unit only has 2 HDMIs but this would be the absolute best that you can get right now and is exactly your stated price range. For $600, this is a no brainer...IMHO

 

[jamie2112]

Very nice info there Chopin.....

 

[Mike.A]

6th Ave. Electronics, who is a Denon dealer, has an unbelievable sale on the AVR-2808ci for $598 shipped....this is for a $1,200 AVR and these are BRAND NEW and not refurbs. .. this is a no brainer...IMHO

I was looking into the Onkyo 706, its a little out of my price rang, but what the hell right? So between the two of them its hard desicion, is the THX Select 2 worth the extra money. Now with the Denon through in the mix im back to square one. What one of the two would be best fro my setup. After all I'm fairly new at this so i don't want to get a new reciever then a few months from now think that i wasted my money.

Origionaly I wanted the Onkyo 806 but that was out of my price rang...

 

[jostenmeat]

I was looking into the Onkyo 706, its a little out of my price rang, but what the hell right? So between the two of them its hard desicion, is the THX Select 2 worth the extra money. Now with the Denon through in the mix im back to square one. What one of the two would be best fro my setup. After all I'm fairly new at this so i don't want to get a new reciever then a few months from now think that i wasted my money.

Origionaly I wanted the Onkyo 806 but that was out of my price rang...

get the 805 instead. Its superior to the 806 and is probably about the same price as the 706. Probably even less.

Ultra amp (twice the weight) means 3.2 ohm stable, and superior DAC.

 

[Chopin_Guy]

Well personally I would still go with the Denon....it is most certainly a better receiver than the Onkyo 706. In terms of real world performance that THX certification is really nothing more than fluff (I think)...in some more expensive models it might mean that you can count on more stout power....but even Onkyo has seems to scale back on what seemed to be outstanding values in say the previous 805 which weighed 50.9 lbs and now the 806 comes in at 37.5...but I digress...not to mention that the 2808ci has more power to begin with.

I don't think the HDMI issue should be enough to keep you from the 2808ci....it is the better AVR without a doubt...

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Coming from a man without an AVR.......

Well personally I would still go with the Denon....it is most certainly a better receiver than the Onkyo 706. In terms of real world performance that THX certification is really nothing more than fluff (I think)...in some more expensive models it might mean that you can count on more stout power....but even Onkyo has seems to scale back on what seemed to be outstanding values in say the previous 805 which weighed 50.9 lbs and now the 806 comes in at 37.5...but I digress...not to mention that the 2808ci has more power to begin with.

I don't think the HDMI issue should be enough to keep you from the 2808ci....it is the better AVR without a doubt...

 

[jostenmeat]

Well personally I would still go with the Denon....it is most certainly a better receiver than the Onkyo 706.

Well, I would go with Denon as well if I was ok with paying DOUBLE for the same performance.

I know specs are hard to trust, but even the biggest and baddest Denon fanboy here, ADTG, put on a spec sheet showing the 805 having equivalent crosstalk and THD as the 3808, while having superior SNR.

All at half the price.

The 805 uses the same Burr Brown model as is used on the $7,000 Denon AVP.


edit: put that $500 savings where it will matter more, which is anywhere else: display, treatments, speakers, sub, heck even a remote control, .. meh.

 

[Mike.A]

Well, I would go with Denon as well if I was ok with paying DOUBLE for the same performance.

The Denon he is talking about is 600$, and isn't the Onkyo 805 sitting at around 600$ also? then where does the paying double in, dont get me wrong I'm not being biest just trying to underdstand.

 

[jostenmeat]

The Denon he is talking about is 600$, and isn't the Onkyo 805 sitting at around 600$ also? then where does the paying double in, dont get me wrong I'm not being biest just trying to underdstand.

The Denon he is talking about is not really in the ballpark of the 805. The 805 is most oft compared to the 3808, and even the 4xxx series by a few.

However, you might not need the beefier power supply/amplifier. That will depend on the volumes you wish to obtain, the distance you sit from speakers, minimal and nominal impedances, and perhaps any difficult phase angle issues.

What speakers are you driving, what SPL levels do you intend to achieve, and how far do you sit from them?

Regarding the Yam 663, IMO it definitely has the greatest lack in features. Then again, I'd still opt for it over the 606 only for the preouts. The 663 cannot matrix bitstreams of hi-def HT tracks, has limited BM, will clip BTB/WTW for HTPC users, and has only 2 hdmi in's.

If you have 5.1 system, don't worry about matrixing. If you use a PS3, or are unpacking in the player, same thing: non-issue.

good luck.

 

[Chopin_Guy]

What Jost is saying about the 805 is all very true, but there have been many reports of reliability on the Onkyos aside from the widely stated fact that the 805 does run very hot. So if you will have to be putting this AVR in an area that is not open...I would not suggest it. Your speakers are very efficient as stated previously...so unless you listen to your music and movies at ear-blistering levels you have no applicable justification for the added power in the 805...

So yes the 805 can be had for about the same that you can have the 2808 for $598 shipped....I promote the Denon in terms of reliability given everything that has been brought to light on the '05' line...and I have owned both Denon and Onkyo before, so I am trying to be objective as possible in this...

 

[Mike.A]

What speakers are you driving, what SPL levels do you intend to achieve, and how far do you sit from them?

To answer that question, like I said before I have the Klipsch 62 series. Running the RF62's fro the front, RC52 for the center and RS52 for rears. I don't play them at very loud setting. I guess you could say normal movie volumes, I don't know how to describe the sound threw text sorry. It's mainly used as a HT, but like most of us I'd say when I'm alone they do play a little loader then usual (not "ear-blistering levels" though). Also I'd say that furthest away from a speaker id be would be 8-10' and thats from the fronts and center. The rears are much closer.

As for the 805 overheating that might be a little of a problem, it would have to sit in my entertainment stand that has a opening of about 22" by 8" although the hight is adjustable, that could be to much of a confounded space for that?

And yes I use the PS3 as my BD player.

 

[jostenmeat]

I see. Welp, Klipsch are known to have very high sensitivity, so I'd really pick based on the feature set. good luck, Im sure you will find something very suitable.

*I wouldn't say the 805 over-heats, but it runs warmer than most receivers. I have one as an HT pre. I also have a Cambridge integrated that also gets just as warm, cuz, well, its A class up to 10 watts.

Again, I say just get the feature set you desire. Use any savings elsewhere. My vote: acoustical treatments, if you are very happy with your speakers.

 

[Rogozhin]

I purchased my (it's an impressive receiver) Pioneer 92 Elite refurb for $600, but it only has 3 HDMI inputs, not 4, so you may rule it out based upon that lacking feature set.

 

[Mike.A]

Well after you mentioned the Pioneer 92, I did some searching and found the Elite 94 for about 700$ shipped. Now that has Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD but not DTS-MA, am i missing something or is it just missing that format.

 

[Auragon67]

And now a couple that are a little outside you price range...

Denon AVR-1909 -- $649 -- 3 HDMI / 90 watts x 7 / HD-codec decoding

Onkyo TX-SR706 -- $749 -- 4 HDMI / THX Select 2 100 watts x 7 / HD-codec

6th Ave. Electronics, who is a Denon dealer, has an unbelievable sale on the AVR-2808ci for $598 shipped....this is for a $1,200 AVR and these are BRAND NEW and not refurbs.

I am also looking to purchase a new Receiver. I was looking through this thread and these 3 systems cought my eye. I dont need more then 2 HDMI inputs as i only use my PS3 and HD PVR. The ONLY thing i need is the ability to accept HD Audio formats through the HMDI cables. I have a 7.1 setup but currently can not make use of all the speakers because my receiver only has HMDI pass-through and its video only . I think that HDMI 1.3 repeater is the way to go??

this is what i use now

Onkyo HT-S5100
Power: 130 Watts / channel + 290 Watt sub-woofer
3 x HDMI 1.2a inputs
Speakers:

Front: 5" (12 cm) cone woofer, 1" (2.5 cm) balanced-dome tweeter (X2)
Center: 3.25" (8 cm) cone woofer x2, 1" (2.5 cm) balanced-dome tweeter
Surround: 3.25" (8 cm) cone (X2)
Surround Back: 3.25" (8 cm) cone (X2)
Subwoofer: 10" (25 cm) cone
Receiver:

Onkyo HT-R560 similar to the Onkyo TX-SR506 with more power
7.1 channel with 130 Watts / channel
3 x HDMI pass-thru supporting 1080Tp (no audio)
Second zone of audio (stereo) with main zone up to 5.1
Supports front L/R speaker bi-amping
Digital Audio: 2 x optical, 2 x coaxial

I am wondering which of these receivers would best suit my system. I dont need a top of the line system, i really just want to be able to watch movies and play games in a 7.1 setup. Also a bonus(but not needed) would be the ability to listen to music from my ps3 or a cd or ipod through ALL the speakers. I dont know if this is possible(since its not a HD format) or i would just have to tweak the settings. Any information would be awesome.

Have mercy on a Home Theatre newb lol

Thanks

 

[Chopin_Guy]

Ok well, any of the AVRs that I suggested in that list will work just fine. But it would be easier to answer your question if you said WHAT speakers you have an not just the driver specs....what really matters in terms of picking an AVR is their OHM rating and the EFFICIENCY rating. So if you could let us know that we would be able to steer you more correctly...

Aside from that, if your budget is the same I will maintain that the Denon 2808ci with its current sale price will be your best bet by far...now if you have more money to spend then that will open some more possibilities. But the 2808 has the 2 HDMIs like you need so that will be just fine....

Just as a note if you are using the PS3 as your blu-ray player and you think you be able to get to use the HD-codec decoding in the AVR of the DTS-MA and DD-HD....you WILL NOT be able to do this. The PS3 decodes the formats INTERNALLY and sends them over the HDMI via PCM.

A blu-ray has to be able to bitstream(send the uncompressed audio via HDMI) the audio to the receiver in order for it to decode it in the HD-format....and the PS3 does NOT bitstream. All this means you still get the benefit of the audio format...yet you do not get the satisfaction of seeing the DTS-MA or DD-HD light up on the display...no big deal really...

All of this aside, if you let us know what speakers you have that wold help but at the same price point, and with your stated needs the 2808ci should be perfect for you...