50th Bithday Gift - an AVR

[fired up]

Hello,

Just turned 50 and need help picking out an AVR that is very musical sounding.
Also, I heard about an AVR that takes my Cable DVR which is at 1080i and upconverts the cablevision movies to 1080P. I am not interested in 3D AVR's as I am legally blind in my left eye and 3D does not work for me. My room size is 20" L X 12'6" W with 8' ceilings. I would happily consider 2009 products as well as 2010 products. My price point is $5,000.00USD.

I have a Sony 40" flat screen, Oppo 980H which I am trading up to the BDP 83 Special Edition, Scientific American Cable Box HD 1080i DVR, Also hooked up via component cables is my twin sons Nintedo Wii. In storage I have 2 different Sony VHS players for special memory tapes - weddings, births,1st home, etc.

It is very important that besides being an an AVR noted for it's ability to play music wonderfully - that in addition it plays my SACD in multichannel format via DSD through the HDMI.

Please help me. My dad suffered a severe stroke a year ago and has since had a heart attack and 2 severe seizures 2 weeks ago. I am the caregiver and have had to put my hopes of a Home Theater on hold while I tend to my Dad.

Very Truly Yours,

Eddie

 

[sholling]

Happy birthday

Most mid priced AVRs will do what you need. Probably the cheapest really good solution would be a refurbished Onkyo TX-SR707 from Accessories For less ($400). It will handle most everything you asked for including upconverting the picture, however I usually just let the TV do that. Most good TVs do as good of a job or better than almost any receiver. The only thing I haven't tried is SACD over HDMI. That I can't vouch for.

 

[fired up]

Thank you sholling for the birthday wishes. Thanks also for the advice. I don't have the time to research everything like I used to because of my circumstances. The ability to transmit DSD over HDMI for my multichannel SACD collection is a big factor as I own close to 150 SACD. I have 3000 Redbook CD's and currently use an Oppo 980H plugged directly into my HD 1080P Sony TV.

Thank you very nuch,

Eddie

 

[sholling]

Thank you sholling for the birthday wishes. Thanks also for the advice. I don't have the time to research everything like I used to because of my circumstances. The ability to transmit DSD over HDMI for my multichannel SACD collection is a big factor as I own close to 150 SACD. I have 3000 Redbook CD's and currently use an Oppo 980H plugged directly into my HD 1080P Sony TV.

Thank you very nuch,

Eddie

I understand the circumstances very-very well because I've been there. Only in my case with both parents with terminal cancer at the same time and living 60 miles apart and just me to care for them and coincidentally I was 50 at the time. They passed 5 years ago. Best wishes with your situation.

I looked DSD up in the TX-SR707's manual for you:

Supported Audio Formats
• 2-channel linear PCM (32–192 kHz, 16/20/24 bit)
• Multichannel linear PCM (up to 7.1 ch, 32–192 kHz, 16/20/24 bit)
• Bitstream (DSD, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, DTSHD Master Audio)
Your DVD/BD players must also support HDMI output of the above audio formats.​

If you want a step up from the TX-SR707 then Accessories for less has factory refurbished TX-NR807 for $550. The 807 adds a bit more power (135wpc vs 100wpc) and streaming media/internet radio support. I've bought two refurbished Onkyos from them over the years and have never had a problem. These are last year's models and the only things that you lose are 1 year of the 2 year warranty and it doesn't come with batteries for the remote.

707 Manual (PDF)
807 Manual (PDF)

 

[Avalon65]

Did I read your post correctly that your budget is five grand?$?$? If so, I would think that the flagship model from any of the major players would get you more than you need and still leave you with some coin in your pocket.

 

[Avalon65]

Did I read your post correctly that your budget is five grand?$?$? If so, I would think that the flagship model from any of the major players would get you more than you need and still leave you with some coin in your pocket.

 

[sholling]

Did I read your post correctly that your budget is five grand?$?$?

Oops I missed that. With that kink of budget I'd be looking at a top of the line Denon or an Onkyo TX-NR5008 or save a few bucks and buy a refurbished TX-NR5007 for $1400. You should have plenty of money left over for an external amp or two or three. I don't have time to research the Denon for DSD but if it were me I'd go with the TX-NR5007.

 

[AVRat]

Happy B'day, I just turned 49 myself at the end of June. Did you ever decide on speakers? This info from a previous thread is still viable.

For my money, I’d prefer the Mythos Ones, or any other quality speaker, combined with a separate sub like an Epik Empire or HSU VTF-2.

You might take a look at the PSB Imagine series, though you may want an amp to drive them.

Paradigm Studio 60/CC590, Denon 4310 through Electronics Expo should be able to get it for around $1300. I’d like to know the largest dimensions for the sub before making a suggestion. The coming SVS SB12-NSD looks like it might be a contender. http://www.svsound.com/products/7_SVS_SBSeriesSheetCES10Web.pdf

 

[Davemcc]

I always like to know which speakers are being used before receiver discussions take place. Speaker sensitivity, ohms, cabinet type or driver configuration could affect the choice to some extent. With that budget, you could get a receiver that would drive everything...but do you really need one like that. I'd expect that if you have a receiver budget of $5K, you should have about $15-20K in speakers already and might like to look into separates depending on your amp requirements.

 

[fired up]

Thank to everyone for the replies. Sorry I'm late in getting back to you.

No - I have not 100% decided on the speakers. I am very strongly leaning towards the Definitive Technology Mythos STS Towers, Mythos Nine as center channel and Gem XL on stands for the surrounds since I have read so many positive reviews about them. About $4450 all together.

Finger slip on the AVR budget $3K would be more in line. I would prefer an AVR with 2 sub outs, And all the Audessy bells and whistles Multi EQ, dynamic volume, microphone and their software that pick out the three or four seating positions of my choice and optimize it.

If I had to I would spend a little more on speakers or AVR. I'm open to suggestions but I don't want to go OCD over everything. I tried to split my money evenly between the speakers and AVR.

One last item I prefer to buy new so I have the full warranty behind me just in case.

Good to hear from you AVRat and I want to keep the budget at $10K total as
I live in a co-op with neighbors all around me. That is what I like about the Def Tech towers each with a built in 300 watt subwoofer and passive radiator. I know I will have to start a separate thread in the speaker section in 2 weeks time. I can't blast my music or movies or I face a co-op board penalty fine.

Thanks,

Eddie

 

[sholling]

If you haven't picked out speakers yet then I'd hold off on the receiver. Choose your speakers first then figure out how much power you need and what features that you want.

 

[AVRat]

Eddie, if you’re dismissing a separate sub because of your living situation, most of the gear we’re recommending can help mitigate the issues while still providing excellent sound quality. Features like Dolby Volume and Audyssey Dynamic Volume helps even out the dynamic range and a sub isolation product helps alleviate sound vibrations.

http://www.auralex.com/sound_isolation_subdude/subdude.asp

I just picked up a Denon AVR-4810CI from Electronics Expo for just over $1900 which will allow a boatload of tweaks to set your system up for your specific needs. Their availability can be hit or miss, but mine was delivered in pristine condition and I’ve done some preliminary configurations hooked up in my office before I install it in my HT setup.

I can empathize if you really don’t want the separate sub. I would also be inclined to go with the DT PM1000s for the surrounds instead of the Gems as well.

 

[fired up]

Taking my family - wife and twin sons to a dude ranch and packed up Sound and Vision, Home Theater, Stereophile, WHAT HI-FI, and The Absolute sound for a little light reading by the pool. We missed 2 years of vacations because of my Dad's medical situation. However, my best friend said to me that I have my own family that needs me also. So, Hee-Haw its off to do some archery, BB Gun shooting, knife throwing, horseback riding, chill by the pool and do some serious watersliding!

When I get back I'll post on the speaker forum first as that is where the bulk of the money needs to be going. I'm open to dismissing the Mythos STS if I can find a decent 5.1 set up where the sub is not the spawn of some Autobot, Decepticon, or Gigantor in size. Smaller sub with great specs would be just the ticket and the speakers have to be powered by the AVR as I do not have the capacity in my audio furniture to add pre-amps, processors and separate amps.

Thanks Guys!!!!

 

[lsiberian]

I'd nail down the speakers(B&W is my pick) and subs(SVS Ultra) before I'd worry about the receiver part. The rule of thumb is 20 percent goes to the receiver and 80 to the speakers.

Out of the speakers 40 percent to the subs, and 40 to the fronts. The other 20 to the surrounds.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/638082-REG/JBL_8320_8320_Compact_Cinema_Surround.html is my favorite option for surrounds. These are the real deal and on a large budget will surely hit the spot.

for Fronts B&W is my favorite brand.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Maybe I'm a little bit biased (no way), but the Denon-Definitive sounds like a winner combo to me.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

BTW, 50 yrs old, huh?

Where the hell did the time go???

ENJOY, my friend, ENJOY!!!