Best $300 reciever to pair with Energy Take Classic 5.1 speakers?

[carl1864]

I'm looking to upgrade my surround system, but after much reading and research, am still puzzled by which reciever to buy. Most places I read are full of people talking down about $300 systems, saying their low budget, etc. Well, I'm pretty confident I'll be more than happy. Right now I'm using some cheap, sub $100 Coby 5.1 DVD system I got years ago in a promotion, and I'd be happy with it except for the fact it doesn't have all the inputs needed, so I'm really never getting surround sound out of it. And rarely turn the volume very loud, so I'm confident a $600 setup will far far surpass my needs.

I'm thinking Energy Take Classic 5.1 speakers since they get pretty phenominal reviews, and can be found for $300, figure I can't go wrong. But I'm just having a problem finding a good reciever. I'm quite interested in one with Audyssey calibration, to make things easy for me. Also quite interested in one that is very current, with all the future expandability like 4K passthrough, etc, since I will likely upgrade my TV in the next 5 years, and am sure I'll be getting more devices to hook up in the future.

TV is a sharp aquos 46", and heres what I'm hooking up currently. Media player via hdmi, Apple TV via hdmi, xbox 360 over component cables (mine doesn't have hdmi port, may upgrade to one that does soon), wii over component cables, PC via PC port.

Anyone have a good reciever suggestion in that $300 price range. Or alternatively have any other suggestions for a full setup within $300-$600 price range. Room is around 12ft by 20 ft.

 

[agarwalro]

If you like the Energy Take system, IMO, get the 5.0 package (exact same set, without the sub). They are on Newegg for $130 shipped.

Instead of the Energy sub, get the Bic America F12, on Amazon for $200 shipped.

In the $250-300 range the Audessy implementation (if present) will be the most basic (speaker size, distance, crossover). These are easily set manually. So don't make Audessy the priority. Forget 4K capability until your TV and media player is able to do it. Assuming, there is 4K media and content of note, the cheapest 4K TV is $25k today. So, it'll be a few years before they become mainstream and by then you'll be ready to upgrade . Also, ignore the power ratings. The Energy Take speakers will be very easy to drive and most likely the speakers will fail before the receiver runs out of power. Instead, look for all the features you need followed by best price. For instance, look at the receivers on Newegg. They have some killer deals going on. The ONKYO TX-NR515 is a pretty capable receiver and available for $299 new on Newegg or $249 refub on Accessories4Less. It has Audessy 2EQ . The Pioneer VSX-1022 is good and on Newegg for $250.

 

[ImcLoud]

I believe frys has the denon 1913 on sale for 288... if you live by one..

 

[carl1864]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Going to look into those models. If anyone has any other suggestions let me know.

A couple other questions.

1. So most systems have a ridiculous number of inputs, but do I really need all those? My TV has an optical audio out port, which to my understanding transmits 5.1 audio. So wouldn't I just simply be able to keep all my devices hooked up to the TV as they are now, and run a single optical cable to the reciever? Won't the TV take the necessary 5.1 audio from its hdmi sources and send it through the optical cable to the reciever? Or do I really need to run everything through the reciever and into the TV?

2. So the Audyssey calibration doesn't do do much on lower end systems? How about YPAO on the yamaha recievers? There were some nice yamaha recievers I was looking at, however I didn't give them too much notice since when I read comparisons on YPAO vs Audyssey, audyssey seemed to win hands down. Not that I'm totally against calibrating myself, but I'm just not a big audio guy, probably couldn't tell the difference between perfectly calibrated and not, which is why I like the idea of a tool to do it perfectly for me.

 

[zieglj01]

2. So the Audyssey calibration doesn't do do much on lower end systems? How about YPAO on the yamaha recievers? There were some nice yamaha recievers I was looking at, however I didn't give them too much notice since when I read comparisons on YPAO vs Audyssey, audyssey seemed to win hands down. Not that I'm totally against calibrating myself, but I'm just not a big audio guy, probably couldn't tell the difference between perfectly calibrated and not, which is why I like the idea of a tool to do it perfectly for me.

I fired the calibration systems a while back - however, they are a
a nice tool that helps a lot of people. While Audyssey tends to be
the most popular, the YPAO, and MCACC are not poor.

With Yamaha, I favor the 6XX series on up.

 

[Irishman]

I'm looking to upgrade my surround system, but after much reading and research, am still puzzled by which reciever to buy. Most places I read are full of people talking down about $300 systems, saying their low budget, etc. Well, I'm pretty confident I'll be more than happy. Right now I'm using some cheap, sub $100 Coby 5.1 DVD system I got years ago in a promotion, and I'd be happy with it except for the fact it doesn't have all the inputs needed, so I'm really never getting surround sound out of it. And rarely turn the volume very loud, so I'm confident a $600 setup will far far surpass my needs.

I'm thinking Energy Take Classic 5.1 speakers since they get pretty phenominal reviews, and can be found for $300, figure I can't go wrong. But I'm just having a problem finding a good reciever. I'm quite interested in one with Audyssey calibration, to make things easy for me. Also quite interested in one that is very current, with all the future expandability like 4K passthrough, etc, since I will likely upgrade my TV in the next 5 years, and am sure I'll be getting more devices to hook up in the future.

TV is a sharp aquos 46", and heres what I'm hooking up currently. Media player via hdmi, Apple TV via hdmi, xbox 360 over component cables (mine doesn't have hdmi port, may upgrade to one that does soon), wii over component cables, PC via PC port.

Anyone have a good reciever suggestion in that $300 price range. Or alternatively have any other suggestions for a full setup within $300-$600 price range. Room is around 12ft by 20 ft.

If you have a Best Buy nearby, go grab a Pioneer Elite VSX-42, reduced for black friday weekend by $200, for just $249.99!

No question.

 

[hyghwayman]

^ +1 Irishman
That would be a nice intro receiver at a great price.

 

[gritter99]

If you have a Best Buy nearby, go grab a Pioneer Elite VSX-42, reduced for black friday weekend by $200, for just $249.99!

No question.

I didn't see this in my add

 

[ahblaza]

TV Optical out

Your TV's optical out will only output stereo not 5.1, I believe the only source that will be output in 5.1 would be the TV's own tuner, no external devices connected to your TV. Hope this helps. If you have a set top cable box you could use the optical out to the new receiver for 5.1 TV or HDMI if your box and receiver is capable.

 

[ahblaza]

Onkyo

Take a good look at this, I think you will be happy with it.
Onkyo TX-NR609 7.2-Channel 3-D Ready Network A/V Receiver | Accessories4less

 

[carl1864]

Been doing a lot more spec studying. Some models have gotten ruled out simply because they only have one optical audio port and I need/want 2. One from the tv to the reciever and one for my xbox 360 (doesn't have an hdmi port, only optical).

I'm really leaning towards the Yamaha RX-V373. Any opinions? Seems to be getting pretty solid reviews all over the place, have every feature I need, has its own YPAO calibration, which I know isn't as good as audyssey, but some of the other models have none.

There are still the options of some of the Onkyo models, such as the suggested Onkyo TX-NR515 or Onkyo TX - NR609 . There are deals on refurbished ones in a comparable price range. Just not sure if there is anything to make them drastically stand out. I only plan to use 5.1, just don't have a good spot for the extra speakers of 7.1. They do have Audyssey, which is a plus. Reviews seem to tend to be just a tad lower in general on the onkyos than the yamaha.

Any input on this Yamaha RX 737 vs similar priced Onkyo decision?

 

[zieglj01]

Been doing a lot more spec studying. Some models have gotten ruled out simply because they only have one optical audio port and I need/want 2. One from the tv to the reciever and one for my xbox 360 (doesn't have an hdmi port, only optical).

I'm really leaning towards the Yamaha RX-V373. Any opinions? Seems to be getting pretty solid reviews all over the place,

Any input on this Yamaha RX 737 vs similar priced Onkyo decision?

The lower number Yamahas below 6XX, are not real efficient in
the surround mode. The higher number Yamahas 6XX and up >
do a better job of power handling (more efficient), in surround
mode.

As far as Onkyo, not a real big fan - however, if they can hold
together and not fall apart - they at least do a good job with
the power handling.

I have no real preference between Audyessy, MCACC or YPAO,
I do not consider any of them poor - All in all, they are not for
me.

 

[Irishman]

I didn't see this in my add

It was Best Buy Magnolia stores, and doesn't show online.

 

[lsiberian]

Spending 300 on a receiver and 100 on speakers is out of balance.

Get the best pair of speakers you can afford and find something used. Speakers make the sound and a good pair is way better than 5 bad ones.