Broken budget - trim needed.

[fired up]

Greetings:

My budget got carried away and I need to cut costs. The area I think I can realize savings is by subtracting the Emotiva Audio XPA-5 Power Amp & Integra DTC 9.8 Pre/Pro and replacing them with a Multichannel A/V Receiver.

I originally had my sights set on an Onkyo 875 model. Someone recommended the 805 for less money.

What else is out there that meets all the current/new A/V codecs and sounds GREAT with audio for music only listening.

Further, if you can recommend a partner Multichannel SACD/CD/CD-R player to complete the setup I would be most grateful.

First and foremost - my main question is about which Receiver is an excellent value and high quality for MUSIC and movies.

Thanks,

Eddie

 

[MDS]

There are lots of choices and the recommendations you get will follow the particular poster's brand preferences. I like Onkyo as it is the brand I have always bought and have never had a single problem. YMMV of course.

The first thing you have to ask yourself is 'what do I need?'

I personally don't think most people need a receiver equivalent to the Onkyo 875 or even the 805. Start looking at lower model numbers. You will find that as the model numbers go up the price increases exponentially yet the added 'features' are things you can easily do without. For example, you don't need a receiver that has any kind of upscaling built-in as there are so many other devices that scale too - not to mention the TV itself.

Make a list of what you definitely need and what features would be nice to have and then choose accordingly.

 

[fired up]

MDS,

Going to go with a Plasma TV - Pioneer KURO or new Panasonic 800.

BluRay player in summer when spec 2 comes out.

Need to buy SACD/CD/CD-R Multi-Channel Player.

DVD Player that upsamples/upscales - Oppo???.

Romm is 20'L x 14'W with 8' Ceilings.

Does that help?

Eddie

 

[Davemcc]

The single most important question here is "what speakers did you finally decide upon?" Some of the speakers you were looking at were low impedance and low sensitivity. These characteristics of the speakers are a critical factor when choosing amplification. For example, if your speaker choices are 8 ohm, 91dB sensitivity, pretty much any receiver will suffice. But if your speakers are 4 ohm, 86dB sensitivity, you will need a suitable ampifier section to drive them properly.

 

[jcPanny]

Electronics

Get one of the Oppo universal players for $150-200 to meet your DVD and SACD playback requirments. I have the low end DV970HD and it has been working great on my smaller LCD TV.

The Onkyo 805 gets you a lot of the latest features for the money and the 875 model chages a big premium IMHO for video scaling. Depending on the speakers you decided on you might be just as happy with a Yamaha RX-V661/663 in the $400 price range. Any receiver with pre-amp outputs will allow you to add an amp in the future, if necessary.

 

[fired up]

Davemcc,

That is the crux of the problem - I want better speakers and have to cut costs in other areas. I may go down to a 42" Plasma instead of the 50" to free up cash. Loudspeakers are key.

I like the idea of an A/V Receiver - preferbly one that does not run too hot. That is why I am looking for suggestions. Need to free up money for better speakers.

Eddie

 

[Seth=L]

I would get the Yamaha RX-V663, and should you need more power you can always add the Emotiva XPA-5 at a later date (as the RX-V663 has preouts). The RX-V663 features all the audio processing offered on the Onkyo with the benefit of Yamaha's DSP modes. The HDMI handshaking issues are likely to be fewer with the Yamaha and there isn't likely to be heat problems or popping issues as found on the Onkyo TX-SR805. The TX-SR805 is a great receiver for the money, it's got tons of power for an AVR under a grand street price. I do think that the Yamaha RX-V663/Emotiva XPA-5 could be much more rewarding though.

 

[fired up]

jcPanny,

I need to visit Onkyo site again and do a side by side stat comparison between the 805 and 875. Isn't video upscaling important considering I'm buying a 1080p Plasma TV?

Eddie

 

[Seth=L]

I like the idea of an A/V Receiver - preferbly one that does not run too hot. That is why I am looking for suggestions. Need to free up money for better speakers.

Then the TX-SR805 and TX-SR875 are not an option for you, as they run abnormally hot for any receiver. It's unfortunate, but a hard fact to face.

I do think the Yamaha RX-V663 should be fine powering most speaker types in medium size room. The Yamaha would get you by for a while if you had more demanding speakers, at least until you could add an amplifier effectively turning the Yamaha into a pre/pro.

 

[fired up]

Seth=L.

Thanks for the heads up abou the ability to add more power at a later date. I have not visited the Yamaha website since noone has really talked about them before. Thank you.

Eddie

 

[fired up]

Forget Onkyo - I just got over a house fire. That is why I am replacing everthing. I am not courting a potential disaster with kit that runs HOT!

Eddie

 

[Seth=L]

jcPanny,

I need to visit Onkyo site again and do a side by side stat comparison between the 805 and 875. Isn't video upscaling important considering I'm buying a 1080p Plasma TV?

Eddie

NO! If you are getting a scaling DVD player (Oppo) and a Blu-ray player (which will scale, just not as well as the Oppo) and you have Satalite or Cable programing (which is still going to look like crap when scaled) and the Plasmas you are looking at have very good scalers, then you do not need scaling in the receiver. As mentioned, the TX-SR875 and TX-SR805 run very hot. The main difference between the TX-SR805 and TX-SR875 is the scaler and the extra video feature with zone 2, they use the same amplifier (regardless of manufacturer's specifications).

 

[Seth=L]

Seth=L.

Thanks for the heads up abou the ability to add more power at a later date. I have not visited the Yamaha website since noone has really talked about them before. Thank you.

Eddie

The Yamaha is an excellent choice, it has preouts for all channels and a dual subwoofer output (just in case).

Yamaha RX-V663

 

[fired up]

Thanks for all the explanations and PM's Seth=L! Much appreciated.

Eddie

 

[Davemcc]

Since budget has become an issue, I'd like to suggest a different course. Take a look at the Salk Songtowers.
http://www.salksound.com/songtower.shtml
Here is a review by a fellow Audioholic that owns a pair.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34513

The beauty of these is that they should, by all the accounts I've seen, provide you with everything you are looking for a little over half the price of even the Dynaudio setup. Salk Sound is a different type of company than the usual speaker maker. Everything is custom, right down to the veneer and finish on the cabinet if you like. When you call, you generally speak to Jim Salk personally to answer your questions.

I have to admit, I have a fascination with Salk even though I've never heard them. By all accounts, sound quality is superb. Apparently, no Salk speaker that's ever been sent out for an in-home demo has ever been returned, and somewhere around 90% of all Salk speakers are still with their original owners. That seems quite a testimonial in my book.

As for budget, if they don't have the SongSurrounds ready yet, four Songtowers for front and surround and the SongCenter will only cost $3,700. But they are a 4 ohm speaker, so you would still want the XPA-5. All told with the Salk Song Series, XPA-5 and the Yamaha 663 as a pre/pro, maybe a HSU VTF2-MK3 subwoofer for theater use and a Blu-Ray player and you could walk out with an awe inspiring system for around $6K, plus the TV of your choice. It's a very budget friendly system that doesn't involve a lot of compromise, as far as I have seen from reading them but without actually hearing them.

At the very least, give Jim Salk a call at the number listed on the contacts page of his site and see what he can do for you.