Choosing a reciever

[Jonny Rotten]

Hello all! New to site hope you can help. I need a new receiver.I now have an Onkyo TX SR500.(old) and the surround speakers that came with it.My main's are Klipsch KLF 10 that I also use for main surround speakers.Looking for the best bang for my buck with enough power to crank it up.CNet lists Denon 1912 as a best pick.Is that a good choice or is there something that may be better.Around $500 price range unless theres something for less that will fit the bill.Thanks in advance The speakers:
Detail Images


: 1997
■BUILT UNTIL: 2001
■DIMENSIONS: 38.75" (98.43cm) x 12" (30.48cm) x 16" (40.64cm)
■ENCLOSURE MATERIAL: Medium density fiberboard construction (MDF)
■ENCLOSURE TYPE: Bass reflex via rear-mounted port
■FINISHES: Light Oak, Medium Oak, Mahogany, Black Satin
■FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 32Hz-20kHz(+-)3dB
■HIGH FREQ CROSSOVER: 2,300 Hz
■HIGH FREQUENCY HORN: 90(o)x60(o) Tractrix(r) Horn
■NOMINAL IMPEDANCE: 8 ohms
■POWER HANDLING: 150 watts maximum continuous (600 watts peak)
■SENSITIVITY: 98dB @ 1watt/1meter
■TWEETER: K-100-K 1" (2.54cm) Polymer diaphragm compression driver
■WEIGHT: 65 lbs. (29.51kg)
■WOOFER: Two K-1056-K 10" (25.4cm) Poly Carbon Graphite cones

 

[bikdav]

Nice speakers. I'd go close to the $500 area. Denon, Yamaha, Marantz, Pioneer are good candidates. I'd avoid Onkyo at this point. Sadly, they've been having quality and reliability problems lately.

 

[Jonny Rotten]

Are there any specs I should be looking for? Im looking for a quality unit that will give me good crisp sound at any volume without all the bells and whistles.

 

[sholling]

I would not avoid Onkyo because other than one low end model last year (TX-SR508 or TX-NR509?) the reports seem to be mostly rumors compounding on themselves (no disrespect intended) just like the rumor of HDMI problems in lower-end Denons that someone brought up 2 or 3 weeks ago. I just can't seem to track down a lot of 1st hand accounts. Of course it's always possible for any manufacturer to be unlucky enough to get a bad batch of components that are used in just one batch of one product. For what it's worth I just put my money where my mouth is and bought a 4th Onkyo, a brand new TX-NR809 . What does suck is Onkyo's customer support. In my limited experience speaking with them training and product knowledge seemed to be almost completely nonexistent.

If you're in the US then probably the best bang for $500 is a factory refurbished TX-NR709. For the price you're getting a very full featured receiver with Audyssey MultiEQ XT, a solid amplifier section, and preouts should you ever want to add an external amplifier. My second choice would be a brand new only Denon AVR-1912 but keep in mind that it's not in the same league as the Onkyo.

 

[zieglj01]

The Denon 1912 will be fine.

 

[FirstReflection]

I've no beef with Denon, Yamaha or Pioneer in the $500 price range. They all have nice offerings.

I'd pass along another vote for the Onkyo TX-NR709 though. It's the least expensive receiver to offer full pre-outs. To me, that's a big deal since it means you can always add external amps whenever you want, or use self-powered speakers like the Focal professional or Emotiva professional monitors that I'm quite fond of. The 709 is also the least expensive receiver with Audyseey MultEQ XT - which offers substantially more correction of the bass frequencies vs. regular MultEQ or 2EQ or the YPAO or MCACC programs that you'll find in Yamaha and Pioneer, respectively.

There always seem to be some reports of problems with certain Onkyo receivers. And it's a consistent theme that they tend to run warm or hot and thus require good ventilation and free access to fresh air. It's been an ongoing thing, which is why the general talk on Onkyo always comes with some reservations. Their customer service does suck. So anyone who's been the unlucky buyer of a bad unit, I totally get why they might warn people away from Onkyo. It's a bit like how Toshiba still battles some bad feelings that come from, like, 20 years ago when their TVs always broke

But, on the other hand, Onkyo has been offering more features, or offering the newest features first, and they've been doing it at, very often, the lowest price points. So part of it is just that there are A LOT of Onkyo receivers being sold and thus, more units out there that could potentially have a problem. It's a bit like being Toyota and having a bunch of people who press the gas instead of the brake start making it seem like you have a problem with your cars.

Bottom line, I still recommend Onkyo receivers - especially the 709 right now. Just buy from an authorized dealer so that you have warranty protection. And if you DO happen to have a problem, get on it right away and stay on it until it gets fixed. The other brands aren't 100% immune to occassional problems either. A lot of the "Onkyo has problems" talk is just the "echo chamber" effect of message boards and forums: people who've never heard or bought an Onkyo, but they're just repeating the reports from ONE person who did have a problem. Forum people can be a panicky bunch They're also binary - products are either a "10" or a "zero". No where in between

 

[robdog6942]

Newegg has the 709 for $549.99 new right now!!

 

[derrickdj1]

Help with Avr's purchase

All of the middle range avr's will work for you. Some of the upper models on the Pioneer can be had for the same money, like the SC 37 or SC 35; these are last years models and are very nice avr's. If you really like to crank things up, an amp may be a nice addition for your front speakers. Check out the used market, great deals can be found. Good luck and Good listening!

 

[afterlife2]

Onkyo TX-NR709 7.2-Channel 3-D Ready Network A/V Receiver | Accessories4less
I got my Onkyo TX-SR707 from them like a year ago and love it so far. I too came from an old reciever and was between Onkyo and Denon and choose the Onkyo because It had more options, especially I wanted the Phono option. Audyseey MultEQ XT must be a new feature too. I highly recommend getting an extended warranty on any receiver you decide on. Good Luck.

 

[jonnythan]

DENON AVR-2311CI 7.2 3D Home Theater Receiver | Accessories4less

MultiEQ and a quality amp section.

 

[gotchaforce]

All of the middle range avr's will work for you. Some of the upper models on the Pioneer can be had for the same money, like the SC 37 or SC 35; these are last years models and are very nice avr's. If you really like to crank things up, an amp may be a nice addition for your front speakers. Check out the used market, great deals can be found. Good luck and Good listening!

Where are the sc37 and sc35 for $500?

 

[Damn Noise!]

I have a Yamaha RX-V667 and has pre-outs, its last years model but works awesome. You can get them at a good price if you shop around.
The newer Yamaha receivers dont have pre-outs unless you go with the real high-end ones. $$$
Good luck.

 

[derrickdj1]

Need help with avr

Most of the brands mention are good. Consider getting something with pre-outs. You may want a nice amp one day. Avr's with pre-outs allows your avr to become a preamp. Due to new features in avr's, they are out of date in 4-5 years. A good amp will last 20 years and future avr's can be in the mid price range, they just need pre-outs. And those speaker will sound awesome with an amp for the transient peaks!