Confused as to what receiver to pick.

[Lucerinblue]

Hey guys (and girls maybe?)! Been reading the forums for a couple of weeks to get some ideas, but I'm lost. Literally. I haven't bought a receiver in 6 years so I have no idea what brands are good any more or even how much receiver I would need.

My current set up:
Pioneer Kuro 50" Plasma TV

An older Yamaha 5.1 receiver (sorry, no clue on the model number)

Boston Acoustic VR975 Mains

Boston Acoustic VR12 Center

Some el-cheapo Pioneer upconverting DVD player that's getting me by until I decide on a Blu-ray player. (Hoping the OPPO one comes out soon!)

The 2 rear surrounds are going to be replaced as soon as I can find some new ones that I like.

DVR hooked up thru HDMI

My price range would be up to I suppose $1500 to $2000. I don't know if I even need to go that high though??

The brands I've looked at are Pioneer, Yamaha, Denon and Onkyo. They all sound great in comparison to what I have now. Help in narrowing down the selection process would be great. I'd like at least 3 or 4 HDMI inputs.

I do about 50/50 home theater vs. music.

Thanks ahead of time for the help!

 

[jamie2112]

All of the brands you have been looking at are great and are all recommended here often. Do you have a preference as to which one you are leaning toward?

 

[jamie2112]

Welcome by the way. Glad you stopped by. I myself like Denon and Yamaha and own a few of each. All the AVR's have pretty much the same sound its your speakers that have the biggest impact on your sound.

 

[Chopin_Guy]

Given your price range you can really get just about any really high quality receiver from any of the companies that you suggested. As a Denon owner myself, you could definitely do the AVR-3808ci on the lower end of your price range or you could even find the 4308ci on sale in your price range as well...for Pioneer you could get into one of their new Elite models with ICE amps (sorry I don't know the line that well), and the Onkyo TX-NR905 would also be a very good choice...

 

[Adam]

You can get a lot of nice features, audio decoding, and power in receivers around the $500 mark. Your speakers are rated at 8 ohms, which is not a difficult load for an amp in that price range. I didn't see the sensitivity of those speakers, and how much power you'd want would depend on how loud you like to listen.

Are there any specific things that you are looking to get, outside of three or four HDMI inputs?

If I were buying now, I'd be looking at the Pioneer Elite VSX-01THX. That's mostly because I have a Pioneer VSX-1015 from three years ago that I really like, and the VSX-01 has the features that I want (the slightly lower Pioneer VSX-1018 doesn't have everything that I'm looking to get, but it's a good deal at around $450). If I had the spare coin to spend, I would be looking at the Pioneer Elite models that have the ICE amps that Chopin_Guy mentioned (their "SC" line of receivers).

 

[Lucerinblue]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I think I'm eliminating Onkyo for purely cosmetic reasons. For some reason I look at their units and don't get that 'wow that looks really cool' feel.

I guess I want it to have GREAT sound. But like you guys mentioned, all the receivers have most of the decoding modes like TrueHD, which are all huge upgrades over what I have now. It's been so long since I've researched all this stuff that the market has completely changed. Heck, when I bought my receiver, DVD had only become mainstream like a year earlier.

My Boston towers have subwoofers in them as you know. 1 passive and 1 powered per tower. Do I need to look for a 7.2 receiver to get the most out of them? Up until now I've had them connected via a Y connector to my sub-out on the receiver.

I was looking at separates this weekend which confused me even more. Is the big advantage of separates the fact that you can get more amp power for the speakers? I realize you can get better sound using separates as well, but how does it compare to like say the new Pioneer amps with ICE technology? I'm also confused as to how you would set something like that up. Would you buy a receiver like say the Pioneer Elite VSX-01THX to process all the video and stuff and then hook it to an amp and then run the speakers off of that? Or am I completely off?

Oh, and I just assigned an arbitrary price of $1500 to $2000 to the receiver. I just picked it out of the blue really. My true 'top' limit would probably be around $5k, but as a beginner at this, I wasn't sure if that would be total overkill and way more than I would know what to do with at this point.

 

[Chopin_Guy]

Well clearly you have a decent budget for this upgrade....how avid of a listener are you and how much do you use your system?? For 5k, having as much to spend, you are looking at just about anything mainstream that you want including many top-end models....

Oh and as for your subs both in the towers and I assume you have at least one dedicated unit....with the money you have, you would be better off getting a Velodyne SMS-1 or Beringher (spelling??) unit to use with your subs....I know the Velodyne can control up to three subs....

 

[Midcow2]

To add another vendor Marantz

Welcome by the way. Glad you stopped by. I myself like Denon and Yamaha and own a few of each. All the AVR's have pretty much the same sound its your speakers that have the biggest impact on your sound.

I agree with others you have sellected some good brands to look at and I tend to agree with Jamie my top choices of the ones you mentioned would be the Denon first, then Yamaha.

However, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Marantz line. The SR8002 is at the top of your price range but it is an excellent receiver. They also have some other excellent receires that are less expensive SR7002 and SR5002.

Marantz home: http://www.marantz.com/

SR8002 for as little as $1299 http://www.accessories4less.com/index.php?page=item&id=MARSR8002

You also might want to consider a separate sub even though your towers have built in subs. SVS is having a pre-order sale now, but it might be more than you want to spend.

Good Luck , you system will be great with the upgrades!

MidCow2

 

[Lucerinblue]

I've thought about grabbing a dedicated sub as well. Would you recommend not hooking up the sub jack on the towers if I went that route? If I went that far, would it be in my interest to grab better speakers?

 

[Chopin_Guy]

Well now you are talking near entire system upgrade....which you could do or you could just grab a dedicated sub which is a MUST for a home theater. So are you happy with the way your speakers sound or do you really need something newer that you would be happier with??? How much do you use your system, what do you use it for (movies vs music vs gaming??), and how loud do you listen...and what is the size of your room???

These are things that might effect your call on new speakers, but if you are happy with the way they sound then just go with a new sub for sure as you need that for home theater...So answer some of things and advise us of a budget for a sub and avr--or a budget for AVR and all new speakers and we can be of much more help to you....

 

[denonandkef]

want no regrets and buyer remorse? d-e-n-o-n. Numero uno.
You can't go wrong with yamaha either. I currently have a yammy now to see if all those years with denon were not in vain and they weren't.

 

[Lucerinblue]

Haha, well the TV is brand new so I won't be having to update that!

My local Best Buy has the Pioneer and Denon receivers in stock, so I'll be going there this weekend to play around.

If I went the separates route are these the things I would need?:
-Processor(would an AVR fill this role?)
-Amp
-Sub controller
-Power Conditioner
...it feels like I'm missing something here.

If I picked up a subwoofer, would I even want to venture hooking up the VR975's subs to the woofer controller, or leave them unhooked? I guess my logic is that if I'm using a new dedicated to handle bass, I might as well look at all new speakers too. (center, surrounds, mains) I realize that I'm in the wrong thread for this, and speakers likes/dislikes are very subjective, but what speaker brands would you recommend? Price tag for speakers...I dunno...maybe 3k?

I'm sorry if I'm sounding like a total newbie.

How about this:
If someone gave you 6 grand to put together a dream system for yourself and you already had a killer television and disc player, what would you pick? Room is 15' by 20'. Cables and stands are already taken care of.
I plan to get either an all-in-one player that does SACD/DVD-A and Blu-ray or 2 separate players that handle both. Components should be able to handle HDMI 1.3a as well. No need for XM radio. iPod connectivity would rock. (I think just about every receiver does this now, though.)

 

[Lucerinblue]

want no regrets and buyer remorse? d-e-n-o-n. Numero uno.
You can't go wrong with yamaha either. I currently have a yammy now to see if all those years with denon were not in vain and they weren't.

Thanks for the recommendation. I've been reading up on the Denons today, and am definitely leaning towards those if I decide to go with a full AVR. Everyone I know that has owned a Denon has been very happy with it.

 

[focker]

I have the Pioneer SC-07 and LOVE it. It was a really tough decision between the Denon 4308 and the Pioneer but after listening to both for a good deal of time in my case the Pioneer was my choice. The even better news was that my dealer gave me the Pioneer for $1750. There is a nice review on the SC-05 here: http://www.ultimateavmag.com/avreceivers/pioneer_elite_sc-05_av_receiver/

 

[zumbo]

Things to consider.

Many upper-end receivers (Denon 3808 & up/Yamaha 3900 &up) offer networking capabilities, XM, Sirius, i-pod, and several other things a person like me just wouldn't use. However, these are fantastic receivers. And, they would make fantastic pre-pros for adding separate amplification.

The Marantz 8002 recommended is at the top of my list for receivers.

It doesn't have any of the features I listed above.

It doesn't upscale video to 1080p. This feature is not needed if your BR player will upscale. To me, this feature is just not needed period.

It does have 4HDMI inputs.

It is built like a tank, and has the highest quality components throughout.
http://us.marantz.com/Products/2204.asp

For separates without all of the BS listed in my initial response, Rotel is my pick. Check them out for yourself. Even the stand alone AV receiver is SWEEEEET!
Both have 4HDMI inputs.
2 SW outputs.
http://www.rotel.com/NA/Products/ProductDetails.htm?id=474
http://www.rotel.com/NA/Products/ProductDetails.htm?id=475
http://www.rotel.com/NA/Products/ProductDetails.htm?id=471

EDIT: Lower power amp.
http://www.rotel.com/NA/products/ProductDetails.htm?Id=476

 

[Chopin_Guy]

My Suggestions For A 6K Setup

How about this:
If someone gave you 6 grand to put together a dream system for yourself and you already had a killer television and disc player, what would you pick? Room is 15' by 20'. Cables and stands are already taken care of.
I plan to get either an all-in-one player that does SACD/DVD-A and Blu-ray or 2 separate players that handle both. Components should be able to handle HDMI 1.3a as well. No need for XM radio. iPod connectivity would rock. (I think just about every receiver does this now, though.)

Ok Lucerninblue....I am going to run with this hypotheical 6 grand and you will have one sweet set-up in the end...I will list the component possiblities with prices and then what I would pick for 6 grand...I am going to go on the assumption of a 5.1 channel setup...

AVRs:

Denon 3808ci -- $1099, I think you still might be able to get this special price that was once offered to forum members (J&R matched it for me)....I did and another user even got his local Magnolia at Best Buy to match this price which is a pretty sweet deal...

Onkyo TX-NR905/906 -- $999 - $1,245...This is Onkyo's top end AVR and these prices can from Authorized dealers on Ebay....you can get the 905 (older version) for $999 refurbished or you can get a NEW 906 for $1,245...these are all very good deals and this receiver has ALOT of power and top-end video processing...

Amplifiers (optional --- but your budget could possibly accomodate it)

Emotiva XPA-5 -- $799 -- 200 watts by 5 channels --- not sure on this one some love it and some have had issue with reliability...

Sunfire TGA-5200 -- $1,600 -- VERY good deal on a new 5200...a authorized dealer has been selling them at this price for a good little while on E-bay...

Their are others but prices will vary whether you go new or look for a deal but these two are solid for sure....You could also look to B & K, Parasound, Theta ---but with these you start to talk serious coin $$$

Speakers:

Here is were things get a little icky as speakers are so much a personal decision....but I will try to give you ones that have garned high grades universally....

SVS -- MTS-01 line -- These have got nothing but glowing marks and would be what I would go with bar none...SVS in terms of performance in what you pay for is astounding....

You can also check AV123 another internet direct company and Paradigm as well as Dynaudio...with the later two you start to talk more money again...

Subwoofer:

For your set-up I will suggest simply two:

SVS PB13-Ultra -- $1,599 (Seems to be the king around here -- ported)

HSU ULS-15 -- $1,399 (Another killer that is a sealed unit)

Players:

I would go with these two:

Blu-Ray: Panasonic BD35 -- $299

Universal DVD/CD Player: Oppo DV-983H -- $399

So with all of these choices this is what I would go with...

Denon 3808ci -- $1,099
SVS MTS-01 Full Size 5.0 System -- $2,699
SVS PB13-Ultra -- $1,599
Panasonic BD35 -- $299
Oppo 983H -- $399

Total: $6,095....

And you will have a KILLER system...now if you want more power go with the Onkyo over the Denon (the SVS speakers are rated at a 84db sensitivity which ok, but they are 8ohm so don't present a huge load to the AVR) and you could save some money by going with the Oppo 981 which would put you right at 6k....Sorry this post got really long but hope that it gives you some ideas and routes to persue...

 

[zumbo]

AV123-Paradigm-Dynaudio

That's like saying;
Hyundai-Chevrolet-Ferrari

 

[Midcow2]

LOL you are sick, you just got infected!

I've thought about grabbing a dedicated sub as well. Would you recommend not hooking up the sub jack on the towers if I went that route? If I went that far, would it be in my interest to grab better speakers?

LOL you are sick, you just got infected! The disease is called "Audioholicism"

Welcom aboard! SPEAKERS are king, everything else is subserviant to them. If you are thinking complete system they should be the top 1/2 to 2/3rds of your budget.

And I completley agree with Chopin_Guy you need a dedicated sub for a good HT system. You can go with an inexpensive one as low as $139.90 Dayton sub-120 HT ( http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-635 ), but I would recommend at least a SVS PB10-NSD for $429 http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-10nsd.cfm

Speakers are a whole other matter, you need to decide on a budget and then you need to audition them. You can get good bookshelves for as little as $219 Cambridge Audio S30 ( http://spearitsound.amazonwebstore.com/Cambridge-Audio-S30-Speakers-Natural-Oak/M/B00196SJOI.htm?utm_campaign=froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=froogle )or spend as much $$$ as you want

Good Receivers can be had as little as $199 for a Yamaha RXV-363 Receiver
( http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=90956 ) or spend a $1,000 or $2,000 or more

Good luck!

MidCow2

 

[Chopin_Guy]

AV123-Paradigm-Dynaudio

That's like saying;
Hyundai-Chevrolet-Ferrari

This I do realize but I have no idea what the OP might be looking to get...I mean for the same money he could get new Dynaudio Audience series through Audigon and Ebay and spend just as much or less than with the SVS setup for the 5 channels....Clearly I am not talking about the Confidence or Evidence lines....now really, be logical...

As for Paradigm I was reffering to the Studio series which you can also get new for good prices on Audiogon...

For Example this Dynaudio setup for the 5 channels would be less expensive than the SVS this is new through authorized dealer on E-bay:

Audience 122 -- $ 1,100 -- Mains
Audience 122c -- $650 Center
Audience 52 -- $750 Surrounds

Total: $2,500

So here's a Dynaudio set-up for LESS than the SVS MTS-01...Just another of many possibilities...

 

[jostenmeat]

AV123-Paradigm-Dynaudio

That's like saying;
Hyundai-Chevrolet-Ferrari

zumbo, with all due respect... have you heard all of the above? I've only heard Dyn's. NuanceAH (Brandon) has this huuuuuuuuge thread at AVS called My Journey To Find the Perfect Speaker, and IIRC, he picked Av123s over Dyn's. edit: and IIRC, they weren't Audiences, but Contours...

There are a LOT of folks with serious setups that have chosen Paradigm for their systems. Im talking about systems that put many to shame.

I'm just not diggin' the car analogies that you like to use so often, with the intent of belittling certain brands.

There I said it, I think car analogies are stupid when it comes to AV. At least in regards to performance only, not aesthetics or bragging rights. Sure, a Subaru WRX ain't sexy by any means, but will outperform BMW at the same price point. Now, there's the whole aesthetics and bragging rights issue... but AH doesn't really seem like a place for bragging about that kind of thing... imo

... and its not like AV123 or Paradigm are ugly ...

Welcom aboard! SPEAKERS are king, everything else is subserviant to them. If you are thinking complete system they should be the top 1/2 to 2/3rds of your budget.

I agree that most of the budget should go towards speakers. However, I believe everything is subservient to the room. I know not all agree. But over 50% of what we hear is the actual room.

With that kind of bankroll, its a shame not to invest in treatments.

Good Receivers can be had as little as $199 for a Yamaha RXV-363 Receiver
( http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=90956 ) or spend a $1,000 or $2,000 or more

and so with the above in mind, I absolutely urge the OP to spend more than $199 to get the best room correction he can afford. XT can be had for less than $500, for example. If only to at least try out. JMO.