Good Foundation (1st post)

[Funkmonkey]

Hello everybody, I have been searching the web for a good A/V Forum and this one seems to fit the bill, so here I am with some questions. I have been doing a good amount of research and am building a new system for movies and music. For now my old speakers will have to do, although my wife wants something smaller... I like the Definitive Tech Mythos ST, Paradigm Ref Studio 20's, Quad L-ite's, Dynaudio Focus 110's.... (so far, but I am drifting from my immediate question... Okay after much research I decided to get a Sony KDL 46xbr4, upgrade my cable service to HD, and just ordered an Oppo 981 for DVD playback. My question is this:

I want advice on a good solid Receiver with HDMI 1.3a connectivity
-leaning toward Onkyo (705, 805, 875)
-Denon, Sony, Yamaha would be alright (insert recomondations for model #'s here)
-something future proof like the Onkyo(s)
-I want great sound quality, not too much money($1000-ish), user friendly
-the heat issue of the Onkyo's is a concern for me (not a big one though)
-open to seperates (I would jump on an Outlaw if it had HDMI hook-ups)

Any help would be appreciated, and yes I am reading the other posts here.
Thanks in advance, Happy Holidays

 

[rcpilot_971]

I just went throught the same thing looked at onkyo 875 but I bought the denon avr 3808ci for 1099.99 I cound not find it chepper anywhere

now I just need to learn how to set it up


Thanks Tim

 

[Tomorrow]

Hello everybody, I have been searching the web for a good A/V Forum and this one seems to fit the bill, so here I am with some questions. I have been doing a good amount of research and am building a new system for movies and music. For now my old speakers will have to do, although my wife wants something smaller... I like the Definitive Tech Mythos ST, Paradigm Ref Studio 20's, Quad L-ite's, Dynaudio Focus 110's.... (so far, but I am drifting from my immediate question... Okay after much research I decided to get a Sony KDL 46xbr4, upgrade my cable service to HD, and just ordered an Oppo 981 for DVD playback. My question is this:

I want advice on a good solid Receiver with HDMI 1.3a connectivity
-leaning toward Onkyo (705, 805, 875)
-Denon, Sony, Yamaha would be alright (insert recomondations for model #'s here)
-something future proof like the Onkyo(s)
-I want great sound quality, not too much money($1000-ish), user friendly
-the heat issue of the Onkyo's is a concern for me (not a big one though)
-open to seperates (I would jump on an Outlaw if it had HDMI hook-ups)

Any help would be appreciated, and yes I am reading the other posts here.
Thanks in advance, Happy Holidays

Welcome aboard, Funkmonkey!

You don't say what your current speakers are, but for those you detailed any of the mid-level receivers you mentioned should drive them adequately with ample headroom for dynamics. I'd recommend that you buy any of these (Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo) with the exception of Sony. It has been reported that Sony has some quality and performance issues. Their receivers do not seem to measure up to the others. But AH'ers with personal knowledge can be more helpful than I with details on the Sony's. You'll likely be unable to tell the difference in the performance levels of price-leveled models from the 3 manufacturers.

Find the model that has the connectivity and features you desire...at the price you can afford...and you'll be good to go. At your price point, under a grand, you should find low distortion and reasonably linear performance in quite a few brands/models.

Your one requirement that is refreshing to see is your desire for "user friendliness". That may be harder to come by, lol. But my recommendation is to stick with Yamaha or Onkyo.

Happy hunting and good luck putting together your system.

 

[Funkmonkey]

The speakers I have right now are kind of a mystery, They are made by some company called "Digital Pro Audio" model is DPA 210T, two 8" drivers and two 4" horns in each tower. They sound okay, but no Wow. Never heard of this company, & can't find them on the web. An ex-girlfriend bought them for me while we lived together after a party we had, because somebody stuck their finger through the cone of my old speakers. That was at least ten years ago, probably 12, and I think she bought them out of the back of a white van! Nothin' but the best, right! Anybody want to buy them???
Then I also have a set of Technics SBK-24's (those have got to be 25yrs old and were low-fi at best when I got them... like I said, it's time to upgrade!!! I have an ONKYO TX-8511 that has been excellent for the last 9yrs (at least) and it has served its duty well, it will now get designated my shop along with the old speakers... So I guess any speaker recommendations would be welcomed here too.
I should add that I am kind of partial to ONKYO because of my history with stereo equipment... I had a Sony CD player since the early 80's (early adopter here) and I decided to replace it for a multi disk changer in about 1996, I figured I would upgrade to a Harmon-Kardon, that worked for about a month, returned that piece of garbage and upgraded again, this time to a Carver, and I loved that CD player (reminds me of the Outlaw components, in aesthetics), it lasted about 364 days until it started skipping all over the place. It had a 1yr warranty so I took it back to Circuit City and they said they couldn't repair it because Carver went out of business and they couldn't get parts for it, so they issued me a store credit. At this point I had had it with "so called" high end equipment, so I used the credit from the Carver and bought the ONKYO TX-8511 (that I am ready to replace now) and an ONKYO DX-C340 6 CD changer, both are still going strong. So I guess I value a bit of longevity, and solid performance. I originally picked the Onkyo's because they were basic, no bells, no whistles, and easy to use. At that point I would have chosen a chunk of granite if it made good sound!
So now here I am, wanting a solid mid-range "rock" for the 21st century.

 

[jcPanny]

Emotiva

Emotiva is supposed to have their new HDMI pre-pros out early next year but it will be over $1k for seperates with HDMI. I have seen deals posted for the Onkyo 805 for $800 or less which is probably the least expensive option with the power and features you need. The Yamaha 1800/3800 or Denon 3808 should work just as well.

I have the Emotiva LPA-1 amp and it barely gets warm driving my HT with 4 ohm speakers AND a distributed audio system in 5 rooms but my Yamaha receiver (used as pre-pro) can get pretty hot.

 

[Funkmonkey]

Thanks jcPanny and Tomorrow. I was hot to get a receiver yesterday, now the TV arrives tomorrow and I am going to take my time and set it up with what I have for the time being. After a bit more research, and some common sense, I think my first priority should be speakers. A *****in' set for stereo first and then add the pre/pro & amp, or receiver as the '08 models are released. If the Onkyo's still look good I will get one of them, most likely the 805 or 875. by March I should be in the market for my surrounds and center channel. I think I can rig my Audioengine 5's to serve as surrounds in the meantime. (those things sound great, by the way. They are really the reason I want to upgrade my sound system from top to bottom. If compressed music coming from my iPod can sound so sweet, I am really in for a treat when I get the full system up and running)

 

[jcPanny]

New HT

Sounds like a great upgrade strategy. At CES in January there will likely be anouncements by all the major A/V compinies of future models and technology but don't expect newer products until Q4 2008.

Smaller companies like Emotiva and Outlaw are on a different product cycle and it looks like both are wating for the HDMI and other chips necessary to bring their new products to market in early 2008.

 

[Funkmonkey]

I am very interested to see what outlaw brings to the table this year. Seriously the only thing that stopped me from buying their seperates was the lack of HDMI 1.3a pass-through. I don't really need a scaler in the processor, but the idea of a single HDMI cable running from processor to TV sounds great. I could do it now with their equipment but would have to get DVI-HDMI cables and I have heard that that could be problematic in function. If they come up with something that can pass deep color, True HD sound... I am in.

 

[Warpdrv]

Hey there Funk....

I have approached this same issue last year about the same time, hoping that they would have figured out all the confusions of HDMI, but it still has some way to go... So my way around all this was to get a somewhat inexpensive receiver to use as a prepro until I found what I was looking for...

I didn't have a need for 1080p, so I got a Pioneer Elite 81 to handle hdmi switching and no upconverting... My display is 1080i so I didn't care about a hd dvd or blueray player... but it will still pass 1080p if I needed it to. Any Receiver, with Pre-Amp outputs can accomplish this for you...

So now its almost a year later, and still have no answers to the HDMI problems.
But my setup works awesome. Now Im putting together my Bedroom system and Im going to buy another cheap/inexpensive receiver & amp combo to get me by, I bought a an amp, and I can replace my PrePro anytime I feel the need, but the job gets done perfectly for my needs. If you don't need a scaler... don't worry about the HDMI1.3a cr@p... all you need is pass through... and HDMI 1.2 can do that for you...

PS... I replaced my Old Sony with the Pioneer, and wouldn't go back to Sony anytime soon... any of the stuff you listed but the over exagerated Sony Bass receivers... good luck partner...

 

[Funkmonkey]

Hey there Funk....

...and wouldn't go back to Sony anytime soon... any of the stuff you listed but the over exaggerated Sony Bass receivers... good luck partner...

Thanks Warp.
The only reason I considered a Sony receiver was some sync feature with my XBR4, never a real contender. That thing has a really nice picture by the way... I have shifted my focus to speakers now, I have everything hooked up in old school stereo with 150 wires running to the back of the TV... took me two days but I got all the spaghetti straightened out and zip tied into groups. Best job organizing the wires I have ever done. So I am off to the Speaker store tomorrow... gotta go the wife is anxious to watch a movie!

 

[patnshan]

Welcome! I really like yamaha receivers and have owned a few. I think the RXV-1800 would fit your needs. They offer excellent sound and a wealth of electronic processing (defeatable in case you don't like it) to play around with to fit your listening needs. Marantz is another brand I like even better than the yamaha, but they may exceed your budget for something with your stated needs.

Good luck,

Pat