Harman Kardon HK-TS11, Pioneer VSX-520 VS .....? (suggestions)

[sami00]

Hey guys,
this is first post here. Hoping to get some suggestions. I just bought one pre owned harman kardon hk-ts11 from a friend , really nice condition almost new. got a really nice deal. Ive read some good reviews about that system so bought it right away. I was looking for some decent AVR and saw that pioneer vsx-520 (brand new) had some features that i wanted (truehd,dts hd,3D etc..) for a very good deal too(i'm guessing) so i ordered one but haven't received yet. They both cost me around $750AU. Now i'm just wondering if i did a mistake spending such money for the whole system. Or should i get rid off the whole system and get something else which is better for $750AU or less. I would really appreciate if you guys could give some advise. I'd use them with my pc for music and movies through HDMI. My bed room is mid size so looking for compact or home theater in box systems..

One more question.. got one hdmi cable 1.4 off ebay. really cheap.. will it be able to decode audio to dts hd and all?

Thanks

 

[mpompey]

Your HDMI cable should be able to carry the audio and video signals fine. The bigger questions is, Will your PC be able to send the signals out to your receiver to decode or will it decode the signal itself and send out the PCM to your receiver.

As far as the receivers, I would keep the pioneer and dump the HK-TS11 system. If you are looking for a small setup to complement the entry level Pioneer try the Klipsch RF10 or the Axiom Epic Midi 125. Both cost more than $750, but if you save up a bit you can get a great sound.

 

[sami00]

i'm not much of a tech guy.. just do some some research time to time so don't really know if my pc will be able decode HD signals .. i thought as long as it had a HD sound card with an HDMI i'll be good to go now i'm guessing may be not and about the klipsch.. mate i wish i had that kinda money .. want to buy lots of things but what can i do .. a guy at some other forum told me HDMI cables longer than 5 meters can not decode HD signals or i might have misunderstood..

my question was -- got one hdmi cable 1.4 off ebay. really cheap.. will it be able to decode audio to dts hd and all?

His answer --- All HDMI cables are the same up to about 5 meters then you can

thanks a lot for your reply

 

[mpompey]

OK, I see what is going on. I believe 25m length is a theoretical limit to how long an HDMI cable can get and still pass the signal without any loss. However there are manufacturers that make longer, fatter cables that can pass the signal with very little loss. There is a lot that goes into the maximum length of an HDMI cable. But 1.4 meters is small and you have no worries about attenuation.

IF your PC card has an hdmi out, and up to date driver you should be save to assume that it will send the signals. The only way to be sure of course is to connect it to your Pioneer and see if the DTS-MA or DolbyTrueHD indicators light up.

As far as the money problems I hear you, I had to save up for over a year for my last upgrade, but it was worth it when I finally pulled the trigger on it. By the time I was ready to buy the model I originally had my eye on was no longer available, but had been replaced by a more powerful unit with better features. I learned my lesson about patience with that one.

 

[sami00]

thanks again.. but by 1.4 i meant version 1.4 (3D) well that's what it said on the listing so i thought might be the new version i actually bought a 7 meter cable...
can you please give me one more advise.. well the situation is i already ordered the vsx-520 ($380AU) and now i've been offered with VSX-919 for $500AU or onkyo tx-sr508 for $600AU. should i just stick to 520.. I really don't need a 7.1 for a fairly small room but wouldn't mind the option for future..

 

[mpompey]

For me, I would weigh how long I would be in the current room. If you are going to be in your current setup for 2 years or more, stay with what you have. That's $120 that you could throw toward better speakers. When you are ready to move you'll be able to pick up something better with more features. That's my opinion.