Help me pick a receiver

[mr_natural78]

I have recently joined this forum and have made a couple of posts so far. I originally had a cheap all in one surround sound system and the blue ray player/amp box crapped out on me. Since my wife is a stay at home mom I went right out and bought a sony str-dh540 receiver and a sony blue ray player at best buy thinking I would use the speakers I had from the previous unit for now. I thought this would be a step up from what I had. I am a total newb at this and after joining this forum and learning a little about receiver specs I learned that the sony receiver in not a very good one. I also bought a set of polk audio rt35i bookshelf speakers and polk audio cs245i center speaker from a friend very cheap. I decided to return the sony receiver to best buy and now I'm in the market for another. I'm working with a 500...maybe 550 budget. I want something that will allow some room to grow down the road and has preouts. I have been looking at reviews and looking at receivers from accessories4less so that my budget will go a little further. So far...I am looking at these receivers. Any input on which is better or other suggestions that are better and in the same price range would be greatly appreciated. I'm ok buying factory refurbished from a4less or similar...but don't want to buy used from ebay. Here is what I'm considering.

Onkyo tx-nr809

Onkyo tx-nr717

Denon avr-3311ci

Denon avr-3312ci

Yamaha rx-v773wa

Please give reasons for why you would suggest one over the other and why one is a better buy over the other.

 

[markw]

Well, Onkyos have a great feature/dollar ratio, but have had a bad run of HDMI boards smoking out lately so I'm not too sold on them.

I have no experiencewith Yammies but many here love 'em.

I've had a Denon for 11 years (and may be replacing it within a year or so) but I'd go with them without blinking an eye.

I'm looking at Marantz simply because more of their receivers offer multi-channel analog inputs which I need for my SACD player. That's a feature I demand.

speaking of features, that's something you need to concern yourself with. Get all you need and try to avoid the costly superfulous ones, if you can. Sometimes you can't. They are part of the package.

So, before we can help you, what do you need in a receiver?

Do they have enough of the inputs, and types that you need? Do you anticipte adding an external power amp in the future? It's easier if you tell us what you need rather than expect us to guess at your needs and list all the features for you.

 

[afterlife2]

I had a Onkyo 707 and never had problems with it, so I'm a fan. I also kept a $7.00 laptop fan on top to keep it cool. I'd go for the 809. I never tried the other brands. My 2nd choice would go to one of the top of the line Yamaha AVENTAGE: YAMAHA RX-A720 7.2-Channel Network AVENTAGE AV Receiver | Accessories4less

 

[mr_natural78]

everything I currently use is hooked up with HDMI. I do want preouts in case I want to replace the speakers I have now and add an external amp. My current set up is pretty basic but want room to grow.

 

[afterlife2]

You can't go wrong with the Onkyo/Yamaha I suggested. Both have pre-outs and tons of features for the price. Invest in the laptop fan for anything you buy to keep em' cool.

 

[markw]

As you can see, personal preference plays a big part here. Any of those brands you're looking at (and one brand I mentioned) will do what you want, as long as you check the features list for what you want/need.

 

[mr_natural78]

I ordered an 809. Should be here by the end of the week.

 

[afterlife2]

Enjoy it and don't forget to get the fan with air circulating out. Comeback and let us know how it goes.

 

[mr_natural78]

I've had the onkyo 809 for a little while now. Still playing with some of the different listening modes but so far I love it. It made a huge difference in my sound quality. So far I am a big fan of this unit. Although I've never had a nice receiver before so I have nothing to compare it to beside the cheap all in on box dvd/surround sound systems that run like 250 or so.

 

[afterlife2]

Great I'm glad you're enjoying it. Did you get the laptop fan? I forgot to mention to keep the OHM to 4 it will run cooler than 6 OHM.

 

[mr_natural78]

I haven't gotten a fan yet. Right now I have it sitting on top of my media stand where it is completely open. I am in the process of building an entire new media/tv wall unit. I will be putting a fan in the receiver compartment of it. I am surprised at how cool it feels to the touch though. Even when on and in use nearly all day...my wife is a stay at home mom.

 

[afterlife2]

Ok good just make sure it's 4ohm, so if running all day it won't overheat. Built in fan you're gonna build is a plus.