I am a newbie - help on buying a receiver

[passionplay]

I am going to spend 1000-1500 and have been thinking of the new Elite VSX-74TXVI. I listened to it comparing it to a Marantz SR7500 & 8500 and it was cold cold in sound. I understand it has more features that would be better. I have looked into Denon 3806, Yamaha too and I can't find one place to listen to all of them together. I am really trying to do the right thing. My system has old Klipsch 5.2's ( I still love them), a HSU vtf-s sub and Klipsch RC35s and RS35 rears. I can't figure out what to invest in. I am also putting in another system in my bedroom with smaller Klipsch 3.2's, speakercraft in wall rears an HSU ( the same sub) and still no damn clue re: receivers. I am going to have the new Samsung 56" DLP in the bedroom. Yes, I am a good wife and also, my husband just had cancer surgery and I want him to drift away into a mindless flow of music and movies - take his mind off the medical - so to speak.
Sorry for the long posting - every single sales person tells me something else. As a girl, I gave up my guy friends when I got married so I don't know anyone to give me a straight answer. I would be much obliged for help.

 

[droeses58]

I too have klipsch speakers and I found Harman Kardon to be a good fit for them. If I were you I would give the avr-7300 a listen and it can be bought direct from Harman Audio on ebay for under a 1000. It's reburbished but it comes with manufacturer warranty of 2 years plus your buying factory direct so if any thing happens you won't have potential problems dealing with a third party. Here's a link to ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Harman-Kardon-AVR-7300-7-1-Ch-A-V-Receiver_W0QQitemZ5809925536QQcategoryZ39794QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I bought the avr-635 [from harmon direct, ebay] and it sounds very good compared to my older pioneer.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

I am going to spend 1000-1500 and have been thinking of the new Elite VSX-74TXVI. I listened to it comparing it to a Marantz SR7500 & 8500 and it was cold cold in sound. I understand it has more features that would be better. I have looked into Denon 3806, Yamaha too and I can't find one place to listen to all of them together. I am really trying to do the right thing. My system has old Klipsch 5.2's ( I still love them), a HSU vtf-s sub and Klipsch RC35s and RS35 rears. I can't figure out what to invest in. I am also putting in another system in my bedroom with smaller Klipsch 3.2's, speakercraft in wall rears an HSU ( the same sub) and still no damn clue re: receivers. I am going to have the new Samsung 56" DLP in the bedroom. Yes, I am a good wife and also, my husband just had cancer surgery and I want him to drift away into a mindless flow of music and movies - take his mind off the medical - so to speak.
Sorry for the long posting - every single sales person tells me something else. As a girl, I gave up my guy friends when I got married so I don't know anyone to give me a straight answer. I would be much obliged for help.

Welcome to the forum. Unfortunately, your search for a receiver will be very difficult in different stores. They'll all sound different based on which speakers they use, the positioning, what material is being played, and the room acoustics. The HK 7300 is probably the biggest bang for your buck in that price range, but it does not have HDMI ins/outs. The higher up you go in this search, the more involved it will be to set up your system. My 3805 literally took months to get it perfect - and that didn't include speaker placement and angle. My advice on a receiver is to get the most you can for your money. I'm a big fan of internal eq's - graphic and parametric. Once you set up the system, they allow you almost infinite tweaking to dial in that "perfect sound" you're looking for. I'm also big on power. You can never have too much, and the HK 7300 has a ton of it at a great price. It's a bit of a learning curve, but if your husband has time, he'll have a ball dialing it in. If you're into digital video, you may want the HDMI option. It probably adds 20% or more to the price of last years units, but is the wave of the future. IMO, the HK 7300 is a better buy (even without the HDMI) than the Denon 3806/Marantz 7500-8500. I'd probably take a Denon 4806, or even the Yammy RXV 4600 over the HK, but you're talking more money there too.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I am going to spend 1000-1500 and have been thinking of the new Elite VSX-74TXVI. I listened to it comparing it to a Marantz SR7500 & 8500 and it was cold cold in sound. I understand it has more features that would be better. I have looked into Denon 3806, Yamaha too and I can't find one place to listen to all of them together. I am really trying to do the right thing. My system has old Klipsch 5.2's ( I still love them), a HSU vtf-s sub and Klipsch RC35s and RS35 rears. I can't figure out what to invest in. I am also putting in another system in my bedroom with smaller Klipsch 3.2's, speakercraft in wall rears an HSU ( the same sub) and still no damn clue re: receivers. I am going to have the new Samsung 56" DLP in the bedroom. Yes, I am a good wife and also, my husband just had cancer surgery and I want him to drift away into a mindless flow of music and movies - take his mind off the medical - so to speak.
Sorry for the long posting - every single sales person tells me something else. As a girl, I gave up my guy friends when I got married so I don't know anyone to give me a straight answer. I would be much obliged for help.

What do you have now to drive the speakers? What are the short comings?
Maybe you don't really have a real problem, just an itch for something new?

 

[howie85]

Does your husband have a preference? If he has been looking he might be able to give you some direction on which way he was leaning. If you are in a really big hurry just make sure you purchase where there is a good return policy and you can take it back if you don't like it. Whatever you choose it will have to meet YOUR approval not anyone else's so listen listen listen as much as you can and try to get them to play them through similar types of speakers if available. Take with you your favorite dvd/cd dont be afraid to ask questions or take the remote in hand and change some settings to see how user friendly the unit is. Best of all try to have fun and keep in mind your expectations will this be a long term or just for now type purchase. If you can try to brush up on the new technoligy and terms so the sales staff does not try to baffle you with bs.
Good Luck

 

[buckyg4]

Although it may be slightly out of your price range (~2k) I would go with the Arcam AVR300 or a Rotel RSX-1067. I fell both sound better than any Denon, Pioneer, etc. in the price range, but your listening tastes may vary. I like a receiver with strong stereo and multichannel sound. If you are just into watching DVDs I would stick to the lower priced Denon.