I don't know what I need

M

Mekare

Audiophyte
I would appreciate some help from those not trying to sell me a product, and after perusing some of the forums I decided this is a good place to get some advice.
I have been trying to research receivers for a couple of weeks now and am more lost and confused then when I began.
A bit about what I have currently:
Blueray-80G PS3
TV-Toshiba 46" LCD
Cable box/ DVR
Personal Computer hooked up to TV for watching internet.
WII
Martin Logan MLT-2 Home Theater System (purchased from Amazon for $400)

Product Features
Four MLT-2 satellites; One MLT-2 center; One high-performance subwoofer: 10-inch driver, 360 watts peak / 120 watts RMS
High-performance sound. Room-filling bass to 32 Hz. Compact design suits any listening environment
1-inch titanium dome tweeters; 3-1/2-inch and 4-1/2-inch poly-cone midrange/woofers
Powered subwoofer with 10-inch paper cone; built-in high-power amplifier: 360 watts peak/120 watts RMS
Technical Details
Brand Name: Martin
Model: MLT-2
Color Name: Black
Speaker Type: Bookshelf

I realize there are many better speakers out there. I am a "broke" audiophile however and had to work with a very limited budget. The ML brand has a great reputation and for the price, I couldn't beat the quality of what I was getting.
That said, I am working on powering this speaker set with a receiver. However, I am lost as to what I need. I look at photos of the backend of many of the receivers and they look like overkill to say the least. Perhaps I really don't understand what all those inputs and outputs are for.

That said, after all the preliminary and somewhat confusing research I have done, I know I have narrowed my brand choices down to:
Integra DTR 40.1
Marantz NR1601 or 5R 5005
Denon AVR 891, 1911 or AVR 988
Pioneer Elite SC-05
Yamaha RX-v3300 or v2300.

What I want from a receiver is the power to make my speakers work clean and powerfully. I like warmer tones, clarity, and the full spectrum of sound as best as I can get it. I am willing to spend as much as $600 on a receiver. If I can reach the same goals with a cheaper unit without sacrificing quality I'm certainly not against saving money.
From what I have read, these are "power hungry" speakers and they take 100 watts each.

I am also lost as to whether or not I should buy a separate amp. If so, this cuts into my receiver budget. I doubt it would be necessary considering my sub came with an amp attached to the back, but I'm unclear as to the necessity of it. Any clarification on that matter would be helpful.

On an end note, I like the idea of up converting my music when I have it on the computer so that it sounds as close to authentic and original as possible, but I will never need to worry about 3D because it makes me sick. I know some receivers point to that need. I will not have that need ever.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts on the matter.
:eek:
 
M

m_vanmeter

Full Audioholic
I'm a little confused with your choice of receivers to power a $400 set of speakers ?? You need 3 HDMI inputs and one component video/Toslink optical audio input set for the Wii. Even a Denon 591 or Onkyo SR508 will work fine.

Is there a particular reason for picking expensive model receivers ?
 
M

Mekare

Audiophyte
Models I chose

The reason for the models I picked is they are reviewed well and have HDMI inputs. As I stated in my original post, I am rather confused as to what I "need". I don't want to buy an outdated model, but I don't need something with hundreds of inputs on the back. My confusion led me to post here for help figuring out what I actually need with regard to what brands have been well rated in my research: hence the list of brands in the original post.
 
zhimbo

zhimbo

Audioholic General
The reason for the models I picked is they are reviewed well and have HDMI inputs. As I stated in my original post, I am rather confused as to what I "need". I don't want to buy an outdated model, but I don't need something with hundreds of inputs on the back. My confusion led me to post here for help figuring out what I actually need with regard to what brands have been well rated in my research: hence the list of brands in the original post.
Well, all you *need* is summarized in m_vanmeter's post.

The "hundreds of connections" are found in pretty much even basic recievers. You won't find any "minimalist" recievers.

I don't see any particular need for anything beyond a basic, entry level AVR, unless you have some special requirements you haven't listed. All AVRs are going to sound pretty much the same, so don't worry about that. As for power, well, you aren't going to be blasting this system to very high, auditorium-filling levels or anything like that, so typical entry-to-mid level AVRs will do fine.

EDIT: If you do want to spend a little extra for a bit of "future proofing", consider a mid level AVR that has Preouts for all channels, to connect to an external amp for more power. (The Yamaha RX-V667 comes to mind).

EDIT #2: Of possible use:

Entry Level AVR Guide

and

$500 AVR Guide
 
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M

Mekare

Audiophyte
I would like to have some future proofing. I am thinking I may want to upgrade the sub down the road, based on others comments, or if the receiver is still good and I upgrade the speakers, etc.

Do you have any Denon or Marantz model reccomendations?
 
fragzem

fragzem

Audioholic Intern
I would like to have some future proofing. I am thinking I may want to upgrade the sub down the road, based on others comments, or if the receiver is still good and I upgrade the speakers, etc.

Do you have any Denon or Marantz model reccomendations?
You could probably get by (like me) with a Denon 1610. (last year's 2nd above entry level 5.1 channel) or the Denon 1611. (this year's 2nd above entry level 7.1 channel).

After spending some time around here and AVS looking at DVD players that cost $16,000 and Speakers (individual) at $5,000 each... I think umm.. well I'm happy those who could do so much *better* offered to help me make my decision on an AVR, and Denon wasn't even in my list to begin with.

That said, if you like what Marantz is selling, before I chose the Denon, I looked hard at their Slim Line model (refurb) 1501. I don't remember where it was, but for $308 refurb'd it sounded pretty good to me, until I decided I didn't *need* all that.

Disclaimer: I'm pretty new here and just learning again what's "in" with audio/video. I haven't researched any of this stuff until 2 weeks ago... prior to that I last checked out "latest and greatest" in home theater .. in 2008.
 
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