low end receiver question

[matto]

I am looking to buy a receiver for my parents. They are looking to spend 200-330, basically I am looking for the cleanest sound possible. Two models look good but I hope someone can give some insight. Yamaha HTR 5740 has some great features and an easy remote(my parents are older). I have noticed that Onkyo has some great low end receivers and the SR 502 seems like a possible good choice. I know most of you haven't heard these models but any insight would help. They would power Pardigm 70 series, 5 satallites and a powered 8" sub. Power probaby isn't an issue.

 

[Leprkon]

options

you might try the Sony 897, for about $ 275, especially if they already have a Sony TV or DVD player

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=search&Q=&b=80&a=0&shs=&ci=2517&ac=&Submit.x=10&Submit.y=7

you might also look at the "last year's model", the Onkyo 601. it's a little more powerful than the 502 and will give you 6 channels should you need them down the road.

http://www.ecost.com/ecost/shop/detail.asp?dpno=157381&store=ecost&source=ECOSTDEAL&adcampaign=email,ECOSTDEAL

if you don't mind re-builds, you can get some excellent Marantz receivers at www.accessories4less.com they are factory certified .

the guys at www.onecall.com also have some excellent deals in the lower end stuff right now.

 

[Nomo]

If they plan to use it to primarily for movies and don't need exceptionally stellar music reproduction a Sony would not be a bad choice. They're a bit more user friendly that some others, and feature wise give a pretty good bang for the buck.

 

[Leprkon]

one more deal

if you pick up your Onkyo 502 from Crutchfield, they will throw in an Onkyo progressive scan DVD player for $ 50 more. it might be a little outside your budget, but the shipping is free and you could always give the pretty decent DVD player to someone else on your list you wanted to impress at Christmas.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-glyf38Hn3ZG/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=10420&I=580TXSR502

 

[jotham]

The key thing in my opinion for folks that aren't nutcase audiophiles is equipment compatibility.

I try to set my parents up with all the same equipment if I can. If your parents have a Sony DVD or VHS player, then I would go with Sony. Same reasoning for all the other brands. TVs are usually not an issue because of the minimal options.

Getting all the components to work together in a brainless manner is definitely the trick. I've heard good things about the Harmony remotes and their ability to recover from system misconfigurations.

Naturally all of my equipment is different brands because I'm a nutcase. But I had to spend some time with a Pronto to pull it all together

 

[matto]

good info

I do agress it would be best to get the same brands but I have had a sony amp before and was not impressed with the clarity, but you get what you pay for. I checked out the Onkyo 600 page from the first post and the specs look great. The Martinez model I really know nothing about but it look like a good deal at 399.

 

[MDS]

For older folks and those that just want to set it and forget it, I vote for the Onkyo 502. Drop dead simple to operate. If you opt for a Yamaha or Denon, you'll be spending alot of time setting things up and coming over to fix things when they inadvertantly change things (just look at all the posts on various forums complaining about Yamaha and Denon useability - even by so called 'enthusiasts').

IMHO (but based on my experience).

 

[toquemon]

If your parents are older, forget about Yamaha. That's the only issue i have with them, i don't know, probably one of the physicists or engineers that designed the receivers also wrote the manual. When i used to buy Onkyo stuff, the manuals were very understandable and the interface was more intuitive, i think they're still this way.

 

[Mudcat]

If your parents are older, forget about Yamaha.

Unless they're your in-laws

For the parents I recommend the simplest thing to use and set up.

For the in-laws I recommend the most confusing thing you can set up properly. That way, when they hose it up you become their AV savior, and all the bad things they said about you when you got engaged to their child will be a thing of the past.

 

[Leprkon]

Unless they're your in-laws

For the parents I recommend the simplest thing to use and set up.

For the in-laws I recommend the most confusing thing you can set up properly. That way, when they hose it up you become their AV savior, and all the bad things they said about you when you got engaged to their child will be a thing of the past.

Doesn't this carry the risk of them continually hosing it up and requiring your presence constantly and then blaming you for putting them in the mess in the first place ? Your strategy sounds much better when applied to the Ex than to the in-laws...

 

[mfabien]

If your parents are older, forget about Yamaha. That's the only issue i have with them, i don't know, probably one of the physicists or engineers that designed the receivers also wrote the manual. When i used to buy Onkyo stuff, the manuals were very understandable and the interface was more intuitive, i think they're still this way.

Don't know what figure you put on "older"...but I'm 67 yrs old and can operate my Yamaha RX-V540 without a glitch. I can even tell that the "Diana Krall Live In Paris" DVD plays best when you select the natural DTS decode to do the job instead of selecting "Spectacle" in DSP processing. And believe or not, I can even balance the speakers to my best listening position!

Since I don't have a Pronto to control my components, I use the Toshiba TV remote, the SA8000HD DVR remote, the Yamaha a/v remote and the Samsung DVD remote. And you know what? I get by very well... not even confused !

 

[toquemon]

I'm sorry, i didn't want to say that "all" older people can't understand how to use a complicated receiver. Maybe i should have said the following: "The vast mayority of older people don't like the complications inherent to new technologies (receivers included), so it would be better if you buy a receiver like the Onkyo 602, because it's easier to use than other receivers i've seen. It's almost plug&play."

 

[Mudcat]

Doesn't this carry the risk of them continually hosing it up and requiring your presence constantly and then blaming you for putting them in the mess in the first place ? Your strategy sounds much better when applied to the Ex than to the in-laws...

Very Good point.