Need to replace my Onkyo HTIB receiver - Do I have to stick with Onkyo?

[jtmartin]

Please forgive the newb-ness. This stuff isn't my specialty. I'll try to be brief.

I own this HTIB:
Amazon.com: Onkyo HT-S5300 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver and Speaker Package with iPod Dock (Black): Electronics

My receiver is not turning on.. it just clicks. I've tried diagnosing it myself and thru other forums, and looks like I need to replace it.

Now my first thought is awesome, I can get something rather than this stupid Onkyo receiver which seems to have "hand-shake" (I think it's called) issues with my different components (PS3, etc). The sub also would randomly turn off.

BUT, I have read that one of the drawbacks from a HTIB is that you can't uprgrade it. Now I don't know why that would be the case, but I've just read that several times.

So for a new receiver I'd like a 7.1 with at least 4 or 5 HDMI inputs. Two main questions:

1. Do I have to buy a Onkyo receiver? Would any Onkyo receiver work?

2. What's important for me to look for in terms of the specs? And does the receiver even matter that much?

My needs are:
-Enough HDMI inputs
-Good graphics for my PS3 and Blue Ray discs

I have a Aquos 60" LCD.

Thank you!

 

[Grador]

For the HTIB you bought, any receiver will work. This isn't always the case, some HTIB sets have the receiver power the subwoofer which isn't normally the case when you buy components separately.

As a general rule the specs of a receiver aren't that critical to look at beyond power output as long as you stick to good brands. There are a wide array of good receivers along all price ranges with various features. Some starting questions for you: What is your budget, or is your goal to get the cheapest that will work well? Are there any things you wish a new receiver would do better than the old one?

 

[jtmartin]

Thanks for the quick reply Grador. I'm glad you pointed out why some HTIB aren't upgradable because I should mention that each of my speakers connect to the receiver using exposed speaker wire except for the sub. The sub uses an rca cable but that cable can be switched out at both ends. I would imagine an rca cable is not optimal for any speaker let alone a sub. I wonder if it's possible to get a receiver that uses an rca for the sub but can also use direct speaker wire if I ever upgrade the sub.

As for what I'm looking for... Budget wise I really am not in the market to go high range right now. And if and when I upgrade, it seems like there are places where your buck will go much further than the receiver. So honestly, I'm looking at used or refurbished and just what is needed to get the job done. My old receiver was 130 watt per channel and I'm seeing several 100 watt per channel available. Is that a big downgrade?

On the flip side, since I'm not upgrading anything else at this point, a receiver that makes an actual difference in sound or video quality would be worth it to spend a little more. In the end though what matters is just that my games and movies sound good, but I wouldn't know what a great sounding system was, so it doesn't need to be great.. Yet. it would be nice to have a simple remote. The biggest factor for me tho is that i don't get thos blips where either sound or video cuts out.

 

[Grador]

RCA to the sub is normal, and how virtually all subs will work. It will be just fine as is.

Wattage numbers on anything are only semi-useful at best, and very misleading at worst. They can only be used when taking other things into account. Depending upon what receiver you're looking at it is entirely possible that a 100 watt/ch receiver would be an upgrade over the "130 watt" HTIB unit.

Good names to look at for receivers are Yamaha, Denon and Pioneer, listed in the order of my personal preference. I've read to many anecdotes about onkyos failing [yours now included] to really recommend them. For any of those brands if you avoid the lowest of the low end it should work just fine for you.