Newbie Question: HK AVR 135 v. Onkyo TKSR 503

[bd80830]

Newbie here looking to buy my first receiver in about 10 yrs. I'm in a smallish apt, and don't need too much power. Just picked up a set of fluance speakers to replace my 15 (!) yr old cerwin vegas. Not looking for a high-end system, was wondering the difference between the Onkyo 503 and a manufacturer refurbished HK 135. Lots of folks recommended the Oinky 502 as the best low-end receiver, but HK is HK. Assuming the same price, which should I buy? Should I worry about the refurbish? Same warranty as new.

Thanks VERY much for the help!

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Newbie here looking to buy my first receiver in about 10 yrs. I'm in a smallish apt, and don't need too much power. Just picked up a set of fluance speakers to replace my 15 (!) yr old cerwin vegas. Not looking for a high-end system, was wondering the difference between the Onkyo 503 and a manufacturer refurbished HK 135. Lots of folks recommended the Oinky 502 as the best low-end receiver, but HK is HK. Assuming the same price, which should I buy? Should I worry about the refurbish? Same warranty as new.

Thanks VERY much for the help!

You may want to consider waiting, saving a few pennies, and upgrade that option to the 7 series Onkyo, or the HK AVR235. Your Fluance speakers are some of the lost rated spl's I've seen. If they are 88dB, then you will need twice the amp to get them to the same volume as speakers rated at 91dB. I'm not talking party levels either. Those specs are taken at 1 watt at 1 meter from the driver. Check the spl ratings first before diving into a new receiver. There is a huge difference in the HK135 vs the 235 model. Just check the weight on the website - it's something like 24lbs versus 33lbs (beefier power supply/transformer). It appears they are only about $40 more just by checking ebay and yahoo shopping.com. In that respect, the AVR235 is a much lower priced unit than either the Onkyo 602 or 702.

 

[nm2285]

I've always been partial to HK. I think it will give you the better music performance. They'll probably be on par for movies. The Onkyo may have more features. The power on the HK is rated lower, but should be comparable. I wouldn't worry so much about it being refurbished, especially if theres an HK authorized repair center near you (see their website). Go out, see them, hear them, and decide for yourself!

This may help also: http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/HKAVR130.html

 

[bd80830]

Thanks for the help. My speakers are 89 dbl, but I live in a small apt, (living room is about 300 sq ft). Looks like the 235 is going for about $180 more at the HK ebay site than the 135 (ave about $200 v. $280), and I'd rather save the $$$ since I'm also buying a new DVD and TV in the next few months. This is really my starter set, I'm starting from scratch.

Understanding that the HK 235 or Onkyo 602/702 would be better, (but out of my price range), is the HK 135 a no-brainer over the O 503 in the $200-250 range?

Thanks for the link. V. helpful.

 

[nm2285]

I wouldn't worry about it. What you have to remember is, yes you may need double the power, but you're not always using all the power from the receiver. If you're listening at a low to normal level and using 30-40 watts, doubling that isn't going to be a problem, especially in a small apt. I own NHT SB2s that are rated at 86db and I used to power them with a Denon AVR-1604 (75watts I believe). I did feel that they were slightly underpowered for that last boost of strength and upgraded to a NAD integrated, but your speakers have a higher rating, and, most of the time, the Denon was just fine.

That is not to say that I wouldn't recommend the 235 over the 135...absolutely I would. However, if you're not willing to swing it now, the 135 (or the Onkyo) should be fine.

 

[MDS]

Either the HK135 or Onkyo 502 will do. It's really going to come down to your own preferences for appearance, ease of use, and features.

For a little perspective, I just recently moved from an apt into a house. In the apt (900 sq ft - living room 10' x 16') I was using an Onkyo TX-SR502. Now my speakers are a bit more sensitive than yours (93 dB) but the 502 had no difficulty in achieving Dolby Reference Level in that room. It never gets hot and has never had one single problem. All of the features work as advertised and IMO Onkyo does the best job of designing a useable and easy to understand user interface. I've owned Onkyo receivers for the last 12 years.

My suggestion would be to read the user manuals for each online to get a feel for how they operate. Better yet, go to a store like Circuit City that carries both and play with the features (ignore how they sound in the store because it is NOT a good representation of how either will sound in your room). Either will be fine for power and features, but I bet you will be able to figure out how to use all of the Onkyo features and setup menu without even reading the manual. HK is pretty good in that regard too (way better than Yamaha and Denon, IMO) but in my experience the Onkyo engineers do the best job of making the simple things simple and the complex things pretty accessible too.

 

[brendy]

Both are very good receivers.I have the 602.Pick the one thar has the features you like best.

 

[bd80830]

After seeing the refurbished HK 135 go for between $215-230 on the HK ebay store, I won an auction for the refurbished HK 235 for $265. It's more than I planned to spend, but after reading the forum for the last few days, I'm pleased with the purchase. Seems like it's _well_ worth the extra $30-$50.

Thanks for the help all.