Pick a receiver for me

[jjminch]

I know this gets asked a lot, but I still have to do it.

Need a 7.1 receiver for a 5.1 and soon to be 7.1 setup. I mostly game and do movies. ALL of my music is on an Ipod, need a receiver that integrates well and can produce good sound from this.

Components:
Wii
Xbox 360
PS3-eventually
low def cable box at the moment
cheapo tube TV (waiting to upgrade)


Fronts: Dynamic 2T (2X 7" woofers, 2X 4" mids, 1" tweet)
Subs: Dual 10" Dayton References in front towers, side throw. Seperate amp for them.
Center: Dynamic 2CC (same drivers as towers)
Surrounds: Lineup D4 (4" mid and small tweet)

Info on the speakers can be found if you google clearwave loudspeakers.


Things I want:
-Power-The towers can handle a lot
-Automated setup-Audessy or the like
-Plenty of adjustibility with crossover points and stuff.
-A second zone to do my hallway/upstairs.
-Good integration with Ipod (I hear Pioneer has something), on screen menu would be nice.
-Pre-outs- Would like to get a sep amp for the towers eventually
-No issues with running wii/x360/ps3 to receiver and single HDMI line to TV

I hear nothing but crap about upscalers in receivers, since I haven't bought a monitor yet I'm not going to demand one. I figure a decent 2k LCD will be able to upscale just fine.

Price point is 500 to 700. If I go 500 it gives me money for an outboard amp for the towers. I'll go 700 if someone can justify the difference. I need to purchase this in about 2-3 months, so if something new is coming out, I can wait (in Iraq rt now). I have no brand preferance.

Thanks
Josh

 

[lsiberian]

I know this gets asked a lot, but I still have to do it.

Need a 7.1 receiver for a 5.1 and soon to be 7.1 setup. I mostly game and do movies. ALL of my music is on an Ipod, need a receiver that integrates well and can produce good sound from this.

Components:
Wii
Xbox 360
PS3-eventually
low def cable box at the moment
cheapo tube TV (waiting to upgrade)


Fronts: Dynamic 2T (2X 7" woofers, 2X 4" mids, 1" tweet)
Subs: Dual 10" Dayton References in front towers, side throw. Seperate amp for them.
Center: Dynamic 2CC (same drivers as towers)
Surrounds: Lineup D4 (4" mid and small tweet)

Info on the speakers can be found if you google clearwave loudspeakers.


Things I want:
-Power-The towers can handle a lot
-Automated setup-Audessy or the like
-Plenty of adjustibility with crossover points and stuff.
-A second zone to do my hallway/upstairs.
-Good integration with Ipod (I hear Pioneer has something), on screen menu would be nice.
-Pre-outs- Would like to get a sep amp for the towers eventually
-No issues with running wii/x360/ps3 to receiver and single HDMI line to TV

I hear nothing but crap about upscalers in receivers, since I haven't bought a monitor yet I'm not going to demand one. I figure a decent 2k LCD will be able to upscale just fine.

Price point is 500 to 700. If I go 500 it gives me money for an outboard amp for the towers. I'll go 700 if someone can justify the difference. I need to purchase this in about 2-3 months, so if something new is coming out, I can wait (in Iraq rt now). I have no brand preferance.

Thanks
Josh

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-SR705S-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B000OBJW1I/ref=pd_bbs_7?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1239910922&sr=8-7

Get one of those and then get whatever amp you want. That receiver is a feature monster at the price. It has 8 point audyssey, pre-outs, thx, decodes all formats. Very nice amp section too.

 

[jjminch]

That seams like a pretty good model, thanks for the reply. I'll have to research that model a bit.

 

[Davemcc]

The good news is that there are some good performance graphs for those speakers at their site. Assuming it's these: http://clearwaveloudspeaker.googlepages.com/dynamic4tfrandimp The impedance spends a fair amount of it's frequency range around 5 ohms. That suggest you want an amp that can deliver a fair amount of current. The mathemagical geniuses here could tell you exactly what amount of current you need to deliver but I'm not one of them.

The Onkyo that Isiberian suggested is a good model to consider or it's Yamaha equivalent (maybe an RX-V765). Either will drive the speakers just fine but if you plan to push the system hard, I suggest a separate stereo amp for the mains at least. I didn't see any sensitivity spec but if it's high, you could be OK for a while with just the receiver. If the sensitivity is low or you expect to play music loud in a large room, plan to get the amp sooner rather than later.

On a side note, those towers seem to drop off rapidly at about 80Hz. You might want to play around a lot with sub options and crossovers or upgrade from the Daytons to something with more extension. You could also try setting the receiver for double bass or LFE+Main if your room is large.

 

[jjminch]

Dave,

Thanks for the reply, it is the 2T model, but we modified it. The graphs shown should still be accurate, we put in side firing 10" dayton reference subs. I'd attach a link but I need a few more posts.

Regarding the drop off, I'm not skilled enough to play with that but I do understand what you are saying. The room isn't to large, 18X25 I'm guessing. In the future I would like to get a 3rd sub if need be. I should note, I haven't even heard these yet.

For the amp I am pretty set on the Behringer EP1500. Thoughts on that one? It will give a consistant 270watts to each tower for around 200 bucks. Sensitively according to the builder is at 88dbs for the towers. If I free up the mains I'm sure the receiver amp could handle the center and 2-4 surrounds very well.

I was considering the Yammy (I have a bike made by them so I'm biased), but I read the Onkyo audessy was much better than their equivelant. I'm not sure how much that even matters really. I'll have to do some more reading. So far, 430 bucks for the Onk is tough to beat.

 

[Davemcc]

Consensus is that pro amps like the Behringer are good quality and cost effective but maybe a little inconvenient in terms of having to turn them on and off manually. I find amps with a 12v trigger worthwhile but that's just me. There are relays and such that you can buy or build so that you can have the amp turn on with the receiver when using a remote.

Some people love Audyssey and can't live without it. Others hate it. Personally, I haven't had much luck with it and don't use it.

 

[guitarman]

I agree completely about Audyssey. Onk is good, but I heard that AVR runs hot so some guys use an ext. fan; get the ext. warranty if you're gonna drive it hard.

If you're gonna push to $800 for the Onk you should consider the Denon 2809ci. It's around that price or less, and with 2010 models coming out soon, could drop more. It has full Audyssey MULTEQ XT implementation, puts out 120 w/ch 2 ch driven (accurately bench tested) and can handle 4-6 Ohms if that's what you have on those towers. Full preouts of course, runs cool, is reliable Jap build. Amazing SQ IMHO, I'm very happy with mine. Cool remote too. PITA crappy manual, but there's great support threads with a cool Denon setup Guide on AVSForums.

 

[fast1]

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-SR705S-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B000OBJW1I/ref=pd_bbs_7?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1239910922&sr=8-7

Get one of those and then get whatever amp you want. That receiver is a feature monster at the price. It has 8 point audyssey, pre-outs, thx, decodes all formats. Very nice amp section too.

yup those look pretty decent

 

[jamie2112]

Those speakers look great. I might wanna get me a pair of them.....
The Behrenger EP1500 will give you all the power you need to drive those towers.

 

[jjminch]

Sorry for the late response. I have been looking at the Denon, and if it falls into my pricerange it looks like a solid pick. Now I have to decide if the 705 in that good of a deal to buy it and have it essentially sit unused for a few months, or wait for this year's closeout models.

I appreciate the compliments on the speakers, my dad built them (his first speaker build), and I'm really happy with the results. I just wish I could get stateside sometime to hear them.

DaveMCC- Where can I find info for a 12v relay for a Behringer amp? I searched but came up with nothing, that will definately annoy me not having it turn on. Thanks for that info as I did not know that btw.

 

[Davemcc]

Here's one discussion on the topic.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32904
Also, my Panamax power conditioner has a 12v trigger that turns one one power bank when triggered by the receiver. As long as your receiver has a 12v trigger, you can use something like this but they aren't inexpensive.

Here's another:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50874&highlight

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I turned out really liking the Xantech AC1.

 

[lsiberian]

That seams like a pretty good model, thanks for the reply. I'll have to research that model a bit.

Having personally owned the receiver. I wish I still had it. AS is easy to run, but you have to do it right in a good room to get good response.

It can run hot, but not really that hot. the 805 is the hot one. The 705 is just a tad warm. A fan is unnecessary with good airflow. I speak from experience on the 705. I would buy it again if I were in the market for a new receiver. Make sure you get a refurb. They tend to have the newest firmware.

 

[jjminch]

Thanks for the links for the relays, both the homebrew and the power conditioners. I could use a good power strip anyways, so I imagine when the time comes I will look into that route. Gonna do a bit of reading for a while, thanks to everyone for pointing me in the right direction.

 

[jjminch]

Here's one discussion on the topic.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32904
Also, my Panamax power conditioner has a 12v trigger that turns one one power bank when triggered by the receiver. As long as your receiver has a 12v trigger, you can use something like this but they aren't inexpensive.

Here's another:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50874&highlight

Thanks again, but I have a quick question after I researched your panamax component.

I saw on the deals forum the APC units are on closeout. I looked at the picture of the back of the APC AV H15 unit and saw a trigger outlet. So if I run a line from my receiver to this trigger, than that would power up one to two Beringer amps if I'm correct? No getting out of my chair or anything, just hit power on the receiver remote and I'm good to go.

I figure for 150 bucks thats not to shabby. So all I'm asking is if I understand this correctly before I purchase the APC unit.

 

[Davemcc]

The APC unit will do what you want. I just had a second look at the Onkyo 706 with regard to the 12v trigger and I don't think the receiver will work. From the way it's written, I think the 12v trigger only works when you select zone 2 audio. It may be best to look at the Denon or Yamaha equivalents where you can program the 12v trigger for zone and source. The Denon 2809 is the lowest that has both preouts and the trigger. (Denon doesn't list the trigger in it's features, but it's clearly visible in the product image of the back of the unit.) The Yamaha RX-V765 should do what you want for a lot less money. Since you're going with a separate amp anyway, the lower line Yamaha may work well since it has both of these features.

 

[jjminch]

Thanks for the advise on the 706. I'll have to see if the 705 will possibly work since you said the 706 is a nogo. I love that Denon, but it's way out of my price range. Looks like the lower end yammy might be a good ticket.

I'm also checking out the Pio VSX-01. Looks like it has a full set of preouts and 12v triggers. Price isn't that bad either.