Receiver for Klipsch 7.1

[SRHookEm]

I see so many posts that state something like, "It all depends on the receiver. Speakers sound different with different amps driving them" and "Denon is not a good match for Klipsch" and "Denon is a GREAT match for Klipsch."

They make a statement and then never post what DOES sound good with Klipsch. I know it's all subjective.

Here's my absolutes:

I have always liked the Klipsch sound.
I've used them with separates and receivers.
I've used them with Sony, Pioneer, Onkyo, Denon and NAD.
I consider myself to be fairly sensitive to good vs bad audio. Not an audiophile but I know what I like.
I have not heard a difference in sound quality between the brands listed.

I would like to know WHAT brand receiver does fit the Klipsch the best.

I have been considering the Denon 3806 for our new house. Now I don't know. What others in this price range give me HDMI and conversion from component to HDMI. I want one cable to the plasma. I have HDMI and component sources.

 

[MDS]

You've answered your own question. You like the sound of Klipsch and have tried them with various brands of receivers and never noticed a big difference between the receivers (as it should be!)

Just make sure that the receiver you pick has all the features you need. If you have HDMI and component sources, make sure you get one that can trancode from analog video formats to HDMI and you'll be all set.

 

[SRHookEm]

Maybe. But so many people seem to have strong opinions about sound quality differences that I thought maybe I was just not a good ear.

 

[Don_T]

As MDS stated if you like the sound of Klipsch with all of the receivers you have tried them with then there is an almost zero chance that you will not like the way they sound with a Denon.

I am a Klipsch owner and LOVE the way they sound. I have only listened to them on my own system (Sony ES) and at the AV store through Denon, Yamaha and the Sony ES but was unable to discern any appreciable difference. It seems to me that there is a large population of people who give Klipsch a bad rap saying that they are too bright but this is not my opinion.

If you love your Klipsch now, then you will love them with any good quality amp so long as your listening environment is well tuned. Good acoustics in a room are paramount.

 

[astrodon]

I agree with both MDS and Don T. I too am a Klipsch speaker owner (both Ref IV and the cheaper Synergy line, Ref IV of course being much superior in sound quality) and love the sound coming out of my Ref IVs. I drive the Ref IVs with a Denon 3806 and drive the Synergies with a Sony ES receiver. Though I haven't tried it (I'm too lazy), I am sure that the performance of the Ref IVs would sound virtually the same whether I used the Denon or the Sony ES. As long as your talking about these companies upper-end receivers (e.g., the Sony ES line, Denon 3000-level and above, Pioneer Elite, etc.), I doubt if you will notice any difference in their performance. As MDS said, buy based on desired features and on which you can find the best deal.

 

[SRHookEm]

Thanks.

The Denon 3806 is actually the receiver that I am considering. I have some questions about it though:

I want to run my HDMI HD-DVD player, HD cable box and component DVD changer to the receiver and use one HDMI cable to the plasma. Does the receiver switch all inputs to HDMI? Are there any other HDMI issues with the 3806 I need to know--like handshaking?

If my wife wants to turn on the TV and use the built-in speakers, does the 3806 pass through HDMI when it's not on? Do any receivers? If not, how do you get sound to the TV? I would think that only cable would be used this way. All DVD's and CD's would use the receiver.

Any hints for using the 3806 would be appreciated.

 

[astrodon]

Thanks.

The Denon 3806 is actually the receiver that I am considering. I have some questions about it though:

I want to run my HDMI HD-DVD player, HD cable box and component DVD changer to the receiver and use one HDMI cable to the plasma. Does the receiver switch all inputs to HDMI? Are there any other HDMI issues with the 3806 I need to know--like handshaking?

If my wife wants to turn on the TV and use the built-in speakers, does the 3806 pass through HDMI when it's not on? Do any receivers? If not, how do you get sound to the TV? I would think that only cable would be used this way. All DVD's and CD's would use the receiver.

Any hints for using the 3806 would be appreciated.

There are times that I just want the TV on without the AVR being switched on. Here is the way I have my system set-up. I have an HDMI cable going from my DirecTV HD satellite receiver into one of my Sony's HDTV HDMI input ports and have an optical audio cable going from this receiver to my AVR-3806. This way, I can watch satellite TV without turning on the receiver (though my DirecTV receiver has to be set to PCM Audio out on the set-up menu instead of Dolby Digital output to get audio through the HDMI cable). I have the HDMI cable on my Denon-5910 DVD player also hooked directly to the Sony's 2nd HDMI input port. Hence, I can watch a DVD with sound coming out the TV speakers (though I have only played it in this mode a couple of times). I also have a Denon Link cable connected between the DVD player and the AVR-3806 for surround-sound audio (Dolby Digital, DTS, DVD-Audio, and SACD). Finally, I hooked an S-Video cable between the 3806 and the Sony TV to display the 3806 set-up menus on the TV. As such, I only have 3 cables going into the back of the AVR-3806 (Denon Link, optical, and S Video). I'm the type who would rather let the TV do the switching instead of the AVR (as described below).

When I first set my system up, I did pass the HDMI cables though the 3806. I don't recall any "handshaking" problems. I do remember however, that my 3806 had to be turned on before I saw any picture from the satellite receiver or the DVD player. That was the initial reason why I decided to run the HDMI cables directly to the TV. After having done that, I realized that I liked switching video input with the TV better than I did with the AVR. It's nice having the TV tell me that I'm using the "Satellite" input, or the "DVD" input, or the "Receiver" input, or the "Antenna" input.

Do other A/V receivers pass the HDMI signal when they are turned off? I don't have enough experience with other receivers with HDMI input/output to answer that question. However, I would wager that the answer is "no" to that question.

From what I remember from the 3806 manual (I'm presently not at home so I don't have my manual in hand), the 3806 will pass all video inputs to the HDMI output, but you do need to set up this option in the set-up menus (I'll give you the details once I get the chance when I'm home).

I hope this helps!

 

[billy p]

Thanks.

The Denon 3806 is actually the receiver that I am considering. I have some questions about it though:

I want to run my HDMI HD-DVD player, HD cable box and component DVD changer to the receiver and use one HDMI cable to the plasma. Does the receiver switch all inputs to HDMI? Are there any other HDMI issues with the 3806 I need to know--like handshaking?

If my wife wants to turn on the TV and use the built-in speakers, does the 3806 pass through HDMI when it's not on? Do any receivers? If not, how do you get sound to the TV? I would think that only cable would be used this way. All DVD's and CD's would use the receiver.

Any hints for using the 3806 would be appreciated.

If video is fed through the receiver, then it must always be on. Split the signal as mentioned above and this will allow for tv viewing w/o the avr. Remember also that if you switch to audio from avr, turn down/off the tv's volume. One last thing if you don't have a universal remote get one it makes things very easy for the wife.

 

[astrodon]

Here's my follow-up as posted above. The 3806 will convert the analog input signals to HDMI. Make sure that the following are set (as per page 67/68 of the manual). Select option 4 of the System Setup Menu (Video Setup). From the Video Setup screen, select option 4 (HDMI Out Setup), then on the HDMI Out Setup screen, make sure that Ananlog to HDMI Convert is set to ON (this should be the default setting). Note that if analog video cable input is used along with separate audio input cables (either analog or digital), and the video signal is converted to HDMI, the HDMI output will not include audio from the audio input cables. However, if audio input is being passed from the HDMI input cables, then the audio from those cables will be passed on to the HDMI output cable. Also note that if HDMI cables are being input to the 3806, make sure that you enable the receiver to allow those inputs with option 1 (HDMI In Assign) on the Video Setup menu page.

 

[SRHookEm]

OK, if I'm reading correctly.....

I connect my DVD changer to the receiver via component and digital audio. Only the picture will go to my plasma via HDMI, no sound to the built-in speakers. Right? All audio must come from the 3806. That's fine. DVD's will always be watched using the 3806.

However, my HD-DVD player connected to the 3806 via HDMI will pass video and audio to the plasma via HDMI as will my HD cable box connected the same way. Right?

 

[billy p]

OK, if I'm reading correctly.....

I connect my DVD changer to the receiver via component and digital audio. Only the picture will go to my plasma via HDMI, no sound to the built-in speakers. Right? All audio must come from the 3806. That's fine. DVD's will always be watched using the 3806.

However, my HD-DVD player connected to the 3806 via HDMI will pass video and audio to the plasma via HDMI as will my HD cable box connected the same way. Right?

If your hdmi goes from the cable box to your display you will have sound and video at all times. Also you will need to connect your cable box to your avr for surround sound with coax or fibre optic. All other components can run through the avr.
I hope this answers the first part of the question.

 

[astrodon]

OK, if I'm reading correctly.....

I connect my DVD changer to the receiver via component and digital audio. Only the picture will go to my plasma via HDMI, no sound to the built-in speakers. Right? All audio must come from the 3806. That's fine. DVD's will always be watched using the 3806.

However, my HD-DVD player connected to the 3806 via HDMI will pass video and audio to the plasma via HDMI as will my HD cable box connected the same way. Right?

Correct on both statements. However, keep in mind that the 3806 will have to be turned on in order for the HDMI video/audio to pass through the AVR to the TV.

 

[Nick250]

The way you have things set up, you can not watch TV without firing up the whole system. One way around this is to have a second video connection from the STB directly to the display using component cables. You will also use an analog stereo RCA cable connection directly from the STB to the TV for the audio. Just like the good old days with your VCR.

Nick