receiver help

[Montoblo54]

ok so I am trying to decide on which would be the best receiver to pick among a choice of 5 I have limited it down to.
The choices are :

Yamaha RX-V550
Yamaha RX-V659
Yamaha RX-V757
Yamaha HTR-5860
Pioneer VSX 1015TX

I am not an expert on receivers but I want a good quality mid range receiver and these seemed to all get good reviews. I currently have a Kilpsch Quintet II 5.1 surround set up with a KSW 10 Sub. In the expert opinons of everyone in this forum, could you help me out on this decision??

 

[luvdodo]

Htr-5960

Whats your $$ Budget ?

I picked up the Yamaha HTR-5960 few weeks back and it's just awesome. Got it for $399 online from an authorized dealer. Have a look at this model too.

 

[speakerman39]

ok so I am trying to decide on which would be the best receiver to pick among a choice of 5 I have limited it down to.
The choices are :

Yamaha RX-V550
Yamaha RX-V659
Yamaha RX-V757
Yamaha HTR-5860
Pioneer VSX 1015TX

I am not an expert on receivers but I want a good quality mid range receiver and these seemed to all get good reviews. I currently have a Kilpsch Quintet II 5.1 surround set up with a KSW 10 Sub. In the expert opinons of everyone in this forum, could you help me out on this decision??

Well I am no expert per se but thought I would add my .02 so to speak. I used own a Yamaha RX-V650 and really liked it. Then I bought a Yamaha RX-V757 which I liked too but it did not seem to have as much umph to it as my former RX-V650. The LCD remote was kool though. I now own a Pioneer 1015 and all I can say is that I am MUCH happier. Like the way it sounds and it sure has more umph-even more so than my former RX-V650. Therefore, my vote is for the Pioneer 1015. Good luck in your decision.

 

[Nick250]

Your speakers will sound exactly the same with any of the receivers so go with the least expensive. Put any left over money in your speaker upgrade fund.

 

[Kai]

I have the 659 and love it. Great features, sound and plenty of power.

 

[Montoblo54]

my max for my max budget is around $400 and I found the Pioneer and the RX-V757 both for $400. The other receivers I found for less, the RX-V550 being the lowest at $220. I would much rather get a really good receiver that would be able to last me a long time than a cheapo one that wouldnt last nearly as long.

Also just for an idea on what I am hooking up to the receiver here is a list of things: I am hooking up a 300 CD changer, DVD player, PS2, TV(older TV, not flat screen or HD or anything fancy like that), a VCR, and the speakers I mentioned.

 

[JMO_PWR]

Personally i would go with the Pioneer VSX-1015. Considered any other brands? Although nick has a point about adding more to your speaker budget.

Depends what you want out of your receiver. Pioneer have great features

 

[Pyrrho]

Your speakers will sound exactly the same with any of the receivers so go with the least expensive. Put any left over money in your speaker upgrade fund.

Although I generally agree with that sentiment (I have over $5000 worth of speakers hooked up to a $600-700 receiver), in this case, I don't think that is the best advice. I think he should make sure he buys a model with automatic setup, as such things typically do a better job than most people can manage on their own (though often one needs to correct the crossover frequency for the subwoofer, the channel balance and the delay are usually pretty good with automatic setups).

But, yes, the speakers will, by far, make more difference in the sound than the receiver. That is why I recommend doing as I have done. Buy great speakers, and a "mid-fi" receiver (if the speakers are not horribly inefficient or a nasty low impedance).

 

[Nick250]

I have not used auto setup myself, but from what I read here on AH it seems to be a good thing. IMO however, the OP needs a speaker upgrade to have a meaningful improvement in sound regardless of what receiver he uses. My view of upgrading is speakers first, electronics second.

 

[Montoblo54]

well being a college student I do not currently have the money to go and get $5000 worth of speakers. I do however, have the $400 to get a good receiver and later on down the road when I am done with school and able to afford those expensive speakers I will get them, but not now.

In those regards, would I be best off getting the cheaper one, the Yamaha HTR-5860 I found for $300, or should I go for the better of the choices, the Pioneer I found cheapest for $400.

 

[supervij]

Speaking as a newbie, I would recommend a reciever that does have some kind of auto-setup. I don't know which of the recievers you listed doesn't have it, but it's a really nice feature. When I first got my receiver, I had no idea what to do to set everything up. The Yamaha's YPAO measured and set levels, delays and speaker sizes, not to mention checking to make sure the speakers were wired correctly. YPAO isn't always 100% accurate, and you'll need an SPL meter to calibrate it to a finer degree, but auto-setup gives you a great starting point.

I'm extremely happy with my RX-V750, which is very similar to the 757. But I have no experience with the other receivers you list, so I can't comment on those. But the 750 is a very good receiver for someone who (like me) doesn't have a whole lot to hook up to it. The video transcoding up to component is a nice bonus too.

Best of luck with your research and decision!

cheers,
supervij

 

[Montoblo54]

well i decided to get the Pioneer receiver and upgrade my speakers later down the road when I have that sorta cash to buy a good set of speakers......speaking of speakers, what are the better brands on the market?