Greetings everyone, I am a newb when it comes to A/V so please bear with me.
I currently have a Sony Home Theater System (DAV-HDZ235) and have been satisfied with the sound quality but with the purchase of a new TV (Pioneer TC-P60S30) I cant figure out a way to hook it up with all my additional boxes.
My thought was to keep the speakers and just upgrade the box especially since I dont need the DVD feature anymore.
So my questions is what a/v receiver should I buy?
I have a mild hearing loss so most nuances in sound are lost upon me. All I am really looking for is something that will sound decent, allow me to hook up my PS3, xbox, STB and is painless to setup/configure.
Budget-wise id like to keep it between $175-$250 if that is realistic.
Any suggestions?
I'm also in the low budget arena.. I'd say sell your DAV-HDZ235 on craigslist (lets say +/-$50?), then use that to add to your budget. I bought the 7.1 in my sig for $330 from
Accessories4Less.com (actually it was through amazon, but A4L was the seller. they charged a little more for the set, but there was free shipping). It's been fantastic so far for me. if you don't want to go that high in budget, check out some of their other refurbished options such as the Onkyo 5400 package. I was going to get that one, but I got a little extra money for Christmas
Onkyo HT-S5400 7.1-Channel Home Theater Package w/USB ipod/iphone | Accessories4less
Some might not approve of these budget systems, but we all have to start somewhere. The way I see it, the receiver in the 6300 set up I got is pretty decent so if I decide I need better/more sound later down the line, I can upgrade any of my speakers and/or my subwoofer. That should hold me over until I get to a point in my life where I feel like I can invest in a more extravagant system..
Yes, the sub is a powered sub, and it's plenty enough to shake the walls in my dorm (and that's at ~ half the output power). I'm not in a huge room, but you can definitely feel it rattling your insides
This isn't a high end system compared to what some of these audioholics have, but i'm quite content with my system for what I paid. Yes, it's refurbished, but it comes with a 1 year manufacturers warranty. You also have the option to buy extended warranties for fairly cheap from A4L as well.
These receivers have passive cooling, so they either need to be in a well ventilated area, or you could set one of these on top of it:
http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Mobile-External-Cooling-AF0007/dp/B002OJN250/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1329099090&sr=8-7 . without it, I measured temps as high as 120F with the receiver just sitting there powered on. (i've got limited space so there's only 3" of room above the receiver). I stuck one of those fans on top of it (powered using the usb port on my tv) and the hottest spot is 85F even though i've been watching movies and tv using it all day (it's been snowing all day. not much else to do!). With the fan dialed down to ~70%, I can't hear it all unless im standing right by my receiver..
It should have more than enough connections for your devices. Set up is a breeze too. wire it up and when you turn it on it tells you to hook up the included mic. you follow the instructions and it's pretty much calibrated for you. I adjusted a few things to my liking but it sounded impressively good without that.
