VOoDOo looking for a new setup!!

[ReU_VOoDOo]

Hi, all

This is my first time posting here but I have been lurking (reading) for a long time. Its time I upgraded my set up!!! I am almost dead set on the new Pioneer VSX-1021-k. Only problem is I cant seem to decide on speakers!!! I was really set on a set of fluances but more research has told me no, and everything else I look at seems too expensive!!! I know what sub I want (BIC f12) I am not going to change my mind. I have 500 to spend on speakers, sub gets its own budget. Heres what im working with now

58" Samsung PN58B750 Plasma
Yamaha HTR-5935 5.1 Htib
2 unknown pioneers I found on craigslist, and put the Yamaha fronts as rears
Corei7 custom computer, Hdmi audio and video out, Asus xonar STX w/ 160 Ohm headphone amp powering Senhieser PC350's

It doesnt sound bad but my dog ate the reciever remote and my son some how set it to stereo, so rather than fix it, this is my excuse to upgrade!!! I would love to spend as much as I did on my pc's (4000) on audio equipment but I just cant right now.

Heres some pics for you visual guys!!!


This is a pic of the tv, fronts and center. Yes I am a pc modder!!!

This is an up close of the heart of my entertainment

The second computer I built for it.

This is the "Console of Gluttony" That I built to game with

heres links to my pc modlogs if anyone is interested
VOoDOo Antec skeleton mod
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18148767

VOoDOo Media
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18252726

anyway thats what im working with and trying to upgrade!!! Help me guys. And thanks for letting me on your great forums

 

[ReU_VOoDOo]

Anyone have a suggestion???

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

a pair of Infinity P363 towers - 200/each shipped = $400
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6978141&SRCCODE=GOOGLEBASE&cm_mmc_o=VRqCjC7BBTkwCjCECjCE

add a pc361 center for another $200 and you're all set... use existing speakers for surrounds

None-elite pioneers are not best choice due to underpowered amp section.
You'd be much better off with refub mid-range AVR from ac4l.com like this one:
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARSR6005/MARANTZ-SR6005-110w-X-7ch-3-D-Home-Theater-Surround-Receiver/1.html

 

[ReU_VOoDOo]

Thanks I will research your suggestion when I get home. You don't think the vsx 1021 is a good choice?? I have heard the audio cal is awesome on it, and the connectivity is endless, that's why I'm interested in it.

 

[ReU_VOoDOo]

The Marantz looks great and they have a reputation even I have heard of!!! But do think that if Pioneers tech specs are correct 95w rms isnt good enough?? Is there really that much difference in 15w? I dont know the difference, maybe someone can chime in. Also did some more reasearch, do you think that Boston Acoustics VR3's would be better than Infinitys offering? Asking because I found a pair for $300 here in austin. Also I would really like to find a full set 5.0 speakers, just really dont want to mess with the hassle of matching them

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

The Marantz looks great and they have a reputation even I have heard of!!! But do think that if Pioneers tech specs are correct 95w rms isnt good enough?? Is there really that much difference in 15w? I dont know the difference, maybe someone can chime in. Also did some more reasearch, do you think that Boston Acoustics VR3's would be better than Infinitys offering? Asking because I found a pair for $300 here in austin. Also I would really like to find a full set 5.0 speakers, just really dont want to mess with the hassle of matching them

BA's VR3 is also excellent value speakers, you'd need to find matching BA VRC center to match the fronts. Matching other speakers is not just unnecessary - in your case cost prohibitive. Later one you should first add a good subwoofer or two only and then worry about matching surrounds.

Regarding Pioneer - yes, new models offer very high value as far as features go, however they are rated at 20hz-20Khz at 90w (per channel) and that with (could be) only one channel driven. You could safely assume that Marantz unit amp section is MUCH more robust and of higher quality.
I understand that you want all the bells and whistles, but suggest you trade some of them for raw power behind Marantz units.
There are also Onkyo units, which have best of both words - new features and very strong amps, but in few recent years there were lots of complains regarding Onkyo reliability and quality issues ...

I knock on the wood - my Onkyo TX-SR805 is a beast and was an amazing value at the time of purchase ( I does heats up quite a lot)

 

[Adam]

Nice setup! Is that a Razer mouse?

A couple of weeks ago, there were some nice used NHT speakers on eBay for about $500, but I don't see them at the moment.

My current receiver is a Pioneer Elite, and my previous one was a Pioneer 1000-series (VXS-1015). I am a big fan of the MCACC auto calibration. Pioneer used to use their Elite power components in their 1000-series, but I think that stopped the year after I bought mine (I don't know if they've reversed that back). That was one reason that I went to the Elite, but connections was another.

 

[ReU_VOoDOo]

I had a set of nht surrounds that I picked up in a pawn shop years ago, I thought the only reason they sounded good was because I had placed them 10' high on a 13' ceiling, lol didn't know they were good speakers at the time. So are the newer onkyo's any good like the nr709 and 609? Also, I have been doing a lot of research and some jamo s606's that I can afford, paired with a sub would this be a good alternative for now? I'm thinking that I will go ahead and drop the money for a good marantz now, and just get a set of jamo's maybe until I can reach the next level of home theater.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I had a set of nht surrounds that I picked up in a pawn shop years ago, I thought the only reason they sounded good was because I had placed them 10' high on a 13' ceiling, lol didn't know they were good speakers at the time. So are the newer onkyo's any good like the nr709 and 609? Also, I have been doing a lot of research and some jamo s606's that I can afford, paired with a sub would this be a good alternative for now? I'm thinking that I will go ahead and drop the money for a good marantz now, and just get a set of jamo's maybe until I can reach the next level of home theater.

If anything you should get the Jamo kit first - vann sells it for unbelievable $399
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/544012176/jamo-s606hcs3?s_c=site_search
and they will raise prices very soon.
Get marantz to get more power later then you have a budget for it

 

[Adam]

Amazon's daily Gold Box Deal is on Energy speakers and subwoofer. $99/each for a CF-30 tower and/or ESW-C8 sub. I've never heard them, but people here seem to like that brand, and they have good reviews on Amazon.

 

[ReU_VOoDOo]

Thanks a bunch guys for all the suggestions, I will go with the jamo's for now and see if I can hear a difference. The whole thing that got me started was getting the Asus Xonar STX sound card and the Sennhieser PC350 headset. I thought my ht setup was great till I got that card and headset. It almost felt like I had never heard music before!!!

After doing a lot of research I am still a little Leary of the Marantz brand. I know almost all receivers are made in China, but I read a couple of customer service horror stories. Can some one put my mind at ease about this? I want to give the Marantz a chance but I just don't know much about them. I never have seen the brand in any top ten listings. Is Marantz just the best kept av secret or what? Is there HD upconversion any good? I would rather hear it from some one than rely on biased internet reviews.

 

[bikemig]

Thanks a bunch guys for all the suggestions, I will go with the jamo's for now and see if I can hear a difference. The whole thing that got me started was getting the Asus Xonar STX sound card and the Sennhieser PC350 headset. I thought my ht setup was great till I got that card and headset. It almost felt like I had never heard music before!!!

After doing a lot of research I am still a little Leary of the Marantz brand. I know almost all receivers are made in China, but I read a couple of customer service horror stories. Can some one put my mind at ease about this? I want to give the Marantz a chance but I just don't know much about them. I never have seen the brand in any top ten listings. Is Marantz just the best kept av secret or what? Is there HD upconversion any good? I would rather hear it from some one than rely on biased internet reviews.

Totally agree that a good pair of headphones can make you realize what is missing in your main set-up. My new Beyer DT880s sound almost as good as my main rig and better than my secondary one . . . .

 

[its phillip]

You can easily find horror stories for any manufacturer. Marantz is a legit brand with solid offerings.

 

[GranteedEV]

After doing a lot of research I am still a little Leary of the Marantz brand. I know almost all receivers are made in China, but I read a couple of customer service horror stories. Can some one put my mind at ease about this? I want to give the Marantz a chance but I just don't know much about them. I never have seen the brand in any top ten listings. Is Marantz just the best kept av secret or what? Is there HD upconversion any good? I would rather hear it from some one than rely on biased internet reviews.

I have had an SR6003 refurb for over a year now. it runs great, and i have yet been unable to reach the limits of its amp section.

the HD upconversion is abysmal. It is not a video first brand. where other brands at the same price point might pack in a ton of useless underutilized features to win reviews and sell units, marantz will make sure the audio section is robust before all else. I am not a big believer in electronics having different degrees of "sound quality" but I believe there's still 'good' and 'bad' although I can't tell you what specifically is 'bad'. The marantz I own is good, though.

Where other brands throw in cheap 1V preamp outs just to say they have pre outs, marantz receiver preouts have been measured as high as 8V... this is dedicated prepro territory. It will never clip driving any separates amp.

The amplifiers are not just designed to deliver watts for the spec sheet like some.... They will play comfortably into 4 ohm loads, and sound fine at low power levels as well.

Marantz is not going to give you the best video upconversion. I can garauntee you that. I prefer my mid level receiver not process video though so it doesn't affect me. Costs had to be cut somewhere in all but flagship products, and I feel secure with products that keep it simple and measure well where it matters to me. Features don't hurt, but not at the cost of the sound. I won't say other brands sound different necessarily. But im always suspicious of anything with a ton of features squeezed into a price point.

 

[ReU_VOoDOo]

Ok ok you have made a beliver out of me!!! Lol the upconversion really isn't that important to me I was just curious. So now which model? I can spend 500 but I would feel more comfortable at 400-450. Can you guys just give me a few refurb resources good websites for audio gear? I know where to get computer stuff, but clueless at audio.

 

[GranteedEV]

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARSR6004/Marantz/SR6004-110w-X-7ch-Home-Theater-Surround-Receiver/1.html

Here are Gene's measurements of this receiver;

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/receivers/marantz-sr6004-1

The sr6005 is not the same as the sr6004. it has a lower msrp and appears to be more of a denon design than a marantz - the weight is pretty reduced. i can't recommend it as easily as the 004 because i have not seen 3rd party measurements.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

What about the Yamaha RX-A800 (retail $800) selling for $419:
http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-RX-A800-7-1-Channel-Audio-Receiver/dp/B003XDU498/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314369947&sr=8-1

 

[its phillip]

The RX-A800 is a fantastic buy at that price imo.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The RX-A800 is a fantastic buy at that price imo.

A lot of people are saying Yamaha has top notch reliability, HTM just reviewed the RX-A1000 ($650 on amazon) with crazy awesome measurements - Crosstalk -93dB, SNR -108dB, THD 0.002%, etc.

And for $419, you get 5 HDMI inputs a 2 HDMI outputs? That's unheard of!

What's even more amazing is their $373 RX-A700 has 5 HDMI inputs, 1 HDMI output, and a 7.1 Pre-Out for external amp?

http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-RX-A700-7-1-Channel-Audio-Receiver/dp/B003XDU49S/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1314370928&sr=1-1

That is just crazy!!!

The only thing the RX-A700 & 800 don't have is that Ethernet for network, which the $650 A1000 has (and more power).

I normally just look at Denon, but these Yamahas have forced me to open my eyes a little.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

All the receivers mentioned above are all good choices,
but if you want to improve the system - you should invest in speakers first:
Get BA VR3 or Infinity towers and get a durable universal remote like URC RF20
most likely you don't need original remote to program rf20