Would a Receiver Be Right?

[catacon]

Hey guys,

Lately I've been working on upgrading my "home theater" equipment (building a subwoofer and speakers, new TV, etc.) and I have a question about getting a receiver. Most of my music is on my computer (which I also use for watching movies) and so I don't really have a need for seperate DVD and CD players. So my question is: Would a receiver be right for my system? Since I'm really only going to have, at most, three inputs: computer, VCR, and a turntable (maybe) all of which could just be run through the computer, is a receiver necessary or would it be a better option to go with just an amp or two (or three)?

Thanks for any help!

 

[j_garcia]

PCs generally don't have the ability to generate sufficient preamp level output to work well with an external amp and they also tend to be somewhat limited in volume control, so yes, I would still want a receiver.

 

[Hi Ho]

I'd say a receiver would be a good option. It would cost you less money to buy a decent receiver than it would to buy several amps and hook them up to the sound card. You could use the digital output on the sound card to get sound for DVD's and music. If you wanted to play games in surround sound, however, you would need to use the analog connections or get a sound card with Dolby Digital Live capability. Are you using a sound card or onboard sound?

j_garcia, I have never experienced low output levels from a sound card, not Creative models at least. Before going digital, I had my PC connected to my receiver with 40 feet of RG-6 cable and there was plenty of signal strength.

 

[catacon]

Right now I am using a Mad Dog 5.1 Predator PCI card. I'm looking to upgrade that, though. Maybe to this. Would that be what I am looking for? It has the Dolby Digital EX (or is that different that Live). So if that is the card I'm looking and a receiver is a better option, what receivers should I look at?

 

[Hi Ho]

If you want to use a digital connection to a receiver (single cable rather than six) and you want to play games in surround sound, you would need THIS soundcard. Dolby Digital Live encodes to Dolby Digital 5.1 in real time. Otherwise, games would be two channel stereo through the digital output. The DTS/Dolby Digital decoders on the sound card work only through the analog outputs.

What is your budget for a receiver?

 

[catacon]

OK, that card looks good, I guess DDL stands for Dolby Digital Live...missed that. My budget for the receiver would probably be around $250. I could maybe go a bit higher, but I'd rather not. I was looking at the Pioneer VSX-516-K/S (here). Would that be OK?

 

[catacon]

I'm going to look at receivers today. I'm going to try to find the VSX-516, is there any thing else I should look for (brands, models, features, etc.)?

 

[Hi Ho]

Look at the Yamaha HTR line. The HTR-5840 may be within your budget. The Pioneer models are nice too.

 

[catacon]

So either of those would work fine? They have the right digital inputs and stuff?

 

[Hi Ho]

Yes they do.

 

[catacon]

Well, I am quite happy with myself right now. I took a little trip down to Best Buy (I hate them, but whatever). I was browsing the receiver section and found a few open box items for cheap, but they were missing remotes and manuals, not a big deal, but they were also a bit scratched on the front. Again, not a big deal, but I want it to look nice. There was an 816 for like $250 (also missing the remote and manual) which I was considering. Then, I saw an open box 516 napping on the bottom shelf. I asked the sales rep to open it and every was there and in perfect condition. The price was $170, $35 off the price of a new one. So I went to the register with my coupon in hand and checked out for $140. Sounds great and looks fine too. This gave me some extra money for the sound card. So this has been a good day!

Thanks for all the help!