Yamaha HTR-5550 vs. Onkyo TX-SR502

[natekendrick]

a newb, with a question...

First some background: I just purchased a HTIB Onkyo HT-S770, refurb for a great deal ($306) for music and DVD's in my home office. The receiver, according to CNET, is nearly identical to the Onkyo TX-SR502 which I've seen commented here as a good entry-level receiver.

In my living room, I have an older Yamaha HTR-5550 which is rated at 75 watts per channel. I also have it connected to KEF Q5 mains, KEF 2150 10in sub, and KEF Q9 center (the satellites are servicable Yamahas, will replace with KEF surrounds at some point).

Now for the question - which receiver do I put in the living room where I want the best experience? 6.1 (onkyo) verus 5.1 (yamaha) is not an issue for me. I do not understand one bit the receiver spec sheets (Hz, impedance, dB, wah???)

And to make it a bit more interesting... lets say I want to upgrade the receiver when I buy a HDTV in a year's time, what current mid-range receiver would be recommended (considering in that year's time I could find a great deal on it, on a budget of $500-700)

thanks in advance!

 

[jcPanny]

Receiver Info.

It looks like your two current receivers are fairly equivalent, but the Onkyo might have a slight edge on power and support some of the newer sound formats.
For an upgrade, I would look for the Yamaha RX-V2500 and RX-V1500. These models are at the high end of your price range and should drop in the next year

 

[Ron Temple]

Agree. I've been using the HTR-520 since I swapped out all the Onkyo speakers. It does a very adequate job, easy to use and sounds great. I'm looking to upgrade now, but the receiver from the 770 is a keeper. They just transposed the model numbers and re-wrote the marketing specs. There is no way this receiver can do 130w @ .08THD, except for maybe 1 channel driven @ 1khz for a nanosecond. 75 @ 20-20 in stereo is more believeable.

 

[trw005]

Onkyo TX-SR503 cant be beat in its class. And its under 300.00

 

[j_garcia]

I recently installed the 780 package for a customer and I was surprised at how good the receiver is for the total package price. I'd say stick with the Onkyo in the main setup.

 

[natekendrick]

Thanks for the suggestions - since its seems close, with the Onkyo having a slight edge... I'll probably spend the extra effort to put in the living room for the home theater.