Entry-level receiver?

[cKGunslinger]

I've been reading some threads on this subject, but I'm still confused on finding a decent, inexpensive, entry-level receiver. I really just need audio processing, as my TV seems to have the video portion taken care of (although, a 2-1 or 3-1 HDMI pass-through would kinda be nice for future expansion, as my TV on has one HDMI input.)

Current components:

• 
  52" 720p DLP Television
  Series2 Tivo (fed via SD DirectTV)
  Up-converting DVD player (via HDMI)
  Sony PS2
  Nintendo Wii

I'm currently running a gimped HTIB receiver/speakers, but it seem to now be overheating and shutting off randomly.

In the future, I may swap out the DirectTV/Tivo for one of the satellite providers' HD packages, and the inevitable Blu-Ray upgrade, when they drop to <$100.

I'm looking for something stupidly simple (I typically just connect the yellow/red/white cables between all my components and cross my fingers ) and pretty cheap (<$200 would be tight. <$100 would be better.) I'm really just tired of dropping money on $80-$120 HTiBs every couple of years, getting crappy speakers, a half-assed, underpowered receiver, and a useless DVD player.

My living room is decent-sized (15x20 - with the setup on the diagonal.)

So far, the Onkyo 304 looks rather promising at $120. I suppose I'm looking for equivalent options, unless this is the one to beat.

 

[SearchMaster]

I bought a 304 (black) from Onkyo refurb a few months ago for $70 I think. It's a decent enough receiver, it should serve your needs okay. My only complaint is that it clicks when it switches in and out of Dolby, but it's not a big deal. You really only notice it when watching HD television and the commercials are SD. It obviously doesn't feature HDMI passthrough so if you really want that, you'll have to look elsewhere.

 

[erwos]

Under $200 is kind of low for a decent HDMI-capable receiver. Sony has their new STR-DG520 coming out soon, and you should be able to get that for reasonably less than the $200 MSRP. It seems like a fairly capable receiver, too - it has two component inputs, IIRC, so you could move the Wii and PS2 over to those for a nice image quality jump.

Otherwise, see if someone's selling an old Denon 1508 or Onkyo TX-SR505, but under $200 would be a stretch for those two.

 

[cKGunslinger]

This Sony STR-DG510 also looks promising at $150 shipped, and includes 2 HDMI inputs.

 

[A5]

Once you register at shoponkyo.com, the 304 drops down to $109, and then they give you 10 Onkyo Points which are good for another $10 off. Total is $99 before any shipping/tax/etc.

 

[Hulk]

I have a JVC that was less than $200. I don't remember the model but you can easily find it on their site or Amazon. My wife got it for a work thing and this little receiver has really impressed me. I'm running some pretty big Mirage M5si speakers that require quite a bit of power and it is doing an admirable job. It has a Class D amp I believe. They generate a lot of power for their size but can sound harsh with higher frequencies, which is why subwoofers use them. Anyway JVC has gotten that problem under control according my listening and reviews so you get quite a bit of good power for the money. No HDMI though.

Just another one to check out.

 

[DaveSimmons]

You could get the cheap receiver now and a 4-HDMI switchbox later. The low-end receiver just act as switchboxes anyway if they don't decode audio from the HDMI connection.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
You could get the cheap receiver now and a 4-HDMI switchbox later. The low-end receiver just act as switchboxes anyway if they don't decode audio from the HDMI connection.

Are they ever going to come down in price? Last I checked, they were almost $100.

Text

Wouldn't it be better to put that ~$90 back into a receiver?

 

[manimal]

Check monoprice.com for cheap HDMI switchers.

 

[montypythizzle]

Wait, why was Sony even mentioned in the same thread as an Onkyo?
1% THD at 1k, eh...

 

[montypythizzle]

.08 at 65W for the Onkyo, eh... The Sony only weighs 17 lbs., the Onkyo 18, I would say 20 though would be a bulk receiver.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Getting ready to jump on something.

I ran across this Onkyo TX-SR505 for ~$160 today.

That's a bit on the upper end, however. Every bit I add to my receiver, I take from my PC monitor upgrade.

I'm stilling leaning towards the 304..

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger
Getting ready to jump on something.

I ran across this Onkyo TX-SR505 for ~$160 today.

That's a bit on the upper end, however. Every bit I add to my receiver, I take from my PC monitor upgrade.

I'm stilling leaning towards the 304..

I've had good luck with my couple orders from eCOST, but those have been for new products. Just know what you might be getting yourself into if you go for a refurb from eCOST and there's something wrong with it.

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/eCost

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger
Getting ready to jump on something.

I ran across this Onkyo TX-SR505 for ~$160 today.

That's a bit on the upper end, however. Every bit I add to my receiver, I take from my PC monitor upgrade.

I'm stilling leaning towards the 304..

I've had good luck with my couple orders from eCOST, but those have been for new products. Just know what you might be getting yourself into if you go for a refurb from eCOST and there's something wrong with it.

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/eCost

Ouch, yeah - I was looking them up when I ran across that.

On another note, that Sony DG510 is down to $140 shipped from Vanns. Decisions, decisions..

 

[cKGunslinger]

I guess I'll just make this my A/V thread.

Here's something I don't have down yet. Perhaps there is a good explanation online somewhere?

What are the output/cable rankings in terms of audio/video quality? I know HDMI is near the top, but what about coax, s-video, RCA, component, etc?

Basically, my components have these output options:

DVD Player (up-converting to 720p/1080i)

Video: HDMI | Component | S-Video | RCA (yellow)
Audio: RCA (red/white) | Optical Digital | Coaxial Digital

SD Tivo

Video: Coax | S-video
Audio: Coax | RCA (red/white)

Right now, I have the Tivo connected to my 720p TV via s-video and the red/white RCA audio cables. (I recently made this change - I'm starting to think the coax looked better.) The DVD is attached via an HDMI cable, with audio going to my HTiB unit via a red/white RCA cord. The PS2/Wii are using the standard RCA output, but I plan on getting component cables so I can get 480p output to my TV.

Best way to attach these with a new receiver?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Coax is a bit strange since it really depends... it can be used for HD but in a different application it might look terrible.

HDMI/DVI is usually the best but close behind is
Component/VGA (this may actually be superior in some cases depending on your sources and your display)

HDMI/DVI/Component/VGA can all send HD signals and should generally look really good.

S-video is limited to 480i and not so hot, but it's still a lot better than composite which is pretty terrible.



For audio, HDMI has the ability to carry the newer HD audio formats, but entry level receivers will generally not be decoding those, so you're not going to get audio over HDMI anyway.

For digital audio signals, you'll be using
Digital coaxial and optical (toslink)

wait a minute.... didn't I type all this out already in my sticky thread?

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2099593&enterthread=y
Section 2.6

Anyway....

You're probably going to want to do

DVD player
HDMI
Optical or Coaxial

Tivo (are you thinking of going HD on this?)
Coax or S-video (test them both again)
RCA (red/white)

For the gaming systems, get component cables when you can and use that for video.
For audio, use optical (toslink) from the PS2 and I think the Wii only supports analog audio? (could be wrong)

 

[cKGunslinger]

Ah, thanks.

I didn't see that section until you pointed it out - I was wondering why that kind of info was missing I also found another "for dummies" link that was pretty good.

I need to pick up a toslink cable or 2 for my audio. I'll grab those with my Wii/PS2 components cables from monoprice. The 304 has two optical inputs, so that should be OK.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Well, I jumped on the Onkyo 304, as there was another $10 off for Saint Patrick's. I also ordered some optical cables and a set of component cables each for our Wii and PS2.

Total so far: $125.


I started looking at front floor speakers for ~$100 and so far it's a toss-up between the Polk R300 ($100/pr + tax + shipping) and the Sony SSF-6000 for about $150. I'll see if they have the R300s at my local Fry's, to avoid the shipping charges. Otherwise, I'm just going to wait and see how my HTiB 5.1 speaks sound with the Onkyo.

I'd really like a pair of decent, wood-grained (maple) fronts for $100 or so..

 

[Oyeve]

Originally posted by: montypythizzle
Wait, why was Sony even mentioned in the same thread as an Onkyo?
1% THD at 1k, eh...

I was like "huh?!?!??!?!" myself.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Managed to score a decent Infinity 8" powered sub from Costco today. Talked a manager into selling me the floor model for $25 off the $99.99 sticker.

For less than $200, my starter system is already 100x better than my previous HTiB. :thumbsup:

Next on the list is some new fronts + center.

 

[JasonCoder]

Originally posted by: SearchMaster
I bought a 304 (black) from Onkyo refurb a few months ago for $70 I think. It's a decent enough receiver, it should serve your needs okay. My only complaint is that it clicks when it switches in and out of Dolby, but it's not a big deal. You really only notice it when watching HD television and the commercials are SD.

I have the 503 and I get clicking as well. Really bugged me in the beginning but now... eh.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger
Managed to score a decent Infinity 8" powered sub from Costco today. Talked a manager into selling me the floor model for $25 off the $99.99 sticker.

For less than $200, my starter system is already 100x better than my previous HTiB. :thumbsup:

Next on the list is some new fronts + center.

Well, I walked into Fry's today and saw that they had the Polk R300s priced at $39.99 each, so I went ahead and got a pair.

Next up, a good center channel.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger

Originally posted by: cKGunslinger
Managed to score a decent Infinity 8" powered sub from Costco today. Talked a manager into selling me the floor model for $25 off the $99.99 sticker.

For less than $200, my starter system is already 100x better than my previous HTiB. :thumbsup:

Next on the list is some new fronts + center.

Well, I walked into Fry's today and saw that they had the Polk R300s priced at $39.99 each, so I went ahead and got a pair.

Next up, a good center channel.

You'll want a center that's timbre-matched to your fronts. Fry's should have something along the lines of the Polk CSi25, CSR, or CSM for pretty cheap.