Home stereo experts! Which receiver for these speakers?

[imported_Crusader]

Speakers

I've worked it down to these two recievers.
Number1
Number2

I like the Onkyo cuz it will play XM HD 5.1 channels in full 5.1.. while the Sony does not (but does work with XM, which I need).
The Onkyo is also 192/24 on all DACs.

But the Sony is 100watt RMS and I was told those speakers need more power than that Onkyo can offer?

Thanks!

 

[gocubs2k5]

I would get the Onkyo over the Sony. The speakers will sound just fine with the onkyo. even if it is 100W rms, more watts doesn't necessarily mean it will sound better. you could go get some 125W X 7 KLH piece of trash receiver if you wanted more watts, but that's absurd. if you can listen to them both beforehand, i think you will find the onkyo will sound better anyway. i've never been a big fan of sony products anyway, but everybody's ears are different. go for the onkyo.

 

[imported_Crusader]

I was leaning that way also.. lets here some more peeps..

this is fathers day gift for my dad so i wanna get the best choice for his speaker setup (and the 6.1/7.1 is for if he ever decides to add-on)

but he already subscribes to XM radio so either of these are good choices.. but the 5.1 XM from Onkyo is a pretty big pull for the same price as the Sony..
lso concerned that the Sony isnt 192/24.

im not partial to any consumer electronics compnay, but we have alot of Sony stuff. He has a sony 32inch WEGA CRT.

I've decided to forgo Sony at least in the car audio realm as my new head unit is a Pioneer.. but dont know much about home audio brands/quality and what sounds good.

 

[imported_Crusader]

anyone else? I'm torn here.

 

[PurdueRy]

Much Better IMO



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[Slugbait]

Using the Sony remote control, it's probably easier to power/control the TV and other Sony components than a remote that needs to be programmed. Personally, I've been using ES for the last eight or ten years, so I'm not familiar with the DG series. But at 110W per channel with 100W RMS? Not sure how reliable that claim is.

5.1 music never really caught on, so not that many albums out there. And I assume most XM channels are highly compressed 2-channel feeds. But I'm certainly no expert on XM...if there's enough 5.1 content for your dad to be happy, perhpas the Onkyo would be good enough, or there's another option...?

You can get the Sony for $228 at B&H, if that helps you decide. They carry the Onkyo as well for $295.

 

[Oyeve]

The Onkyo even at 75w per channel will sound much better than that Sony. Sony consumer products really rank. Their older ES line was good but even that has been bleh the last few years. Denon and Onkyo rock!

 

[imported_Crusader]

Opinions or comments on that Yamaha HTR-5860?
Looks like it is pretty high quality as well. 192khz/24bit DACs on all outputs and also has 110watt RMS.

I like Denon stuff the most, but most of their surround sound receivers are a bit more than I want to spend.

The Onkyo or Yamaha are definite considerations though.

The Sony is pretty much out of the running, its going to have to be priced better than $230 considering I can get that Yamaha with 192/24, the same RMS power output and the better Yamaha reputation for home stereo quality for $300.

While I dont want to spend a fortune this fathers day, I dont want a piece of crap for dad either!

The Onkyo looks like a very high quality receiver as well, pretty much on par with the Yamaha besides the Onkyo has 5.1 XM on supported channels.

I'd like to hear what people think of that Yamaha model, it looks pretty bad ass.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Crusader
Opinions or comments on that Yamaha HTR-5860?
Looks like it is pretty high quality as well. 192khz/24bit DACs on all outputs and also has 110watt RMS.

I like Denon stuff the most, but most of their surround sound receivers are a bit more than I want to spend.

The Onkyo or Yamaha are definite considerations though.

The Sony is pretty much out of the running, its going to have to be priced better than $230 considering I can get that Yamaha with 192/24, the same RMS power output and the better Yamaha reputation for home stereo quality for $300.

While I dont want to spend a fortune this fathers day, I dont want a piece of crap for dad either!

The Onkyo looks like a very high quality receiver as well, pretty much on par with the Yamaha besides the Onkyo has 5.1 XM on supported channels.

I'd like to hear what people think of that Yamaha model, it looks pretty bad ass.

I would go to AVSforum.com There are quite a few people there that own the Yamaha and will be able to give you their experiences with it. Or you can just search for it and you will get a bunch of threads talking about it.

 

[Caligynemania]

General rule of thumb: If a company makes computers or other similar things, their audio equipment will suck balls. I.E. don't buy sony for audio.
Do more than actually read the ratings/specs, here's what I reccomend. Take your speakers into a local audio store (small geek shop will probably be required here) and ask if you can hook them up to some receivers to see the difference in sound quality. Bring your own music- Jazz is very good for determining quality sound.

Good luck.

 

[spikespiegal]

Trust me - you'll get laughed out the door doing that with Cerwin Vegas. They are to speakers what Sony is to electronics.

Cerwin Vega's are extremely efficient and can be driven with pretty much any A/V reciever. If it were me I'd opt for a fully digital amplifier stage A/V receiver if you want to thump the walls.

I'll take Onkyo in a heartbeat over Sony.

 

[ribbon13]

so yeah... when/where'd you get those speakers? and most importantly why?

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: ribbon13
so yeah... when/where'd you get those speakers? and most importantly why?

Hahah, I wanted to ask the same thing, but I thought it would be to asinine.

Now I don?t have to worry about it .

 

[mshan]

What's your budget for speakers and recevier?

And what type of music / home theater will your father use this for?

I'm sure we can all find a lot better choices than those Cerwin Vegas.

 

[Oyeve]

Originally posted by: ribbon13
so yeah... when/where'd you get those speakers? and most importantly why?

Are Vegas considered crap now? I personally have always been a high-end Infinity and JBL speaker man myself but an uncle of mine has set of CVs since 1981 and they are still kicking a$$. I remember when he bought them, the first record we played was my 12" of "Don't you want me" remix from the Human League.


Man, I feel old now.

 

[ND40oz]

You may have problems at AVS Forums talking about sub 300 receivers, not too many discussions in that price range there.

Check out Etronics for good prices. They have a Harmon Kardon, Pioneer and Denon that are all in your price range that are pretty good receivers. You can get the Yamaha 5950 for 295 if you're really interested in a yamaha.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: ND40oz
You may have problems at AVS Forums talking about sub 300 receivers, not too many discussions in that price range there.

Check out Etronics for good prices. They have a Harmon Kardon, Pioneer and Denon that are all in your price range that are pretty good receivers. You can get the Yamaha 5950 for 295 if you're really interested in a yamaha.

The Denon's and HK's in that price range do not meet his XM requirements.

The 5950 is a 6.1 receiver which is definitely a disadvantage if you want to add those back surround speakers.

 

[imported_Crusader]

Well thanks for the replies..
besides the pompous pricks dissing my old mans speakers.

I think I'm going with this Pioneer.

Has XM-HD, decent power (110watt per channel), good 192/24bit DACs, and its 7.1 in case he wants to ever add more speakers. It has as many inputs as the Yamahas as well.
Its not THX certified, but I'm almost done wanking off to that useless cert.
Plus the Pioneer says you can use the other banks to add more wattage to a 2.1 or 5.1 speaker setup.. so i can push 200watts to papy's speakers.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Crusader
Well thanks for the replies..
besides the pompous pricks dissing my old mans speakers.

I think I'm going with this Pioneer.

Has XM-HD, decent power (110watt per channel), good 192/24bit DACs, and its 7.1 in case he wants to ever add more speakers. It has as many inputs as the Yamahas as well.
Its not THX certified, but I'm almost done wanking off to that useless cert.
Plus the Pioneer says you can use the other banks to add more wattage to a 2.1 or 5.1 speaker setup.. so i can push 200watts to papy's speakers.

Personally, I would still take the Yamaha over thet pioneer. Besides the "Elite" line and their 1014/1015 receivers Pioneer is not that well known for their receivers, especially at that price point.

Notice the 110 watts/channel is specified at 1% THD and at 1 KHz. This is a marketing tactic that shows the PEAK output that you can expect from the receiver. Chances are that actual power is much much less. Think on the lines of 60 watts or less per channel (20 Hz-20 KHz with a more reasonable THD).

A good judge of the quality of an amp section in these units is weight. The Yamaha weighs 27 pounds or so while that one weighs 20 pounds. That is a significant difference so obviously something is missing.

The Yamaha has component video upconversion which is a very nice feature for connectivity. Only one cable has to go to your TV instead of possibly 3.

Also I think you are mistaken about "adding power to" lower number of speaker setups. It can biamp if the speakers support it but this is done by having an amp for each woofer in the speaker. So it is dependent on the speakers not the receiver. Notice it says the stereo power is 220 Watts, 110 * 2. You can't just add more connections to get more power than that.

I would still consider the Yamaha over that Pioneer model if I were you, but in the end the choice is up to you.

 

[imported_Crusader]

The Pioneer says you can use the rear banks to add another 100watts to the front speakers.. even if its kinda crappy.. that extra power would be nice cuz dad might stay with 2.1 for a while.

Can the Yamaha do that? If it can.. I'm sold with no further debate.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Crusader
The Pioneer says you can use the rear banks to add another 100watts to the front speakers.. even if its kinda crappy.. that extra power would be nice cuz dad might stay with 2.1 for a while.

Can the Yamaha do that? If it can.. I'm sold with no further debate.

Where does it say that, because I think they are referring to biamping which I mentioned, but your speakers most likely do not support that.

 

[imported_Crusader]

If you don't need or want or can't have 7.1 speakers and are happy with a 5.1 system; no worries, go ahead and use the 2 extra surround-back amplifiers to help drive your main front left and right speakers. That's an extra 200 watts* up front!

* 100 watts per channel (8 ohms, 1kHz, 1% THD)

I know thats very crappy THD :disgust: but at this price point.. I'm not sure what is the best choice..

and sure I'd LOVE to buy pops a expensive ass Denon.. but I cant swing that right now.

For the lowend like these, Yamaha DOES offer a very, very nice setup.

edit to add ze source.

 

[imported_Crusader]

Purdue- maybe the Pioneer can advertise that because of this?

"Power Amplifier Design- Pioneer Hybrid Amplifier Design "

?
They might have some rigged up hybrid amp that allows for it on all speakers.. just change a setting in the menu system or something?

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Crusader
Purdue- maybe the Pioneer can advertise that because of this?

"Power Amplifier Design- Pioneer Hybrid Amplifier Design "

?
They might have some rigged up hybrid amp that allows for it on all speakers.. just change a setting in the menu system or something?

Well it appears to be a design feature as you said. However, I still would rather have the component video upconversion and the Yamaha unit(Especially with that weight difference, just like power supplies it really says something). My receiver weighs 40 pounds and it all comes from the amp section.

Up to you which way you go but I doubt you will find extra wattage in this price range makes too much of a difference.

Good luck with whichever you pick!

 

[PurdueRy]

http://www.savinglots.com/lotprod.asp?item=HTR5860

I just noticed this, it appears the Yamaha may also have the assignable surround back feature