Need a replacement receiver for my Onkyo TX-SR500!

[Ayrahvon]

The Onkyo TX-SR500 was an entry level onkyo about 10 years back. It did its duty and performed at a reasonable level for those 10 years but has finally crapped out on me.

Having been off the market for a receiver for so long I'm somewhat surprised at the cost of the entry level receivers these days. The only changes seem to be HDMI integration with TrueHD sound.

I guess my question is, are all these features worth it? I will be hooking it up to an HDTV and Bluray system, and I had noticed on my dead receiver that Blu-Rays especially were significantly quieter than DVDs.

At the same time I am a big classical music buff, and the system is used equally for music. My father's old 1980s sansui receiver did a better job than my Onkyo ever did in that realm.

So in summary: I'm split three ways between buying a new entry level receiver with all the new bells and whistles with integrated HDMI; a system a few years old but higher end that lacks HDMI but has better wattage and specs; or a much older receiver from the 80s that is probably best for music.

I'm not really looking to spend more than $150 (I've found some refurbished Yamaha's and Denon's around that price for the newer entry levels) on a receiver.

Edit: The receiver will be powering a pair of Paradigm Atoms V.2 with a Paradigm C-300 front speaker and an Acoustic Research 12" Sub (self powered, no pre-amp). The rears are junk speakers, don't really need any power. All 8 ohms.

 

[Auric]

HD audio decoding is worth it. shoponkyo has refurbs for $120-140 shipped (join club and login). If such end up not meeting your expectations for music, then a vintage stereo receiver could be added for nothin' from second-hand stores. Or, to avoid switching, maybe go with the next level up HT receiver which allows external amps -assuming that's where the quality difference comes from, otherwise output the stereo receiver through the HT receiver?

 

[Ayrahvon]

Also saw a used Onkyo TX-SR701 on craigslist today for $60. Half the price from shoponkyo but also nearly 10 years older...

There doesn't seem to be a huge difference between the $120 and $140 models to me. The 5 watts for bookshelf speakers isn't going to make a huge difference. Is there some extra decoding or anything I missing? Or is one just more reliable?

Edit: Also thanks for pointing out the club discounts, I had looked at the page but didn't realize there was an additional discount for registering! Very tempting...

 

[fralexandr]

HD audio/trueHD is worth it, as it allows for output of the full dynamic range.

also fyi, the onkyo 313 is available from amazon for $195 new (i guess it's out of budget though)
http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-SR313...ords=onkyo+509

i don't see much of a difference between the tx-sr309 and ht-rc330 either :S
their user manuals are pretty much identical

 

[Auric]

Onkyo specs can be compared here:
http://onkyousa.com/prod_class.cfm?class=Receiver&m=all

More refurbs here:
http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...iver/Home-Audio/Home-Theater-Receivers/1.html

I do not see much point in an HT receiver without HDMI, or even early ones with it since they could be dodgy implementations and/or not have current functionality. Also, be wary of video processing that cannot be disabled. That's actually an advantage to the entry level models since they tend not to have scaling which is an archaic feature and redundant to basic telly functions anyway.

 

[Ayrahvon]

I just don't know when receivers turned more into touting oddball features than specs. Why do I want anything that functions with 3D? I don't know, but I sure would love to pay less for it not to have it!

The SR313 is priced at $160 refurbed from accessories4less. I've never dealt with them before and am not sure if it is worth the risk... decisions...

 

[Auric]

Isn't that $160 plus shipping for a refurb with one-year warranty versus $195 shipped for new with two-year warranty? Or in other words, amazon is the better deal in that case?

I agree on features. It would be nice to have a higher quality spec entry level model without unneeded stuff including most of the analog I/O. I'd rather have an integrated phono amp than a bunch of archaic component and composite video and scaling. One nice feature though is Audyssey, especially for a living room type setup as opposed to a dedicated room.

 

[Ayrahvon]

Thanks for all the help guys, I actually think I'll probably choose one I found at newegg refurb.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882115389

I've been meaning to try out a Yamaha for a long time. The actual specs for this one seem to be a touch better, as for the additional features I'm not so sure. It has HDMI though!

 

[fralexandr]

newegg also has the pioneer vsx-522 open box for $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16882117408R

 

[Rio Rebel]

I wasn't looking for this feature nor was I willing to pay more for it - but the ability to control your receiver with an Android or iOS app is really nice.

 

[rbk123]

I grabbed one of the Onkyo 330 refurbs from accessories4less since shipping was only $13. I wanted something cheap that could do DTS HD so this should fit the bill. For $110, I'll use it for a while and then upgrade later but it's really driving a system that isn't high-end.

 

[Ayrahvon]

I wasn't looking for this feature nor was I willing to pay more for it - but the ability to control your receiver with an Android or iOS app is really nice.

Hah yeah, that's one feature that would make me think twice between two identical systems.

Frustratingly after ordering the Yamaha my old Onkyo started working again. It had been in storage while I was out of the country and apparently it has some sort of battery that requires charging before it can turn on. After it being plugged in over night, it worked just fine!

Good news for me, I can sell it now!

It's so hard to differentiate these newer entry level models. Even when you start going higher end it seems like they have just stopped advertising higher wattage, lower distortion, frequency ranges and so forth.

I wish there was some company out there updating 5.1 systems for True HD and so forth, then ONLY focusing on things that would improve sound quality for price rather than gimmick features. Not that all those features are bad, but they seem to come at the expense of having a quality receiver now, and that just won't cut it.

 

[Auric]

Perhaps the "battery" is a capacitor but in any case, if charging overnight was necessary it's prolly failing.

Alas, marketing the "bullet points" du jour takes precedence over quality. It seem as though it has been a race to the bottom with everything in recent years.