Need help choosing a receiver

[alfa147x]

I Need help choosing a receiver
Iv posted before about the receiver but that was with a bigger budget, now the budget has been cut and i am not looking to buy a BR player any time soon (at min 1 year)
My current receiver has been ruled "dead" so i need a new receiver asap

old thread:
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=67&threadid=2173319


Right now I have a Aiwa AV-D97 receiver, i dont have any video going into it.
I have these plugged into it:
Dish HD VIP211 (Optical)
Samsung DTBH260F (Optical)
Xbox 360 (Optical)



All of the above have HDMI, I would like to use HDMI on them all but can make do with just 2

Oh and i cant stretch the $50ish for the Onkyo TX-SR605 the $300 budget is about as much i can get my dad to stretch (i sold a phone and thought i would get $280sh and ended with $220 after paypal :| )




New Question:
Should I get the TX-SR505 or save up for a month and get the TX-SR605
the price difference is $170

The only difference I see is the
90 Vs 75
Dual Room on the 605
and XM\ sirius on the 605 (never used it in the car)

The question is, is the $170 worth it ?

Thanks!

 

[erwos]

Get a Sony STR-DG720.

 

[vi edit]

Onkyo 605 for $270 (refurb)

Vendor isn't the best rated but then again...neither is best buy.

 

[alfa147x]

Originally posted by: vi edit
Onkyo 605 for $270 (refurb)

Vendor isn't the best rated but then again...neither is best buy.

thanks but it too risky

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

 

[alfa147x]

how is the http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16882121039

 

[iRONic]

Get a PT job or do some odd jobs for the $$ to make up the difference...?

 

[alfa147x]

Originally posted by: iRONic
Get a PT job or do some odd jobs for the $$ to make up the difference...?

well with my current job and having to put money into savings it would take me about 4 weeks to save up another $100

Does no one make a receiver in this price range?? If not I guess I'm going to have to wait

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: alfa147x

Originally posted by: vi edit
Onkyo 605 for $270 (refurb)

Vendor isn't the best rated but then again...neither is best buy.

thanks but it too risky

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

Meh. Like I said - Best Buy only has a 1.9 and I've never been wronged by them.
http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Best_Buy

I think some people just like to bitch a lot.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: alfa147x

Originally posted by: iRONic
Get a PT job or do some odd jobs for the $$ to make up the difference...?

well with my current job and having to put money into savings it would take me about 4 weeks to save up another $100

Does no one make a receiver in this price range?? If not I guess I'm going to have to wait

There are plenty, but not with the audio over HDMI features.

 

[Smoove910]

I'd go with the Onkyo 605. At www.shoponkyo.com they have it for $369, but sign up and receive another $10 off and they currently have a 10% off sale on all refurbs. So that'd put you close to $300

http://shoponkyo.com/detail.cf...d=1&detail=1&ext_war=1

I recently bought an Onkyo SR505 for under $200 as a refurb and couldn't be happier. No cosmetic damage and it replaced my 15 yr old Pioneer Pro Logic, so the sound difference was enormous.

Thought I would chime in with me .02. Good luck with your purchase.

 

[alfa147x]

Originally posted by: Smoove910
I'd go with the Onkyo 605. At www.shoponkyo.com they have it for $369, but sign up and receive another $10 off and they currently have a 10% off sale on all refurbs. So that'd put you close to $300

http://shoponkyo.com/detail.cf...d=1&detail=1&ext_war=1

I recently bought an Onkyo SR505 for under $200 as a refurb and couldn't be happier. No cosmetic damage and it replaced my 15 yr old Pioneer Pro Logic, so the sound difference was enormous.

Thought I would chime in with me .02. Good luck with your purchase.

Iv always had good luck with refurbished things, that seems like a good idea

i owe you a cookie if i can get some more money out of my dad (He thinks we dont need a new one... the old one is 7 years old and doesnt start...)

 

[pennylane]

Originally posted by: alfa147x

Originally posted by: iRONic
Get a PT job or do some odd jobs for the $$ to make up the difference...?

well with my current job and having to put money into savings it would take me about 4 weeks to save up another $100

Does no one make a receiver in this price range?? If not I guess I'm going to have to wait

Tell your dad you'll pay him back the rest in a few weeks?

I don't think there are receivers for $300 that have HDMI audio features.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: alfa147x
how is the http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16882121039

What's wrong with the STR-DG720? It doesn't do TrueHD or DTS-HD bitstream decode, but meets your requirements (including price) pretty nicely.

 

[kalrith]

How about the Pioneer VSX-9110TXV-K? I remember seeing it in the hot deals forum a while back and was able to find that thread. Here's the link to the deal. Use the code springship to get free shipping, which makes it $299.99 shipped. Moogr.com only has 19 reviews on resellerratings, but it does have a 9.21 rating.

This looks like a pretty good receiver. One nice feature is video processing. This allows you to connect non-HDMI inputs to the receiver and still transmit those through one HDMI cable to your TV.

 

[alfa147x]

updated

 

[kalrith]

A big difference between the SR505 and the SR605 is that the 505 does not process audio through HDMI, but the 605 does. This means that with the 505 you will not get any of the HD audio formats (Doly TrueHD, DTS-HD, etc.), and you will have to connect a separate audio cable to the receiver along with the HDMI cable.

I don't really see any benefit to having an HDMI receiver that doesn't process audio through HDMI; you might as well just plug the HDMI cables directly into your TV. My current setup of connecting HDMI cables to my TV and digital audio cables to my receiver is actually better than if I connected HDMI cables to the SR505, because I can adjust the settings on each individual input to my TV. I'd give up that ability to get the HD audio formats, but I wouldn't if the receiver couldn't process those. It might not be as big of a deal to you though.

 

[pennylane]

Originally posted by: kalrith
A big difference between the SR505 and the SR605 is that the 505 does not process audio through HDMI, but the 605 does. This means that with the 505 you will not get any of the HD audio formats (Doly TrueHD, DTS-HD, etc.), and you will have to connect a separate audio cable to the receiver along with the HDMI cable.

I don't really see any benefit to having an HDMI receiver that doesn't process audio through HDMI; you might as well just plug the HDMI cables directly into your TV. My current setup of connecting HDMI cables to my TV and digital audio cables to my receiver is actually better than if I connected HDMI cables to the SR505, because I can adjust the settings on each individual input to my TV. I'd give up that ability to get the HD audio formats, but I wouldn't if the receiver couldn't process those. It might not be as big of a deal to you though.

Yeah me neither. I'd save up for the 605. I suggested this idea before, but is there a way you could ask your dad to buy it now and then you pay him back later?

 

[alfa147x]

Originally posted by: fanerman91

Originally posted by: kalrith
A big difference between the SR505 and the SR605 is that the 505 does not process audio through HDMI, but the 605 does. This means that with the 505 you will not get any of the HD audio formats (Doly TrueHD, DTS-HD, etc.), and you will have to connect a separate audio cable to the receiver along with the HDMI cable.

I don't really see any benefit to having an HDMI receiver that doesn't process audio through HDMI; you might as well just plug the HDMI cables directly into your TV. My current setup of connecting HDMI cables to my TV and digital audio cables to my receiver is actually better than if I connected HDMI cables to the SR505, because I can adjust the settings on each individual input to my TV. I'd give up that ability to get the HD audio formats, but I wouldn't if the receiver couldn't process those. It might not be as big of a deal to you though.

Yeah me neither. I'd save up for the 605. I suggested this idea before, but is there a way you could ask your dad to buy it now and then you pay him back later?

Tried that, he doesnt even want to put any money into a new one.... :|

But how does opical or Coax compair to the audio through HDMI?
Also my TV does not have HDMI it has one DVI port

 

[cubby1223]

You don't want something that just has hdmi passthrough, so the Onkyo 505 is out. You'll be kicking yourself later on if you buy it.

The Sony STR-DG720 has 3 hdmi inputs, and is a good value at $299, only lacks the ability to take an input analog video and output it over hdmi. The Onkyo TX-SR606 has 4 hdmi inputs and the full range of features, should drop in price when it's more readily available. Both of these give you Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio decoding for in the future. That's the biggest advantage to HDMI, access to better audio.

The Harmon / Kardon seems fine, I forget why I discounted it when I was making a list of receivers for me. Personally, with all the growing pains HDMI has been through, I am only buying a newest generation receiver. I'm not taking any chances.

 

[kalrith]

I can't comment too much on the comparison of audio quality between HDMI and digital. I do know that you can only get the new formats through HDMI, and even the old formats are less compressed than through a digital connection.

Some HDMI-to-DVI cables or adapters should allow you to connect your HDMI equipment to your TV. If you only have one DVI port, then you can buy a DVI or HDMI switcher. That might open up options to buy a used or at least less-expensive non-HDMI receiver.

 

[alfa147x]

Originally posted by: kalrith
I can't comment too much on the comparison of audio quality between HDMI and digital. I do know that you can only get the new formats through HDMI, and even the old formats are less compressed than through a digital connection.

Some HDMI-to-DVI cables or adapters should allow you to connect your HDMI equipment to your TV. If you only have one DVI port, then you can buy a DVI or HDMI switcher. That might open up options to buy a used or at least less-expensive non-HDMI receiver.

I have a hdmi to dvi adapter, i wanted the reciever to have the switch built in

 

[alfa147x]

Originally posted by: cubby1223
You don't want something that just has hdmi passthrough, so the Onkyo 505 is out. You'll be kicking yourself later on if you buy it.

The Sony STR-DG720 has 3 hdmi inputs, and is a good value at $299, only lacks the ability to take an input analog video and output it over hdmi. The Onkyo TX-SR606 has 4 hdmi inputs and the full range of features, should drop in price when it's more readily available. Both of these give you Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio decoding for in the future. That's the biggest advantage to HDMI, access to better audio.

The Harmon / Kardon seems fine, I forget why I discounted it when I was making a list of receivers for me. Personally, with all the growing pains HDMI has been through, I am only buying a newest generation receiver. I'm not taking any chances.

wait why not?

 

[cubby1223]

Originally posted by: alfa147x
Also my TV does not have HDMI it has one DVI port

That's very important because dvi on tvs don't have hdcp.

 

[Reel]

605 over 505. Hands down. Reasons are above.

 

[pennylane]

Originally posted by: alfa147x

Originally posted by: fanerman91

Originally posted by: kalrith
A big difference between the SR505 and the SR605 is that the 505 does not process audio through HDMI, but the 605 does. This means that with the 505 you will not get any of the HD audio formats (Doly TrueHD, DTS-HD, etc.), and you will have to connect a separate audio cable to the receiver along with the HDMI cable.

I don't really see any benefit to having an HDMI receiver that doesn't process audio through HDMI; you might as well just plug the HDMI cables directly into your TV. My current setup of connecting HDMI cables to my TV and digital audio cables to my receiver is actually better than if I connected HDMI cables to the SR505, because I can adjust the settings on each individual input to my TV. I'd give up that ability to get the HD audio formats, but I wouldn't if the receiver couldn't process those. It might not be as big of a deal to you though.

Yeah me neither. I'd save up for the 605. I suggested this idea before, but is there a way you could ask your dad to buy it now and then you pay him back later?

Tried that, he doesnt even want to put any money into a new one.... :|

But how does opical or Coax compair to the audio through HDMI?
Also my TV does not have HDMI it has one DVI port

It's clearly better, but at the same time, depending on the speakers, it may not be a huge difference. If your budget for a complete 5.1 set-up is $700, it may not make a very big difference. Actually, I think if you could put money saved from a receiver purchase into having a bigger speaker budget, you'd probably be better off that way.

I myself don't have an HDMI audio capable receiver right now. My current receiver works fine and I am leaning towards waiting another generation for the technology to mature some more.