New A/V Reciever w/ HDMI - Choices?

[Dr. Detroit]

I just sold my Sony STR DE997 and am looking to upgrade to a reciever with HDMI. Everything will run through the HDMI cable into the TV is my plan.

I was set on the $400 Sony DG910 (Link to DG510) but the Sony DA5200ES price was just lowered from $1,500 to $1000 and now it just dropped another $200 down to $800 at reputable stores like Crutchfield. Link to 5200ES

In the $800 or under range what else should I be looking at that can match the specs of the 5200ES or DG910?

I'm pairing this with a 36" HD CRT Sony HS420, Phillips DIVX/DVD player, Comcast HD DVR, Wii and a 5-channel speaker system using JBL & Mirage. Room size approximately 20x12 and neighbors surround me.

 

[LegendKiller]

If you look around, the reviews on Sony receivers aren't all that favorable. Out of all of the manufacturers that deceive with their receiver numbers, Sony is probably the worst. I remember seeing a website that showed that most of their 100w/ch receivers put out ~25w, an ES might do 40-50 if you are lucky.

Other manufacturers, such as higher-end Yamaha, Pioneer, Denon, are Onkyo put out ~80%+ of rated. I bookmarked it but lost the site in a re-install.

I think they play a game where they rate the w/ch with only a few ch driven, as opposed to all ch driven, while other, more true, numbers rate them with all ch driven.

That's one reason why many receivers of today don't sound nearly as powerful as those of bygone ages. I had a RCA receiver from the late 80's that thumped the hell out of any receiver I have now, it was rated for 100w/ch and probably delivered it easily + more.

I had 2 sony receivers that trashed out and gave up. My latest is a Pioneer Elite VSX-82TXS, which I really like.

 

[vi edit]

I like the Onkyo 705 in the $800 range.
http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4192490

The H/K 247 is a good choice in the $400-$500 range. You can find this online for around $400 at a number of sites or instore at Best Buys.
http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4157160

I think both of these are more value oriented solutions than the Sony ones you linked to.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Originally posted by: LegendKiller
If you look around, the reviews on Sony receivers aren't all that favorable. Out of all of the manufacturers that deceive with their receiver numbers, Sony is probably the worst. I remember seeing a website that showed that most of their 100w/ch receivers put out ~25w, an ES might do 40-50 if you are lucky.

Other manufacturers, such as higher-end Yamaha, Pioneer, Denon, are Onkyo put out ~80%+ of rated. I bookmarked it but lost the site in a re-install.

I think they play a game where they rate the w/ch with only a few ch driven, as opposed to all ch driven, while other, more true, numbers rate them with all ch driven.

That's one reason why many receivers of today don't sound nearly as powerful as those of bygone ages. I had a RCA receiver from the late 80's that thumped the hell out of any receiver I have now, it was rated for 100w/ch and probably delivered it easily + more.

I had 2 sony receivers that trashed out and gave up. My latest is a Pioneer Elite VSX-82TXS, which I really like.

Thanks for your input....err Sony bash fest;

Well I see you have zero experience with the 5200ES, at all channels driven, the reciever topped out at 66W. Here is a review from S&V Review

The unit is extremely feature rich and am looking for something comparable.

I have edited my post to include the number of square feet I'm dealing with so Volume is not the key for me, its having a feature rich video hub.

The DG910 is low on power at 30W/ch.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

i'm too lazy for a sony bash fest, so i'll just say sony is garbage. you seem to have made up your mind, so go ahead and buy it.

 

[FP]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
I like the Onkyo 705 in the $800 range.
http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4192490

The H/K 247 is a good choice in the $400-$500 range. You can find this online for around $400 at a number of sites or instore at Best Buys.
http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4157160

I think both of these are more value oriented solutions than the Sony ones you linked to.

I bought my 705 for $615. There are deals every couple of weeks through Amazon, J&R and CC.

 

[krotchy]

I got my Onkyo 705 for 610. I honestly could not be any happier with the receiver. It is amazing. The only possible downfall is the limit of Component -> HDMI of 720p, but then again, you shouldn't be buying an audio receiver for its Video processing, and the cheapest reciever with Component -> HDMI of 1080p is well over 1000 dollars. The feature set on the 705 is amazingly complete for the price.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Originally posted by: krotchy
I got my Onkyo 705 for 610. I honestly could not be any happier with the receiver. It is amazing. The only possible downfall is the limit of Component -> HDMI of 720p, but then again, you shouldn't be buying an audio receiver for its Video processing, and the cheapest reciever with Component -> HDMI of 1080p is well over 1000 dollars. The feature set on the 705 is amazingly complete for the price.

Well over $1000 has just beceom $800 and a 5yr warranty to boot as the 5200ES can do this:

analog-to-HDMI video upconversion (up to 1080p) with Faroudja DCDi? Cinema scaling

I'm planning on upgrading to a 46" or 52" 1080P LCD in the near future so this upscaling feature is a really nice touch. I'm waiting on the new Laser flat screen technology to come out. to see what that offers for choices and prices.

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: Fmr12B

Originally posted by: krotchy
I got my Onkyo 705 for 610. I honestly could not be any happier with the receiver. It is amazing. The only possible downfall is the limit of Component -> HDMI of 720p, but then again, you shouldn't be buying an audio receiver for its Video processing, and the cheapest reciever with Component -> HDMI of 1080p is well over 1000 dollars. The feature set on the 705 is amazingly complete for the price.

Well over $1000 has just beceom $800 and a 5yr warranty to boot as the 5200ES can do this:

analog-to-HDMI video upconversion (up to 1080p) with Faroudja DCDi? Cinema scaling

I'm planning on upgrading to a 46" or 52" 1080P LCD in the near future so this upscaling feature is a really nice touch. I'm waiting on the new Laser flat screen technology to come out. to see what that offers for choices and prices.

I might have clarified quality receivers that do it. The cheapest receiver [from a brand that I trust makes good receivers] I have seen is the Onkyo 875, which is 1500 dollars typically. THX Ultra2 Cert, HQV upscaling (better than Faroudja), and more features than you could ever use in your life.

Personally, I just don't quite trust a Sony receiver, which supposedly does 120W/channel, but has no THX certification, No Power for Zone 2/3 and seems to have been made for getting the 1080p up conversion feature as its main ability (again why buy an Audio reciever for video scaling? Any good TV does as good of a job if not better). Every sony sound system I have ever heard just didn't quite sound as good as anything comparable dollar wise. If your set on buying Sony for your receiver, than go for it, but Ive never met an Audiophile who recommends them, or even suggests them for anything.

As I said, I bought the 705 because of the audio features on board, and those are on par or better than the Sony you listed. Yes it has no 1080p upscaling, but if you have a nice 1080p TV, it can upscale content on its own as good or better.

 

[vi edit]

Personally, I think you are pissing money away if you want to upconvert an analog source that is non-HD to 1080p. I just can't rationalize the extra $1000 that it costs over a $400 receiver that "only" can do it to 720p.

But that's just me.

 

[SlickSnake]

<snip>

I haven't gone wrong yet by purchasing Harman Kardon products for the last 8 years. I have bought refurb products online, from Ebay at their store and from their online store that were either in perfect refurb condition, or new in the box and sold as refurbs, including Infinity Interlude and Beta speaker systems. All their products bought from them as refurbs have a full manufacturers warranty, too.

Harman Audio Ebay Store

Harman Audio Online Store

They also make JBL products and higher end products, too! If you can afford them.

They do not lie on the actual output of their audio products, too. If they state 100 watts per channel at 8 ohms, they mean it. Their equipment will power lower 4 ohm loads, which many HT receivers will simply burn out trying to power continuously. Something to keep in mind when purchasing speakers, too.

 

[Deinonych]

The Onkyo 705 and the Denon AVR-888 are worth a look. Yamaha's V661 is a sound choice as well, but it doesn't have HDMI v1.3 (if that is important to you).

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: SlickSnake
<snip>

I haven't gone wrong yet by purchasing Harman Kardon products for the last 8 years. I have bought refurb products online, from Ebay at their store and from their online store that were either in perfect refurb condition, or new in the box and sold as refurbs, including Infinity Interlude and Beta speaker systems. All their products bought from them as refurbs have a full manufacturers warranty, too.

Harman Audio Ebay Store

Harman Audio Online Store

They also make JBL products and higher end products, too! If you can afford them.

They do not lie on the actual output of their audio products, too. If they state 100 watts per channel at 8 ohms, they mean it. Their equipment will power lower 4 ohm loads, which many HT receivers will simply burn out trying to power continuously. Something to keep in mind when purchasing speakers, too.

Slick snake

I saw you post this twice verbatim in 3 other threads and I was a little annoyed that you changed nothing, but I let it slide. Now this is identical post #4, and looking through your recent posts, theres about 7 total that say the exact same thing.

Seriously you sound like an advertisement at this point and its kind of ridiculous. At least this time you wrote <snip> for the copy paste. But still you keep pasting that in and never returning to the threads with input to the actual poster.

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
I like the Onkyo 705 in the $800 range.
http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4192490

The H/K 247 is a good choice in the $400-$500 range. You can find this online for around $400 at a number of sites or instore at Best Buys.
http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4157160

I think both of these are more value oriented solutions than the Sony ones you linked to.

I :heart: my H/K AVR247.
beautiful sound, very capable and allows me to connect everything and still only run a single HDMI connection to the tv. Only downfall is the lack of HDMI v1.3, but that's a non-issue for me, as the PS3 is more capable with decoding and sending audio as PCM than bitstreaming, although lacking on both fronts in terms of HD audio. However, the receiver itself is amazing, and do NOT be fooled by the apparently low wattage ratings, H/K is famous for under-rating their receivers, or to be more correct, they are being honest more honest/modest about the capabilities.
My surround setup is somewhat weak in the sensitivity department, with 92dB towers and center/surrounds averaging 88dB, yet on the AVR247 I typically have never pushed the volume past -7dB, with the receivers max somewhere around +8 or +10.

 

[SlickSnake]

Originally posted by: krotchy

Originally posted by: SlickSnake
<snip>

I haven't gone wrong yet by purchasing Harman Kardon products for the last 8 years. I have bought refurb products online, from Ebay at their store and from their online store that were either in perfect refurb condition, or new in the box and sold as refurbs, including Infinity Interlude and Beta speaker systems. All their products bought from them as refurbs have a full manufacturers warranty, too.

Harman Audio Ebay Store

Harman Audio Online Store

They also make JBL products and higher end products, too! If you can afford them.

They do not lie on the actual output of their audio products, too. If they state 100 watts per channel at 8 ohms, they mean it. Their equipment will power lower 4 ohm loads, which many HT receivers will simply burn out trying to power continuously. Something to keep in mind when purchasing speakers, too.

Slick snake

I saw you post this twice verbatim in 3 other threads and I was a little annoyed that you changed nothing, but I let it slide. Now this is identical post #4, and looking through your recent posts, theres about 7 total that say the exact same thing.

Seriously you sound like an advertisement at this point and its kind of ridiculous. At least this time you wrote <snip> for the copy paste. But still you keep pasting that in and never returning to the threads with input to the actual poster.

If I posted it the first time, I did not <snip> it. I am also aware that a lot of people will only look in the thread they post a question in. If they decide to ask a question about my post, I can oblige them with an answer. Like I am here. I am not thread crapping, just pointing posters in the proper direction for a good deal or in other threads, some advice. I am not posting this in a thread not relevant to the information, so it is not spam.

As you no doubt noticed, here are not that many posters in this area, most posters here who are knowledgeable about HT already are over at AVS forums doing HT posting.