Reciver Advice

[lupi]

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=226975&t=2020628


Several months ago my sub box blew up and my receiver is many more years than that in need of an upgrade. I have minimal details on the current state of the receiver market, except over the last couple years when I did attempt to look into it the conclusion seemed to be to keep waiting as enough new tech was going into the new model line to justify the wait. With the current tv season ending I plan on more weekend br watching and if possible would like to fix my stuff back up.

So in that reference, how is the equipment in the above link?

 

[alcoholbob]

They are basically computer speakers. 1980s style spring clips lol. Seems like the reviews are meh.

As far as the receiver, it's pretty entry-level. Very light receiver, which points to a moderate/low power levels, definitely not something you want to push too far.

As long as you aren't expecting high-fi sound and the room is not particularly large, it should suffice. Try to put the speakers at ear level.

 

[vi edit]

For the money I'd do something like this:

Onkyo RC-160 for under $300
Energy Take 5 for under $200
The 12" Dayton Sub from Parts express for $120'ish.

Receiver will be better, speakers will be better, sub will be much, much better. Price is about the same.

 

[kalrith]

What size is your room, and about how far would you be from the front speakers? Is movie-watching your main goal? How loud do you want to listen to your speakers? Most importantly, what is your budget? Also, are you set on buying the entire 5.1 system at once, or would you be willing to take a slower upgrade path.

Without knowing the answers to these questions, here are my thoughts. If you have $600 right now to spend on an HT system and are willing to spend more in the future, then I'd stick with your current receiver and buy a $600 pair of speakers. Then, save up money for a sub, center, surrounds, and a receiver. If you do that, you'll wind up with a MUCH better system than the one in the OP.

 

[lupi]

Have no budget. Receiver and sub are 2 most needed items. Main seats are about 8 feet from the tv.

 

[s44]

Disagree. He's down a sub, so I'd get a new sub (Bic F12 for ~$200, or HSU/SVS/ED for $400-$550) and AVR (Denon 1610 from J&R) now and keep the old speakers.

 

[BigSmooth]

It's a good deal for a basic system. The speakers seem to have above average reviews for their class and although this is a budget receiver, Onkyo is a solid brand and they use Audyssey tech which is useful. If this is for a bedroom, it would work very well.

However, as kalrith pointed out, speakers should take priority. If you don't have a solid reason to upgrade the receiver, I'd just spend the money on some better speakers and/or sub.

 

[Anubis]

Disagree. He's down a sub, so I'd get a new sub (Bic F12 for ~$200, or HSU/SVS/ED for $400-$550) and AVR (Denon 1610 from J&R) now and keep the old speakers.

I agree with this. you said no budget but everyone normally has one

 

[kalrith]

Disagree. He's down a sub, so I'd get a new sub (Bic F12 for ~$200, or HSU/SVS/ED for $400-$550) and AVR (Denon 1610 from J&R) now and keep the old speakers.

I think this depends on his speakers, his receiver, and his possible future upgrade budget. Let's assume that he needs a sub now since he'll be watching movies and spends $200 on the Bic F12. If he has a $50 pair of speakers now, then he'll notice a much bigger difference by spending $400 on a pair of speakers than he will by spending any amount on a new receiver.

So, OP, would you please tell us what receiver and speakers you currently have?

 

[Fallen Kell]

I shall point you to a thread from just a couple weeks ago with similar question (person needed new receiver, has been out of the scene for a while, doesn't now what features to look for etc., asking for advice):

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2070637

 

[lupi]

Speakers are an infinity set circa 97, reciever is a sony of same age.

 

[s44]

Get the AVR. Even low-end classic Infinitys should be decent, with Interludes and up being considerably better than that.

Sony AVRs have never really been good, and new room correction features should make your whole setup sound better.

As for which one, I already recommended the Denon 1610 if you're in the ~$300 price range. At ~$500 I'd suggest the refurb Onkyo 707 (adds pre-outs, two extra amp channels, and a bit more power), at ~$570 the non-refurb Onkyo RC-180 (adds all that plus internet audio streaming+Pandora and a bit *more* power). The RC-180 was $550 at OneCall a day or so ago, and is still quite the deal.

Avoid Yamaha or non-Elite Pioneer, which have very poor multichannel power output.

 

[RKS]

For the money I'd do something like this:

Onkyo RC-160 for under $300
Energy Take 5 for under $200
The 12" Dayton Sub from Parts express for $120'ish.

Receiver will be better, speakers will be better, sub will be much, much better. Price is about the same.

I wanted to stay around $500 and had to patiently wait for sales but here is what I ended up with:

Denon 790 from Overstock about: $300
Energy Take 5 from Newegg: $130
Energy Sub from Costco: $100
Wire/plugs from monoprice: $45

Not a bad "HTIB" for about $575

 

[lupi]

Think I'm going to go with the Onkyo TX-SR608. Doesn't have some of the network streaming stuff or pre-amps, but neither are items I really care about and I can pick it up new right now for $400.

http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?m=TX-SR608&class=Receiver&p=i


Still sorting through which sub to get, the Bic F12 looks good but stock is a PITA.

 

[Fallen Kell]

Glad to see you are going forward with the upgrade. I don't think you will be disappointed with that Onkyo. I will also let you in on a secret, I have yet to even patch my pre-processor to the network, and I have had it for 2 years. Network streaming is really only a gimmick in my mind. Just about any modern game console can do that for you, and is really pointless if you have a HTPC (which I do, which is why I have not bothered with the networking on the pre-pro).

 

[lupi]

This setup has a PS3 installed as my bluray player, so as you said several of those other items can be duplicated outside the receiver.

 

[vi edit]

A4L has the RC-180 for $430. That's a SERIOUS receiver for the $$.
http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...RC180-Thx-7.2-channel-Network-Receiver/1.html

No it doesn't have HDMI 1.4 but it's value remains to be seen. But for the time being, the RC-180 has a vastly superior amp in it and built in networking. Which I think is in fact pretty bad ass. I've got a rhapsody account and use the streaming from the receiver almost daily. Plus it's got Auddessy EqXT which does a lot more than the basic EQ in the 608.