Recommend a good A/V receiver for $400 or less...

[RaynorWolfcastle]

For watching DVDs basically... is $400 too low? I have no idea what is a good price on one of these. I want a quality receiver that'll last me a while. Are DTS 6.1 and Pro Logic II necessary? Help me out if you can, please!


-Ice

 

[AaronP]

no, $400 isn't too low, I picked up a Sony STR-DB840 in 2000 for like $450 that surely has gone down by now, probably replaced by a new model. Its been a great receiver. Check out www.audioreview.com for a ton of reviews.

 

[Imdmn04]

Denon AVR1802, around 500. good entry level receiver

 

[Maetryx]

JVC RX-9010 VBK at etronics for $309.00. It's got a ton of features. Of course it does Dolby Digital with both digital and anolog inputs from your DVD. It has S-Video in/out, including the front panel. It has a USB i/o. It has optical digital i/o. It's just awesome.

The only caveat here is to know that digital inputs (say from the DVD) are not converted to analog and output to the analog outs. In other words, if you wanted to record from the digital inputs, you have to record on a digital output. If your input is analog, then it isn't being piped to the digital outs.

In that regard, the unit is like two big solder joints in a box. . I love mine, and I did buy it from etronics.

 

[DanJ]

Go with Onkyo or Denon in that price range. If you can find an Onkyo 595; get that, unless the 494 would work nicely. Or the Denon 1802 that was mentioned.

Hi-bar stuff for sure.

 

[Viper22]

Check out www.hometheaterforum.com

Viper22

 

[pdo]

check this one out. You can't go wrong.

 

[d1abolic]

Well, if you absolutely cannot afford to pay more, i suggest you go with the Denon 1802. If you don't need the warranty, you can get it for as low as $322 off the net, but if you do, expect to pay extra $100-150 to buy it from an authorized dealer. However, this receiver doesn't support 6.1 audio. So if you want a rear center channel, and believe me you do, pay a bit extra and go with the Denon 2802.

 

[Mungla]

I have experience using a Sony STR-DE935 and it is a great receiver/amp combo. It has a built in 5-channel amp with 100 watts RMS (somewhere around there) of power output. I'm seriously considering purchasing one of these guys off of Ebay for $150-200 so that I can have 5.1 audio on the computer.

 

[charrison]

I picked up a $300 kenwood home theater system a couple months ago. It is good for the money.

 

[d1abolic]

<< I picked up a $300 kenwood home theater system a couple months ago. It is good for the money. >>

The "you get what you pay for" saying comes to mind. Stay as far away from these home-theater-in-a-box systems.

 

[glen]

A friend of mine reviews these for Sound and Vision.
He says Pioneer is the OEM for lots of the other brands.
Pioneer is impossible to beat for the money.

 

[Adul]

I hear yamaha overall has some pretty descent receivers.

 

[d1abolic]

Heh, funny. I've never even heard of anyone buying, recommending or even mentioning a Pioneer receiver on AVSForum. Ever.

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

bump for more opinions, the Denon looks nice, if a bit pricey... What do you guys think of THX certification?

-Ice

 

[Poncherelli]

I got the Onkyo 595 for christmas and it kicks ass. I currently only use it for music with a pair of klipsch cornwalls i got, but i have been very impressed with the quality of this unit.

 

[GasX]

Do yourself a HUGE favor and save up until you have $500.

The get either one of the following:

Denon 3802
Onkyo 595
Outlaw 1050

These receivers blow anything cheaper out of the water. I would recommend the Outlaw 1050. You can buy it at av123 These receivers can last through several speaker upgrades even if you spend up to $2000 on them. A $300 receiver will either ruin good speakers or just not take advantage of their capabilities.


THX certification is a marketing gimmick. Don't worry about having it.

 

[d1abolic]

<< What do you guys think of THX certification? >>

THX EX DSP is worth having. However, expect to pay as much as $2000 for a good receiver that has it, such as the Denon AVR-4802 (MSRP $2499). Significantly cheaper Onkyo models have it, but they lack other features that are far more important than THX EX. I don't think simple THX certification is worth anything though.

<< Do yourself a HUGE favor and save up until you have $500. >>

Yeah, i think so too. If you spend $400 on a receiver, you will buy something that is already obsolete. For just another hundred, you can have a receiver that will be decent a few years down the road. BTW, i think he means Denon 2802 - the 3802 is MSRP $1199.

Out of all the receivers mentioned in this thread, the Denon AVR-2802 and Marantz SR-5200 are the only ones worth considering. The rest are simply outdated.

 

[calpha]

Well, aside from recievers, I can give some advice on what burned me.

1. Don't go for the recievers that have speakers included. Suck-it prefab stuff

2. Think about what you want to do with it down the road. Mine is basically a waste now because I did not research what was coming out, and what I would use it for. It does 5.1 audio fine (YAMAHA) and too few digital inputs. On top of that, I was right on the brink when I bought it of recievers beginning to add S-VIDEO switching as well as composite. Thirdly, mine has an external decoder option which is a waste of space and technology to me. The external decoder must loop back to the reciever, so I'm always limited to 5.1. Not like I can get a 6.1 or 7.2. I'm stuck with 5.1. Now, most recievers are beginning to add Component Video switching (sometimes two inputs) along with S-Video Switching which is nice, but I really don't care about it until I get an HDTV when they don't require rights to the firstborn.

3. Get something that has onscreen (TV) menus for the reciever. That's a nice thing to have.

4. I'm not an audiophile to the max. I've listened to a 5.1, 6.1, and 7.2 and the 7.2 sounded great, but I just douldn't tell a lick of differnce in the 6.1 (rear channel center). But, the only reason that I like Worst Buy is that great 30 day return policy with no haggling. They accept it if you buy a reciever (test it out, don't like it and bring it back for the next model). Too bad they have a lot of crappy brands, but it can at least let you get a feel for what features you want. IF their stuff sux, then return it for the full refund

 

[d1abolic]

calpha: 1 - Good advice. 2 - Damn that sucks, just sell your receiver off on eBay and grab something newer. Oh and BTW, HDTV = component. 3 - Useful. Not necessary. 4 - 7.2 doesn't exist, 6.1 is as high as you can go. Some people, myself included, use two rear center speakers, but it's still 6.1 because there is only one actual rear center signal, and both speakers are playing exactly the same thing. Some people mistakingly call it 7.1. Never heard of 7.2 though

 

[GasX]

<< Out of all the receivers mentioned in this thread, the Denon AVR-2802 and Marantz SR-5200 are the only ones worth considering. The rest are simply outdated. >>

Yes, I did mean the 2802... Why did you drop the Outlaw and Onkyo? (especially the Outlaw). It is an AWEsome piece of machinery. what is obsolete about it?

 

[kami]

Denon, Onkyo, or Yamaha. You can't go wrong with any of their receivers.

 

[BooneRebel]

<< Out of all the receivers mentioned in this thread, the Denon AVR-2802 and Marantz SR-5200 are the only ones worth considering. The rest are simply outdated. >>



Is there any online supplier for the SR-5200? The only authorized dealers I could find from Marantz' site look like the hole-in-the-wall custom AV stores. I can't help but think I'm going to get killed on pricing when I walk into one of those, kind of like buying a car from a dealership. Too much markup...

 

[GasX]

<< Is there any online supplier for the SR-5200? The only authorized dealers I could find from Marantz' site look like the hole-in-the-wall custom AV stores. I can't help but think I'm going to get killed on pricing when I walk into one of those, kind of like buying a car from a dealership. Too much markup... >>

Ebay maybe? Not really sure.

FYI - Outlaw is internet only. This is one of the reasons their stuff is such a good deal.

www.outlawaudio.com
www.av123.com

 

[d1abolic]

<< Is there any online supplier for the SR-5200? The only authorized dealers I could find from Marantz' site look like the hole-in-the-wall custom AV stores. I can't help but think I'm going to get killed on pricing when I walk into one of those, kind of like buying a car from a dealership. Too much markup... >>

Yeah, you can grab it online here

<< Why did you drop the Outlaw and Onkyo? (especially the Outlaw). It is an AWEsome piece of machinery. what is obsolete about it? >>

Neither of them support DTS-ES or DD EX, not to mention DPLII. So yeah, pretty obsolete in my book. As far as sound quality goes, they are good, but they lack the features.