Hey all, I'm in the market for a receiver to power my noobified system. I've got Klipsch speakers on the way (SB1, SS.5, SC3 Synergy series, no sub as of yet). I'll probably be listening to music 70% of the time, with movies the remaining 30%. I'd like to buy a decent, all-around receiver for under $350. Is this possible, and if so, can you guys recommend a model? I can raise my budget if you all think there's no quality at the $350 range, but of course I'd, ahem, prefer not too. Oh yeah, I need at least 5.1, would like to have capability for 6.1 down the road. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
Klipsch are known to be bright speakers so a warm receiver would balance them out nicely.
In your price range, I'd look at the Pioneer 1014, about $400 shipped at jr.com
Better especially for musical quality would be the Marantz 5500 but that's $600 shipped from hifi.com
For $350 or under I'd look into the Panasonic sa-xr50 digital direct receiver which has gotten quite a few raves, but not sure how it'd sound with such a bright speaker like Klipsch.
My buddy at work has suggested the Denon AVR-485S, at $299. Does this sound alright? I'll mention the Pioneer and Marantz to him too, see what he thinks. ( I secretly think you guys know more about it them him though). Can you guys explain how I can determine a bright sounding receiver from a warmer one based on specs, or is that possible?
edster922
Unregistered guest
Posted on
No, "brightness" vs. "warmth" is very subjective, but there tends to be a consensus on which speakers and receivers fall under which category, and conventional wisdom is to balance them out.
Denon I have no direct experience with but have heard some people consider it a little bright compared to others.
