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New member Username: Sr_immortalPost Number: 5 Registered: Mar-05 | Ok I have a Samsung 46" DLP. And I have a cheap Sony surround sound system. Ive heard the receiver makes all the difference when it comes to audio....I know I sound like an audio noob...cause I am. I will watch some movies(and I do want good surround sound when I do), but the majority of my time spend using the TV/Receiver is with my Xbox and especially on Xbox Live. I want to be able to hear the difference between the games random gun fire in the background and an opponent shooting their gun at my 5 o'clock. I need to be able to discern their foot steps through the wind rustling in the bushes. My budget is about $500 for the reciever. I will probably use my speakers that I have now. I would like it to be atleast have 7.1 capabilities. I dont know a lot about the different audio technologies, but if you explain the concepts I will get it. Also take into affect that the new Xbox will be coming out later this year, so any new audio technologies will probably be out on it as well. In the future I would like to have satelite center channels and the big tall tower speakers for my front and surround sound...if thats possible. |
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New member Username: SvendehotKalamazoo, MI USA Post Number: 9 Registered: Feb-05 | Josh, Hey. Well let me tell you something I bought my new receiver for just about the same reasons you did! I have my computer and Xbox hooked up to it. My computer because I have like 4k mp3s and for DVDs right now and my Xbox for games; obviously. I bought the Harman Kardon AVR 430-z from Harman direct, it is 500 on the dot and it is awesome. I love the thing. Also on other reason I bought this receiver is because you can upgrade the OS with new DSPs via the RS-232 serial port on the back. So if the xenon has 7.1 capabilities then you can get an upgrade if and when the upgrade is available. Simply load it to your computer hook it up the the avr via the serial port and let the program do the rest. So yeah that's what I say man go with the H/K 430-z its great. |
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New member Username: Sr_immortalPost Number: 6 Registered: Mar-05 | can you give me a link to where you bought it from? |
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New member Username: Sr_immortalPost Number: 7 Registered: Mar-05 | ok I found it...but the speaker inputs on the pictures look weird. Are those normal speaker inputs, or do you have to have special speaker wire or different speakers??? |
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Silver Member Username: Touche6784Post Number: 218 Registered: Nov-04 | what do you mean wierd? they are 5-way binding posts. |
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New member Username: Sr_immortalPost Number: 8 Registered: Mar-05 | you must have missed my audio noob comment...they look different than any other speaker inputs I have ever seen before. |
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New member Username: SvendehotKalamazoo, MI USA Post Number: 10 Registered: Feb-05 | Josh, The speaker terminals are binding posts just as Chris mentioned previously. Go to this site: http://www.harmankardon.com/back.aspx?prod=AVR%20435&cat=REC&sType=C&Region=USA& Country=US&Language=ENG&ImgName=AVR435B.jpg and it has the back panel of the AVR 435. The only difference between this model and the 430-Z are the # of digital inputs for both optical and coaxial and that the video 3 input now has an output next to it. The binding posts are a lot nicer then anything else. The reason being is that they are standard for higher end audio equipment. You can unscrew the post and stick wire into the opening or you can also use banana clips and simply insert them into the binding posts. I'm sure you are used to speaker terminals that look like spring loaded clips right? Those are usually cheap and they break easily. The posts are better. |
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New member Username: Sr_immortalPost Number: 9 Registered: Mar-05 | Yeah Ive been looking at a lot of the harman products. They all seem really really nice. I appreciate you telling me about them...I might actually go for one of the better models too. A couple hundred more and you get more watts and inputs. |
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Silver Member Username: KanoPost Number: 425 Registered: Oct-04 | Not true. There are only two models above the 435. The 635 and the 7300. The 635 has 10 more watts per channel, which I doubt you'll utilize. The 7300 is definitely a wicked receiver, if you can find one for a good price go with it. Otherwise at the MSRP I'd look elsewhere. Wait till you hear the effect in Rainbow Six 6 when you toss a frag grenade up against a door. That game's effects are hard to beat, I can pin-point someone's location across the map and all they have to do is take a step or reload. |
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Anonymous | I'm using the Harman Kardon AVR635 and it's damn nice. I've got a digital cable box hooked up to it for now but will get the new PS when it comes out this year. It handles 7.1 but I've got it wired with 5.1 for now. I'll get two more speakers later. The sound is super-clean and the power is true RMS watts not like other manufacturers that give peak power. So an H.K. 100 watts is about 160 watts for the other boys like Sony. The 635 also has more inputs and video upconversion that the 435 doesn't. Oh, by the way, the remote has a bult-in sound pressure level meter! Ya baby, that's power. mz |
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edster922 Unregistered guest | Josh, Make no mistake, the HK receivers are *very* nice---though if you're mainly doing X-box I would wonder whether that's a bit of overkill. I would only go for a receiver that good if I were an avid music listener. For HT a $200-300 Onkyo 502 or 602 would do just fine, and X-Box is even more sonically un-demanding than HT. > I want to be able to hear the difference between the games random gun fire in the background and an opponent shooting their gun at my 5 o'clock. I need to be able to discern their foot steps through the wind rustling in the bushes. For that kind of superb clarity I would actually go for the Panasonic sa-xr50 or sa-xr70, they are pretty cheap at $200-300 but would be perfect for bringing out that kind of detail and you don't have to worry about lack of "warmth" that some people complain about since you're not a music listener. These are all-digital-path receivers which have come out only in the last year and have generated enormous buzz on audio forums like hometheaterforum.com and avsforum.com where you can go and just do a search and you'll find numerous and massive threads of people raving about them, many of whom have spent thousands of dollars on high end analog receivers and even separates. The thing is, if you're going to be keeping your Sony HTIB speakers then you won't hear half as much of a difference with ANY better receiver---HTIB systems like compact systems are notorious on shortchanging you on the speakers in particular. My recommendation would be to get the Panasonic digital receiver then buy the Athena Micra 5.1 speaker system, $300 at onecall.com I really don't think 7.1 makes such a big difference, especially not for your needs. Most people have 5.1 anyways due to room size constraints and WAF factors. |
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Silver Member Username: KanoPost Number: 426 Registered: Oct-04 | Anon, I have the HK AVR430. Unless they really improved the EZset Eq. function this year I would double check all the levels with an SPL meter. I only recently (after a year) got my levels truly right using a SPL meter and the Avia Guide to Home Theatre DVD. You can prob skip the DVD since this years models output a test tone through the LFE channel if I'm not mistaken. The Avia disc is excellent for other reasons as well, there is a test which runs a descending test tone through each speaker. This not only identifies crossover problems, but identifies frequency spikes and dips in the room, as well as objects that rattle in the room. I thought it was funny that different things rattle at different frequencies. |
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Bronze Member Username: Sr_immortalPost Number: 12 Registered: Mar-05 | Ok so this thing says its 6.1, but doesnt support 5.1...how is that possible? Will I even be able to use this thing with my xbox and DVDs that are not coded in 6.1? |