Ok, I have a set of ok Samsung speakers (5.1 6ohms) that I need a receiver for. The speakers and wire where given to me so I have that, but all my budget can afford right now is $250. I have been looking at the HK 135 and the Onkyo TX-LR552, and TX-SR502S. Oh, the wife said it had to match our silver sony tv as well. Any suggestions would be nice, and also why you suggest it.
The h/k will have a much better amp section at that price point. In addition, it has good flexible bass management (lots of frquencies to choose from, and can be different in all inputs). No contest for me.
Look at Harman Audio on eBay, you might even be able to get an HK-230 for that price, with full manufacturer's warranty.
The other wild card is a pure digital receiver like the Panasonic sa-xr55, may be worth a listen. I think the Onkyo 552 is also all digital, but personally I haven't been real impressed with Onkyo's sound quality at least not their low end stuff.
Listen to eddie, once again. go with the HK. lower end onkyo's tend to have internal short problems. HK uses premium materials in all their receivers, plus the black/silver finish will look good with just about any decor.
If I were shopping in that price range, I would look at Pioneer & yamaha. Both offer a ton of features and a lot of bang for the buck. It will be tough finding anything with more capability at that price point.
Yamaha. But I'm not sure either choice will make much difference given your current set of speakers. I don't intend this as an insult. But Samsung speakers are not known for their high fidelity.
I know that my samsungs are crap, but they were free. I plan on upgrading them in the future to a set of onky ht-240's or something similar. Does it matter what receiver I get if my sub says 3 ohms, and the speakers are 6 ohms?
If your sub is independently powered then it's totally irrelevant how many ohms it says, the only thing that matters is how it sounds and if you're satisfied with that.
As for matching speakers and receiver, well if you're absolutely sure you're going to get the Onkyo HT-240s or another package speaker setup in that price/quality range then yeah I don't see much point in spending more than $250 on the receiver.
Heck if you can find a Pioneer 514 for around $100-140 (look on eBay) you might be OK if those are the caliber of speakers you want.
On the other hand if you can get an HK 135 or 230 for just an extra $50-100 why not? Would make a big difference if you ever decide to upgrade your speakers to something better than the Onkyos.
I'm not advocating spending a fortune but $250 doesn't buy alot of quality. I wasn't being smart I was just giving my advice. I believe that there are times when waiting a month and spending a little more might save you some headaches down the road. Admittedly the Samsung speakers may not require more of a receiver but ben appears to be building for the future and if he spends enough time researching he may find that he wants better speakers. Best to avoid the the upgrade cycle by buying a receiver he will be happy with even with new speakers.
Perhaps, but there nothing wrong with the h/k. It has similar amplification to its bigger brothers. It's a good receiver. It cost C$700 plus 15% tax here, so it's over twice the price of the cheapest Pioneer, JVC, Sony or Yamaha (which start at C$250 to C$300).
I like the HK and I hope that ben can stretch his budget to buy something like that. I definately agree with you Peter, most of us have some budget we have to follow. I just hate to see folks buying really bad gear just to get it now, when if they just waited a little longer they might be able to afford something nice like the HK. Good luck on your shopping ben.
Thanks for the advice guys (even the keep saving one). I have found that HK sells refurbed 230's on ebay for under $250. Let the bidding begin. I am not set on the Onkyo speakers, but I have heard good things about them for the size/price.
Good luck, and be patient! HK Direct has a seemingly endless supply of refurb stuff on eBay, so bide your time until you get a really good deal!
Here's a tip: I find that a lot of the auctions that end in the middle of a weekday have fewer bidders than the ones that end on the weekends so they often don't go up as high.