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New member Username: YanivPost Number: 2 Registered: Oct-05 | I'm looking for a new receiver for my HT system. I'm watching HT movies (80%), and sometimes live shows (20%). The receiver will be connected to AE speakers: evo 1 evo center evo compact i thought about a couple receivers and i want to hear your opinion. marantz sr-5500 / onkyo tx-sr503 / denon avr-2105 / nad t743 / pioneer vsx-815 What receiver will work good with my speakers? What reveiver whould you prefer? and if you can give some tips to decide it'll be great. btw, my english sux. So i'm sorry i have gramer mistkaes... |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 2385 Registered: Mar-05 | where are you, in the US? Canada? Elsewhere? I'm asking because of shipping/duties issues. |
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Silver Member Username: ZiggyzoggyoioiOutside Philadelphia, PA Post Number: 146 Registered: Jun-05 | I'm not familiar with your speakers, but, in order I would choose Marantz, Denon, Pioneer. Onkyo is notoriously underpowered, and NAD has terrible quality on their AVRs. Between the other 3, try to demo them with your speakers to decide what you like best. If things are equal, choose based on the features you like and performance/price ratio. |
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New member Username: YanivPost Number: 3 Registered: Oct-05 | I'm from Il. I can buy all those receiver here, so i don't have the shipping problem. What do you mean what u say features? like DTS-EX and stuff like that? Which receiver has the most features, and in what way does it express? |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 2396 Registered: Mar-05 | Yan, one thing you will need to figure out for yourself, given the price range that you are looking at, is what do you really want: gadget geekness (read: a million different useless sound processing modes, a million different types and number of connections on the back, etc.) or just simple sound quality? I personally value sound quality over gadget geekness, and so of the analog receivers you listed I'd normally pick the NAD and Marantz first. HOWEVER, that was before my recent religious experience with the new all-digital receivers, lol. Go to your nearest Circuit City and take the $250 all-digital Panasonic sa-xr55 for a spin, or order it from Amazon.com for $230 shipped. Both places have a no-hassle return policy if you dislike it (which I'd doubt highly). That all-digital technology yields jaw-dropping detail with zero distortion and bottomless power compared to analog receivers costing several times more. I was shocked to discover that it effortlessly outperformed AND outpowered my beloved NAD separates which would cost about 6 times as much brand new! I bought it for 2-channel music but found that it does HT extremely well, due to the unbelievable clarity and ample power. Read up on what all the buzz is about, if anything deserves the term "giant-killer" this is it! A couple of threads about this receiver on different forums: https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/home-audio/160136.html http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/showthread.php?t=1251&page=1&p p=10 http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=530504 http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=417894 A few caveats---very minor IMHO at this pricepoint: no pre-outs (would negate the whole point of a digital amp after all), subwoofer crossover only down to 80Hz, no room speaker EQ, primitive remote, no digital outputs, no OSD (onscreen display). Also may not be the best choice if you have lousy, overly bright speakers. |
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New member Username: YanivPost Number: 4 Registered: Oct-05 | I'm not going to buy the panasonic because my firend has it, and it don't like the sound of it. marantz sr-5500 / onkyo tx-sr503 / denon avr-2105 / pioneer vsx-815 those are the receivers. I took off the nad because i heard some terrible things about it. i wanted to ask you, which of these receivers have Auto setup (MCACC) with microphone included? |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 2418 Registered: Mar-05 | fair enough, at least you've heard it. In that case I'd recommend the Yamaha rx-657 which does have MCACC. The Marantz sounds nice but not sure about MCACC. I'd do some Googling around for feature lists if I were you. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 2419 Registered: Mar-05 | BTW, if you're willing to go up to the Marantz and Denon's price levels you might as well look at the Pioneer 1015 instead of the 815, should be around $400 and definitely does have MCACC. Now how *accurate* MCACC actually is, that's a whole other issue. Many users have complained about that. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 1871 Registered: Feb-05 | Edster is right about there being many complaints about that feature on many budget and even more expensive receivers. That is one of the nicest features on the Yamaha. It works without any detrimental effects on the sound. The Yammie is a very good budget receiver especially if your speakers are relatively efficient (88db and up). |
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New member Username: YanivPost Number: 5 Registered: Oct-05 | At start, I considered the yamaha, but I heard from people that in music it's sounds terrible. The sound of the receiver does'nt match with my speakers (acoustic energy). Right now im leaning towords the denon avr-2105 / pioneer vsx-815. As i said, the main prioroty for the reciver is HT movies. I'll watch from time to time live shows, but i'm not going to hear music threw this receiver. That's why im taking the marants out of the list. Anyway, do you know what's the differnce between the denon 2105 and the 2106? |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 1874 Registered: Feb-05 | Having owned both Denon and the Yamaha my preference for music is the Yamaha. It appears as though your AE's are efficient and should work well with any receiver. Really it will be about your preference. It seems as though either you or your friends have heard most brands and so you shouldn't have much trouble choosing. Let us know what (or if) you buy. The difference between the 2105 and 2106 is on their website. http://usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/11.asp Google works great. |
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New member Username: YanivPost Number: 6 Registered: Oct-05 | That's the thing, I didn't find any diffrence between them. The only importent diffrence that i saw is that the 2106 has rds system. One other thing, the 2105 has Low Impedance Drive Capability, what does that means? |
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Bronze Member Username: ExerciseguyBrooklyn, NY USA Post Number: 84 Registered: Oct-04 | I own the Marantz SR5400, so I'm partial to the Marantz SR5500. (Good prices & refurbs @ www.accessories4less.com & www.hifi.com) hifi.com also has online coupons you can use. However, the refurb Denons & Onkyos @ www.ecost.com look like REAL good deals. I'm not fond of the Pioneers, but if you want to go that way, then check out their eBay store for refurbs. http://stores.ebay.com/Pioneer-Electronics_Receivers_W0QQcolZ2QQdirZQ2d1QQftidZ2 QQtZkm |
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Silver Member Username: ChitownPost Number: 359 Registered: Apr-05 | Yan if you are near Chicago, drop by the Saturday Audio Exchange and also take a look at Audio Consultants to hear the Marantz products. |
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New member Username: YanivPost Number: 7 Registered: Oct-05 | I live in Israel.. I narrowed down the options for just two receivers. denon avr-2105 / pioneer vsx-815 I just realized that i will use this receiver only for movies, not music. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 2446 Registered: Mar-05 | > I just realized that i will use this receiver only for movies, not music. oh hell in that case just get whatever's cheaper. |
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Silver Member Username: ChitownPost Number: 360 Registered: Apr-05 | "I'm from Il" I thought you were from Illinois. I'm not sure how that relates to Israel. |
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New member Username: YanivPost Number: 8 Registered: Oct-05 | "oh hell in that case just get whatever's cheaper." It's not matter which receiver im going to buy if I watch movies? |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 2448 Registered: Mar-05 | no, because with movies over half of your attention is taken by the screen. With music you're 100% focused on what's coming out of the speakers so you notice a lot more. With HT just make sure you buy a receiver that has sufficient power to drive all speakers at the same time, (anything above $300 not made by Sony or Onkyo should be fine) the main difference will be features and connections. Don't know how prices are in Israel, here in the US you can get a very decent HT receiver for $350-400. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 2449 Registered: Mar-05 | no, because with movies over half of your attention is taken by the screen. With music you're 100% focused on what's coming out of the speakers so you notice a lot more. With HT just make sure you buy a receiver that has sufficient power to drive all speakers at the same time, the main difference will be features and connections. Just don't buy Sony (horrible) and try not to buy Onkyo (usually overrates their power numbers). Don't know how prices are in Israel, here in the US you can get a very decent HT receiver for $350-400. Since you dislike the Panny's sound, that Yamaha 657 should be a very nice deal. |
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New member Username: YanivPost Number: 9 Registered: Oct-05 | Right now i'm using yamaha rx-v620.. So i don't know if the yamaha 657 will serve me better. What's the diffrence between the yamaha 650 / 657? |
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New member Username: YanivPost Number: 10 Registered: Oct-05 | I just came back from an audio store, and I heared a few receivers yamaha 757 / denon 3805 / onkyo 603 / onkyo 702 At the minute i heared them i decided that i should put more money on the receiver becuase it does matter and change the osund quality. At first i heared the 757 and compared it do the denon 3805. As most of you probebly know, tha yamaha was lacking of deatails and sounded flat. Than i compared the denon 3805 to the Onkyo 603. Suddnely the denon 3805 sounded just like the yamaha 757 (compared to the denon)lack of deatild, poor soundstage and flat. So I decided to go on the oknyo, but i have a couple of questions about it. What's the diffrence between the onkyo 603 and the 702 by features? mark on HT movies cause that's what i'm going to do with the receiver. And what's the difference between the onkyo 702 and the 703? |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 2491 Registered: Mar-05 | the Onkyo website should cover that. If you've chosen Onkyo and will use it mainly for HT I'd just get whatever model's cheapest, sound performance will not vary much. You probably get more connections like HDMI and USB with the higher end models and stuff like automatic speaker EQ setup, etc. The Onkyos are very user-friendly, I have to grant them that. |
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New member Username: Shaner88Post Number: 1 Registered: Nov-05 | i have a pioneer vsx-815 and i want to use DTS, i was told i needed an optical cable , so i bought one . the only DVD player i have is a Playstation 2 and it has only an optical out. it says in the book you need to conect a coaxle cable but optical can also be used for the DVD player but it says u need to go in to the config and set the optical out to DVD i did that and i have the optical out on my playstation so i got a movie with DTS and it says u need the software i got it but no sound , can anyone help me ? i am new to this and i even double checked i got my signal set to optical and no sound comes out . i just thought i would try my luck maybe someone had the same problem but if u guys can help it would make my day |
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JSon P Unregistered guest | Edster, I read a couple of your posts, and you seem to really have a thing against Onkyo. Care to elaborate on why you feel this way about this particular brand (bad experiences, etc.)? You kind of lump their entire lineup into the same category, which is that they are all POS. From what I've read, I thought Onkyo made quality receivers (altho not quite on par w/ HK.) Are you telling me the SR603, 703, 803 all suck? Obviously you have and love the Panny and I'm sure it's a great unit, but I find it hard to believe that it would really crush these receivers as badly as you're making it seem. Just curious, that's all. Thanks~ |
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JSon P Unregistered guest | Btw, I'm asking because I recently bought a brand new non-refurbished Onkyo TX-SR603X for $265 shipped, which I think is a great price (currently listed at $499 retail, altho I'm sure it can be had for less.) I'm debating whether to sell this unit, make a little profit and pick up the Panny, or keep it because it was such a good deal on what I thought was a good AVR (2 zones, many inputs, etc.) One other major concern I have is the overstated power ratings. Obviously this receiver won't pump out 90 wpc w/ all 7 channels driving at once, but Audioholics did give the older 601 a great review here: http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/Copy%20of%20onkyo_TX-SR601_ review_01.html The reviewer says on pg 2 that he was able to adequately drive power-hungry Axiom M80ti's w/ the Onkyo 601 (altho it may have only been in stereo mode,) so I'm assuming the new 603 would perform at least as well as the older model. Any suggestions? I'm looking for a very neutral-sounding receiver <$300 (50% HT, 50% music) w/ as many inputs as possible, great sound, reliability, and build quality (not necessarily in that order.) I'll do a listening test on both receivers pretty soon, but any input would also be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance~ P.S. - I probably won't spend more than $1000 max on an entire 5.1 - 7.1 speaker set, so that may play into how much difference I would hear btwn the Onkyo and other comparable receivers. |
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Silver Member Username: Rysa4Post Number: 139 Registered: Jul-05 | JSon P- Hi. I think you are on the right track on all aspects of your post. The Onkyo has advantages such as an adjustable crossover choice, analog input capability, and a slightly lower Total Harmonic Distortion at 8 Ohms. These are all potentially significant. In addition, that receiever has XM SAt radio capability and some IPOD control/use features that may or may not matter. It also has some auto EQ features and a 2 zone capability as well. With analog input capability and lower distortion, for music the Onkyo may give a better result. Its obviously more capable in the HT setting as well based on crossover setting option as well as some room EQ help. I cant compare the processing capabilities of these two however. If XM or an IPOD are part of your game it looks like a no brainer to me. 265 is good! |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3085 Registered: Mar-05 | JSon, I am basing my Onkyo comments on 2 things: my own experience in owning an Onkyo 601 for 2 weeks before shipping it back, and Onkyo's infamous protection circuitry which I read was present all the way up to their top end models, which sends their units into "protect" mode long before you approach their claimed power output. My 601 would have been OK for HT (what receiver isn't, really) but it had a very dead, hollow sound for music. I don't think Onkyo is POS like you say, but rather very underwhelming in terms of music performance. I will give them a nod for very intuitive ease of use and a shockingly well-written owner's manual though. They do have a long feature list (gazillion DSP sound modes, none of which actually improved the sound quality LOL) but it all comes down to whether you will actually use these bells and whistles beyond the first couple of days after setting it up and playing around. The XM capability is great if you have an XM subscription (I do, and must say this is probably the best entertainment value I've ever bought next to my Netflix subscription). Room EQ *might* be nice, though I've read mixed reviews on its actual accuracy and usefulness. And yes, the Onkyo will have tons of connections on the back---question is, do you REALLY intend to hook up 2 dozen different devices to your receiver? If so then I concede the Panny might not be enough. I only have a DVD, CD, VCR, and cassette deck hooked up to mine, looks like there's room for at least 4-5 more devices too...can't see myself ever plugging in even more gadgets. I guess what I'm trying to say is, try to take paper specs, #connections and electronic bells and whistles with many grains of salt---more often than not their main functionality is to look good on an advertising/sales blurb. When you do a listening test of both receivers, I'd recommend getting the Panny at home and have it break in for at least a day or two. Don't base your decision on how things sound in a shop, especially not a big-box chain store. |
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JSon P Unregistered guest | OK thanks for all the advice. The Onkyo having a dead and hollow sound in music is definitely a concern for me as I will be using it for at least 50% music. Edster, what kind of speakers were you using at the time? I actually don't mind the "protect" mode as it may prove itself useful someday, and I haven't found too many people who had a major problem with this. But I think I will in fact pick up the Panny today and give it a go for a week or so and see how it compares w/ the Onkyo using same speakers/setup. Thanks~ |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3095 Registered: Mar-05 | At the time I had Mordaunt Short MS05s, which admittedly are not as good as my current Ascends, but I did notice an immediate improvement with them when I moved up to a Marantz 54000---much better dynamics and zing. I could see the Onkyo taming a pair of overly bright speakers though. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3096 Registered: Mar-05 | btw, definitely give us a detailed review of the Panny/Onkyo matchup on a separate thread when you get the chance. What's the rest of your system comprised of? |