Receiver for Polk RTI speakers?
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New member Username: Diana_vargasPost Number: 1 Registered: Dec-05 | My late husband left me a pair of Polk RTi8s still in the box. I want to have some nice music to listen to and maybe a few movies sometimes too but don't have so much disposable income left after the funeral expenses. What should I get for the receiver? I don't want to spend more than $800 right now and I will also want to add more speakers in a few months. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3411 Registered: Mar-05 | 1. What % of your usage will be music vs. HT (home theater)? 2. If your usage includes music, are you planning on doing a lot of multichannel SACD or DVD-A music, or will it be primarily 2-channel listening? 3. What types of music do you listen to the most? (classical/jazz, rap, rock, etc.) 4. What types of movies do you watch the most? (action/thriller, drama/comedy, etc.) 5. How big is your listening/viewing room? 6. Is the room on the ground floor or upstairs? 7. Do you live in an apartment or detached house? 8. What kind of receiver/amp will you have? 9. Do you have a subwoofer or plan to get one? 10. What's your absolute maximum budget vs. hoped-for budget? |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 6930 Registered: May-04 | The Polks are very easy to drive with any good quality amplifier. Their frequency response is slightly tilted up in the high frequencies and they would benefit from an amplifier that is simply "musical". If you have an independent audio dealer in your area (as opposed to a big box store like Best Buy), I would suggest you head there with a few CD's you like and let the salespeople assist you with the purchase. You should find helpful, knowledgeable employees at most independent stores who will fill you in on the features you will use the most and the items you can do without. As a rule of thumb, the amplifier that seems to offer the least in the way of features is probably the best built amplifier. If you have no interest in using a radio tuner, you might consider an "integrated" amplifier which is similar to a receiver and often, though not always, of better quality for the money spent. Have the shop give you instructions on how to operate the unit and how the remote interfaces with the amplifier. Which amplifier suits your desires the best is a mixture of sound and convenience in many cases and it is difficult for anyone on a forum to give much advice beyond telling you to listen and pick the unit which you determine to be the best. If need be, most shops offer installation service which will get you up and running in no time. If your goal is no more complicated than having "nice music", you probably don't have to spend the full $800 right now. |
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Bronze Member Username: DarthPost Number: 34 Registered: Aug-05 | eddie that's a lot of useless questions, just recommend the panny once more and be done with it! we know you are gonna do it anyway! lol Sorry Diana, Jan offers good advice. |
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Silver Member Username: KanoBC Canada Post Number: 801 Registered: Oct-04 | If you want to save some money go for the Harman Kardon 3480 for $268 from jr.com. |
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New member Username: Diana_vargasPost Number: 2 Registered: Dec-05 | thanks, those are excellent questions Edster. It's nice that you are so thorough. 1. 80% music, 20% movies 2. just 2-channel music 3. pop, rock, a little classical 4. drama/comedy mostly, at least until I start dating again 5. about 20x20 6. upstairs, it's open on side overlooking the family room 7. house 8. tba 9. not sure about this 10. max is $800, hope for is $500 What's the "panny"? |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3416 Registered: Mar-05 | Thanks Diana, aside from my occasional verbal swatting of the little Vaders of the world (browse through a few of the Panny-related threads here), I do try to get the full picture before giving someone advice. In your case, you might be indeed well served by the $230 digital-switching Panasonic sa-xr55. This is an amazing little receiver which I personally found far exceeded its pricepoint in power and sound quality, as have many other users which you'll find in the links that I have posted below in the standard blurb that I always copy and paste to newbies that I recommend it to. The Panny should go pretty well with your RTi8s, especially if you add a strong subwoofer like the $600 Hsu STF-3...I normally recommend the $400 STF-2 but with your room being 20x20, on the 2nd floor, and with one side open, the extra muscle of the STF-3 would be a safer bet. http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/subs/stf3.html Massive PARADIGM SHIFT...this little baby's 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! Not to mention my Marantz 5400 that's about triple its (the Panny's) cost. 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. Just as some folks still prefer LPs to CDs and tubes to solid state, you might decide to stick with an analog receiver, I'll make no guarantees. But it's definitely worth hearing it to make up your own mind, in any case...it's a whole different animal! So anyways, I recommend ordering both the Panny and the HK 3480 and doing a side by side comparison of the two with your Polks, then ship back the one you like less. Return shipping for the Panny should be about $15, and around $30 for the HK. One of the advantages of the Panasonic is that if you ever decide you'd like surround sound in the future, it can power up to 7 speakers. With the HK3480 or any integrated 2-channel amp you'd have to start all over again with a completely new receiver. |
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Bronze Member Username: DavidpaPortland, Oregon US Post Number: 48 Registered: Nov-05 | look into the denon lines. |
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Silver Member Username: NuckParkhill, Ontario Canada Post Number: 749 Registered: Dec-04 | I think a nice little Denon stereo with subout would be quite nice, as well. |
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Bronze Member Username: NadzCalifonia Post Number: 14 Registered: Aug-05 | Here you go Diana. This HK should give you all the power and inputs you would need. Plus it will drive an extra set of speakers. This would cost you less than 300 and leave you with a alot of extra cash. Plus it's a great sounding receiver. http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=3960817 |
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Gvenk Unregistered guest | Ed, What answers to those questions would have made you NOT recommend the Panny? I am serious, this is not to make fun of you. Just want to understand what you see as relevant to the recommendation. |
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New member Username: Diana_vargasPost Number: 3 Registered: Dec-05 | Thanks for your help everybody. I went ahead and ordered the Panasonic and the HK. My son has a Denon 2805 so I may ask him to bring it over for a 3-way comparison. He will do all the wiring changes, thank God! I forwarded him the Panasonic links and he was also very intrigued by it. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3422 Registered: Mar-05 | Gvenk, That's a good question, and to be honest there are only a few cases where I would NOT recommend the Panny: 1. Buyer has stated a strong preference for a "warm" sound. Admirers of tube amps and turntables especially. 2. Buyer seems very fixated on a specific price range far beyond the Panny's. (I might suggest it as a what-the-hell footnote though.) 3. Buyer has speakers that are commonly known to be "bright"---JBLs, small satellites, Axioms, etc. 4. Buyer wants/needs a gazillion connections, decoding formats and DSP modes; auto room EQ/setup, XM radio readiness, incredible ease of use, etc. 5. Buyer has low-impedance speakers. (Another possible what-the-hell footnote, since I have read of some people running 4 ohm Maggies with these Panasonics.) In this case, the OP's usage habits and budget/equipment limitations makes the Panny a good candidate. It should be noted that despite my enthusiastic tone, I *always* recommend the Panny as a "try it and return it if you don't like it" proposition rather than a "this is ABSOLUTELY the ONE and ONLY receiver for you" promise. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3423 Registered: Mar-05 | Diana, that's probably the best course of action...a little extra trouble of course, but about as foolproof as you can get. Please keep us posted as to the results. |
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Gvenk Unregistered guest | Ed, thanks for those answers. But you realize that none of the questions you asked were relevant to finding out about your points where the Panny was not to be recommended? Do you know, for example, if Diana prefers warm or brigt sound? On the other hand, it comes out as if the Panny was chosen based on those specific questions. This MIGHT appear dishonest to most as just pushing a pre-conceived suggestion (which might be true!). Vader might not have been diplomatic about what he/she said but the gist of it is true. We also discussed in another thread that the Panny may be more sensitive than other receivers because of its technology to speaker impedence behavior. So until we have some experience with which speakers the panny works best with, I wold find it very hesitant to recommend to someone to try it with most speakers. But that is me. Obviously your criterion varies. The problem with "try it and return it" is that one hardly has the time to try every possible suggestion in these boards. Second, unless they listen to a number of them together (not in a sequential try at a time), many wouldn't know which one they would really prefer. One of the suggestions in these kind of boards has been to go and listen in some stores to see what kind of sound one may like and express their preferences based on which alternates can be best for the person. Again, don't take this to fly off your handle against your so-called "Panny-phobes", but I do think you are providing a bit of dis-service to the board with your "more than average hyperbole" albeit with the "try it for yourself" caveat. This is not that different from the type of selling that happens with DAK catalogues or with Bose. Have you seen the recent TV ads for their Wave Machine or whatever they call it? They have a no question asked 30-day return policy too! I was thinking Ed when I saw it.  Of course, there are both positive and negative reviews of Bose and more of it than Panny on either side. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3429 Registered: Mar-05 | > But you realize that none of the questions you asked were relevant to finding out about your points where the Panny was not to be recommended? Do you know, for example, if Diana prefers warm or brigt sound? Those questions were not meant to be strictly "Is the Panny right for this person" questions, just general big picture questions that I post to anybody who comes with a blank slate asking for general system-building advice---in fact I use them in the Speakers section just as much as the Receivers section. As for "warm" or "bright" sound, most newbies don't even know the difference so asking them which they prefer can end up opening a whole can of worms which frankly I'm too lazy to deal with. On the other hand, someone who DEFINITELY prefers "warm" sound will usually say so. > We also discussed in another thread that the Panny may be more sensitive than other receivers because of its technology to speaker impedence behavior. So until we have some experience with which speakers the panny works best with, I wold find it very hesitant to recommend to someone to try it with most speakers. Well the unfortunate thing is that there is no way of looking at any given speaker's spec sheets and saying "aha! It will/will not work with the Panny due to its impedance swings." Therefore trial and error is the only course of action...and risking $15 return shipping in exchange for the possibility of saving HUNDREDS of $ is well worth it. > The problem with "try it and return it" is that one hardly has the time to try every possible suggestion in these boards. Second, unless they listen to a number of them together (not in a sequential try at a time), many wouldn't know which one they would really prefer. Somewhat true, but you're missing a very key point: there is NO OTHER budget (or even entry-level) receiver out there which has garnered the kind of results that many users are reporting with the Panny. As I've said before, I have never read of anybody giving up a Rotel 1095, HK7200, or even a Marantz 5400 for a Onkyo 502, HK135, or Pioneer 814. I have never seen any other receiver, REGARDLESS of price, inspire a 72 (and counting) page thread with 2,138 postings. Therefore the Panny presents a very unique opportunity for people to get relatively high level SQ for an outrageously low price, and with the few exceptions that I enumerated above, deserves to be on most people's short list of receivers to try out. That is not by any means a guarantee that they are going to have the same experience with it that I did, but the mere fact that they MIGHT have that experience is most certainly worth taking a $15 gamble on return shipping. It still puzzles me that a number of people here have such a hysterical response to such a simple suggestion. It's as if they are AFRAID that too many newbs will try the Panny and like it, LOL, so they try to scare them off with all this hyperbolic bile about how absolutely horrific it sounds, even comparing it to a Yorx...hee hee! I mean, if you guys are all so CONFIDENT that the Panny is such absolute crap, then by all means you should be encouraging people to try it because then they'll post negative reviews of it all over the place, right? Or don't you trust people to use their own ears and make up their own minds? > One of the suggestions in these kind of boards has been to go and listen in some stores to see what kind of sound one may like and express their preferences based on which alternates can be best for the person. Well of course that is the best possible option, and if you feel that EVERY newbie who comes here needs to be reminded of it, then I invite you to copy and paste that little paragraph too. Personally I find it self-evident, kind of like saying, "well this is just my opinion your mileage may vary" every 10 minutes. > Of course, there are both positive and negative reviews of Bose and more of it than Panny on either side. Not really. Bose is almost universally reviled on audio forums like this, whereas the Panny draws about a 70/30 favorable response from what I've seen on other forums. And of course Bose can never be called a price-smasher like the Panny and unlike Panasonic (which has done zero advertising for the XR series) it already dominates the audio mass-market through saturation advertising. So you can try to pin the "Bose" stigma onto the Panny all you wish, but anyone with half a brain knows that it's just hot air. btw, Ecoustics is a very insignificant little forum compared to say AVS in terms of both the number of regular participants and the amount of pass-through newbs, so the fact that there has been about 3-5 determined Panny critics here is really a drop in the bucket...and that's why I've been enjoying jousting with them here. You could say that being a missionary in the hinterlands is pretty amusing, but somebody's gotta do it... LOL |
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New member Username: Diana_vargasPost Number: 4 Registered: Dec-05 | dear all, thanks so much for your help especially Edster922. I have now had the Panasonic for almost 3 weeks with my Polks and could not be happier. The HK was nice and loud but the sound was too fuzzy with the high notes and also it got very very warm after just an hour of playing. My son was shocked to find he also preferred the Panasonic to his $900 Denon! He did not want to admit this at first but when his wife finally prevailed on him to do a blindfold test he winded up favored the Panasonic. Now he has already gone and bought one for his bedroom music system which I think is with some Vinerstines (?) great big very expensive audiophile speakers and he is even talking about selling his Denon and buying another one for movies in his family room. Of course his wife is very happy that he will have more money left over though I don't understand why since they are both doctors so not exactly poor. anyway keep up the good work Edster and don't mind all the trolls. |
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Bronze Member Username: DarthThe woodlands Post Number: 44 Registered: Aug-05 | yes eddie, keep up the good work nevermind that your experience in audio is limited to: A Marantz Receiver, your 20 year old separates and now your beloved panny, wow! great resume! lol You say we are afraid of recommending the panny! No Sir, I just don't have the heart to mislead folks, not me! |
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Anonymous | you are kind of obsessed with this guy aren't you vader? |
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New member Username: Tommy_jenkinsTallahasse, FL Post Number: 7 Registered: Dec-05 | yep it looks like Vader has a crush on Ed! and Vader, what does YOUR "audio resume" consist of? |
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Anonymous | good point, Tommy! It seems Vader likes to pose as some audio snob but oddly he never mentions his credentials or equipment. |
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Bronze Member Username: DarthThe woodlands Post Number: 45 Registered: Aug-05 | Yes guys I am obsessed! You all are so smart! My equipment, no need to list it here, why bother! lol |
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New member Username: Tommy_jenkinsTallahasse, FL Post Number: 9 Registered: Dec-05 | why yes you are indeed a pathetic little troll. |
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Stevo911 Unregistered guest | After reading through much of this forum I have to say that Edster922 has got to be one of the most consistently helpful regulars by far, whether or not you agree with his consistent raving about the digital Panasonic, but the same cannot be said for Mr. Vader here who continues to stick around and be a pest even after several devastating verbal beatings by Edster. Mr. Vader clearly has inferior verbal and mental skills but no lack of persistence. He reminds us of a kamikaze mosquito. |
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New member Username: Diana_vargasPost Number: 5 Registered: Dec-05 | I concur. This "Vader" character sounds like a real loser to me. Too bad there's no "ignore" option available. |
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Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3524 Registered: Mar-05 | Thank you for your kind words, Diana. I am happy you and your son are enjoying these little Pannys as much as I am. And no worries about the trolls, they're a dime a dozen in cyberspace. Lots of fun squashing them like the little insects that they are...Vader is a good case in point. |
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New member Username: IcmenuJackson, Tn USA Post Number: 7 Registered: Feb-06 | For the type of money you want to spend I would go with a Harmon/Kardon. Most people, 8 out of 10, would agree that Harmon/Kardon is far superior to Onkyo, Denon, and Yamaha.. Which by the way are all nice receivers. I would look into a H/K with about 80 watts a channel. With H/K's amazing power plant, high current amplification, will drive the rti8's with plenty of ease.. I would highly suggest listening to the difference in each receiver. Let me know what u think of the mid-level H/K/. By the way i run a H/K AVR-7300... This thing is a monster. |
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Bronze Member Username: N8d1Baltimore Post Number: 32 Registered: Jan-06 | Josh, you obviously didn't read the previous posts before posting. You would have saved yourself some time. She tried an HK, Denon, and Panny, and the Panny came out the winner. |
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