Hey guys, I've got my speakers and sub coming next week.I now need a receiver.I want to get what I need,but don't want to get something that I may not.Here's what I'm hooking up.. 1Xbox 360 (component video,coax audio) 2Panasonic BD55 Blu-Ray 3Dish HD-DVR (VIP722) Hooked up to my lCd that has two2HDMI inputs Any suggestions?Thanks
Unknown...I suppose that's not your real first name...lol.
If you're looking for straight functionality, almost any AVR release in 2008 and after that is in the $300 plus range will allow you to hook up those components. If you're talking about performance, you need to really provide more details on what you're looking for i.e. music, movies or gaming primarily; what speakers and sub do you have; what's your room size; what's your budget etc.
Mostly gaming and movies.Room is approx 14x12,I have Energy c-300 towers,c-50 bookshelves and ac-c50 center.Budget 300-600.Bic Acoustech H100 sub. And no,that's not my real name.LOL That was done along time ago.
Given what you're running and your slant towards movies and games I would stay with the big box brands and keep it affordable. My lean is towards the Onkyo AVR's - I own one myself. They are feature packed and you get a bang for your buck; however, you need to get out and listen to a few yourself. The Onkyo receivers worth looking at are the:
TX-SR606, 706 and 806, with the 606 being the biggest bang for buck out there in my opinion.
You Energy speakers are relatively easy to drive so all of these should have sufficient power.
Other brands to consider would include: Pioneer, Denon, and NAD.
It would be good for you to shop a bit and narrow it down to a handfull and then maybe we can help you narrow it down but afterall it's your wallet.
I already have an onkyo reveiver that came with a HTIB,and it sounds ok for a HTIB setup.What about the TX-SR506,would that suit my needs?Looks like a bargain.I did look at a Denon AVR-1909(Looks and sound impressed me) and a Marantz SR5300(sounded good)Buddy of mine works in a audio store couple hours away and he's always coming to see his parents,so he could get me 20% of either the Denon or Marantz.
I don't think you can compare the HTIB with the TX-SR606, they are not in the same league. Don't know about the 506, though it may be cheap, there will be a noticeable difference in sound in comparison to the 606. I've only heard the Denon 2808 and 3808 and liked both of them, just not as much as the comparable Onkyo's but that's a personal preference and it is different for everyone. I'd lean towards the Denon over the Marantz.
For movies and games, considering the simple speakers that you have (as George pointed out) then pretty much any mainstream receiver is going to do its job. If you have a discount available on Denon, I liked the 2808 for movies, and I bekieve that the connectivity is pretty current. DVD content and signal can make a modest investment sound pretty darn good. The speaker setup should be pretty good, maybe check on placement when things get cooking.
Sounds like you have the beginnings of good system Unknown. One word of warning, this endeavour can become quite addictive - the need to constantly upgrade becomes compulsive.
Yeag,thats's what I'm afraid of. Considering that I have been using an onkyo HTIB for the last few years,I'm excited at to what the sound is going to sound like.
I ran up on a deal for the Onkyo sr606 and I think that I will go that route.Looks like it has all the things I need right now and allows me room to grow.Thanks for the help.
Whatever you do don't go for anything less than the 606. The 506 does not do the hi-res audio formats available from the bluray format. If you want to take advantage of these, you need to use the HDMI lead from your BD55 into the AV receiver and then the HDMI output from the receiver to your TV. The audio travels down the HDMI cable with the video and the 606 can 'break out' the video from the audio, send the video on to the TV as well as decode the audio, all in one hit. HDMI is the only way to transfer the hi-res audio Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio codecs. Of course you'd use the same connection for DVDs played on the BD55 too. One connection will do all.
The competitor to the 606 from Denon is the AVR1909 and it's a very good machine too, although usually a bit more expensive (a lot more expensive in the UK now that Denon have raised the prices by 25% or more).
Frank, I have looked into the Denon 1909,but two things stopped me from pusuing it.1I hear that their manual is horrible an the remote stinks.The remote would be replaced anyways,not a big deal.As for the manual,I would have you guys,not a problem either.2and the main reason,the only place I could hear one was at CC and they don't have any since they went belly up.I could probably get away with paying more for the 1909 if you think that it would be worth it.
Considering that I have been using an onkyo HTIB for the last few years,I'm excited at to what the sound is going to sound like.