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Brett D Unregistered guest | Im new to this board and I was looking for some advice on what a/v receiver I should buy to go with my Polk RTi100 towers. I use my system mostly for music and movies. The reciever I have now is a piece of crap sony that I got a couple years ago. I was on a strict budget when I got it and didnt know any better. Well I got more cash now and Im looking for a warm rich sounding receiver. I have about $900 to spend on it. Ive been seriously considering the Harman Kardon AVR-630. Is this the receiver im looking for? Any suggestions would be apreciated. |
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Silver Member Username: EdisonGlendale, CA US Post Number: 475 Registered: Dec-03 | Harman upper models are pretty good - also upper model onkyo integra is good too. I would shop here for a used one - www.videogon.com You will end up with more quality for the price, and they are usually well taken care of. I would try to here this new digital receiver - panasonic sa-xr70 which is only $340 on the web, but sounds good - some audiophiles are replacing their expensive gears with this light sleek looking one. Smooth and great bass to the sound. Dynamic as well. |
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Silver Member Username: Elitefan1Post Number: 574 Registered: Dec-03 | Polk's sound their best with a mellower receiver and the H/K 630 certainly fits that description. I would also look at two others,the Marantz 7400 and the Elite vsx-55txi. Dynaco.com has the Elite for $899 and that's a real bargain. It has just been replaced by the 56txi but it will be $200 or so more. I have a co-worker who bought the Elite 59 from Dynaco and got great service and a 2 year warranty. All three of these units are excellent and go perfectly with your Polk's. |
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Brett D Unregistered guest | I just came across the HK AVR7200 for $899. It looks a little older but that seems like a great deal. Alot more power than the AVR630 and less than 100 dollars more. Is the AVR7200 more bang for bang for the buck than the AVR630 or the Elite? |
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Silver Member Username: GeekboyNewport, RI United States Post Number: 316 Registered: Dec-03 | Brett: the H/K AVR7200 is the biggest bang for the buck. If you aren't interested in the minor cosmetic changes and loss of DTS 96/24 and better DACS, then go with the AVR7200 for pure power. On the other hand, the AVR-630 is 75W and is still a very nice receiver. It's a very tough decision at this point in the game. If I had to choose today, I'd probably go to the AVR-630 because of DTS 96/24 and the better (newer) internals. That's not to say that you need any of that. Depending on your preferences, you may want the power over the new features. I chose the H/K AVR-525 over the AVR-430 for the same reasons you're going through. I gave up the newer features for more power and a much lower price (About $300). |
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Brett D Unregistered guest | Thanks for the help. Haha I used to be so close to being dead set on the AVR630. I just HAD to dig a little deeper and come across the 7200. Now im completely torn between the two. On one hand ive got this monster of a receiver for a great price. On the other ive got a newer, sexier, machine with more features, that doesnt skimp on power either. But what really matters to me is pure sound quality and durability. Will the sound quality of the 7200 be VERY noticable over the 630? If its only a small difference then the i'll buy the 630 and still have a excellent receiver on my shelf. I guess I shouldnt worry so much about it. Im taking the fun out of the whole experience of getting my first "Real" receiver. |
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Silver Member Username: GeekboyNewport, RI United States Post Number: 318 Registered: Dec-03 | Brett D: unless you really need more power, then the AVR-630 will do you just fine. Most consumer applications require no more than 40W to deafen themselves in moderate sized rooms. The only reason to need the additional wattage, is to power inefficient speakers (< 90dB/m) or you have a large room. Or, you just like listening to things at 110dB -- you know, the point where your ears bleed. The H/K AVR-7200 and the AVR-630 will be sonically the same. The difference in power isn't really "that" much, but, the H/Ks are underrated in their power estimates. Why not give each a test run? Bring each home and try it out. Most places have pretty good return policies (if you're shopping locally from a chain). If you're shopping mail order, then make sure you understand return policies, restocking fees, and any other hidden charges for returns. The H/K AVR-7200 is going to be harder to audition. You won't find it in too many places, as it's on its was out the door (discontinued for the AVR-7300). Best of luck. |
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Silver Member Username: Elitefan1Post Number: 581 Registered: Dec-03 | Brett, Go for the 7200. Awesome unit and at the price a better buy than the 630. No contest. |
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Brett D Unregistered guest | Yea im just going to buy the 7200. If I like it, which im sure i will, ill keep it. If not then ill take the 630 for a spin. Or go with the elite or marantz. Thanks for the help. |
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New member Username: DmusePost Number: 2 Registered: Aug-04 | Brett do yourself a favor and go Onkyo. I've had the 901 with Nettunes for a while now and nothing can beat it, especially my last H/K. I've had the 901 for a while After 8 months of research, the Onkyo 901 is the best decision I could have ever made. The clean sound and raw power can not be beat. Your polks will love you for it. Marantz is way overpriced for what you get. |
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New member Username: DmusePost Number: 3 Registered: Aug-04 | Brett do yourself a favor and go Onkyo. I've had the 901 with Nettunes for a while now and nothing can beat it the clean power, especially my last H/K. Marantz is overpriced |
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Brett D Unregistered guest | Ive pretty much decided to get the 7200. Its just too much receiver for such a low price. I was actually looking into Onkyo but i had heard that it probably wasnt the best choice for my slightly bright polks. Do Onkyo recievers generally tend to be bright, neutral, or mellow? I havnt got as much time in test rooms as i probably should. (live out in the middle of nowhere) |
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Silver Member Username: Elitefan1Post Number: 582 Registered: Dec-03 | Brett, Do not be detoured. Get the 7200. The Onkyo's are ok but no match for the 7200 in power and will go much better with your Polk's which is the object, right? |
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New member Username: DmusePost Number: 5 Registered: Aug-04 | H/K makes good stuff but it just can't touch Onkyo's quality, sound, or price. I respectfully disagree with Elitefan1 regarding the power match; my Onkyo TX NR901 has 110W x 7 while the H/K 7200 is only 100w. The Onkyo also has S-video upconversion (maybe the 7200 does too...i know the 7300 does) and NET Tunes, an incredible bonus for those that chose to rip their CD's as wma files giving you CD quality from a server via ethernet connection. I ran this Onkyo with Polks and it rocked, until I switched to Bostons. If you truly want to match Onkyo, go with the H/K 7300 for the power match, but you are still giving up better components, Net Tnes, and overall sound that if you had chosen this Onkyo....the the worst part is that the H/K stuff costs more! I found my 901 from an authorized dealer for $1000. I swear i dont work for onkyo...like many, just dig the sound. |
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Brett D Unregistered guest | lol no im not going to second guess myself anymore. Im getting the 7200. I really dont want to pay a ton of attention to watts per channel. It seems like no one is honest in rating their power. And if anything HK looks like they underrate their power. Nettunes sounds nice but not enough to make me change my mind. One thing though on the onkyos. Does THX certification really mean anything? It seems like a marketing gimmick to me. |
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Bronze Member Username: ShankPittsburgh, PA Post Number: 25 Registered: Aug-04 | Net Tunes? come on david, wouldn't one of the many exterior "media" devices be much more flexible? Most are wirelss, support many formats, etc. Also, why would someone drop $1k on a receiver for good sound quality then listen to mp3's? Also, i think many ppl are gonna disagree with you on this board about "H/K makes good stuff but it just can't touch Onkyo's quality, sound, or price." I think most ppl think Onkyo and H/K both make competitive products! But "can't touch", come on, quit with the BS. Keep in mind david just got hist onkyo NR901, and notice his post numbers. Not tham i'm an expert or unbiased (i have a measily number of posts and own a H/K reciever). BUt take the advice of the ppl that have been around longer and probably have more experience. |
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New member Username: DmusePost Number: 6 Registered: Aug-04 | Ok can't touch is out of line. It was tough for me to swallow one of last post saying that Onkyo's are no match for the H/K 7200. I've had H/K so keep that in mind. I would agree that they both make good products, I'm just impressed with my new unit as you mentioned. I think if you did some research on the capabilities of Net Tunes you would see that this allows you to control your computer through your stereo, every other method is the other way around. i am using one remote to control volume and select my digital music. Nobody wants to mess with wireless keyboard and mouse then grab the remote to adjust volume. No other company has anything like it and I've researched just about every other work around possible. Digital sound quality has come a long way, shank. I am not listening to MP3's, but rather WMA's that were ripped from CD's directly. Then I run an ethernet cable into my Onkyo. The sounds quality is perfect. Again, do some research or have a listen for yourself. Then you will find the answer to your question. Not switching out CD's anymore and being able to select everything from one remote from my couch is awesome. I've been an audio nut for a long time. I spent time reading these posts gathering info and now Im just trying to give back. I'm not trying to offend any H/K ownwers....just happy with the sound and trying share the success of my research and implementation. |
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Bronze Member Username: ShankPittsburgh, PA Post Number: 28 Registered: Aug-04 | david well i'm glad you you enjoy your purchase :-) And about me doing my research... thanks for pointing me in the right direction. However, i've done plenty of research in the area :-) Maybe you should check out my software: http://www.muscipd.org (by the way its free and open source, so anyone can modify the program to have it do what they want) However, i don't know didly squat about your onkyo receiver. I'm just pointing out that there's also lots of other stuff out there that has nettunes functionality w/o putting it into the receiver. I view your onkyo a bit like buying a vcr/dvd/tv combo. |
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Silver Member Username: Elitefan1Post Number: 584 Registered: Dec-03 | David, Don't get me wrong about my earlier comment. I to have had Onkyo's in the past and liked them but in this case for Polk the H/K is just a way better unit. The 7200 has better sonics to match Polk than Onkyo and the 7200 for the price is a real steal. The Onkyo's have nowhere near the 7200's multichannel power or even near the same 2 channel power. Power isn't everthing but why does Onkyo have a protection curcuit that cuts power after a few seconds? That should not be necessary but both Onkyo and Yamaha do this while most others do not. I would not have a problem owning another Onkyo myself but in trying to give advise I try to present as many facts as possible. I think it's great that you like your 901 and hope it serves you well for a long time. |
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Bronze Member Username: BleustarPensacola, Florida Post Number: 27 Registered: Jul-04 | I thought I would put in my two cents. Drop the extra $500 and get the HK 7300 and we will all be happy to hear how great it is. Happy listening! |
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Bronze Member Username: ShankPittsburgh, PA Post Number: 40 Registered: Aug-04 | Intersting link from peter in another thread: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Hollow/3401/ratevsac.htm notice the few H/K recievers their consitently put out more power than they are rate for. Also, notice that the onkyo's in general perform ~ what their ratings are, except the onkyo 901 is only able to pump out 50w/channel. Of course this is just one test, and maybe the unit was faulty. |
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Bronze Member Username: DmusePost Number: 11 Registered: Aug-04 | totally unbiased too just like car and driver. advertising has nothing to do with those types of reports. Gotta with your ears. |