sideview1

Hello all, well I turn to DVDTalk in need. My JVC 5.1 DTS/Dolby Digital receiver final kicked the bucket, who knows why, but the screen is gone, and now sound what so ever. I'm wondering if it got overheated...anywho

I'm looking for suggestions for a good receiver. I don't need high-end stuff, but I would like a receiver that would give me good bang for the bucks, pref: 6.1. I'm not much for a lot of changing, once I set it up, I don't want to have to worry about it. I have a sony progressive scan dvd player, a cd player, a tv, a vcr (sometimes) and digital cable to hook-up to it, and one day soon HDTV to hook up to it. I'm looking to spend around $350+/-. I haven't looked into a receiver for about 8 or 9 years now, so I see the wattages have gone up, and now 6.1 is available. So any suggestions on what to look for, where to buy, good brands/horrible brands would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Ben

drmoze

I wouldn't put too much weight on the 6.1. Few discs are encoded in 6.1, but whatever...

Do a search here for more details, but I don't think you can go wrong with a relatively low-end Denon, Yamaha or Onkyo. Any opf those brands in your price range should make your ears very happy............. (I'd add Harman/Kardon but that might be closer to $500)

emoxley

Why not stick with JVC, or have you soured on them now that one died? Are you sure it's not a fuse or two, in the case, that's burned out?
After having one, you should know that JVC gives you a lot of bang for the buck. I think the 7030 is a 6.1 system..........

Shroud

Depending on how close you want to stay with your $350 budget, I would recommend buying a refurb Harman Kardon receiver from Harmon Kardon directly.
The Harman Kardon in my opinion, offer the best clarify and seperation compared to other receivers in their class such as Dennon and Onkyo.
Also Harman Kardon underates all of their receiver watts, so don't be fooled by the 50 watts per channel as that is RMS with all channels driven. This is more then enough to reach Dolby Lab specs in a normal to moderate sized room.
Of the receivers, I would choose the HK AVR 325z or HK AVR 330z for the pricerange that you would like to spend.

Harman Audio Webpage

If you want to save even a few more dollars be sure to check ebay as Harman Direct sells their refurbs directly there under that name.

sideview1

Cool thanks, I need a new subwoofer as well, do you think those package deals are worth the purchase? I saw some yamaha packages that seemed a reasonable deal...

DVD Josh

Best Buy has a Yamaha package for $499 that is VERY nice. The speakers are Jet black and it's a good combo for the price.

sideview1

Yeah I had noticed that, and I have a 50$ gc to best buy as well, so I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on it. My biggest thing is that I don't want to later regret my purchase and either wish for more power, more features, etc.

Thanks

Ben

nekobus

I would recommend looking at the Onkyo's low end receivers like the TX-SR501, it's replacement the TX-SR502 and the TX-SR601. All have 50Mhz component switching and can be had for $350 or less. Onkyo makes some of the best "budget" receivers around, excellent bang for the buck.

sideview1

I looked and played with the yamaha this evening, the subwoofer in the package didn't have the bass or the clearity I think I want. I guess I may have to look at getting things piece at a time. CC had a sony for $274 that was 7.1, but I bet because of the price it wasn't that good of quality, the number was I think 697, or something like...

cajun_junky

If you can swing $500 then you should at least check out the Onkyo 760 system. I bought mine about a month ago and have been EXTREMELY impressed. Here is a LINK

nekobus

Stay away from Sony's lower end receivers, they aren't very good.

If you need a whole system, the Onkyo 760 that cajun_junky mentioned is good for the price and sometimes goes on sale for less. FWIW, Onkyo is doing a model year changover of part of its product line, so you may be able to negotiate a deal.

cajun_junky

I actually got mine for $500 minus $50 rebate and $50 gift card. To top it off I got 12 months ZERO interest with my CC credit card. A bargain in my book for this system.

sideview1

Thanks for suggestion! looks good...I'll go by cc this weekend and see if I can give it a listen, the sub is a bit stronger than the yamaha bb set up.

THanks. cajun_junky. Also nekobus, I'll definitly try to work a deal, I see that the onkyo link is 499.99 without any discounts...when is the new onkyo stuff coming out? maybe I can get an even better deal over memorial day?

sideview1

Anyone shop at this place? seems like a good deal

http://www.6ave.com/product.jsp?x=HT...pz=11001#specs

nekobus

6ave.com is great. I've never had anything but excellent service from them. Highly recommended.

Considering the 760 comes in a box the size of a small refrigerator, 6 cent shipping is not a bad deal. You could also use that price to negotiate at CC.

sideview1

I just ordered it from 6ave...I tried cc, but the closes store for 6ave is NJ, I'm in VA, and they said they wouldn't match it, so I figured I wouldn't argue...and ordered it. My wife has family in brunswick, so if it's bad we can go up there and exchange it or something.

Thanks for all you help everyone!!!

nekobus

Congrats. Enjoy your new setup.