If I'm not laid off in a couple days I'm going to be using some of my tax return money to upgrade to a new DD/DTS receiver. I've narrowed it down to 2:

JVC RX6010VBK & Sony STRDE445

Both are about the same price, and with similar features. No, they probably aren't the best receivers in the world, but that's OK. I live in an apt w/ med size living room and am upgrading from an old Emerson Pro-Logic receiver. In otherwords, I'll notice the difference with just about any upgrade and I don't need to rattle the windows.

I'm happy with my speakers for now, but will probably upgrade them later piece by piece.

Does anyone have any experience with those 2 receivers? Likes, dislikes, things to be wary of, etc..? Feel free to post any other suggestions as well.

Thanks!

You can do a lot better with a refurbished Onkyo 575x, Sony DB series, or Denon 1801. That's right...I'm recommending a refurb over a new...in this case though, a new JVC or Sony DE isn't worth your time.

Thanks for the reccomendation, could you explain why? Aside from inputs, the specs don't look all that different.

[Edited by renaldow on 05-01-01 at 06:28 PM]

actually, renaldow, the specs will actually indicate something...especially with the wattage rating. You might note how some manufactures do not list wattage output with ALL 5 speakers driven, or they only list the wattage output at 1K instead of the entire spectrum (20Hz-200kHz) because the receiver simply can't produce those numbers at the lower frequencies. But perhaps the most important aspect is build quality. Not to be so simplistic as to say a heavier receiver is a better receiver, but the truth is that good components in the a good receiver weighs more. For example, for a good quality transformer will weigh quite a bit more than your run of the mill "made in taiwan" transformers found in some JVC and Sony DEs.

I recommend you visit http://www.hometheaterforum.com and ask the gurus there. I'm sure they can do a much better job of explaining the differences in quality.

For what it's worth, I HAD a JVC receiver rated at 100W/channel and was very anemic compared my friend's Marantz that was rated at a lowly 65W/channel.

Both companies overrate their power specs (Sony/JVC). Sony also has pretty poor rear speaker output.

Although I cant speak for the JVC since its been almost 10 years since I have worked for anyone that sold any JVC components, but back then they were pretty cheaply made as well.

The Onkyo 575 is a decent unit if you can find a good price on it. Its what runs my "mini-theatre" in my bedroom.

Not to mention the fact that my 595 runs cooler than my older, less powerful receiver. That one would bake anything left on top of it, even if there was no audio going through it.

If $400 is within your price range, I'd recommend pricing around for the Onkyo 595. J&R has it for $399.99 + s/h, and it's rock solid

Thanks, but if $400 was in my price range I wouldn't be asking about 2 $200 receivers.

If the Onkyo 595 is out of your price range then consider the 494 which is listed at $299 on most sites (Crutchfield, OneCall, etc.). They are out of stock everywhere until late May but it may be worth the wait. The 494 is also one of the new Dolby ProLogic II receivers that can render a 2 channel source into a close approximation of 5.1. At this point I wouldn't really consider a receiver that doesn't have DPLII as it doesn't increase the cost of the unit. The trick is that only a few such receivers have hit the market so far.

If you need a receiver ASAP you may consider buying from a local chain that has a 30-day return policy so you can exchange it when they get their newer models in.

Since you think you are in danger of being laid off, you should get the Denon AVR-5800. It's much more dangerous financially