I'm a newbie and by no means an audiophile. From what I've read, this "discontinued" receiver seems to be a pretty nice value as I can get it from etronics.com for 305 shipped. The reviews here http://www.audioreview.com/reviews/A...ct_69121.shtml give it a 4.68/5 out of 41 reviews. However, searching home theater boards--I see know mention of it at all. Am I missing something here?
By the way, I plan to have it power JBL's NSP1 5 speaker system with a matching JBL 10" sub.

i would also consider the yamaha htr-5460, denon 1602 (albeit less power here tho), or somthing from onkyo....

what makes one better than the other for powering this JBL NSP1 + sub setup?

Also, why did panasonic stop the technics receiver line? It appears from all the reviews that they were quality units and the sa-da20n originally had an MSRP of 800.

Thanks!

The Onkyo 494 is right in your price range. You can also get it at jandr.com for under $280 shipped.

whis is the onkyo 494 the better choice? especially since it puts out a lot less power (55) per channel than the technics (100).

don't put too much faith in the power ratings. The Technics is likely rated at a single frequency with 2 channels driven and could have a much higher THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) rating. The Onkyo will be rated full bandwidth, all channels driven. Also, the Onkyo will have high current capability, and the Technics likely won't.

I recently switched out a 100 WPC JVC receiver for a 70 WPC receiver (Onkyo 575-X). The Onkyo is not only louder but MUCH cleaner.

When you're looking at the power ratings, look at the additional stats....number of channels driven, frequency range of the test, and the THD values.

IMO, you're much better off with a comparably priced (and lower wattage rated) Onkyo, Denon, Marantz, etc receiver than one "rated" at 100+ WPC and with tons of bells and whistles. Most of the settings on your receiver (9,000 DSP modes, etc) will never get used. It's most important to go with the receiver that will give you better sound quality. That, (again, IMO) will come from receivers that use better componentry such as the Onkyo, Denon, etc.

Hope that helps, and happy shopping

Yes to all the above!

Onkyo/HK/SonyES 3 or 5/JVC 9 or 10/Denon/are all quality units or brands.
I would save up and get the best rcvr you can that has 5/6/7 discrete full amps and built in 6.1 and dolbyES and II.

The pioneer 850 and sony 1075 are cheap 6 channel rcvrs. But You should go with Onkyo or Denon and maybe and I stress maybe the Sony 5es or JVC 10( too new on the market to know at this time).

id go with the Denon...i have the 3802 and its crystal clear

thanks for the help...i think i'll go with the onkyo 494 to start out with and upgrade later down the road....i just dropped a wad of cash on a 32" wega...anyone know a good place to get this for a decent price? jandr is out of stock..

Just FYI the 494 is rated at 55w @8ohms, 2 channels driven. Few amps in this price range are rated with all 5 channels driven. But as edclem said, these ratings are essentialy worthless. Rely on your ears, not the spec sheet.