I have a Sony STR-DE 575 Receiver and just recently Bought some Mirage OMNISAT v2 FS Tower speakers to complete my surround sound setup and cd player. So since I know nothing about audio I would like to know if I should get a new receiver for these speakers or if what I have is good. Specs for the receiver is below and for the speakers beneath that. My decision on what speakers to get were made based off what speakers I liked when I listened to them. All help appreciated.


Receiver Product Features
Home theater receiver with 100 watts' power output across 5 channels
32-bit Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic and DTS decoder
5.1-channel input for new high-resolution multichannel audio sources such as SACD
2 optical digital input, 1 coaxial digital input
AV UniCommander remote also operates Sony televisions
Technical Details
Output Wattage: 500
dvd_type: None
audio_output_mode: Surround Sound
audio_output_type: None
surround_sound_effects: Digital Cinema Sound Virtual 3D
component_type: Receiver
built_in_decoders: Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Digital, DTS decoder
remote_control_description: Universal remote control
Width: 16.9 inches
Height: 6.2 inches
Depth: 11.7 inches
Weight: 16.3 pounds
Warranty: 2 years warranty
optical_digital_input: Yes
coaxial_digital_input: Yes
audio_input: None
tuner_technology: Digital

Speaker features
* frequency response 55-20,000 Hz (±3dB) * OMNIPOLAR technology creates a larger, more realistic soundstage * 1" PTH tweeter; 4-1/2" midrange in sealed sub-enclosure; two 4-1/2" woofers with four 4-1/2" passive radiators * sensitivity 94 dB * handles up to 175 watts *

Yes, get a new receiver. Sony's DE line is awful. I briefly owned one, maybe the same model you have, and replaced it with an Onkyo, which was much better in every respect.

I agree but I think the OP should hook it up and let his ears be the judge.

He's the one who started a thread asking if his receiver was any good and if he should get a new one.

While I agree with mrhan's sentiments generally, Sony's non-ES receiver line is so woeful that there isn't much point in this case. Their published distortion rates match those of subwoofers. (that's really bad for frequencies over 80Hz) It's frightening to imagine what reality might be since all these companies obfuscate the truth in the public ratings. It can easily damage itself and speakers if played too loud, which in this case wouldn't really have to be all that loud.

Those may be halfway decent speakers with a good low-end receiver. It's a little scary, Mirage seems to be targeting both Bose and B&O with their design. Neither company has a good rep, prefering form over substance. Hopefully the build & sound quality is more like B&O than Bose, their's at least aren't complete junk.

I've had the receiver for 8 years and had no problem with the sound I had from my athena speakers, for movies (music on the other hand I was disappointed) I sold the other speakers with my house and tried out a number of other speakers and liked these most, what I was mostly worried about was somehow ruining the speakers with this receiver, although I know it is time for a new receiver, I cannot afford a new one just yet but sometime this nxt year. I just upgraded my TV, and will be looking for a receiver that is hdmi compatable down the line. Any chance that receiver can ruin the speakers? (i'm not a person who cranks the stereo by any means if that helps)

While I agree your ears should decide, the Sony is a POS. No doubt. I had one as well and didn't realize just HOW bad it was till I got decent speakers. And no it is not an issue of "cranking it up". It is the quality that is there.

I'd look at the usual suspects: H/K, Onkyo, Denon. I'm not as big into Yamaha, but some are, so certainly worth a look.

Shouldn't be a problem if you don't play too loud. It would just sound much better with almost anything else. Even Panny digital receivers.

Sony has really abandoned audio. Their TVs are often the best around, their receivers the worst. And their players some of the best for sound. Bizarre mix.

Thanks for the input, after reading some of the other posts I looked into the Onkyo a little bit, I don't want to and cannot bust the bank on a top of the line receiver right now but what is you opinion on the Onkyo TX-SR575 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver?

What, you don't want to spend $6000 on a receiver? What's wrong with you?

That would definitely be an upgrade. At this point, with all the new codecs and other changes, you should carefully look at receivers if you are in the market. It might be best to wait a bit more until all the HDMI and HD-audio codecs get sorted out. Just so you aren't feeling like you should upgrade again in half a year. All depends on what you want. On the other hand, getting a model with 7.1 analog inputs would be a good way to future-proof.

I like this one for $499
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-DV6awI1...0&I=580TXS605B

90 watts x 7 into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.08% THD
Dolby® True HD, DTS-HD™ Master Audio, Dolby® Digital Plus, DTS-HD™ High Resolution Audio, Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES®, Pro Logic® IIx, and DTS Neo:6 decoding
1080p-compatible HDMI digital video switching (2 in, 1 out)
HDMI version 1.3
analog-to-HDMI video conversion


Nice cheap one decent quality all around it looks like to me. The one you mention I don't believe decodes the new formats on HD-DVD or blu ray. Price isn't that much more so , I could swear I seen one that could decode the new formats for $280 or something but I don't remember what it was and can't seem to find it.

I have owned Marantz in the Past and now have the new Sr-4001.

http://us.marantz.com/Products/1867.asp

7 channel, 2 HDMI, 1080P, no issues playing uncompressed audio via HDMI ver 1.1. Powering B&W speakers. I have been very happy with the quality and the performance. Very good bang for the buck, and Marantz has been known for quality for a long time.

Only thing is, you won't find a Marantz at your average "chain" electronics store.

So what's the difference between 1.3 and 1.1 hdmi?

Hah! There's an evil road.

1.1 allows the old PCM, DD and DTS signals to be added to the video and passed to your receiver. However, not all receivers will pull the audio out. They will generally say "HDMI Passthrough" in the specs if they don't pull out the audio. (PCM may be old, circa 1979, but it can be very high quality)

1.3 is very new, very few products even announced, let alone shipping, with 1.3. This allows the newest audio codecs to be passed like Dolby TrueHD, so presumably any receiver with 1.3 would pull audio out. It's a great idea, but so far it is, for practical purposes, non-existant. 2 years from now hopefully a different story. (I've been saying that for a year)

Of course, nothing would prevent an idiot receiver mfgr from still making the receiver with HDMI 1.3 passthrough-only and not pull out the audio. That seems ludicrous, but you never know, still will need to read specs carefully.