macnorton

Ok so after months and months of research, time, and money, I am finally about to finalize my home theater. Let me give a little bit of background.

Back in 2004 , I bought a plasma TV on sale at Comp USA. I then purchased a Klipsch Synergy surround sound system (5.1) shortly there after. However, upon getting the speakers home, I realized there was ZERO chance they would fit in the house I was in. The time came to move, and I did.

The TV however ended up with my parents, because their TV fizzled out after the move. I said they could have mine, and buy me one for the same price I paid somewhere down the line. I also gave them the receiver I had and I bought them a new set of speakers. My mom, about two weeks ago, bought me the new TV (and a stand, how nice of her). Now it is time to finish this project.

At this point I am looking into getting a new receiver, Blu-Ray player, and a surge protector. As documented in another thread, I got the information I needed about surge protectors, but I have no idea what to go with. So I still need assistance there.

As for the Blu-Ray player and the receiver, I am looking at the following:

Onkyo TX-SR805
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...=detailed_info

Sony BDP-S350
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...BDPS350&tp=171

And here is the TV I currently have:

Panasonic TH-50PZ80U
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...350PZ80&tp=161

My question to you is, with the TV I have, will the receiver and Blu-Ray player be sufficient? Is there something else other than the listed specs I should be looking for?

And my final question, I am looking for an installer as well. Is there an alternative to the Geek Squad/Firedog? I am looking to get the components (all listed above plus a cable box and a DVD player) hooked up with speakers (7.1, I finally found the Klipsch speakers I needed to finish the system off in Montana of all places).

Any help with this, I would appreciate it.

Spiky

Unless there are some other features you really need, that receiver is pretty much overkill for Synergy speakers. But it is a nice receiver. Maybe you should plan a speaker upgrade.

I think you are worrying too much about surge protection. You'll find a basic no-name model does pretty much the same as a fancy Monster. Or, maybe one of the newer UPSs designed for HT, like the APC or Tripplite models at Costco. Although there isn't much use for one without a projector or something with a hard drive.

Make sure you match up the BD player and receiver. I think those two match properly, but check the player at AVSForum. They have a wonderful chart in a sticky thread in that Bluray players forum that shows how each player outputs the new HD audio. Just make sure they match.

Spiky

Also, that receiver is discontinued. I would get one from Amazon fast if your decision is made. Many people feel the 806 is a downgrade, so the 805 will probably be a popular item.

macnorton

Care to elaborate on the speakers comment? I am not sure if I get the intended sarcasm.

Spiky

No sarcasm. The receiver is near top of the line and the speakers aren't, that's all.

Don't we all want to upgrade everything?

Brian Shannon

Yes, do it yourself.

I am not seeing anything that they average person could not do by just following simple directions. Then you get the satisfaction of understanding how your equipment is connected and how to change something when the time comes.

macnorton

Ah...I have had a lot of Klipsch speakers over the years, so I guess I can't really comment on that. To each his own.

macnorton

I could hook it up. I hooked up the last system for my parents (with my father's help). The thing of it is, there are a lot of obstacles in my way. There is an air duct in the way, some really nice wood columns I don't want to ruin and I need an additional power outlet (I think), hence why I posed the question.

Brian Shannon

Well if there is construction to be done that is different.

Geek Squad and Firedog are nothing more than glorified salespersons who know how to plug things in.

If you need an electrician then that is different. And finding a true installer or handyman that can drill/fish cable may cost you more than you want to spend.

SoSpacey

Macnorton. I have an electrician that will probably come out to you that is great at snaking wires and is also a very good electrician. He wont mount your speakers or anything but he should be able to do all of your wiring.

Also, the 805 is overkill for those speakers, Spiky wasn't being sarcastic. But it is always better to get too much receiver than too little.

Also, why are you getting that BluRay player? No interest in a PS3? I barely play my PS3 but for movies and media streaming it is awesome.

macnorton

OK cool. Not sure what my plan is yet, I still have a few things to move and map out before I do anything, but I will keep your electrician in mind.

The 805 has everything I am looking for in a receiver. I am not looking to upgrade for awhile so the more the better. Speakers come and go, so I am not to worried. When I am ready to replace them I will.

As for the PS3, meh. I have said it previously, that seems like overkill to me when I can just buy a player. However, I do like multiplayer games (like Madden, Gears of War and such) so I might go for it. The PS3 can handle all the Blu-Ray stuff that all the other players can correct? I really don't know much about the specs, so I am a little ignorant on the subject of the PS3.

tofferman

You mention that the 805 is overkill for his Klipsch Synergy surround sound system. Would that still apply to the Klipsch Reference Series speakers as I have? In my case (not to hijack this thread), I'm debating between the Onkyo 805, 705 and 606, as well as the Denon 1909. Any thoughts?

macnorton

Don't worry about the hijack, this is good information for me. Since I have yet to buy anything, I am exploring my options.

If I recall (and I might not have this right, since it has been a while) the difference between the Reference and Synergy wasn't extreme, at least to my ears. Unless of course it was the THX version, then that is a different issue. My concern with the comments here are, does this mean I can do damage with this overkill receiver?

Mordred

Reference Series are generally a higher end model than Synergy. Klipsch does make some expensive Synergy sets too though. I have the Reference series in my system and I'm pretty happy with them.

Klipsch speakers are so efficient that you don't need much power to drive them to deafening levels. Any of those receivers should work fine for the task.

tofferman

Based on what you are saying, regardless of whether it is any of the Onkyo's I mentioned earlier or the Denon, a difference of 10-15 watts between models is negligible for use with Klipsch speakers...is that a fair assessment?

...if so, I then have to decide how many hdmi inputs are sufficient (i.e. to be future proof) and which model upscales dvd's the best using Hdmi. I keep reading less than stellar reviews for the receivers that use the Faroudja chips for upscaling. Is there a better chip (Reon?) that is available in a receiver priced under $800?

I am in the process of replacing my Denon AVR-3300 (which I loved), so I'm leaning towards the Denon (AVR-1909) as of now. Unfortunately, since there is only a Best Buy where I live, hearing the various receivers means a two hours plus drive to Portland.

Mordred

Yes, a difference of 10-15 watts would be negligible. Just remember 2x wattage = +3 dB. So a 150W receiver is 3dB louder than a 75W receiver. And also remember that wattage ratings are usually overinflated in the real world so you'll probably be getting 25% less than they say you're getting... but it doesn't really matter all that much anyway

SoSpacey

I agree and disagree with you.

Onkyo, like Yamaha, Denon and a few others, usually do not over inflate their wattage ratings.

If you are running reference speakers, get as much amp as you can. Basically you can drive them with less effort. My speakers are reference speakers. My Yamaha is 130w. My old Yamaha was 75w. The speakers so MUCH better with my new receiver. When I hear my speakers in th store, they were being driven with an Anthem amp. I almost dropped $3500 on it.

If you are spending money on reference line speakers, spend the money on the most receiver/amp you can get.

Macnorton, if money is no issue, go with the 805. Better safe than sorry.

Spiky

Small world. I have a set of the Reference and the Onkyo 898, which is a predecessor for the 905/906. Frankly, the 898 is overkill for the speakers I have. Klipsch are too easy to drive. I can drive them to ridiculous volumes (which I don't need) without noticing distortion. But I needed the extra input compared to the 797 back then.

I'm trying to upgrade both. (anybody want to buy a 7.0 Ref setup?) Pretty much, if you go away from the super high efficiency of something like Klipsch, you suddenly need a more expensive amp.

I much prefer the rounded sound of the Ref series to the Synergy. The horns are pretty much the same, I believe. But the midrange....not so much.

Spiky

Well, they do. Just not as badly as Sony or the other low-end companies. It really depends on what distortion rating you want. It's like any other electrical measurement, you can achieve almost any number you want, as long as other numbers change, too. One goes up, another must also go up (or down). So the marketing departments balance all that out to achieve the magic "100 watts" ratings in many, many receivers.

And then there is the neat way they list the channels....

I think you'll find a good Denon or Onkyo to actually be about 40-45% of the number on the box when rated to low distortion and all channels at once. Mine is listed at 110 wpc, it really puts out about 45-50 with decent distortion.

Sdallnct

A good demonstration of this is a 40watt per channel H/K receiver I picked up. It totally blew away the 80watt per channel Sony unit it replaced. More power, better sound, more depth....not even close.

Mordred

I didn't think Denon or Onkyo were quite that bad but I could be wrong. Most of the test bench stuff I've seen regarding Sony shows they're about 50% under the rated spec.

macnorton

$799 for a receiver isn't that bad if you ask me. I was expecting to spend way more. And if I buy through Crutchfield, no tax or shipping. That is Ok with me.

Tell me more about the PS3 though...I saw one for $399 last night.

Spiky

All channels driven? With proper RMS measuring? I'm betting most reviews that bother with tests are on the Sony ES series, which is much closer to Onkyo/Denon/Yamaha than the stuff usually discussed here. They are over-priced and have too many funky useless modes, but they aren't horrible. (Yamaha also has much useless crap features, to be fair)

Even my $1500 Onkyo 898 lists at 110wpc, but with only 2 channels driven. Gotta read carefully through the marketing BS. Someone did a bench test back when it was new. I want to say 47wpc was their measurement.

What most people also don't understand is just how much power is on 47 watts. I can easily drive my Klipsch above reference with this 898.

SoSpacey

The PS3, to me, should be your first PS3 player if you are buying now. Stand-alone players cost as much or more and aren't as good as the PS3. And if they are, they are way more money.

For $400 you get one of the best players on the market, you can play the occassional game (my game use is about 10% of total use), and you get to stream to your main listening area from your PC. I use Tversity and I stream AVIs and music right to my main area.

In a year or 2 when you can pick up a stand-alone for $200 that stacks up to your PS3 (besides for the gaming/streaming) you can do that if you want.

Only drawback to the PS3 is the need to have a BluRay remote. And maybe the lack of analog outputs if you need them. Other than that I love it.

macnorton

I assume the PS3 has an ethernet port or some sort of Wi-fi connection? That streaming sounds kind of cool.

When you say Blu-Ray remote, do you mean the PS3 one, or will any remote do?

What kind of audio does the PS3 handle? I assume all the standard lossless one right?

Lastly, I know the PS3 connects via HDMI, so I don't need the analog if I go with the 805. So no concerns there.