Advice on new receiver
 

As the thread title would indicate, I'm looking for some assistance in picking out a new receiver. Let me provide a little bit of background for you.

This will not be my main receiver, although that one could definitely use some updating as well. The receiver I need to replace is almost 20 years old. I've been using it for my outdoor setup, but after a steady decline, it appears the optical audio port is no longer working.

So anyway, a replacement is needed. I would like to keep it fairly inexpensive. At present, I have only been using the optical audio because that was the highest quality available on my old receiver. I might use HDMI, but the optical might just be easier for the time being. I think my needs are fairly minimal. I have an optical out from my main receiver leading to a wall plate that leads outside. So I really only need one input at a time. On the outside setup, I currently only have three speakers hooked up (two fronts and a center) but might add more one day.

Any opinions? This is currently a deal of the day at Best Buy: http://m.bestbuy.com/m/e/product/det...at309300050002. The $200 price certainly is appealing. Would it be a good buy? Hell, would it be something to even consider for my main receiver as I currently don't even have HDMI on that one?

Thanks for any help.

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

Wow, that price point on the Pioneer 1023 K is great. Too bad it's sold out online and in stores, at least for me. I'm not in the market for one, but at that price, I would have picked it up and put it in my man cave. I had a Pioneer before and it served me very well, they're a great brand.

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

Well, damn. I snoozed and realized it's unavailable at any of my nearby stores, too. But my question still stands. Is there anything in particular I should make sure my prospective receiver has? Anything to look out for?

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

Check reviews for any issues. Otherwise, as with anything else, it's a matter of brand preference and price. Feature wise, watch the number and type of inputs, so that you have the number and type of inputs needed for your hardware. In general, all new hardware uses HDMI. So plan accordingly.

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

Maybe accessories4less would be a good place to shop in this case. Authorized refurbs for a few of the big name brands.

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

This is kind of a tangential issue but Pioneer might get out of the home electronics business in the coming year or two. I would strongly recommend avoiding Onkyo, there have been too many reliability issues cropping up in their recent lines of receivers.

I would spend a little more if you are the type of person only upgrading every 20 years, the sweet spot in the value curve for modern receivers is in the $400-$600 range. Modern receivers have shorter lives these days due to the amount of quickly-dated electronic components. Don't plan on getting more than 6-8 years from a new one.

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

Considering that Onkyo is purchasing Pioneer's A/V business, you may have to look at them both a little differently. The real problems they had were a couple years and models ago. I think a lot of it is just that they sell so many, more units allow for more problems and complaints. The 606 model and others of that era were not great.

That said, the Denon X1000 refurb for $200 is a pretty good deal for a recent low-end model. Or, it's new on Amazon for $80 more. It's just been replaced by the 1100, so now's the time.

clckworang, you asked what to look for. Well, getting a replacement for a 3 channel outdoor setup using nothing but optical input is really simple, pick any surround receiver from a decent brand. It's not a high quality setting and you can't use the latest audio through optical anyway, so just avoid the true crap like "box" units and Sony. OTOH, unless you really are getting some enjoyment from that 3rd speaker, you could just drop it and go with stereo, pick up a D or T amp for not very much and simplify the wiring down to analog stereo.

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll definitely look at accessories4less.

Spiky, as far as the analog suggestion, the way my wall plate is currently set up, I would need to use optical or HDMI. I don't have the RCA connections hooked up on the wall plate. Long story short, it would take some work to make that possible.

I'm considering investing some additional money to upgrade my main receiver, which doesn't have any HDMI inputs, and putting my current one with my outside setup. Of course, that would be a bigger investment than I really want at this time ...

In general, do Yamaha receivers still have a strong reputation, especially if I were to consider upgrading my main receiver?

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

Yes, Yamaha is well-regarded. If I personally was going to buy anything today, it would be their preamp.

Yamaha and Denon both just began shipping new lines of receivers. So, this is a good time to catch a deal on last year's model. Actually, Onkyo too, I think.

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

What?? I have been a MAJOR fan of Pioneer products (mainly, their receivers) for many many years. Is this definite? What are all the details?

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

I assume you'll find this source reliable:
http://online.wsj.com/articles/pione...und-1403605311

It isn't exactly a full sale, that goes to a 3rd party, more of a support/infusion by Onkyo, I'd say. And it was supposed to be finished by now, but I don't see a follow up. Probably delayed from the estimate in that article. I would assume in a couple years Pioneer will either fold the audio stuff completely or it will become more Onkyo-centric.

Geez, are they keeping anything? http://www.digitaldjtips.com/2014/09...e-whos-buying/

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

Denon has pretty much got the DJ sector, and I remember when Pioneer was the leader. I never thought Denon would be in the forefront when it came to DJ equipment. I used to DJ their dual-cd player with controller when their first edition dual-cd first came out. A few issues, but I used those issues in my favor for some weird sound effects. :D

It's seriously difficult to be a hardware seller these days when so much is software driven.

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

Today's deal on Woot has me a little bit tempted: http://www.woot.com/. It's the Onkyo TX-NR626 7.2-Channel Network Audio/Video Receiver for $299.99. The only thing I'm a little worried about is that it's factory reconditioned. That gives me some pause; I would prefer something new.

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

If you're not really worried about it, why would it give you some pause?

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

Oops. Edited. Fixed. But I think you probably knew what I was meaning to say.

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

I did... I was just being an asshole :)

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

woot! is always a little questionable on their refurbs, but it does say 1 year Onkyo warranty, which is the same as their official refurb channel at accesories4less. Which is also $40 more, so this is probably worthwhile today.

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

Onkyo leaves a bad taste in my mouth. My Hdmi inputs went bad, out of warranty.....so I am stuck with a non hdmi receiver that otherwise works perfectly fine. Works good enough to keep, but not broken enough to replace.

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

Go to Amazon, find a Yamaha at your price point with the features you want... you won't be disappointed.

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

Did you see they just began a repair program for many of these? Extended the warranty until 2018, and are replacing the network/HDMI board.

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

Glad to know that the Onkyo HT-RC360 I own since 09/11 is now covered under that extended warranty for 4 more years.

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

I have a onkyo 706, HDMI went bad, I had to turn it off and on to get any sound. The receiver eventually wouldn't give any sound. I called customer support, gave serial number, and they are doing a one time free repair on the unit. I just shipped it out Friday so I don't know the turnaround time. Definitely give them a call, being out surround sound for a bit is better than paying for a new receiver.

Re: Advice on new receiver
 

All right, I've given it a lot of thought, and I've decided to buy a replacement for my main receiver, rather than just my outside one. If I'm going to spend the money, I might as well get a real upgrade, right? Sorry, I know I'm being a pain in the ass!

And taking Rob V's advice, I think I'm going to go with another Yamaha. I'm looking at a bunch of different models and really am not sure on what to get. I've decided on getting a receiver that's 7.2 and has 2 HDMI outputs. As it is now, I use a powered switcher/splitter that I bought at Monoprice to run the signal from my living room to my outdoor theater. If 2 outputs on a receiver, I can remove that component and likely reduce some of the handshake issues that I've had.

I'm planning on something in the $500-$900 range. I know that's sort of a big range, but I'm finding it hard to narrow down. I'm leaning a little bit toward the Yamaha RX-A1040BL. I've found it for below $900 at one site. I'm just not completely sure if it's worth the extra money compared to some of the other models. Is there anything in particular I should be looking for in this range, as opposed to the much lower range of price and features I previously had? Oh, decisions, decisions.