ALMC

I'm building my home theatre setup and need some advice on sound. I've got a Hitachi 53" Ultravision RPTV and new Sony 5 disk changer DVD along with an older Sony VCR (forget the model, but it was near or at top of the line when I bought it 5 years ago). Right now I have the DVD and TV running through my 11 year old Denon stereo TV and attempting to get rear channel sound from wireless speakers through the Hitachi (it is set up for it, but doesn't seem to work).

I just got a new pair of Paradigm Studio 20s for my main speakers, so I'll probably complete with Atoms in the rear and the appropriate Paradigm center and sub.

My question is: What receiver do I get.
Probably 50-50 music and Theater, moving a bit more toward Theater. But things have changed so much since I last bought a receiver!!

Also, I really like the a/b switch capability , for music in another room, I have with my Denon and would love to keep it.

Any thoughts, advice, experience would be very helpful.

chess

so many choices.

i love my pioneer VSX-D509S, but i was on a self imposed budget. anything from denon or onkyo is a pretty good bet. sony DBs and ESs are good. Kenwood makes some good budget receivers. JVCs are good but may have some quality control issues (not my experience).

what are you looking to spend?

------------------
chess' DVDs chess' Web Site
chess' modest home theater:
61" Sony RPTV KP-61S75, Panasonic A-120U, Pioneer VSX-D509S, Energy e:XL-16 front and surround (birch), Energy e:XL-C, Sony SA-WM40

1blwnsaleen

I purchased a Denon 3300 about a year ago and have been very pleased. I believe the 3300 will be replaced shortly with the 3301 to accomodate for the es soundtracks with 6.1 DD. I liked the Denon because the unit was extremely quite and flat. The tone was a bit warmer than the Yamaha or the Onkyo. The Yamaha and Onkyo were a bit brighter. I also liked the looks of the Denon, I'm a sucker for asthetics. Any of the comparable units should be great Denon 3300, Yama. 995, and I don't know what the number is for the Onkyo. I think the import question had alsready been asked before I got here. How much do you want to spend. I spent $899.00

ALMC

thanks for good information. I don't have a real budget for this yet, expect to say under $1000. Naturally, if I can get what I need significantly under $1000, I would be happiest.

chess

i'm a pretty firm believer in "budget" receivers. if you pick up a $300 receiver from pioneer, yamaha, onkyo, or kenwood; i suspect you will be quite pleased (and surprised) by the performance.

be sure to get something with about 100w/channel, dd/dts, and a good learning remote. A/B switching is pretty standard fare even on the cheapest receivers.

bang/buck: i would look at my receiver, the pioneer VSX-D509S which has all of the above and a terrific learning remote. i would also look at the kenwood VRxxx (forgot the model) which offers s-video switching, and the onkyo 575 which offers....well, it's an onkyo.

they can all be found online for $300 or under.

between $300 and $1K, onkyo and denon are pretty well regarded as is the sony ES line. Yamaha and JVC have sort of a "cult following".

just do some research, figure out what you really need/want and spend from there. i started out planning to spend $6-700 but ended up with a $250 unit because i just couldn't rationalize spending more after a few auditions (believe me, i tried).

------------------
chess' DVDs chess' Web Site
chess' modest home theater:
61" Sony RPTV KP-61S75, Panasonic A-120U, Pioneer VSX-D509S, Energy e:XL-16 front and surround (birch), Energy e:XL-C, Sony SA-WM40

Phil I

>>be sure to get something with about 100w/channel

drmoze

Nice spreadsheet Of course, note that the wattage figures are only into 8 oohms at 1 kHz, not averaged or min/maxed from 20-20k Hz. In general, receivers like Onkyo, Yamaha, Denon, and H-K (not Pioneer, though) have higher-current amps and sound much cleaner at higher volumes and with low-efficiency speakers (like my NHTs, which sounded muffled with a Sony receiver!). Any of these speakers with just 70 watts or more per channel will likely be plenty for loud, clean sound in a medium-sized room.

Jalepeno

for

ALMC

Anyone have any experience/thoughts on the Marantz 7000. I've gotten a few suggestions for it. One thing that puzzles me -- beware, this may be a silly question -- How does it handle multi-room functionality with only one set of speaker terminals (according to the "rear picture" I saw?

tbird2340

I just upgraded to a new receiver as well. I chose the JVC RX-8000. It has everything I need via DD/DTS built in and good wattage. This receiver really rocks in my opinion. It retails for $400 at circuit city but I got it for $275 at ecost.com.

edclem

quote:<HR>Originally posted by ALMC:
Anyone have any experience/thoughts on the Marantz 7000. I've gotten a few suggestions for it. One thing that puzzles me -- beware, this may be a silly question -- How does it handle multi-room functionality with only one set of speaker terminals (according to the "rear picture" I saw?<HR>

I've heard very good things about this model also, and am considering it when I upgrade next. I think that the multi-room capability is in the form of a stereo line level output (RCA output) that would send the singal to a separate amplifier/receiver in the second room.

Taco

I also have the Denon 3300 and like it a lot. I got it refurbished at uBid for $430! Even with the extra 3 year warranty I got (which I thought was prudent with a refurb) it's still a bargain.

If you want new, go to Crazy Eddies

http://home2.store.com/crazyeddie/ht...ocache3a3d07b3

and check out the Denon 1801 ($318) or 2801 ($450). Also I think the 3801 is the upgraded 3300, not the 3301 mentioned above. The 3801 goes for $797.