im on a less than $200 dollar budget for a new receiver i see the 304 and the 505 at shoponyo for $110 and $179 refurb and after discount. im worried about the wattage though i have a medium sized room (maybe 15x20) and im not sure how loud 65 or 75 watts is. i had a yamaha stereo receiver a few years ago that was 65 watts and it was loud as hell. i guess it had something to do with true wattage i think? it was louder than my dads 100 watt kenwood thats all i know. is onkyo the same way?

i have a junky 100 watt pioneer receiver right now and the surround is a decent level not super loud but stereo is really loud. i hate the receiver so im not putting to much trust in its output.

also i dont care about 7.1, hdmi, different sound modes so those arent deciding factors to me. are there any other deals out there that are better? should i spend a bit more for more wattage?

heres the 505

heres the 304

Do you need video switching capability? Neither one offers the ability to hook all your equipment to the receiver and send it all to the tv via component or HDMI, which is a nice feature. If not, then choose either. Onkyo is pretty solid stuff.

i survived without video switching this long i think i can last longer all it does is save a step right? so you only have to press dvd and it switches the tv and receiver instead of having to use both remotes? if so then im not that lazy and i dont see what all the fuss is about.

my main concern is it wont be loud enough.

Alot of that will depend on what brand and size of speaker you are trying to drive.

ive got a messed up jumble of speakers. sony towers in the front cerwin vega surrounds and a pioneer center. i doubt they come close to matching each other. i bought it all years ago when i had a few bucks here and there to spare. hell i bought the sonys for $150 open box because they looked nice and actually sound pretty decent.

im actually thinking about getting the onkyo HTIB sr8000 for $419 shipped. i know HTIB's are frowned upon but i think its my best option. i wont have money again for awhile for speakers and the receiver looks to be better than the 304 and 505. ive read alot of reviews and it seems to be a pretty nice system.

i figured i can always sell the speakers next yr on ebay for a $100 when i want new ones.

Well I am not sure those Onkyo's would fill a room 15 x 20 with those speakers to your liking.

It is true that the better brands have better power supplies and high current designs that deliver more for the stated specs.

I am not sure what to tell you as I always recommend that people buy their speakers before buying a receiver.

the room might be a little smaller. i need to measure it. i read a few reviews and the people made it seem like they can fill a decent sized room.

i need a receiver more than i need speakers. my surround channels barely work and its missing the remote. also every universal remote ive tried wont control the volume. it will just turn it on and off.

I wouldn't worry about perfect room compatibility in that price range, it's hard enough with a $5000 budget. Onkyo makes excellent low-end receivers, I think you'd be happy.

You might research Panasonic digital receivers, also. I think reviews usually say there is a great deal of difference between their $200 and $300 models, maybe you can find a deal on the upper model in your price range.

i think i changed my mind about the HTIB. im going to get the 505 and a sub and center channel instead.

i just checked again and the price dropped to 169. i ordered it for155. nice deal. damn tax added 13 bucks.