OT: Home Theater Receiver Question
 

Sorry for the non-boating topic folks, but the HDTV post sparked this.

I've been looking for a new HT receiver for a while and never occured to me to ask here, but can Audiofn, FWK or anyone else offer any input? You can email me if you'd rather since this isn't about boating.

Was looking at Integra 8.2 Marantz 8200 (I think), or maybe jumping to the B&K 307 if it's worth it. I don't care for the sound of the Denon over the others. Hear the new Pinoeer Elite receiver is nice. If anyone owns one or has info, LMK. Thanks. Any others to consider?

Thanks, and sorry for the "off topic" subject for those of you reading this that shouldn't have clicked on it any due to the subject.

[ 01-14-2002: Message edited by: 32fever ]

I sent you an e-mail. Forrest

well the Denon avr5800 is very nice also the avr3802 is high end stuff,i like my Yamaha rx-v1 it is a great receiver,Onkyo builds some nice stuff,like the tx-ds989 and the tx-ds787,another nice receiver is the Integra dtr-9.1 top of the line here,the B&K avr307 is also a great receiver,most of the sony and kenwood is ok stuff,but not top of the line,pioneer elite vsx-39tx from what i hear has some new stuff on it,nice receiver,good luck on your purchase,mark

Sonance has the best equipment available for Home Audio Theater in the business if you need a catalog call me or go to their website @ Sonance.com....

Sean

I'm sorry bro I think all they offer are the amps and speaker systems to tie into your receiver so I may have mislead you some on your request......Sean

I'd also check out the NAD 761. Clean underated power that will take 4 or 8 ohm load. Simple controls. Money goes toward power and quality vs. 20 different theater modes you will probably never use. Not an expert, but with a set of Paradigm speakers and center cnannel and a HSU sub, it rocks. NAD can be purchased reasonably at yawaaudio.com.

Sound quality: NAD hands down. Followed by Marantz, followed by Yamaha. These are the only ones I would buy, 'cept for the B&K that nice too.

Foofoo gadgets: just about any other Jap receiver out there.

I stopped carring Denon years ago, not too sure what they are up to today.
Integra is Onkyo, yuk!
Let me know which one you decide on, I might be able to save you (or other OSO members) some money.

32Fever-

Are you asking about HDTV receivers, or sound receivers?

I've had a Marantz SR-7000 for a couple of years now and love it. I used to check out some audio sites all the time just to keep up with what's new, but now I don't even care to. You might check Audioreview.com as a pretty good source for opinions on audio gear.

32 Fever: You have mail. :D :D

Hey Stinson: You stick to boats and I will stick to.... Oh never mind LOL :D :D Sonance does deffinatly make some great stuff.

How is Anna's boat? I heard it was bad news :-(

Jon

Thanks for the emails and info guys.

Bill272, yeah, I've been to audioreview.com, and read reviews. Some are good, some look like the SBI/APBA arguements on this board. LOL!

BillR, yeah, I almost bought NAD years ago, but went with Adcom for my stereo I was putting together. Both of those companies lost my interest a few years back when HT became the "thing" and they just didn't seem to keep up, so I bailed on learning about them. Always like them in the past, but I see a lot of that stuff used in places, which tells me sumpin ain't right.

Nort, yeah, sound receivers I guess. Not getting into HDTV till I have to. Lugged my 56" projection downstairs, so I ain't lugging it back out fur nuttin! LOL! I think I'm going projection next when the time comes, just mount the mamma jamma to the ceiling and get a big-azz screen.

Everyone how about a hand for another fine example of post whoreing from Trouper Troutly!!! :D :D It's ok troutly I am a memeber of that board, so I fit into both catagories LOL :D :D

JOn

A good home theater has several components...

Audio/Video Source: TV Antenna, Cable TV, Satellite, DVD, VCR, CD, AM/FM, etc.

Audio Output: Receiver, Speakers, Cables/Wires

Video Output: TV/Monitor (Composite, S-Video, Component, HDTV) and Cables

Room Acoustics: Speaker placement, seating, etc.

If you're looking for a good AVR Receiver... I have a Harman Kardon AVR85 that works very well for me.

Just make sure that you get one that accepts both optical and coax audio inputs. My satellite receiver has optical audio and my DVD has coax audio. You will need this to receive the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio.

Good Luck! :D

[ 01-15-2002: Message edited by: Clay Washington ]

Troutly,
You mean, if I use the 6 x 9 Kracos I had in the back window of my 79 Cutlass, I'd be wasting my money on a $2000 receiver? LOL!

So, you a "post whore" on that site, too? :eek:

Mark

[ 01-15-2002: Message edited by: 32fever ]

Hey Guys.. Is THX still an important option?

THX?= NO!

For the price you can't beat the Yamaha. I have 3 of them and the oldest has been in use for 4 years no problems. And they are fairly easy to program and use.

I have a pretty simple system with low cost but I am very happy with the performance. Pioneer receiver with JBL bookshelf speakers, JBL 10" powered sub, Infinity rear surround speakers. JVC DVD player. I spent alot of time looking for deals. Found some good ones at Best Buy on "open box" items. You can spend alot of money on equipment and put it in a room that isnt audio friendly.

THX is still a good thing in this market. What it tells you is that the reciever has met certain standers so that it will be able to reproduce accuratly the movie experience in a home. There are certain levels of it, like THX ULTRA for larger rooms and other ratings for smaller rooms. This rating is based on what Lucas Films thinks that receiver is capable of doing for filling a room and hitting certain SPL ratings at certain quality. It takes a lot of the guess work out for the uneducated or new to Theater buyer. Now that being said getting that little LOGO on the front of your box costs a lot of money, so some of the smaller more high end companies do not pay to have the tests done. It does not mean that they are not capable of hitting the standards, just that they are not willing to pay the money. In the off the shelf market of Onkyo, Yamaha, Denon and so on it is still an important thing to look for in my opinion as it assures the ability of that product to give you a accurate movie watching experience.

Jon

32fever,

When you quit playing games with the receiver :D and get to what's really important in home theater -the SUB Woofer- check these out :eek: :eek: :eek: http://www.svsubwoofers.com/ The powered 16-46PC model specifically http://www.svsubwoofers.com/svpoweredsubs.htm Best regards---- John

Yeah, like paying Lucas big bux.
Audio, you've been in the industry long enough, so if you have your choice of say a Technics THX this vs. a non THX Marantz, Yamaha, or Denon, would you prefer the THX model because Technics paid lots of money to Lucas so they could sport that logo? You know the Yam, Denon, or Mar will sound and perform much better.
I've seen too many THX products that met the "standards" that sound like garbage. If the THX standard was THAT good, then all THX approved products sould sound and perform great. Sorry, they don't. :eek:

Ok , I'm off my soapbox now. :D

Bill the only problem with your argument it that those large companies that you just mentioned do get the certification, for them it is nothing to spend the money. It is the small guys like Enlightened audio design that have not been paying the bucks although I believe that even their new stuff is. There have been unfortunatly some instances of companies sending in some receivers for certification then changing the boards at a later time. I believe that Lucas has cracked down on that and also decided to offer the different ratings. I certainly do not look at that logo to make my decisions but lets face it I am a far more edjucated consumer then most and it sounds like you are as well. This is for the guy that knows nothing about audio, and wants a good sounding system. Now does Techniques really offer a THX amy????

Jon

I went through the same thing about a year ago. Couldn't decide whether it was better to spend 3 G's on a component system or 1.5 G's on a good quality receiver. I ended up going with a Yamaha RX-V1000. It is a very nice medium level receiver and has the output (no amp) for the new DTS ES and Dolby Digital 6.1. The best part about it is I caught it on sale and only paid around $800 for the thing. Has all of the necessary RCA, S-Video, component, Toslink, coax inputs and outputs I need for my TV, DSS, DVD, CD, cassette, VCR, and Play Station. I really didn't hear that much difference between this receiver and the RX-V1 costing 3 times as much. Maybe its my untrained ear but this thing sounds good to me. Speakers on the other hand seem to be a get what you pay for type of deal. I went with a mix-match setup of B&W and Klipsch. It all sounds good to me.

Mike

Steve what Mk's do you have they are great speakers as well as the subs they make. The MK's are one of the main lines I use for home theater. Parasound gives you a tremendous bang for the buck.
BillR I would buy any of the rcvr's you listed without the logo over a Technics. I would not even suggewst a tecnics to a customer. Forrest

definitely make sure it has DTS on it.

Audiofn,
Thanks for the response. I researched a few prices on some of the receivers listed above and what I found is the Pioneer Elite VSX36TX is the only receiver for $1,000 that is THX certified. The Marantz, NAD, Sony were not. What do you think?

Steve you ought to listen to the powered S-150THX speakers. Parasound definitely takes care of the customer. Forrest

Active fun take a look at the Integra 7.1 and 7.2 receivers. They are THX, but more importantly they sound great, and have upgradable software and RS-232 control. They are set up to run Dolby 7.1 with the addition of a amp, and will run 6.1 out of the box. They are really solid pieces to look at.
Parasound has some really kick ass stuff sapposedly just around the corner. We will see. I have seen the product and all I can tall ya is WOW!!!!! Very cool!!!

Jon

Everyone will usually recommend what they have in their house. But even knowing that, I have to recommend an M&K sub. I have and mx-105 in a 12x22 room and it just pounds out clean tight bass all day long. It's thier cheapest push-pull dual driver sub and I can hear it at the street through walls and the garage and it's not even close to distorting. Try to find a place that will let you bring equipment home to test it in your room.

Steve I am not fallowing you on the audio CD questions????

Steve brings up a good question. My Sony DVD will also play CD's but it makes them sound like cassettes. I guess the DVD player is not specifically designed to play cd's so it does a half-assed job. Has anybody heard any of the Super Audio CD's or DVD-Audio stuff? I hear they sound awesome but are not widely available.

Mike