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School me on Home Theatre Receivers So the time has come for me to retire the age old receiver. I've been shopping around, and I don't quite know what denotes a 'quality' receiver. I'm basically looking for something to power my 5.1 mix-and-match home theatre system that consists of four Precision Acoustics bookshelf speakers, a Bose VCS-10 center speaker, and a 10" Bose subwoofer. I'm by no means an audiophile. I seek something somewhat entry-level, but can potentially last though to the next decade and is ~$300. I have zero knowledge on what brands have great internals, which brands are popular, etc. I have no need for component inputs, but at least 3 HDMI ports are a must. Compatability with the iPhone 5 is also a plus. Here's what I've been looking into (at Best Buy/Futureshop because I have a hookup ;)): Denon AVR-1513 Onkyo TX-SR313 Pioneer VSX-523-K Yamaha RXV373 Much help is appreciated! |
Get something with Automatic Speaker Setting Calibration. The only ones on your list that have it are the Pioneer and the Yamaha. |
Any of those are decent and reliable. Just see which has the options you want. Some recievers don't do video passthrough, so depending on how you plan on wiring it up, that might be something to consider. I've used all of the brands you have listed, never had issues with them myself. I'm currently using a Pioneer Elite. Had it for the last 4-5 years with no issues (almost daily use). Just remember to occassionally clean out the dust that collects inside to help cool properly. |
i'm using a Pioneer VSX-1019 and I love it, no issues. What devices (inputs/outputs) will you be hooking up? |
We run a Yamaha VX667 I think the model is, it's about 4-5 years old now bought it off eBay paid about $650 when it was over $900 at A&B sound 700 watts I believe, 3 hdmi in, 1 out auto calibirate etc The Yamaha auto calibiritate seems to work very well we have an SVS audio 5.0 system hooked up to it in a 30X20 room with a projector, no complaints since the day we got it Posted via RS Mobile |
Currently my system is hooked up to the receiver via optical cable, so I'm completely new to using HDMI ports on a receiver. I'll be setting up a couple consoles and a Blu-ray player that currently plug into inputs on my TV. Posted via RS Mobile |
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You're going to want something with 4k passthrough if you want some future proofing HDMI 2.0 is getting released soon but as i understand as long as you have 4k passthrough not having hdmi 2.0 isnt a killer also with new audio formats like "dolby atmos" (based on some yamaha tech) you may be interested in a 9 or 11 speaker capable receiver (but they're expensive) for some future proofing I've never been a Onkyo fan because they've a history of getting HOT and breaking down I've always been a fan of Yamaha always solidly made (jap parts) and excellent mix of features and quality sound But people seem to lean towards Pioneer because they say it handles bass better (and are also very well made and sounding) Denon i've never looked into much but have heard people praise them I would also consider a NAD receiver as they allow upgrading (like your desktop pc) they're excellent excellent receivers but they're barebones not like other receivers that include more features than simply working your speakers A/V Receivers - NAD Electronics <these will help in future proofing without having to pay a lot initially check out some review sites there's normally extensive reviews available from sites like http://www.whathifi.com/ http://www.audioholics.com/ http://www.hometheater.com/ I recently picked up a receiver too btw from a local place http://www.ayreborn.com/ he usually has sales and when he does his pricing makes it easier for me not to bother to drive over to the states |
So, I ended up picking up a Pioneer VSX-823. 140 watts x 5, 4K passthrough, airplay, and it self-calibrates itself with the included mic. As a bonus Pioneer's ControlApp works flawlessly with the unit and is definitely the icing on the cake for me. |
This might sound weird... But, here is something I've learned from somebody else with 30+ years of experience. Go to the store and pick up the box containing the audio receiver. Or, better yet, pick up the audio receiver itself (without box). The heavier it is, the better it is, to gauge whether the manufacturer skimped on quality parts inside the housing of the receiver. Granted, this is not pure-science or based on tech specs, but it's my 2 cents. Good luck! |
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if you look at amazon reviews there nothing but garbage now after they were one of the best japanese receivers |
That weight thing was only applicable for old receivers because the bigger the tubes etc were the more power they could make I believe Posted via RS Mobile |
Well personally I would say weight is somewhat a contributing factor. A good reciever/amp has some weight too it. YES newer technology does allow amps to put out more power in a smaller/lighter footprint but they still won't sound as good as the traditional "old school" receivers. Same reason why Tube amps are still popular with Audiophiles. I think people often make the mistake of thinking higher power means better sound quality which really isn't the case. To the average consumer you probably won't hear the diff. From what I'm seeing nowadays it seems the market is leaning towards smaller/lighter/higher power class D amps for the average consumer. In car and home audio. They sound decent, but far inferior to the traditional Class A/B/AB. Alot of the older "entry level" recievers were Class G and H but have now been replaced with D. In a nutshell, A good sounding amp is still going to be the same old school technology. You either give up efficiency for sound quality, or give up sound quality for efficiency. Source: http://www.hifivision.com/amplifiers...b-class-d.html Quote:
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No problems since so maybe I got lucky. |
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Im not saying Onkyo is crap mind you its just that when reading up about them in the past overheating seems to be its frailty and a common one at that so i've always shied away from them otherwise they get praise for being capable receivers |
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