Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Which receiver for my Epic 50 system?

Howdy all,

I'm new here and also new to audio so bear with me! I currently have an Onkyo SR 502 receiever, I have just ordered an Epic 50 speaker system which will be here Tuesday. I'm thinking the old Onkyo isn't going to be the best for the 50's, a buddy of mine has a Yamaha 2500(?) and says it's great. Any suggestions?

12'x 22' x 10'H room. Tahnks again!

Bob.

I would say that your buddy is a smart guy, although, I haven't heard the 2500. I did have an older Yamaha paired with the 50s and I couldn't find fault with the combo. I bet the HTR-5790 would be a fine alternative and it costs less, to boot.

I just traded up from an older 2092 to the 2500, and it is amazing.
But I will admit to not having any experience with Onkyo, other than the good reviews they get here and elsewhere, so I can not directly compare.
But I do know that this new 2500 makes my Axioms even more impressive than I thought they were with the 2092.

Someone always has to disagree, right ? I'm not disagreeing with the 2500 (owners here really like them) but I wouldn't feel you have to rush into getting a new receiver. I don't have any experience with the 502 but it does seem like a pretty decent receiver.

Again, not saying you shouldn't upgrade, just don't feel you need a new receiver before the Axioms arrive

Thanks for replies!

I think the 502 will handle the Axioms just fine. If you WANT to get the 2500, by all means do so. Just don't do so because you fear the Onkyo won't do the job. "Because I want it," and "because I like It," are two perfectly valid reasons for purchasing anything.

How about "Because Ray says I need it?"
;-)
The Sweetheart is starting to think I am hearing imaginary voices in my head every time I get within 3/4 of a mile of an AV store!

In reply to:

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How about "Because Ray says I need it?"

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Oh THAT's the best reason of all. LOL!

You guys are killin' me!

Actually, the Yammie 2500, Onkyo 600x/700x, Denon 2105/2805/3805, Hk 230 and up - any of them work fine. Just pick th efeastures and the pric eyou like. ecost has Denon refurb and HX has an online Factory Outlet (deiscunted).

I don't know if I would include the 230 in that list to the exclusion of the 502. They seem fairly equivalent to me, other than the 6.1/7.1 thing.

Bob, welcome. Your 502 should be just fine with your Epic 50 system. If in the future you want a receiver with different features, there's time to look around. Certainly there's nothing urgently calling for a change because of basic amplifying ability.

Hey thanks everybody!

As I already mentioned, whenever it comes to A/V equipment I am a complete idiot, particularly the technical side of things. My current system consist of a Sony 37" KE37XS910 Plasma, the 502, a pair of Sony CDP-CX355 cd players, Sony DVP-NS315 dvd with a mixture of Infinity, Bose and DCM speakers...the lower end stuff.

The speakers are gonzo for sure and I'm sure the DVD will be updated at a later time, the thing is that we are in the closing laps of a complete home remodel and I want to at least have the the speaker system and receiver that I'll keep for awhile due to the way they will be installed. I just didn't know if the 502 would work well with the Axioms.

Also, another question. In laymans terms, and to a non-technical person like myself, what is the primary difference between the Epic 50 system and the 60? Will I notice the audible difference during everyday use?

Thanks again everybody!

The main differences between the 50 and 60 packages are :

- M60s have a dedicated midrange driver so have a bit flatter and more forward midrange... the 60s are part of the "more accurate, more clarity, but bad recordings can sound bad" family while the 50s are part of the "laid back, smooth sounding, everything sound good" family. Confused yet ?

- QS8s instead of QS4s -- main benefit is supposed to be ability to play louder and therefore work well in larger rooms but I haven't seen real A/B comparisons

The web site now offers three different subs with each of the packages so I'm not sure which sub the "Epic 50 package" includes these days. Sub size is pretty much a function of room size, although it looks like the EP350 is now getting the spiffy new driver from the EP500/600 which makes it pretty attractive.

i think the Onkyo 502 will be just fine. it has the standard feature set that most of your better receivers have, and it has a good amount of inputs/outputs to be very versatile. the only problem i might see is in the total wattage output. if you are a guy who is gonna really CRANK the volume a lot, then you might feel the need for some more power. but, i would wait til you get your speakers set-up in the living room, and give it a test run, and see what you think. you might find the 502 to be perfect, and then you could spend that cash on a new cd/dvd player or something else to improve your overall system.

BTW- i have the Onkyo 701, which pushes 100 watts per channel, and i have yet to crank it all the way with my M60's. its just TOO loud!! the 502 has 75 watts per channel, so i think you might be OK.

bigjohn