Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater best budget receiver for pcm over hdmi

Right now I am using a $300 budget Onkyo that is 75Watts x 7 and has no problem driving my Axiom's. My receiver doesn't have any hdmi inputs or outputs. Since the PS3 is finally getting the firmware update to accept all the new audio formats over the hdmi cable sent as pcm it is finally time to upgrade the receiver. What is the best budget receiver to have the most options for pcm processing? I am not worried about upconverting and two hdmi inputs is enough (I don't and won't ever have cable or satellite and just have a ps3 and dvd player). I don't care about bitstreaming. From what I have read it is better to use pcm so that the commentary track (on some blu ray movies)can be mixed in with the original uncompressed soundtrack. This is not possible with bitstreaming. Considerations:

1. Yamaha RX-V661 (read on av forum that this is a fantastic PCM processing receiver but haven't been able to find why online) ~$400

2. Onkyo tx-sr605 (+'s: Audyssey 2eq, hdmi 1.3) ~$400

3. Harman Kardon AVR 247 ~$400

Any other suggestions that are $400 or cheaper?

The New Yamaha RX-V663 isn't much more and has been getting great reviews from owners and it is readily available...well at least in the States.

The 661 is a good little machine. I wrote a review on it a while back....I'm too lazy to search for it.

never say ever

here is a decent onkyo for $299

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/54...r_Receiver.html

I only watch either dvd's (movies and tv on dvd) that I have rented from Netflix or I just buy the dvd if it is something that I want enough. Try it for a month and you will never go back. The wife does make me watch survivor over the air once a week though. I can't stand wasting 1/3 of the time that I watch tv watching commercials and having movies edited and censored. I can safely say that I will never get cable or satellite.

- Nick

I think that the onkyo 506 only does hdmi pass through. So it can't extract the pcm audio from the signal. I think that I would have to step up to the onkyo 576 if I want hdmi pcm audio. Or the Onkyo that I suggested. Right?

- Nick

According to the link I provided, the 506 allows for multi-channel audio via HDMI. But I would go for the 605 if I were.

Marantz 4002 (around budget) or 5002 (with lip sync, but probably above budget) should be on your list

I keep misreading pcm...

I thought it was only me.

Nope.

Nick, you wouldn't really need to wait for the new Onkyo 06 series(mainly one more HDMI input)supposedly due out in a few weeks, and the 605 would meet your needs. At the moment(the sale is ending tonight)the best deal on the 605 factory refurb is available at ShopOnkyo . If you register for "Club Onkyo" the sale price is 10% off the $339 shown, plus you get free shipping and a $10 credit for registering, which makes the delivered price about $295. You'd also get a 5% credit(about $15)which could be applied against a future purchase. Accessories4less has it for a few dollars more.

I am leaning toward the Onkyo 605, it just seems the be the best deal. I would prefer just buying a new receiver rather than a refurb for piece of mind. Since a new line of Onkyo's is coming out soon I am hoping the prices drop in the next month or so.

- Nick

Just playing Devil's Advocate. A good PVR, DVR, whatever, removes the commercials from the equation. There are very few TV shows I bother to watch but for those few, I now never miss them (I used to never know what was going on in a series because i'd miss so many) and I can skip through the commercials. I can watch them in times I actually feel like TV instead of making the time to fit their schedule.

I'm sorry you have to sit through Survivor though. No one should have to endure reality (what a conundrum) TV shows.

But you need a monthly subscription for the PVR or DVR's right? If I could get one to work with over the air stuff and it didn't cost any money (monthly) I might consider it.

I'll never get cable or satellite though, out of principle. Why should we have to pay at least $40 to $50 per month for a service that still has commercials? What sense does this make? Why do people put up with it? It seems like they are double dipping to me. Either make it free or get rid of the commercials.

- Nick