Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Receiver Suggestions: PLEASE HELP!!!

I know all the experts are here, so I have to ask..... what is the best receiver for approx $700-$1000.

Comments:
- This unit will be used mostly to play games and watch movies.
- Dolby TrueHD/DTS Master Audio is a must
- Do not care about video upscaling (have Dish/PS3)
- My room is 14'x10'x9'(tall)
- Yamaha Rx-v659 is my current receiver

My speakers are:
- M22s
- VP150
- QS8s
- EP500

Appreciate any/all suggestions!!!!
Trey

treyp,

Small room, M22s as main with a nice beefy sub... You're priority is the decoding for TrueHD/DTS Master Audio...

Onkyo TX-SR606 - $399 at Circuit City. Put the $300-600 in your pocket.

Tough to say which is best, your current Yamaha is a great receiver, good bang for the buck. I would look into the 663 now or Onkyo and Denon in that price range and then pick the one you like the best, feature wise. I am not sure if 6ave still has the deal going but you could get the Denon 3808 for slightly more than $1000 if you call them and ask for the special pricing, the key is to call them, the web site shows the usual pricing.

yeah the 3808 for a $1050 or $1100 is a good way to go... lots of features such as network streaming of audio and nice GUI. however, there is no reason you should spend that much... you can definitely get something a lot less expensive that will work just as well.. it all boils down to what features you want.

I'm sure this has come up before, but would a Rx really do a noticeably better job than the PS3 for decoding Dolby TrueHD/DTS Master Audio? I haven't really been following the dialogue on that (as I still live in the SD realm) but would the OP notice a difference in audio with a new decoding Rx? Wouldn't any old HDMI Rx do the job?

Trey, welcome. If just about the only new feature that you're interested in is TrueHD, etc., capability, then that's easily had these days for around $300-$400. The Onkyo 606 that Steve suggests should be excellent. Since you're going to use the PS3 for Blu-rays, it will decode those formats and output the PCM over HDMI. Your 659 doesn't have the HDMI capability and the PS3 doesn't have multi-channel analog outputs to feed the 659, so you can't use new formats, although the DD 5.1 track on Blu-rays can be excellent and essentially indistinguishable from TrueHD(see Home Entertainment Magazine tests ).

Mark(doormat), sure in general a player, including the PS3, does just as good a job in decoding those formats as a receiver would do, and it isn't necessary to have a receiver with the decoding capability. As was mentioned above, though, Trey's 659 doesn't have an HDMI input which would receive and process the decoded audio signals from his PS3. So, he would need that input, but not necessarily the decoding capability in the new receiver.

Dang, thats a killer HT setup you have there with the EP500!

Others have covered it well. The entry level HD receiver market seems to be very competitive right now. The RX-V663 dosn't have a lot of extra features, and is limited in HDMI inputs, but it sure hits a nice price point for HD audio and video. It also has pre-outs, a surprising feature for such a low priced receiver and a good thing to have if you think you will ever get hit by upgrade-itis and want a pair of M80s

I'm sure the Onkyo mentioned is also very good.

After reading several articles (including the one above, thanks!) and calling around….. I think I may hold onto my Y659 for now and invest the money into 2 more QS8s as back surround channels. The sound quality improved so much going to Blu Ray on the PS3, that I think moving from 5.1 to 7.1 will be fun enough for now. I know it will be matrixed on most movies, but the Yamaha does a good job w/ it.

After a few more generations of HD receivers come out, I’ll jump in.

Really appreciate everyone’s input!!!

BTW,,,,, all the rumors about the EP500 are terribly true. Even though my system is upstairs, I can crank it up enough to shake the plates in the kitchen cabinet, which is downstairs AND one room over!!!!!!!

Axiom rules.

Trey

IMHO, don't spend the money on going from 5.1 to 7.1 (having both)... Spend the money on the decoding you want. JMHO.

I was told that if I upgraded to the lossless formats, that 5.1 would be a problem if the movie was encoded in 6.1 or 7.1. For example, the if I didn't have any surround backs connected, the sounds would simply be lost.

Was told this by the folks at Yamaha when I inquired about the Rx v-663 and when I called another large online company. I even called Yamaha back a second time and asked a different operator. The guy said all their receivers worked that way w/ lossless audio.

They all said it is not a problem w/ the normal DD or DTS but not the lossless formats.

Is what I have been told not true??? Wouldn't suprise me.
Thanks !!!!

Trey - I think Steve is just pointing out that the sound difference you'll notice in most formats when going from 5.1 to 7.1 is minimal. (and I agree, though I do have 7 channels also)

If you wanted a new receiver for reasons other than the decoding (say you wanted the nice GUI, network streaming, or some other feature that you could only get in the Denon 3808 or any other replacement receiver). If that was the case, you might get more bang for your buck by getting a new receiver first.

However, if you're upgrading solely for the ability to play 7 channels from the HD-audio formats, then I agree, you'd be better off upgrading to the 7.1 sound first, due to the limitations you mentioned with the HD formats.

It's a personal choice, just realize that the differences of matrixing 5.1 sound to the extra 2 channels is pretty subtle. If you ever do 7-channel stereo listening though, the difference is a bit more apparent as the QS8s do really sound nice from all angles of the room when running in that mode.

Jason

I have two yamaha receivers (vsx-680 I think) and I just bought a pioneer VSX 1018 for 499$ CDN at bestbuy.

It's 130w/channel and it has 3 hdmi -in port.
One of the good thing about it is that is upconvert signals to HDMI. So I can hook my ps3 (hdmi), wii (component), xb360 (component) and I only need to use 1 hdmi cable for output. If the signal is 480i, it will be upscaled by the faroujda upscaler and if it'S >= 720p it will send the signal directly to the hdmi output.

Supports TrueHD and all the cool stuff.

Appreciate all the feedback.

My final decision was to buy a Panasonic DMP-BD55K BluRay player for $329. Since it decodes all HD formats and has 7.1 analog outputs, I'll just keep my Yamaha 659 for now. Can't wait to hear Transformers, The Matrix, Iron Man, etc in TrueHD !!!!

Will let you know how it works out.

In that smaller room, you may find you don't need 7.1 if your side surrounds are placed correctly.

I don't really like HK receivers. I do really like Yamaha Receivers. IMO you cannot go wrong with one of them.

I bought a Pioneer Elite VSX-01 several months ago when they came out and I've been really happy with it. It should meet all your needs and you should be able to get it for well under the MSRP of $750. I admit to having a Pioneer bias though, as my last 2 receivers have also been Pioneer. My dad still has his Pioneer hi-fi receiver from the 70's and it runs like a champ.

I'm going to thread-jack a little here. Still somewhat on topic, but with different parameters...

Looking for a receiver with the following:

1) Ethernet for streaming mp3's from pc.
2) superb video upscaling to 1080p
3) able to decode/receive SACD via hdmi
4) built in decoder for latest blu-ray audio codec (Dolby, DTS)

These three things are essential. Any added bells and whistles would be gravy.

I was really sold on the new Newcastle R-972, but I don't think it has the ethernet capability I want.

A brief look online brought up the Denon 3808, Onkyo NR-906, and the Yamaha RX-V3900.

Anyone got any dirt on these options? Do they all cover my requirements?

Well Craig, you've listed four requirements and then said that three are essential, so we don't know which one to drop. Be that as it may, of those units listed I'm most familiar with the 906, and it'll even do all four. In particular, you might note that its Reon video processor does a superior job of upscaling.

oops...I added the blu-ray audio codecs afterward...

That Onkyo does sound dang good.

Considering the pricing of the Onkyo 906, you should be looking at the Denon 4308 which gives you WiFi connectivity and HD radio etc, much closer to the same features of the 906, but if you have standard def inputs and want the best upscaling then the Onkyo is clearly the one to buy.

Thanks for the tips. I don't need wifi, and rarely listen to the radio, so the NR-906 seems like the best fit for me. Now I've got to start saving all my pennies. (by the time I can afford it, there'll be five new models out!)

And even more with better upscaling to make the decision harder. I have heard rumors the next edition of the 4308 will have a Reon chip in it as well.

Anyone know off hand what (if any) major differences there are between the NR-906 and the NR-905? The 905 can be had at BARGAIN prices now. Other than 5 extra watts of power in the newer model, I don't really see any differences. ??

Craig, among the few changes the most significant is probably the Audyssey Dynamic EQ feature which continually adjusts volume levels at frequency extremes to compensate for lesser audibility at lower levels and does the same for the relative volume level of the surrounds. Some of our members with older Denon 3808s, which originally didn't have that feature, paid $100 for an upgrade and have been pleased with the results.

It depends how good of a 905 price that you've seen, but the Accessories4less price on the 906 factory refurb looks pretty good.

A big +1 vote for me on Dynamic EQ. Close to the best $100 I've spent in my media room.