Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Need help: Which A/V Receiver to get???

Hello all,
My head started spinning when I first started to research speakers for my new home theatre (19'L x 14'W x 9'H) and it hasn't stopped yet! There are just so many different choice and components! Anyway, I have decided that I want to use Axioms (M60ti, QS4, VP100) and the SVS 16-46 PCi sub. I have also decided that I will use one A/V Receiver instead of seperates. Currently the room is pre-wired with 14 gauge speaker wire in an 8.1 configuration, just so I have the flexibility for placement of the speakers just in case I run out of money. :-p

To make a long story short... Which Receiver should I get??? I know I want at least 100w x 7... I know Denons, Yamahas, Onkyos, and Pioneer Elites are all good makers... But for the size of my room, and the main purpose of watching and hearing movies in the highest definition, what should I get??? I currently also have a 51" Toshiba HDTV rear projection. Any suggestions are welcomed, on either the receiver or my current speaker selections. Thank you all in advance.

Pete

Pete, as I don't care for MTM centers, I'll again make my frequent suggestion of a vertical M2 for that use.

On the receiver, pick one with automatic room equalization, e.g. the new Denon 3805, the Pioneer 55TXi, or the Yamaha 2400. All of these have plenty of power for your use, so pick some other feature you like or flip a coin.

I have been in the same boat for awhile also. I have narrowed my choices down to the Denon 3805 and the Yamaha 2400. If you are going to use it for movies I would make sure the receiver has DPLIIx if you plan on eventually running a 7.1 setup. I am leaning towards getting the Denon.

Pete;

Look for a receiver with the features you want at a price you like. Discontinued HK's can be had for good prices on Ebay (sold by HK with warantees), and discontinued and refurbed Denons can be found at E-cost and Dakmart (authorized Denon resellers).

Though some like the automatic EQ feature of the new Denons, Pioneer Elites, and Yamahas, others, including Alan Lofft, Axiom's resident guru, are of the opinion that this feature can do more harm than good.

Bottom line, if you get one of the higher end Onkyos, Denons, HK's, or Yamahas you cannot really go wrong. And don't believe anybody who tries to tell you that a certain brand of receiver is "bright" or "warm" and makes a better match for your Axioms than another brand.

Oh, and don't forget to post your opinions and pictures after you get your setup is complete.

Mark

yeah, you need to set a budget.
i'm an onkyo man myself.
a lot of people recommend the pioneer elites on avsforum. i almost bought one for my bedroom, but i decided not to put a system up there.
ebay can be your best asset.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=39799&item=3090567107&rd=1

but it looks like you want to go ahead and jump for 7.1?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=39799&item=3089970185&rd=1

bid aggresively on that one if you want 7.1.

Pete, I agree with the units mentioned and mark's sage advice - get the fetures you want. Any of those units will work well for you. The Denon 3805, HK 7200 and Yammy 2400 are the pearls in the group. Separates might be ( a more expensive) alternative to consider.

Also, the 16-46 is a good choice, but did you consider the 20-39. A bit smaller, goes almost as low (not much available to listen to between 16-20) and there is more headroom. Have you discussed with the folks at SVS.

Ray

Ditto for Mark's advice.
The auto EQ feature should be viewed with extreme caution. Look for other features as selling points instead.
All the brands mentioned are very good.

Thanks all for the great advice. I will consider the other SVS sub, should do nicely for the size of my room. One other feature I would like on the receivers is the component video upconversion. I would also opt for the receiver that will have the most available connection options. With the originally mentioned Axiom speaker selections, how high can I go on the watts per channel without doing harm to the speakers?

I would venture to say that there is no commonly available A/V receiver with enough power to damage tha Axioms. According to resident Axiom guru Alan Lofft, M80's have been subjected to 700 watts of power for many hours without suffering damage.

It is actually too little power that damages speakers. An underpowered receiver will distort (clip) if it tries to exceed its rated power, and it is this clipping which is the cause of most speaker damage.

Mark

Thanks Mark for your help. At this point I am figuring around $3000 for the entire 6.1 setup (for now). Speakers plus the sub alone will mostly take $2300 - $2400 away from that, so I am thinking about $600 - $700 for the receiver. Interconnects and other cabling is not in this equation because I have other friends financing that part (poker game winnings :-) ).