Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater What is a good value receiver?

Just a side note. Even though not recommended, I am driving a set of 80's with a mid level Yamaha 6.1 receiver. I do NOT have the current limiting switch set to 4ohms - it is still set to 8. My surrounds are 4 ohm as well, but I have no centre. When the kids aren't around, I drive it very hard - it runs a little warm, but I have yet to have it shut down.

Snake, you may be right. I have mine driving a pair of m22's, so no problem there. As for driving m80's, I'm just going by what the reviewer said. It's going to be hard to find any sub-$500 receiver that's "meant" to drive a 4ohm load.

Onkyo TX-SR602 $299 at ecost
http://www.ecost.com/ecost/shop/detail.asp?DPNo=449229

A friend has lent me his Yamaha DSP A1000. This has good power and sounds nice. I just went to Home Depot and bought some 14 gauge speaker wire. Then I had to go back and buy more. You should see the difference in shielding on the two spools of same brand/gauge wire. fyi, RCA "digital" 14AWG. digital ha ha. I ran the surround wire up through the attic and ran them through the back wall. I must say the speakers sound so much better when actually hooked up to an amp. This amp has a bad switch though. Crackle crackle. People that don't maintain their equipment drive me nuts. Some electronic cleaner spray should clean that up.

The suggestions on the Pioneer and Onkyo receivers are great.

The problem now is my revenue will soon run out. Would hooking up this system (Epic 80) to an HK 130 be ill advised? I know a lot is said about the low impedance load, but if you keep the volume moderate, a high-current amp should run it right? At least then I would have the option of adding additional amps for the 80's later.

I hate putting a limit on my purchases. I am used to spending a little more and buying good equipment (thus the Axiom purchase).

Will keep you posted on final purchase and results.

edit

Sirblastalot,
I have a old DSPA 1000 Amp and I have the same problem with the selector knob and I take very good care of my equipment.

Just a quick update:

Pioneer VSX-D514-K/S (low ohm capable) $159
Yamaha HTR-5730 (some weakness consumer reports) $149
Harman Kardon AVR-130 (cost more but HK) $249
Denon AVR-485S (refurbished no doubt) $186
Yamaha HTR-5450 (older model) $139

All these prices are from the ecoustics price checker. Sometimes they are out of stock, but overall ecoustics is very useful. All thoughts on these models are welcome. Note: the receiver I purchase may be temporary so I will not be shucking several hundred for one right now. If it weren't an issue I would have an HK in my living room right now.

btw koiman - What do you do about the DSP A1000 knob?

I think the HK is your safest bet. It has the same high current amp design as the higher end models so IMO is likely to work the best with M80s.

I have bought HK 130s for a couple of friend's systems -- you might find yourself happier with it than you expect. It's a pretty nice receiver.

[EDIT] Another thread just mentioned that CompUSA has really good prices on HK receivers right now -- someone mentioned $299 for an HK 230 which is a real steal. The 230 also has pre-outs so you could add an external power amp later if you felt the urge for hundreds of watts per channel

If you have an intention of using an external amp at some point...

The HK 130 does not have pre-outs. You'll need to go up to the 230 for that. I think you can get a factory refurbished direct from Harman for about $300 for the 230.

Comp Usa has the H/K 230 for $249.00 or $299.00, I dont remember for sure, but either price is a great price.