Hi,
Currently I am in the process of having a dedicated home theater room built 25x12x9.

My current receiver is an Onkyo TX-NR901 that I purchased new less than a year ago and I was wondering if I should dump it in favor of a newer receiver, currently I am looking at Denon's.

The reason for my concern is twofold. 1. The Onkyo does not have any HDMI inputs or outputs and 2. The listed specs may fall short if I chose to go with the 80's. The Onkyo is rated at 110w all channels (20-20) but only lists the "dynamic" power 2x220 watt at 4ohm front.

Will the Onkyo have enough power? Could / should I add an amp for the fronts and run the rest, (7.2 system) through the receiver? I have read a few posts that suggest running video straight to the TV, this would negate the need for HDMI. Thus, let video components handle video and keep the audio components to audio. What's your opinion of this?

Thanks in advance for any comments,
Rob

The Onkyo will have more than enough power for your room volume. And run video straight to the TV. Spend the money on a good sub and speakers instead.

I think the newer Onkyo's have no problem with the m80's. You could also consider m60's for that room. How many HDMI components do you have?

Rob, welcome. Neither of the concerns that you mention may be of any real significance. As to HDMI, if you're using component cabling now(whether direct to the TV or not), that's fine and there isn't a compelling reason to worry about HDMI.

As to power, the 901 has more than enough for the vast majority of applications and should have no problem with M80s. In any case you shouldn't worry about a problem that likely would never develop, but could be looked after in case it did.

Rob, I agree with the others that your Onkyo should be fine, and if not you can replace it later. But depending on your intended use for the receiver may be a deciding factor on if you want to get a receiver that has HDMI. If you are planning on getting into HD movies and want to get the lossless sound formats then you may want to start looking at receivers that have HDMI. If I didn't just buy a new receiver for that purpose, I would be looking at Onkyo's new lines coming out, the TX-SR875 and TX-NR905.

Thanks for all the input. Other that my receiver and Outlaw LFM-1 sub, I will be building the system & room from scratch. My current plan is to add 2 M80's, 4 QS8's, and pick up another sub for 7.2 The primary use of the system will be HT. None of components are HDMI but I plan on buying an Oppo dvd player in addition to a 65" lcd /plasma (we will be watching WAY too much tv to consider a projection).

I became concerned when I read a few posts taking issue with specific Onkyo receivers that would be hard pressed to run 4 ohms and even pointing out the listed specs for all channels is for only 8ohm.......like mine.

Thanks again,
Rob

Quote:

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I became concerned when I read a few posts taking issue with specific Onkyo receivers that would be hard pressed to run 4 ohms and even pointing out the listed specs for all channels is for only 8ohm.......like mine.

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You can always try out the receiver with the speakers first. If it consistently shuts itself down, then consider buying either a different model, brand or a separate amp altogether.

As a sidenote, my Onkyo 797 has run 4 ohm speakers in the past and the M80s are not a difficult 4 ohm load. Electrostats...now that is a different story.