To all the experts out there. If a receiver is noted as having 100 watts/channel for front and surround and 100 watts for center and sub 6 ohms 100 hz 10% THD. Cheap HTB. In the market for upgrade. Is current rec. currently have sony ss-f5000p floorstand speakers and matching center. 150W. Less than 1300 cubic feet room. What wattage receiver would be appropriate. I do believe any new receiver will be better than current. On a budget, have 6 kids. Will probably upgrade again, when there all gone.

Are you sure about the 10% THD? That seems extraordinarily high (by a factor of at least 10).

That's a smallish room, but it all comes down to how loud you like to listen to music. I would have said that 100-120W would have been fine, but if you like it loud, you may need more.

I would spend the money on better speakers, not more watts.

Can't follow what you are saying/asking here... Is current rec? 150W what?

In general, as SRoode pointed out, you'll hear much more of an impact with new speakers than you will pumping more wattage into an existing HTIB system.

Jason

As I was writing Had 2 many things going thru mind. need 2 upgrade rec.because it will not decode everything. Here is info on my rec.http://www.docs.sony.com/release/HTDDW670_OM.pdf Would I still be better off with better speakers or new rec. both will be upgraded but only one at a time. The current speakers did not come with HTIB. Also with sony trinitron 30" HD 1080i would I benefit from blu-ray or upconversion.

hope this is somewhat understandable.

If you're satisfied with your sound quality at the moment and are only looking for features, get a new receiver. If sound quality is your primary concern, consider getting new speakers first. In any case, I wouldn't let the watts per channel rating be the deciding factor.

Oooff,

What is your model code? In any case, you either have 100W at 10% THD (amazing, I never knew stuff like that existed), or 60W at 0.7% THD. In any case, these specs are pretty bad.

It's hard to recommend an upgrade, because the amp is VERY bad, and the speakers are not that great.

I usually hate recommending an amp upgrade before a speaker upgrade, but that amp is just so bad I would now recommend the amp upgrade.

I need to know your budget for a recommendation.

Generally the HTIB grade of receivers are not that great. I would say get a new receiver and new speakers. Can you tell I'm not a Sony fan....

The model code is U. My budget is no more than $600. I know that the speakers are not that great, but they are better than what came with the HTIB. Can only upgrade one phase at a time. I feel like I have to go with the rec. first then the speakers.

Hi audiodreamer, I have another question that might help narrow down the recommendations a bit. What decoding are you looking for in a new receiver that you don’t presently have? Actually could you post the model of your HDTV also?



I don’t think Blu-ray would be worth it right now but since you are using a CRT which may not upscale/up-convert everything thrown at it you could see improvement from up-scaling in the receiver.

KV-30HS420. True HD To be honest I feel like I get a great picture on this TV. With better sound quality IMO I would notice before picture upgrade. maybe as my screen name goes just dreaming. Just looked on 6Ave.would onkyo TXsr606 be an okay rec.

Wow! That looks pretty nice for the price, others may have suggestions but I couldn’t do better. Looks like you’ll already have some money to save toward your speaker upgrade. Have you considered the type of speakers you want yet?

Amazon has the Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 for about $9.00 less than 6th Ave.

Steve, that 10% THD rating is actually in accord with one of the established standards; it's the so-called "maximum output" under the JEITA(Japanese Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association)standard. Of course, it's generally considered that THD when listening to music becomes significant above 1% or so, and that 10% would be very audible, but the rating under a U.S. FTC(not FCC, incidentally)rating under 1% would probably still be significantly powerful, since distortion is shooting up rapidly when it rises above 1%.

So, that receiver might be tolerable for use with better speakers within the lower power limit.

Dreamer, welcome. Onkyo makes excellent receivers at good prices and the 606 would be a good choice for you, but if you'll spend a bit more, but still within the budget that you mentioned, consider the 706 factory refurb on sale until Thanksgiving at ShopOnkyo . When you register for "Club Onkyo" you receive a $10 credit, so the price of the 706, with the 10% off and $10 credit, would be about $484 with free shipping. The 706 has added features, including a more advanced version of Audyssey MultEQ.

I am also in favor of getting rid of the HTiB receiver and get the Onkyo JohnK haslinked to. you will be able to listen at higher volume levels which will help with the clarity from those lesser speakers. Then you can save up for some much better speakers, like M22s, Vp100, Qs4s. for a bit pricy, but still affordable system.

Even if your Trinitron may not reap the rewards of a Blu-ray player, there may be another reason you may want to buy one . . .
Do you purchase movies? If you do, and it also sounds like you are gradually upgrading your home theatre, you may still want to buy a Blu-ray player so that your movie collection will be in the latest format. That way, if you purchase an HDTV down the road, you're ready to rock.
PS; all Blu-ray players also upconvert and also HDTV's (LCD, Plasma, etc) also perform upconverting so that they are able to take a regular DVD resolution and play it in their native format.
They all do that to a varying degree of quality, but personally, I view those cheap <$100 DVD players that also brag about upconverting as a bit of a redundant gimmick.

Somebody enlighten me if I'm wrong.

Since I am not necessarily concerned about more watts per channel and Onkyos 606 and706 are close what major advantage is the 706. I could get a real nice price on the 606 at a going out of business store.

If the 606 has all the options you are looking for and for a sweet price......jump on it.

I think the 606 is a great choice in your price range. It is more powerful, and it delivers much less distortion. I found it online at Amazon for $338 and free shipping (may be cheaper at the going out of business store). It also has TrueHD.

A great choice in your range.

Now, to upgrade your speakers, concentrate on the fronts first. If you are willing to wait and save a bit, get the M60s. I would not recommend any pair of speakers for the $262 you would have left in your budget.

looking over specs on both units. I am going to investigate further ,but if anyone readily knows the diff.

606 --------------------706
DCDi edge--------------DCDi cinema
480i to480p process-----480i to 480p process
-------------------------1080i upscaling
-------------------------1080p upscaling
audyssey2 EQ-----------audyssey multi EQ

I am sure there are other differences, but if there are what would they be and would they be enough to make me opt for the 706 over the 606

I agree that the Onkyo 606 is a good choice at that price point.

Steve, can't you get a pair of FO M2's for about $266?

As far as speakers go, I am not sure. Right now my floorspks are up on tables so as not to be blocked by furniture. I may need bookshelf spks. The room is just over 11' wide. TV centered on this wall. Spks about 3' off edge of screen slightly in front. Honey spot is centered on tv about about 12& 1/2'. Sat spks on ceiling to side,aimed toward center of room............Advice on speakers and setup.

The upscaling for the 706 is great if you are going to be using in the future with a TV that has 1080 other wise it is not needed and the Audyssey MutiEQ is superior to the Audyssey 2, these 2 components make the 706 worth the extra money IMO.

So far speakers go my recommendation from before holds up, M22's for mains and a VP100 center with QS4's to keep costs down. If you can afford the QS8s then I would go for them, as they do offer a slightly better match up(5.25" drivers vs 4") and can be played back louder for a larger room if you ever get one.

Dreamer, I've suggested the 606 on several occasions and it's an excellent buy at the prices that have been mentioned here. Nevertheless, since you mentioned a higher budget, the 706 would be preferable for maybe $150 more. Most notably, the MultEQ has more measurement positions with higher resolution filters and equalizes the sub(very important), which the 606 does not.

Yes you could, but I don't think it would be much of an upgrade in overall sound for him. The mids and highs would be great, but no bass. I would wait for the M60s, unless he had a sub laying around.

I went with the 606. Amazon had for $325. on black friday. Didn't think it would go any lower. Also based on what I've read elsewhere in the forum, I didn't feel like the more advanced room eq on the 706 was all that important.

FTC not FCC - I stand corrected - actually i'm seated!!

What?

what what?

I made a mistake a few days ago; I referred to the FTC standard as the FCC standard. Someone politely brought it to my attention.

Huh?

Yep, you can't get one passed John very often. Audiodreamer probably does not understand that just because you posted below him, it does not mean your replying to him.