Hey all,

Been some time since I was on the Axiom forums! I'm back because I need some expert advice.

I've got M60s, VP150 and QS8 currently connected to a HK AVR135 in a roughly 800 sq ft room. I'm really happy with the set up but I was thinking about upgrading the system to clean up some of the wire clutter (current AVR doensn't do HDMI) and to take advantage of the HD audio formats.

The current AVR seems to have enough power for the room size, usually not set past -15, and would be connected to a PS3 and a HTPC for the moment.

Ok, it's been a little while since I researched these things.
1) Is there a cole's notes list of things I should look for in the $500 price range? E.g. HDMI 1.4 w/ audio return channel, plays all the HD formats, analog upconverting, etc.
2) Are there some standouts in terms of AVRs at this price point?

Also, I'm using a digital antenna for tv. Is there some way that I could route that through my AVR and then send to the tv through HDMI?

Any advice is much appreciated.

Best regards,
Jordan

Hi Jordan,

I'm just gonna comment on the HD antenna. I also have one and the way I have it is going to the TV and then TOS-Link out to the AVR. There is no point of going HDMI since OTA doesn't carry HD audio, optical out goes the job of carrying 5.1.

Right - you'd need an external TUNER, not just an external antenna if you wanted to route it through the AVR first.

Jordan, sometimes you can find a refurb of the Onkyo TX-NR709 refurb for about that much. It has all the bells and whistles (including Audyssey MultiEQ XT, dynamic EQ, dynamic volume, lots of HDMI inputs, 3-D ready, DPLz, network capabilities, etc.).

I think I do the same as bdpf does. Outside HD antenna co-axle to the TV, then optical to AVR.

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replies. With respect to the OTA HD TV signal, that’s how I have it connected as well (i.e. antenna connected through coax to TV and optical from tv to AVR). It would just be a bit cleaner to have a single HDMI going to the tv from the AVR, even though it’s 5.1 channel regardless.

I’ll keep my eye out for that Onkyo – the Onkyo TX-NR609 was on my short list, as was the Denon AVR-1912. Having said that, I’m not sure I need so many bells and whistles (e.g. airplay, network access, etc.) because the HTPC will do most of that for me.

Should I be looking at more basic units that have decent power on tap and current 1.4 HDMI switching but lack the other stuff?

Also, is there a t.v. tuner in particular that people lean towards? Seems that many of them don’t output HDMI as the target market are people with old t.v.’s lacking tuners.

Another question for you Denon folk - what's the difference between Denon's AVR#### (4 digit) line and the AVR### (3 digit) line up. I ask because the AVR791 seems nearly identical to the AVR1912 except that the 1912 has streaming and network connectivity and a couple extra HDMI outputs.

But as far as my needs go, the 791 might do the trick at a bit of a bargain in terms of price. Any experience with this unit?

The difference is that the manuals on the 4-digit Denon models are unintelligible whereas the manuals for the 3-digit Denon models are incomprehensible.

J/K. Still scarred from my Denon experiences.

I think you've pretty much nailed it - minor differences in feature set as far as I know.

Jordan, welcome back. Yes, there's a standout receiver in the $500 price range; it's the Onkyo 709 which Tom already mentioned, and the factory refurb is available for about $530 from Accessories4less . This has the major advantage over the 609 in having the much superior Audyssey MultEQ XT, while the 2EQ in the 609, among other factors, doesn't do the important job of equalizing the subwoofer channel.

As to the difference in the three and four digit Denon models, they're identical, but the fours were intended to be sold in somewhat higher end outlets. The 791 is identical to the 1911. The three digit labels have now been dropped, so there is no 792 corresponding to the 1912.

John, I don't think that A4L ships to Canada, which is why I didn't post the link

Because the factory where they are made is downwind of a sausage factory and therefore our delivery sled-dogs kept eating them.

I noticed that as well, they don't ship to Canada. Are there some sled dog friendly online retailers in Canada that are prefered by Axiomites?

Hey all,

Just wanted to say that I mulled over all your advice and ended up ordering one of SVS's new PB12-NSD subs.

I know, odd conclusion but I'm weird like that.

Cheers,

J

Congrats! I think you will be quite happy with that sub. I tried out the original PB12-nsd a few years back and it was a very strong sub.