I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet. Panasonic finally has a 7.1 digital receiver coming out soon.

jr has it up for preorder for $250:
http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4032233

http://panasonic.co.jp/corp/news/official.data/data.dir/jn050406-6/jn050406-6-1.jpg

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20050406/pana4_06.jpg

7.1 Channel Surround Sound or Stereo / 100 Watts per channel in either mode / Dolby Digital EX / DTS ES / Dolby Pro Logic II / BLACK

# Panasonic SA-XR55K Home-theater Receiver for A/V Surround Sound - If you use a DVD player on your TV or plan to Upgrade to HDTV soon, having multichannel surround sound is extremely important to complete the truest home-theater experience. Though HDTV offers a 5.1 channel surround mode, this receiver can deliver76.1 Channels for new DVD output. So you've got the choice of your surround mode. This receiver also has a Stereo mode for your Audio recordings. Let's call this a receiver for all seasons! 100 Watts per channel in surround or stereo modes
# Port for adding a powered Subwoofer
# Digitally-tuned AM/FM Tuner with up to 30 User Programmable station Memory presets
# Convenient terminals for connecting surround sound speakers (speakers not included)
# Jack for listening in privacy with Optional Headphones
# Rear Audio Inputs - RCA: 4, Coaxial: 1, Optical: 2
# Rear Video Inputs - Composite: 3, S-Video: 3, Component: 2
# Selectable DSP modes
# Port for adding external FM antenna
# Slim Design - 2.9" H x 16.9" W x 14.7" D
# Weighs 8.8 Pounds
# Includes Remote Control
# Black Finish

some posting and pictures in the sticky digital receiver thread at the top of this forum.

haha, thanks, i always ignore the stickies

This box is worth its own breakout thread!

DM, here are your pics
Originally posted by dm
O, my G-d....the XR55 has 7 high quality 5 way binding posts for speakers (plus biwire pair)........

check out the back panel:

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20050406/pana4_06.jpg

front side picture:
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20050406/pana4_03.jpg
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20050406/pana4_02.jpg

translated (sort of) press release:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20050406/pana4.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsa-xr55%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D

Would like more information on this new reciever. Wonder why it is cheaper than their 5.1 line up?

Wonder if it has HDMI?

Originally posted by dynamowhum
Wonder if it has HDMI?

Ummm... No it does not....

Did you even look at the picture of the back of it?

No I am at work and am very leery of clicking links from here. They take a very dim view of some things that might pop up. I will look at them later.

Any news?

Originally posted by dynamowhum
Would like more information on this new reciever. Wonder why it is cheaper than their 5.1 line up?

Do u mean the XR70? The XR25, 45, 50, 70 are all 6.1 not 5.1

I believe dynamohum was refering to the XR55, and inadvertently typed 5.1 instead of 6.1 when referencing the others. I've wondered too why the XR55 is cheaper - either it's a Panasonic marketing decision or adding the extra channel is cheaper to build than building in the HDMI connection. Until it's released we won't know if they cut any corners in other areas. But looking at the information that's been release thus far, this does not appear to be the case.

JB you are correct, I miss typed I meant 6.1. I really wish this had HDMI as I would like a complete digital path from DVD player to Pany 700 projector. I have the room setup for 7.1 as well. Need a Pany 7.1 with HDMI!

My guess is the cost difference between the XR55 and XR70 is largely due to a better power supply in the XR70, which is a half pound heavier. I'm fairly certain that the XR50 power supply is a somewhat depopulated version of what's in the XR70 (some components removed from the boards, according to investigators at Audio Circles).

If there is a 55, doesn't stand to reason a 75 may follow?

Aloha Edvard,

I called Panasonic a couple weeks ago and some technician Dude said that there are absolutely no plans for an upgrade to the xr70--at least not this year!!

Hmmmm. Take that with some large salt crystals.

Of course I too think that it cannot be far behind. I think I will keep my xr25 for a little while longer.

With JVC about to jump way up in price point with their upcoming, digitally-amped RX-D701S/702B ($880), hopefully Panasonic and other vendors will follow suit. I'd prefer an Equibit unit (100% digital) over JVC's hybrid amp offering. Would still be vaasstly cheaper than buying TacT Equibit gear.

I'd love to see Panny add some serious beef to the power supply of an XR70 successor (to add stability into 4 ohm loads), off course improve the bass management (everyone's gripe), and add some fancy, cutting edge room correction (ala Audyssey MultiEQ). And let's ditch most of the RCA jacks already, to enable the unit to stay low-profile as possible.

I'm with you guys all the way. Although I need a new reciever now as my old pioneer unit has a blown center channel. I'm waiting to see if they come out with a unit that has all the good stuff and hey let's just say no to spring clips while we are at it.

The upcoming JVC's have my interest. The low end one has MSRP of only $199 which would suggest low price. But others in the $399 to $900 range is a bit scary. I hope these MSRP's, like many other manufacturer's are exaggerated about 80-100% over street prices.

Yes! They finally lost those crummy spring clips.

JR site specs say this has 1 coax and 2 optical which, if true, is a bit limited.

The XR55 has appeared on the Radio Shack Canada web store, though not in stock. They list a $400 Cdn MSRP.

The picture shows two optical and two coax in. They are each labled "1" and "2". I guess we'll need to see it when it comes out.

They're cutting an optical connection from the xr-45!?! Guess it's the JVCs or the hoped for xr-75. Cutting the number of optical connections in a digital receiver, jeez.

Does anyone know if it has On-Screen Display?

the 45 and the 50 do, so it's likely.

That's a bit of an ugly duckling. All it would need is some wood trim to look exactly like my father's 8-trak player from the late 70's.


Anyway, shame about the lack of optical inputs. I can't understand how my 2-1/2 year old low/mid-level Yamaha receiver (RX-V630) offers 4 optical inputs while all the receivers I'm looking at as possible replacements (Pio VSX-1015tx, VSX-D815 and this Panny) would all force me to buy Optical > Coax converters in order to hook up the same equipment.

And let's ditch most of the RCA jacks already...

Amen. Aside from my VCR's audio output, I have no need for them.

does this have a lower sub cutoff than th 100mhz?

Originally posted by snb3
does this have a lower sub cutoff than th 100mhz?

I can't find it listed so I'm assuming that it stayed at 100hz. I hope I wrong.

David

well my 45 has osd, my buddy who has the 50 said yes about osd, then again, he doesn't know much about his equipment and could have just been giving me an "uh yeah"

your buddy must be married!

As another XR50 owner I can assert that it (the XR50) DOESN'T have OSD.

Originally posted by ruddles
As another XR50 owner I can assert that it (the XR50) DOESN'T have OSD.

I can confirm XR45 does have OSD, XR50 does not.
As with many receivers that have OSD, you aren't missing much if you don't have it.

Regarding the XR55, I'm going to speculate here. I believe it will be the mid to low end of the 7.1 generation receiver. I don't believe they are positioning it as a replacement for XR70 at all.

As low to mid unit, they will cut back some features where costs can be saved. Cuts that don't save money they won't bother with - for example the amp will be 7x100W same as other future amps in that series.

They might sacrifice perhaps OSD, HDMI or other video switching aspects to help reduce component costs and to provide differentiation for the future higher end model. The inputs might be reduced to 2/1 as we've heard rumours about. I'm not personally convinced on the 2/1 digital spec yet. The JR specs are very preliminary and the photo we've seen is from an early Japanese model. There is a blank spot in the back panel of those Japanese photos that could be for an additional input or an output. Personally I think if they sacrifice an optical output that's unforgiveable. But maybe it's a way they shave the cost or avoid a licence headache.

PS - I was amused to see Radio Shack is claiming Dolby Digital Eleven for the XR55. Are they that far ahead of the curve or did somebody see "Dolby Digital II" and mistake it?

sorry about the mistake on the xr50

Dolby Digital 11 - LOL, I think they've outsourced their copywriting to China.

Updates?

Originally posted by Bikedorian
I can't find it listed so I'm assuming that it stayed at 100hz. I hope I wrong.

David

I have a kenwood 7200 and its cut off is at 80hz... it also has 2 coax and 2 optical and none of them are shared. I have 4 things plugged in digitally right now.

Here is the manual

http://service.us.panasonic.com/OPERMANPDF/SAXR55.PDF

(Stolen from the general digital receiver thread)

Originally posted by Neild
The inputs might be reduced to 2/1 as we've heard rumours about. I'm not personally convinced on the 2/1 digital spec yet.

The North American manual posted above confirms 2 optical / 2 coaxial inputs, and no digital outputs -- just like the Japanese model posted on page one.

Anyone know the street date for this receiver? I contacted Panasonic Canada a few days about that and also about the Canadian MSRP, but have yet to hear anything from them.

I heard June from a Panny rep.

it appears the sub cutoff can be 80hz!

Originally posted by snb3
it appears the sub cutoff can be 80hz!

That's great but I see the power consumption is only 135w. Any imput from current users of Panny digital receivers about this?

David

Hmm, is there a good reason why I'm doubting my Yamaha 5760 purchase? It seems the more I read about these Panny digital receivers, the more curious I get. The low power consumption/lightweight properties of the receiver are attractive. Also, I seem to read that lots of people love the sound.

Hmm. Anyone out there who has ditched their analog receiver for a Panny? If so, what are your thoughts?

can anybody confirm if this has pre outs? The website mentions 2 audio outputs. I see outputs for the left & right only(?)
does this mean you can only get amps for the front 2?

digitally amped receivers DO NOT have preouts. Why would you want preouts for a digitally amped receiver anyway? Just get an analog receiver w/ preouts.

Originally posted by ericshmerick
Hmm, is there a good reason why I'm doubting my Yamaha 5760 purchase? It seems the more I read about these Panny digital receivers, the more curious I get. The low power consumption/lightweight properties of the receiver are attractive. Also, I seem to read that lots of people love the sound.

Hmm. Anyone out there who has ditched their analog receiver for a Panny? If so, what are your thoughts?

Yep.....ditched mine. Although it was just a 1 year old Sony. I bought the sa-xr10 which is an older model but I obsoletely love it. For HT it sounds great, to my ears at least. I'm looking at possibly getting the new xr55 when it comes out.

From the JandR page in the first post:

Though HDTV offers a 5.1 channel surround mode, this receiver can deliver76.1 Channels for new DVD output.

That's what I call future-proof!

Originally posted by spacecowboy
digitally amped receivers DO NOT have preouts. Why would you want preouts for a digitally amped receiver anyway? Just get an analog receiver w/ preouts. Asking not because I'm a smarta$#, but a dumba$#, but why? Defeats the purpose of all digital signal? Is there such a thing as an all-digital amp separate? If I'm not mistaken, my HK 1005 digi amp has pre-outs. Sorry, newbie-itis here.

Aloha,

Posted a reply to the preout question on the digital thread at the top of the page.

The xr70 has the ability to use the tape outs as preouts, but you would still need a way to control the volume, as the xr70 will not.

I for one think it is a good idea to have working preouts on the digital receivers. This would let me play a seperate tube amp with my system when I feel so inclined, without the need to keep another preamp around all the time. I love the digital amps in these things, but every once and awhile it is nice to dust off the old tube amp just for fun!!!

Pulled the trigger on a XR-55 today from JR. Got it with free shipping so I went ahead and got thier extended warranty.

Originally posted by dynamowhum
Pulled the trigger on a XR-55 today from JR. Got it with free shipping so I went ahead and got thier extended warranty.

You mean pre-order right? How did you get the free shipping? I have this receiver in my cart as i write this and the shipping charge is $13.90 not free.

You mean pre-order right? How did you get the free shipping? I have this receiver in my cart as i write this and the shipping charge is $13.90 not free.If you get the extended warranty w/ J&R, they throw in free ground shipping. Sometimes you can really make out like a bandit if the warranty is priced low enough. Scroll to the bottom of the page and you'll find the info.

spacecowboy, I did what you said and added a 2 year warranty, but that brings my total to $283.66 so apparently no free shipping. Have you checked your total or you just looked at the free shipping next to the warranty??

Yes this was a preorder. This was my first time using Jr and for some reason I could not order it online, so I called them up. I don't remember if they gave me free shipping before or after I accepted the warranty.

Try calling them Alex. Ask for the warranty.

I believe all electronic stores will ask you if you want their extended warranties. It is a good income earner for them.

Thanks guys, will do.

When is this thing supposed to ship?

Thanks,

mine is supposed to be in early june

anybody find out if this has preouts yet?

For the last time...NO.

Any info on SA-XR75 yet?

What other digital receivers are comparable in price and performance to the XR series receivers? Thanks.

The reason I ask is that I need a digital receiver ASAP and I don't want to wait for JandR.com to have the SA-XR55 in stock. I just need a pure digital receiver that is comparable in features and pricing to the SA-XR* series, especially the SA-XR45.

Try the Kenwood Fineline series. VRS 7100, 7200, and 8100. It uses a pure digital path very similar to the Panny's. You can read reviews of them by searching in the digital receiver thread that's stickied at the top of the forum.

Regards,
JnC

For the love of God...........How long before this thing ships!!!!!?????!!!!! I'm in audio limbo right now.

For the love of God...........How long before this thing ships!!!!!?????!!!!! I'm in audio limbo right now.

I am also in the limbo. I am thinking of pulling the trigger on the Kenwood VRS7200 which can be had for the around same price as the pre-order price for the SA-XR55.

How does the 7200 stack up against the XR55? Thanks.

Have a 5.1 setup w/ decent speakers. Purchasing new AVR, new DVD player, and new TV. Currently have a 5 year old Onkyo. Primarily for movies in DTS.

Should I get the 70 or 55? Thanks.

Have a 5.1 setup w/ decent speakers. Purchasing new AVR, new DVD player, and new TV. Currently have a 5 year old Onkyo. Primarily for movies in DTS.

Should I get the 70 or 55? Thanks.The 55.

Do you have intentions of going to 7.1? If not, besides better crossover control, what benefits does the 55 have over the 70? The HDMI on the 70 could be very useful depending on what kind of TV/monitor you get.

I looked at the SA-XR55 product manual that is linked to from this thread. Couple of questions.

1. Where in the manual does it discuss bass management? I can't see how to change the subwoofer crossover frequency for example. The spec on page 25 says "Subwoofer frequency response (-6dB) 7Hz-200Hz". 200Hz crossover? That will suck.

2. On page 15 it says "This unit does not automatically recognize the Dolby Digital Surround EX signal". My older Kenwood VRS-6100 does autodetect EX for DVD's that are correctly endoded. It seems odd that a newer receiver can't detect EX.

I don't suppose anyone has one of these yet?

Do you have intentions of going to 7.1? If not, besides better crossover control, what benefits does the 55 have over the 70? The HDMI on the 70 could be very useful depending on what kind of TV/monitor you get.


Small benefit but binding posts on the 55 over clips on the 70?

I'll be getting the new 56" JVC, so HDMI would be beneficial. I also am not really looking right now to anything over 5.1

I looked at the SA-XR55 product manual that is linked to from this thread. Couple of questions.

1. Where in the manual does it discuss bass management? I can't see how to change the subwoofer crossover frequency for example. The spec on page 25 says "Subwoofer frequency response (-6dB) 7Hz-200Hz". 200Hz crossover? That will suck.



See page 21 for instructions on setting speaker size, speaker distance and crossover frequency (called 'bass filter' in the manual). The manual lists crossover settings of 80, 100, 150 or 200hz.

See page 21 for instructions on setting speaker size, speaker distance and crossover frequency (called 'bass filter' in the manual). The manual lists crossover settings of 80, 100, 150 or 200hz.


Aha, thanks.

So, hopefully a 75 will come out and it'll have the 70s power supply and HDMI and the 55s binding posts, 7.1 amplification and "bass controll". Hell, lets add MultEQ and HDMI switching... ithat would be a low cost beast!

Just looked at the Panasonic site and the SA-XR55 is now listed as available. :p

It wasn't yesterday. Tell's me they should be shipping very soon, if not already. :D

J&R website undergoing "updates." Of course just when I want to see if my unit has shipped. :mad:

Just looked at the Panasonic site and the SA-XR55 is now listed as available. :p


The one thing that troubles me on this receiver is the power. I know they rate it at 100W per channel but the total power consumption is only 135W for the whole receiver. Guess I have to go read everything that's been posted on the 70. That's got the same power ratings.

David

I'm no electrician but I don't think the watts per channel has anything to do with how many watts the unit needs to operate. I know it has a power-amp built in that "probably" converts the AC coming in to it into DC for the speakers. Anyway, if you have 100 watt speakers and you pump 100 watts of power into them, then you are already deaf. That's loud man! :eek:

The one thing that troubles me on this receiver is the power. I know they rate it at 100W per channel but the total power consumption is only 135W for the whole receiver. Guess I have to go read everything that's been posted on the 70. That's got the same power ratings.

David

Couple things regarding the output and power consumption of the Pannys

Panasonic has rated their digi-amped receivers 100w into 6 ohms which is equivalent to 75w into 8ohms. Sound & Vision recently reviewed the SA-XR70 (http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=1&article_id=806&page_number=1&preview=) and tested its output with 6 channels driven at 77.1W (with 1 kHz into 8 ohms).

The 135W power consumption rating is probably with the receiver at idle and no sound output. There were some photos of innards of the XR70 posted a while back and there is a 5A 125V fuse near power inlet, so theoretically the receiver could use 625W. The 625W figure seems consistent with 6*75W output with 80-90% efficient digital amplifiers.

Couple things regarding the output and power consumption of the Pannys

Panasonic has rated their digi-amped receivers 100w into 6 ohms which is equivalent to 75w into 8ohms. Sound & Vision recently reviewed the SA-XR70 (http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=1&article_id=806&page_number=1&preview=) and tested its output with 6 channels driven at 77.1W (with 1 kHz into 8 ohms).

The 135W power consumption rating is probably with the receiver at idle and no sound output. There were some photos of innards of the XR70 posted a while back and there is a 5A 125V fuse near power inlet, so theoretically the receiver could use 625W. The 625W figure seems consistent with 6*75W output with 80-90% efficient digital amplifiers.

It's sad how far S&V has fallen. Jullian Hirsch is probably turning over in his grave. A few years ago, there is no way they would have measured audio using 1khz. According to Panasonic, power consumption in standby mode is .2W

David

salesman @ J&R says 2-3 weeks before they get a shipment.

Electric power in watts is different from the 'watts' rating for sound level.

salesman @ J&R says 2-3 weeks before they get a shipment.This really hacks me off!:mad: Initially, they announce that the receiver will ship in 2-3 weeks, but string us along for months w/ no further information or details w/ the exception of putting the manual online.

Electric power in watts is different from the 'watts' rating for sound level.

No argument there. How they measure W per channel is my beef. Measuring @ 1khz (6ohm) is meaningless. Standards are non-existent. S&V (Stereo Review) used to have standards. When they did a review, you could use it as a comparison to some extent. No more. Now they do the same useless measurements as the companies themselves. I understand the reasons but I disagree with posting those results as any indication of what the amp will do. S&V agreed with me years ago.

David

PCConnection has updated their SA-XR55S delivery date from "5 to 7 days" to now "2+ weeks". The delivery data is moving in the wrong direction.

I canceled my order from JR because of that spacecowboy.

So is the HDMI gonna make a difference sound wise over optical assuming I got the HDMI sources (Panny s77 DVD, Aquos 37gb5u). Meaning, does it make sense to pay $200 extra for the XR70

Hell, lets add MultEQ...

Well it wouldn't be MultEQ, but the Equibit chip does offer some sort of basic EQ capability, although no one has used it yet.

The 135W power consumption rating is probably with the receiver at idle and no sound output. There were some photos of innards of the XR70 posted a while back and there is a 5A 125V fuse near power inlet, so theoretically the receiver could use 625W. The 625W figure seems consistent with 6*75W output with 80-90% efficient digital amplifiers.


I don't think so. Even big screen TV's including plasma's only draw and average of about 175 W while they are running. This amp certainly isn't consuming 625 W. The 135 W is probably more like a maximum or an average under a pretty hefty load. In idle, it's probably well under 10 W. Your typical computer uses about 100-150 W under usage, and about 15 W in idle mode.

Anybody looked at the JVC RX-201S? 7 channels 100W amplifiers, USB connection, ...

What's the difference in the XR55 & XR70 beside HDMI?

Anybody looked at the JVC RX-201S? 7 channels 100W amplifiers, USB connection, ...

Well, one shortcoming is that there is only 1 optical and 1 coax input on the JVC.

I decided not to wait for the XR55 and ordered the JVC RX-D201S from a m a z o n. With their $30 off credit card application offer, it is $160.

Good luck with the XR55. It looks terrific but I couldn't wait.

I got my JVC RX-D201S yesterday. It's pure cr*p. The spring clip speaker terminals are the flimsiest junk ever and barely grip the speaker wire. With the amplifier turned on and no sound coming out, the case runs stinking hot on the left side. The front panel looks cheap enough to be recycled Ronco.

This POS is getting returned and I'm back in line for the XR55.

I got my JVC RX-D201S yesterday. It's pure cr*p. The spring clip speaker terminals are the flimsiest junk ever and barely grip the speaker wire. With the amplifier turned on and no sound coming out, the case runs stinking hot on the left side. The front panel looks cheap enough to be recycled Ronco.

This POS is getting returned and I'm back in line for the XR-55.My impressions were similar after trying this thing out at BrandsMart. I cranked it all the way up, and only got moderate, non-threatning loudness. It felt cheap, looked cheap, and was the hottest running receiver of all time - and this is no exaggeration.

So can anyone answer the question I asked earlier? Am I gaining anything with XR70 over XR55 assuming I have 2 HDMI sources (TV, DVD)? Anyone compared passing sound via HDMI to optical?

this is a monster winner, a home run. they are probably sitting on it to clear out inventory of predecessors.

Hi, all. Newbie here who's been waiting very impatiently for the XR55. Went to the Panasonic web site this AM and put one in the shopping cart and clicked 'check availability'. Response was: shipping 'on or about' 7/4/05. Aarrgh! Will this thing ever hit the streets?

Didn't see this info posted in the string. Hope it's not old news. Thanks to all for the insights.

Runner

So can anyone answer the question I asked earlier? Am I gaining anything with XR70 over XR55 assuming I have 2 HDMI sources (TV, DVD)? Anyone compared passing sound via HDMI to optical?

I couldn't tell a difference on my XR70 when I tried the optical audio feed vs. the hdmi audio. If you really want to compare the 2 units, read the user manuals for each.

Well, one shortcoming is that there is only 1 optical and 1 coax input on the JVC.

That was my hesitation on picking up the JVC 201s. Then I found the Panny XR50 for $94 this weekend at Fry's, and my mind was made up for me... :D

Hi, all. Newbie here who's been waiting very impatiently for the XR55. Went to the Panasonic web site this AM and put one in the shopping cart and clicked 'check availability'. Response was: shipping 'on or about' 7/4/05. Aarrgh! Will this thing ever hit the streets?

Didn't see this info posted in the string. Hope it's not old news. Thanks to all for the insights.

RunnerI just went to the Panasonic web site and noticed if you put the XR55 in the shopping cart it says "currently available" and if you click on "update price and ship date" it comes back with "ships in 1 business day."

Has anybody ordered and received notification of shipment? And do you think this thing will ship quicker from Panasonic than the distributors?

I just went to the Panasonic web site and noticed if you put the XR55 in the shopping cart it says "currently available" and if you click on "update price and ship date" it comes back with "ships in 1 business day."


I tried that. First got the "currently available" message, clicked on "update price and ship date" and it came back with "Ships on or about 07/04/2005". Maybe it depends on your zip code, or they are sold out already! Anyway, it does appear that they will be shipping next week.

I tried that. First got the "currently available" message, clicked on "update price and ship date" and it came back with "Ships on or about 07/04/2005". Maybe it depends on your zip code, or they are sold out already! Anyway, it does appear that they will be shipping next week.


finally! that's great news. i haven't had permawood like this for a long time.

finally! that's great news. i haven't had permawood like this for a long time.

I think you're supposed to see your doctor after 4 hours! :P

Seriously, I can't wait to read some impressions of this receiver. I have been holding off on buying a new 7.1 receiver because I wanted to see what people say about this one.

So, hopefully a 75 will come out and it'll have the 70s power supply and HDMI and the 55s binding posts, 7.1 amplification and "bass controll". Hell, lets add MultEQ and HDMI switching... ithat would be a low cost beast!

Panasonic will almost certainly put the XR75 in the same enclosure as the XR55 (i.e., better speaker posts) and most likely add HDMI switching. I wouldn't be surprised if we would have to wait at least until summer 2006 for XR75, though.

I hope we don't have to wait that long. What you described is the next logical step.

I called J&R today to confirm that I still want my receiver (got a letter asking to confirm) and the CSR said that it should be shipping in 7-10 days. I hope she's not just making that up.

It's the first actual estimate that I've gotten from customer service, they usually tell me "no estimate". Not permawood but close... :cool:

The reason I'm so anxious to get this damn thing is that my Denon 3300 recently went belly up on me. I'll spare the boring details, but for several reasons I've settled on the Pano SA-XR55 (or 75 but I can't wait for that one) as its replacement. My old Denon had a lot of well-documented problems, but one thing nobody can deny is that thing could pump out some brilliant high quality sound. I know that nobody has been able to evaluate the XR55 yet, but what is everyone's opinion......will I be relatively disappointed? I'm hoping not....

Thanks

I bought today a panasonic microwave in Costco just to ease the pain.

I ordered through the Panasonic web site a couple of days ago, got the e-mail reply and then nothing. Today I called the 800 number and was given a tracking number! It will arive here on the 6th! They are on the way!

I ordered through the Panasonic web site a couple of days ago, got the e-mail reply and then nothing. Today I called the 800 number and was given a tracking number! It will arive here on the 6th! They are on the way!

Thanks for the update, Petteri. Look forward to your comments.

David

those of you NOT buying directly from panasonic, you saw the "club panasonic" thing, right?

those of you NOT buying directly from panasonic, you saw the "club panasonic" thing, right?I haven't placed an order anywhere yet. What is the club panasonic thing you refer to?

I haven't placed an order anywhere yet. What is the club panasonic thing you refer to?

I would guess it was about the 10% that you get off your first order at panasonic.com when you join up.

https://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/vClubHomePage?storeId=15001

10% off and free shipping. Although they do charge sales tax in all 50 states and J&R only charges tax in NY. That narrows it down to 25 bucks. If I wasn't such a cheap @ss it wouldn't be such a dilema.

Edit: Ok I couldn't take it and pulled the trigger. When I called J&R to cancel, the girl told me they still don't have an arrival date for it. Looks like the girl yesterday was lying with the 7-10 day eta.

The XR55S has appeared on the inventory screens of AB Sound in Western Canada. It is showing no stock yet but they will take your order at the MSRP of $449.99

How would that compared to the option of JR.com after all taxes, duties, exchange and shipping?

OK, so I joined "Club Panasonic" and I'm totally ready to pull the trigger on the order for this unit, and when I place the receiver in my shopping cart I get the message "ships on or about July 8." I can't believe the moving target these guys give us for the shipping date of this unit.

OK, so I joined "Club Panasonic" and I'm totally ready to pull the trigger on the order for this unit, and when I place the receiver in my shopping cart I get the message "ships on or about July 8." I can't believe the moving target these guys give us for the shipping date of this unit.

When I ordered early this afternoon it was free shipping and said "ships within 1 business day." It looks like now the free shipping is gone and the date has moved out. There must have been a small flood of orders today.

I received my XR55S today, direct from Panasonic EPP store. I ordered it on 6/22. It sounds great. I'm not an audiophile or anything, so I can't comment with any spiffy adjectives on 'brightness' or anything. My previous receiver was a Sony STR-DB930, which I was happy with, and I'm just as happy with my xr55. I only have 5.1 speakers right now, but I'm loving it. I love the enclosure - looks awesome. Now if my 50" plasma will only get here, I'll be all set!

10% off and free shipping. Although they do charge sales tax in all 50 states and J&R only charges tax in NY. That narrows it down to 25 bucks..

that's exactly what i was referring to.i love jandr but i also swallowed the $25 when i ordered last week. esp. since the state of NJ gets the money, not the shipping co.

i'm guessing they are now getting an avalanche of orders.

I received my XR55S today, direct from Panasonic EPP store. I ordered it on 6/22. It sounds great. I'm not an audiophile or anything, so I can't comment with any spiffy adjectives on 'brightness' or anything. My previous receiver was a Sony STR-DB930, which I was happy with, and I'm just as happy with my xr55. I only have 5.1 speakers right now, but I'm loving it. I love the enclosure - looks awesome. Now if my 50" plasma will only get here, I'll be all set!

dude, you have got to give more than that. people are hanging on your every word.

I received my XR55S today, direct from Panasonic EPP store. I ordered it on 6/22. It sounds great. I'm not an audiophile or anything, so I can't comment with any spiffy adjectives on 'brightness' or anything. My previous receiver was a Sony STR-DB930, which I was happy with, and I'm just as happy with my xr55. I only have 5.1 speakers right now, but I'm loving it. I love the enclosure - looks awesome. Now if my 50" plasma will only get here, I'll be all set!

what speakers are you using? i'm looking to replace my sony str-db940... which i'm not very happy with. do you find any improvement? i don't think the 940 sounds good with music, so i'm looking for something that will sound significantly better.

I'm using JBL HLS620 mains, HLS Center, and JBL N24s for surrounds.
I've listened to CDs, watched DVDs and HD content from my DirecTiVo, through digital inputs as well as analog, and I'm pleased with it.
If anyone has any questions I'll be happy to respond. I'm sorry, but as I said, I'm no audiophile, but I'll do my best.

I'm using JBL HLS620 mains, HLS Center, and JBL N24s for surrounds.
I've listened to CDs, watched DVDs and HD content from my DirecTiVo, through digital inputs as well as analog, and I'm pleased with it.
If anyone has any questions I'll be happy to respond. I'm sorry, but as I said, I'm no audiophile, but I'll do my best.

in stereo mode, does the subwoofer play?

I'm using JBL HLS620 mains, HLS Center, and JBL N24s for surrounds.
I've listened to CDs, watched DVDs and HD content from my DirecTiVo, through digital inputs as well as analog, and I'm pleased with it.
If anyone has any questions I'll be happy to respond. I'm sorry, but as I said, I'm no audiophile, but I'll do my best.Are you running a 7.1 setup? If so, does the XR55 overlay PL2x over DTS?

in stereo mode, does the subwoofer play?
No.

Are you running a 7.1 setup? If so, does the XR55 overlay PL2x over DTS?
No, just 5.1. I need to update my speakers, and may get a pair of JBL E10's, but haven't decided for sure yet.

Are you sure the sub does not work when you are in stereo mode?

It does with all the previous models, at least with the xr25, xr45, xr70 that I have had. That would be a major drag if it does not work with the xr55. Sometimes you have to get the volume up a bit for the sub to kick in.

Does this XR55 have OSD? and does it have video upconversion?

Are you sure the sub does not work when you are in stereo mode?

It does with all the previous models, at least with the xr25, xr45, xr70 that I have had. That would be a major drag if it does not work with the xr55. Sometimes you have to get the volume up a bit for the sub to kick in.My mistake - yes it does output via the subwoofer.

Does this XR55 have OSD? and does it have video upconversion?No onscreen display, and no video upconversion from composite to S-video. My plasma arrived on Tuesday or Wednesday, so I can't check upconversion to component, but I don't think it does. Its not listed as a feature in the manual or on the Panasonic website.

Excellent Ryansmith111! Thanks for confirming that.

bdbaba

I am a little bit confused. Everybody seems to be so hot on this Receiver. Maybe somebody can shed some light into these questions. I am gonna make some comparison with Yamaha RX-V550, but any decent analog receiver will serve same purpose.

1. Why would a pure digital receiver be so much better. As speakers need Analog, the signal need to be converted to Analog at one point anyway. Analog ones do it when the signal is low, digital ones do it just before it is output to speaker. Isn't that the same?
2. I thought the power supply was one of the most important piece in the receiver. How can a 135W power consumption adequetely drive this amplifier. Although people say the two power ratings are different and they are but they are certainly related. RX-V550 has close to 400W power supply (Sorry, actually I mean power consumption). I have serious doubts Pana having enough dynamic power. I don't buy that digitals are more power efficient. A huge percentage of the power is consumed at the output power amp and both analog and digital have to have similar consumption there.
3. Again the weight. Pana weighs less than half of Yamaha. The big percentage of a Receiver weight is the Power supply and the cooler. Power amp portion being similar on both receivers how come this Pana can adequetely cool itself
4. Pana has a THD about 0.09. Isn't that high? (Yamaha has 0.06)
5. Pana has a S/N Ratio of 85 DB's. I again find that too little. (Yamaha has over 100db)

If somebody can answer these question, I will be very happy as I am trying to decide between these two receivers

I am a little bit confused. Everybody seems to be so hot on this Receiver. Maybe somebody can shed some light into these questions. I am gonna make some comparison with Yamaha RX-V550, but any decent analog receiver will serve same purpose.

1. Why would a pure digital receiver be so much better. As speakers need Analog, the signal need to be converted to Analog at one point anyway. Analog ones do it when the signal is low, digital ones do it just before it is output to speaker. Isn't that the same?
2. I thought the power supply was one of the most important piece in the receiver. How can a 135W power consumption adequetely drive this amplifier. Although people say the two power ratings are different and they are but they are certainly related. RX-V550 has close to 400W power supply (Sorry, actually I mean power consumption). I have serious doubts Pana having enough dynamic power. I don't buy that digitals are more power efficient. A huge percentage of the power is consumed at the output power amp and both analog and digital have to have similar consumption there.
3. Again the weight. Pana weighs less than half of Yamaha. The big percentage of a Receiver weight is the Power supply and the cooler. Power amp portion being similar on both receivers how come this Pana can adequetely cool itself
4. Pana has a THD about 0.09. Isn't that high? (Yamaha has 0.06)
5. Pana has a S/N Ratio of 85 DB's. I again find that too little. (Yamaha has over 100db)

If somebody can answer these question, I will be very happy as I am trying to decide between these two receiversOthers like you wondered the same things, and had their doubts. Many of them are now Panny owners. Listen to the Panny digital and you'll be blown away like everyone else.

I am a little bit confused. Everybody seems to be so hot on this Receiver. Maybe somebody can shed some light into these questions. I am gonna make some comparison with Yamaha RX-V550, but any decent analog receiver will serve same purpose.

1. Why would a pure digital receiver be so much better. As speakers need Analog, the signal need to be converted to Analog at one point anyway. Analog ones do it when the signal is low, digital ones do it just before it is output to speaker. Isn't that the same?
2. I thought the power supply was one of the most important piece in the receiver. How can a 135W power consumption adequetely drive this amplifier. Although people say the two power ratings are different and they are but they are certainly related. RX-V550 has close to 400W power supply (Sorry, actually I mean power consumption). I have serious doubts Pana having enough dynamic power. I don't buy that digitals are more power efficient. A huge percentage of the power is consumed at the output power amp and both analog and digital have to have similar consumption there.
3. Again the weight. Pana weighs less than half of Yamaha. The big percentage of a Receiver weight is the Power supply and the cooler. Power amp portion being similar on both receivers how come this Pana can adequetely cool itself
4. Pana has a THD about 0.09. Isn't that high? (Yamaha has 0.06)
5. Pana has a S/N Ratio of 85 DB's. I again find that too little. (Yamaha has over 100db)

If somebody can answer these question, I will be very happy as I am trying to decide between these two receivers

I'm going to oversimplify a bit just to keep the post length under control:

1. Non-digital receivers use digital/analog conversions before they do amplification. The analog amplification also has a side effect of distortion, and even though different designs work to minimize this distortion, it still exists. Digital avoids the degradations that happen in the conversion stages and also the distortions. Now the end product that goes to your speakers is not 100% distortion free, but two of the main forces that act to lower the sound quality have been bypassed with new methods.

2. This method of amplification requires much less power. In the final product this translates into smaller power supplies, cooling sinks, chassis, and weight. I guess I would compare it to Honda and a Buick. How is the Honda quicker and higher top speed with its 165 HP versus the Buick's 300 HP? It's a stretch, but similar concept.

3. Power stage for this design does not have to be as overbuilt as on the big iron analog amplifiers. Remember, the Honda doesn't need a 300 HP power plan to easily outperform the Buick. Thus you end up with lower size and weight.

Personally I wonder when Panasonic or another maker is going to put a 3 inch thick 20 pound slab and an internal heating element in the bottom just to win over the old school audiophiles, but luckily it hasn't come to that yet.

4. & 5. The stats between different manufacturers are pretty irrelevant. One company's idea of 0.09 THD is totally different than the next. This irrelevance becomes even more dramatic when comparing against two pretty different types of technology.

There's a sound & vision article around where they measured real world results against the manufacturer's spec sheets, I believe pushing 5 channels hard at 6 ohms or thereabouts.

Although Yamaha's spec's weren't that much higher than actuals, the most interesting part is that the lowly old XR25 they used for their testing came out to a real world 85 Wpc (??) out of a claimed 100 W.

Consider that the Panasonic amps we yak about today (XR45, XR50, XR70, XR55) all are considered higher power than the old XR25.

Luckily for you these things are super cheap and available practically everywhere. Unless you are looking for tons of user controls, size, weight, and lots of binding posts, it's worth your while to check one out for yourself.

Personally I wonder when Panasonic or another maker is going to put a 3 inch thick 20 pound slab and an internal heating element in the bottom just to win over the old school audiophiles, but luckily it hasn't come to that yet.
I wondered the same thing. :D

Luckily for you these things are super cheap and available practically everywhere. Unless you are looking for tons of user controls, size, weight, and lots of binding posts, it's worth your while to check one out for yourself.
Actually, the great thing about the XR55 is that it does give you binding posts for all 7.1 speaker outputs.

I'm going to oversimplify a bit just to keep the post length under control:

1. Non-digital receivers use digital/analog conversions before they do amplification. The analog amplification also has a side effect of distortion, and even though different designs work to minimize this distortion, it still exists. Digital avoids the degradations that happen in the conversion stages and also the distortions. Now the end product that goes to your speakers is not 100% distortion free, but two of the main forces that act to lower the sound quality have been bypassed with new methods.

2. This method of amplification requires much less power. In the final product this translates into smaller power supplies, cooling sinks, chassis, and weight. I guess I would compare it to Honda and a Buick. How is the Honda quicker and higher top speed with its 165 HP versus the Buick's 300 HP? It's a stretch, but similar concept.

3. Power stage for this design does not have to be as overbuilt as on the big iron analog amplifiers. Remember, the Honda doesn't need a 300 HP power plan to easily outperform the Buick. Thus you end up with lower size and weight.

Personally I wonder when Panasonic or another maker is going to put a 3 inch thick 20 pound slab and an internal heating element in the bottom just to win over the old school audiophiles, but luckily it hasn't come to that yet.

4. & 5. The stats between different manufacturers are pretty irrelevant. One company's idea of 0.09 THD is totally different than the next. This irrelevance becomes even more dramatic when comparing against two pretty different types of technology.

There's a sound & vision article around where they measured real world results against the manufacturer's spec sheets, I believe pushing 5 channels hard at 6 ohms or thereabouts.

Although Yamaha's spec's weren't that much higher than actuals, the most interesting part is that the lowly old XR25 they used for their testing came out to a real world 85 Wpc (??) out of a claimed 100 W.

Consider that the Panasonic amps we yak about today (XR45, XR50, XR70, XR55) all are considered higher power than the old XR25.

Luckily for you these things are super cheap and available practically everywhere. Unless you are looking for tons of user controls, size, weight, and lots of binding posts, it's worth your while to check one out for yourself.

I will take spacecowboy's advice and try it out (once it is available in Canada).
But I can't say I am convinced with Neild's arguments:
1. The Digital-Analog conversion and the degradation that goes along with it still happens, it just happens at the end stage. After all we have to produce analog signal for the speakers. And although analog amplification creates distortion, again a huge percentage of that happens in the power amp section of the amplifier. I seriously doubt you will be able to hear any distortion caused by a decent amplifier's pre-amp section. And the power amp section is common for both technologies.
2. As much of the power requirements for an amplifier are used in the Power amp section of the receivers and again as both design must share that. I fail to see how a digital design would use significantly less power.
3. See Point 2. The final stage must be the same for both designs. So we need a good cooler.

I will take spacecowboy's advice and try it out (once it is available in Canada).
But I can't say I am convinced with Neild's arguments:
1. The Digital-Analog conversion and the degradation that goes along with it still happens, it just happens at the end stage. After all we have to produce analog signal for the speakers. And although analog amplification creates distortion, again a huge percentage of that happens in the power amp section of the amplifier. I seriously doubt you will be able to hear any distortion caused by a decent amplifier's pre-amp section. And the power amp section is common for both technologies.
2. As much of the power requirements for an amplifier are used in the Power amp section of the receivers and again as both design must share that. I fail to see how a digital design would use significantly less power.
3. See Point 2. The final stage must be the same for both designs. So we need a good cooler.

Well the real problem here is my inability to explain the advantage of the variable gain digital amplication better.

As for the power requirements of the last stage, when the stage before that is already well amplified at minimal distortion and no clipping, the last stage need not be as powerful/hot/heavy to achieve the same practical output. Feedback issues and multiple gain stages are no longer a consideration. As a beneficial side effect, the digitally amplified sound is much cleaner with a shockingly improved noise floor.

This is easily demonstrated by placing your ear to the speaker of a conventional amplified system that's been set to a high gain. You will hear a definite background hiss, even on top end gear. Do the same on a digitally amped system and you will hear...... almost nothing. It is dead silent.

I've said many a time, with the digital amps it's as much about what you DON'T hear, as what you do hear.

This carries through when there is sound being output. It is so clean and clear and without added distortion or clutter that you will be surprised at times to notice that a given sound came from your stereo not the environment around you. The extreme clarity and definition will make you think it's real. Your brand of cell phone rings in a movie and I guarantee you will be checking your phone instinctively. The same goes for doorbells, knocks, and other sound effects. You will hear instrument sounds in your records you never heard before, and though sad I suppose, the limitation and flaws of formats like the redbook CD will be quite evident. Lyrics are more distinct and you'll hear fret rubs you've never knew were there on your favorite recordings.

Your concept of digital right to final speaker driver is not new, just not yet practical. And the theory as that the best gains have been found in the current digital amp technology and that making that last stage all digital would only give an slight incremental benefit at the cost of having to replace all of ones speakers with expensive digital versions.

Here's a couple of better pieces from John Meyer that put my gibberish to shame:

http://www.newformresearch.com/digital-systems-overview.htm

"But the XR45 plays very loudly and very cleanly and due to its digital brain, clipping is extremely graceful and in fact almost impossible to perceive. NAD put a lot of work into its amps to take the edge off clipping without hurting the music and they were the best at it in solid state amps but XR45 is downright tube-like in this area. In any case, there is more than enough power to light up our 22'x23' big room with the 645s biamped"

http://www.newformresearch.com/updateaug03.htm

"the typical distortion/output curves for digital amps I’ve seen would probably put the XR45 at 75w/ch, 20 to 20kHz with .04% distortion. This would be a much better looking spec and more indicative of the listening experience but marketing departments like to go for that big fat 100w figure. I guess it sells better to their target demographic"

the "hiss" issue alluded to is the reason i am going to try digital.

this receiver is true 7.1 and is available directly from the manufacturer for under $300 including shipping. if you want to "hate" on it then i must question your motives. i'm guessing this receiver scares the bejeezus out of some of the manufacturers who are so revered in here.

mine arrives today. i am demanding in terms of connectivity so i will hook it up and report back my thoughts.

The upshot, cataban, is that you don't need to agree with anyone's "arguments" - they're not presenting any. Neild tried to summarize for you some basic facts that are laid out in excruciating detail on any number of digital receiver threads you can search through here. Being new here perhaps you were unaware of the search function.

As far as "not buying that digitals are more power efficient" well, that's the wonderful thing about physics - it doesn't really care what you "buy" or not, it just IS.

Look, I am not trying to be negative or being hateful. I am just being a devil's advocate. That I am here is an indication that I am definitely considering this unit.
You have to understand that a light weight amplifier with a small power supply also could be a sign that it is a poorly built amplifier. Just making sure
I actually I tried to get more information about digital amplifiers, but could not find a lot. If somebody point me to a good resource(s), I will be very happy

Here ya go...

Link to Digital Amplifier advantage thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=4818958&highlight=sony#post4818958)

when i get home today and hook up my receiver, i'd like everyone's permission to open a new "official" thread on this unit- this thread only has one user account so far, and there should be a thread about the actual receiver without 138 posts about the rumors.

I have never posted on avsforum before but reading this thread has just prompted me to register. I think creating a new official thread is a golden idea! please do.

now, aside from that, i discovered this when checking the receiver out on the website:

"Connect and Switch Between Multiple A/V Sources
This receiver has multiple audio/video inputs to handle all your source devices—TV, VCR, DVD player, cable box, and more. It even functions as a source selector, allowing you to connect multiple video sources to the receiver and run a single audio/video connection to just one of your TV's audio/video inputs. No more flipping through video inputs on your TV."

looks to me like it does have upconversion! This is awesome if it does because that is something i really want!!

anyways keep postin!

cjv123,

where did you order your xr55 from? panasonic website? i pre-ordered mine from j and r and i still have no idea when it's going to ship.

yes, from panasonic direct.

I have never posted on avsforum before but reading this thread has just prompted me to register. I think creating a new official thread is a golden idea! please do.

now, aside from that, i discovered this when checking the receiver out on the website:

"Connect and Switch Between Multiple A/V Sources
This receiver has multiple audio/video inputs to handle all your source devices—TV, VCR, DVD player, cable box, and more. It even functions as a source selector, allowing you to connect multiple video sources to the receiver and run a single audio/video connection to just one of your TV's audio/video inputs. No more flipping through video inputs on your TV."

looks to me like it does have upconversion! This is awesome if it does because that is something i really want!!

anyways keep postin!

i'm skeptical re: upconversion, but i'll know in a few hours.

I was also but i mean its on the website....it doesnt say whether it is up to s-video or component or what, so let us know.

also, what do you guys think, black or silver?

(posting malfunction)

No hate taken, I remember laughing at these amps when they first came out and saying to myself "Just by making it thin and putting the funky blue light on it they will probably get a lot of people who care more about appearance than audio quality buying these cheap things. Those dumb rubes."

Then one day I was in a showroom that was set up for demo'ing some above average speakers, Jamo & Klipsch primarily. The sound was stunningly good which was to be expected. But most surprising were these cheap entry level set of Jamo's. Well now Jamo's are not bad obviously, but their entry level are these lightweight plastic orbs with a pretty mediocre low powered 6" U.F.O. style sub.

I could not believe how great these Jamo speakers sounded so I went on a quest to find out about them. Seems nobody else was that crazy about the speakers and they didn't sound too good outside the showroom either.

Finally I figured out that the true secret of the jaw dropping sound in that room on practically any speaker was that the showroom was running everything off a Panasonic XR25, basically because it was small and fit well on their shelf! At its low price the staff didn't mind it staying out and getting abused instead of their more expensive units.

They actually used the selling story that "Jamo speakers are so good they can make even this low end Panasonic amp sound good."

You might be able to identify with parts of the John Meyer articles referenced above. He says:


"At 3" high, weighing 9 pounds (no transformers, no external heat sinks and no large caps are responsible for this) and with a street price of under $400US, the XR45 will not appear as a life form to any audiophile on this planet."
[/b]

and


" Few audiophiles will stumble on and embrace the XR45. And certainly not in public.

“Say George, I just traded in my $8000, 200 pound Krells for a 9 pound, 3" high Panasonic receiver. Would you like to come over and listen to it?”

“No Tony, it’s OK, I have to cut my cats nails right now and then my wife and I are going on 2 year world tour so you don’t need to try calling me again. Ever.”

"The other 4 channels get pretty well thought out micro clamp terminals for bare wire ends. These couldn’t cost more than 4 cents each and they do save a great deal of space. The wire end has to be small enough to fit though. The tiny gauge power cord is one of those things with one side rounded and one side square plug. We are in video game player territory here. No high end magazine is going to review the XR45 but you can imagine the comments if they did? The snickering would be deafening. Who could blame them?"
[/b]

and my personal favorite, when he coined the concept of "Amp Clamps":


"If you ever managed to secure a really heavy duty set of audiophile cables to the back of the Panasonic, the resultant torque might flip the tiny package on its side or back or even hold it suspended in the air. Maybe this will result in a whole new market segment - “Digital Amp Clamps”. To put the kidding aside for a second, the XR45 is very well put together inside and out but the high end clues of heft and overbuilding simply are not there."

I bought the XR25 about a year ago and was VERY happy with the sound. As someone said things like cell phones or dogs barking in movies would make me turn my head. Had some quality problems though and had to have it repaired under warranty twice. The second time was about 1 month ago, a few days before my warranty expired. Long story short, the shop couldn't fix it so Panasonic sent them a brand new XR55. I pick it up tomorrow. Yeah Panasonic!

ok i'll just put this here.

mine arrived today, but i'm too tired to do much of anything with it until tmw.

here are some initial impressions, trying to be critical- it costs less than $300 delivered and it is important to know its limitations:

1) the thing is small and lightweight, and attractive. this is cool. i got the black and it has a completely blacked-out look- not metallic flat, more like an automobile with clearcoat. much, much better looking than the pictures on the internet suggested. i suppose i'd say go with black as the color if you are ambivalent.

2) the remote is not backlit and has small buttons because it is small and tries to be a universal remote.. this is not cool. this is a pet peeve of mine- if you can't make a top-quality universal remote then make a top quality remote for your device. instead, we end up with nothing of high quality. one good thing i can say about the remote is it has speaker A/ speaker B buttons- i can't find those on the kameleon for my kenwood and it annoys me greatly.

3) the speaker setups are great, solving a lot of issues i have. it's true 7.1 + B pair, and you can play all 10 speakers at once. this is very, very cool. you can also "biwire" for the fronts in 7.1 if you give up the Bs. this is cool because you could use this feature for crossed speaker-level subwoofer out for passive subs.

4) there are 2 digital audio optical ins and 2 coaxial ins. i had all optical so i need a coax cable or two. this kind of sucks. most importantly, you appear to be able to "auto detect" on all 4 digital inputs, not just on the CD and DVD ones. this is very cool. also, something i didn't know before is digital coax supports 192kb while optical only 96kb.

5) there is no digital optical out. this is not cool.

6) there are no multichannel preamp outs. this is not cool.

7) as mentioned above, the sub should stay on in 2CH mode. this is cool.

8) the back panel is extremely straightforward and well-organized. this is very cool. they strove for the SFF and it worked. btw, all of the speaker binding posts are 5-way.

9) there is little chance it upconverts from composite/svideo to component. once you figure out the connections it seems to separate the component switching form everything else. i could be wrong, of course. i'll find out tmw.

and

10) something very clever. if you are listening in 2CH (+Sub) mode, you can set the unit to use the additional amplification power that is sitting idle to double the power to the fronts. called "dual amp" mode. i don't listen to stuff very loud, but i will test this out over the weekend and tell you how it sounds.

summary:

the good- outstanding speaker connectivity, "auto detect" on all inputs, small form factor, dual-amp mode, biwire/bi-amp fronts.

the bad- no digital or preamp out

the ugly- the remote

also, what do you guys think, black or silver?Panasonic called me yesterday to tell me that mine is shipping so I should have it soon. I ordered black to match my setup.

cjv123, Can you have a look att the powerconnector and see if it states that it supports 220V or not?

I live in Europe so this is an important feature for me. I already have an imported Kenwood Receiver with a buzzing powertransformer I want to get rid of...

Another thing: What's the difference between a 6.1 and a 7.1 amp? I though it only dealt with speakers since 7.1 have their 2 back speakers in mono. Using an 6.1 amp, you could connect the two to one output. Inverted bi-amp? ;-)

bjorn-

it only uses 120V according both to the back plate and to the specifications in the user manual.

re: your second question, the only diff between 6.1 and 7.1 would be stereophonic L/R backs, of course. the receiver indeed remixes CB to LB and RB on 6.1 sources. the advantage of having 7.1 on the AVR would likely be one of impedance/volume- if you split the CB output on a 6.1 AVR it might sound weaker and you'd have to tweak the speaker distance settings to get it adjusted.

cjv123, followup: Did you get a llok at the inside and how the powersupply is connected to the rest of the unit? Could it be easily swaped for another one, perhaps?

cjv123, followup: Did you get a llok at the inside and how the powersupply is connected to the rest of the unit? Could it be easily swaped for another one, perhaps?

no, i'm not the type to open stuff up.

i can't imagine panasonic would not gladly sell a 220v version of this- have you tried their website?

no, i'm not the type to open stuff up.

i can't imagine panasonic would not gladly sell a 220v version of this- have you tried their website?

Well, probably after 6 month and twice the price over here... :mad:

Edit: Cheched UK site and it's not double price. "Only" $430...
Starting to wonder why I live in a region where the pay is less and the prices are higher...
Edit 2: And $477 in Germany!
Edit 3: It keeps getting "better"! Finland $572!

cjv123, Can you overlay PLIIx over DTS (PLIIx + DTS)?

Well its good to be hearing about it.

The remote coment is brutal, I was really hoping for a decent back-lit remote. I guess i'll just ask for a universal lcd remote for my birthday lol.

Also, I am really ancy as to weather it has video up-conversion. On the website it truely looks like they are saying it does, and if it doesnt than i wonder what they're talking about?

"...allowing you to connect multiple video sources to the receiver and run a single audio/video connection to just one of your TV's audio/video inputs. No more flipping through video inputs on your TV."

Edit: and what about osd?

Edit: I just talked to panasonic canada, they will be aailable in canada at the end of July.

cjv123, Can you overlay PLIIx over DTS (PLIIx + DTS)?

don't know yet. hooking one of these up is quite a chore, unless you want to disconnect completely your other one. i have got lots of work to go on that. the remote has buttons on it for PLIIX and for DTS (i think this is auto detect-related though)

ok, starting to play with this thing, and i have some good news.

1) you can definitely play all 10 speakers at once.

2) success with a SPDIF run of 75 feet! from my other AVR (kenwood 7080) to this one. (god i love that kenwood- it does almost everything i've ever asked it to). both systems are blasting away with no reverb or echo.

3) the panasonic sounds great- very clean and "forward" sound.

ok, starting to play with this thing, and i have some good news.

1) you can definitely play all 10 speakers at once.

2) success with a SPDIF run of 75 feet! from my other AVR (kenwood 7080) to this one. (god i love that kenwood- it does almost everything i've ever asked it to). both systems are blasting away with no reverb or echo.

3) the panasonic sounds great- very clean and "forward" sound.

My goodness would you hurry up and tell us if it has video upconversion!?!

My goodness would you hurry up and tell us if it has video upconversion!?!

neil-

it does not upconvert from composite. i'm going to try to find an svideo cable to check that but i'm basically certain it won't.

Well its good to be hearing about it.

The remote coment is brutal, I was really hoping for a decent back-lit remote. I guess i'll just ask for a universal lcd remote for my birthday lol.

Also, I am really ancy as to weather it has video up-conversion. On the website it truely looks like they are saying it does, and if it doesnt than i wonder what they're talking about?

"...allowing you to connect multiple video sources to the receiver and run a single audio/video connection to just one of your TV's audio/video inputs. No more flipping through video inputs on your TV."
I think the description describes switching, not upconversion. It switches between multiple inputs of the same connection type, so composite, s-video, and component switching, just no upconversion between input types. If they offered upconversion, they would be very clear to use that wording to ensure the feature was noticed.
Edit: and what about osd?
No OSD.
OSD would be welcomed, as I've found the interface somewhat cumbersome. All options aren't available via the remote, so you have to use the multi-input knob to select top level options and drill down into the settings beneath. In getting it setup, I was always forgetting what option was beneath which top level selection. I assume this is the same as previous models. I hope there are discrete remote codes for some of these settings. An example would be dynamic range compression, which I'd like to use if watching TV late at night to not bother the wife and kids. I can't set it by remote, and I've got to use the multiselect knob on the unit, select 'Option', scroll to 'Dynamic range compresssion' and select, then scroll to 'on' and select. Not a simple process to frequently toggle.

Another thing I've found missing is the ability to rename the inputs. I've got an HD Tivo and an SD Tivo, and have one on the TV/SAT input and the other on the DVD Recorder input. Sure would be nice to change the labels to match.

BTW, after listening a while longer, I'm more and more impressed with the sound. I've listened to a wide variety of music, from classical, jazz, blues, and pop and it brings a smile of satisfaction to my face.

Great to hear your impressions,

i can still not get over the fact that it says you can run a SINGLE audio/video cable to your tv. It really sounds like upconversion to me. Maybe someone should call panasonic and ask, i dono but i'm really hopin it does.

here's the way the receiver works:

you hook up 4 input devices, hard-named "tv","cd","dvd" and "dvd-r"
there are input connectors for each video device for each of composite, s-video and component
there are input connectors for audio from each device for each of digital and stereo rca

there are output connectors for composite, s-video and component

you simply select a device among the 4.

the machine "hard" switches the video outs of all 3 types- composite, s-video and component- to the inputs for each type for the device you selected. audio is auto-detected digital when available else analog. analog 2CH audio only is available to the tv and to the dvd-r, and i don't yet know if this analog audio is even available if only digital audio input comes from the selected source- i highly doubt it will be (i.e., i highly doubt the AVR does a D-A conversion of audio. i'll try this later and report back.

wow thats a little confusing, but thanks for letting us know.

So all in all you do have to run a component, svideo and composite cable from the avr out to the tv?

Meaning their statement of "run a single audio/video connection to the tv" is a little if not a lot misleading.

j-j-

yeah, i go for "a lot misleading"- you appear to only have to run a single connection if all of your sources are all of a single type (caveat- i haven't played with all variants involving s-video).

yah,

the problem with not having upconversion is that it makes it more of an audio reveiver and less of a video receiver, because I could just run all the video cables directly and it would be the same thing, meaning the AVR does nothing but audio.

yah,

the problem with not having upconversion is that it makes it more of an audio reveiver and less of a video receiver, because I could just run all the video cables directly and it would be the same thing, meaning the AVR does nothing but audio.

well, for me this AVR is essentially perfect for my application (home cinema room, only one display device- a PJ). i run component from my sources (DVD, STB and DVR) and the PJ is across the room (30' cable run) so the switching is a big, big plus. i also economize on the professional calibration service (hah!- eliab :) )

Is the switching good enough, so you don't see any video degradation for HDTV?

Is the switching good enough, so you don't see any video degradation for HDTV?

i don't have the 2nd STB yet. it arrives tomorrow- i'll report back.

i have a lot of confidence in the internals of this AVR. i think the engineering inside is top-notch.

personally, the one thing i really want to hear about is audio quality. i can live with video compromises much more easily.

yah i see what your saying,

but what precisely is component switching? What would be the alternative if you didnt have it? I see that you have all your component cables in and one out, but isnt that how it is for all avr's?

personally, the one thing i really want to hear about is audio quality. i can live with video compromises much more easily.

Same here. By the time I get around to upgrading my video, most of what's available today will probably be inadaquet. For now, this is looking very attractive if it gets the job done on the audio side.

David

personally, the one thing i really want to hear about is audio quality. i can live with video compromises much more easily.

Audio quality is superb. Based on this alone, the XR55 would be a bargain at twice its asking price.

I’m running an Ascend/Hsu 5.1 system, and it has never sounded better. Clarity, detail, and soundstaging are excellent. I have my Ascend CMT-340 mains biamped (thanks Panasonic), and these wonderfully transparent speakers absolutely disappear with the XR55. I’d recommend this receiver even if it wasn’t insanely cheap.

well, I installed my XR55 today, it took me all day...

I was planning one getting some aperion speakers go go with my new toy but budget restrictions got in my way so for now I'm using the speaker that came with my old (dead IR) Kenwood VR-509 Home Theater in a Box. Knowing that these speakers are not very good I wasn't expecting that much of a difference. There was! A much cleaner sound! Even my girlfriend noticed. I've got three front channels plus a subwoofer connected.

The supplied remote sucks. You can't even cycle through all of the inputs with it. I have my Sirius PnP hooked up to the TAPE input, but I can't access that port through the remote, WTF?!?! I really hope some discrete codes can be found for this unit. Hopefully I'll find a way to get some better speakers for this unit. I really only need fronts and a center as my apartment isn't really big enough for rears... any low budget suggestions?

Audio quality is superb. Based on this alone, the XR55 would be a bargain at twice its asking price.
I’m running an Ascend/Hsu 5.1 system, and it has never sounded better. Clarity, detail, and soundstaging are excellent. I have my Ascend CMT-340 mains biamped (thanks Panasonic), and these wonderfully transparent speakers absolutely disappear with the XR55. I’d recommend this receiver even if it wasn’t insanely cheap.

Thanks, Matt. I have 340's accross the front. Sounds like the combo is just what I'm looking for.

David

Looks like J&R is finally shipping this thing.

well, I installed my XR55 today, it took me all day...

I was planning one getting some aperion speakers go go with my new toy but budget restrictions got in my way so for now I'm using the speaker that came with my old (dead IR) Kenwood VR-509 Home Theater in a Box. Knowing that these speakers are not very good I wasn't expecting that much of a difference. There was! A much cleaner sound! Even my girlfriend noticed. I've got three front channels plus a subwoofer connected.

I can definitely agree with the sound improvement with cheaper speakers. I'm using my Kenwood HTIB left, right, side surrounds and sub with a JBL EC35 center and 2 HTI6 rear surrounds that I just added. I put on "Master and Commander" and the sound blew me away. The rears added a completely new dimension to the movie and my old Kenwoods never sounded so clean.

The music from the Eagles "Hell Freezes Over" DVD gave me goosebumps. I had no idea that 2 extra channels could make so much difference. I had it on DTS and was able to overlay PLIIx.

I can't imagine how it will sound when I finish my (painfully slow) upgrade to all JBLs and a SVS sub.

My wife, who has never noticed any upgrade so far, even commented on the improved sound.

Welcome to the revolution people. As far as I'm concerned digital amping is like CD's were to 8-tracks and Color TV was to Black & White.

It's true the interface of the Panasonic and how it is controlled with the remote can be somewhat annoying, but the sound quality really dominates. I'd run this thing even if it didn't have a remote.

As for the tape input, I think I ran it once. I could be mistaken but there are few remote 'tricks' that can make it do things it would at first appear to be unable to.

For example, trying holding down a key for longer, some of them trigger a second function that way. Or press a key twice to trigger different functions. For example hitting 'dolby digital' key a second time kicks in the 2-channel-mix mode (when you have a multichannel source at least)

One thing I didn't like is some of the input labels don't seem to allow separate assignment. For example, I think when I fed analog RCA's in to VCR, and digital in to DVR, they were not assignable separately. So I'd get the analog only if the digital source was shut off. I would have expected to be able to switch between these 2 sources but couldn't.

re: audio

i am neither a calibrator nor am i in a showroom, but i do have a reasonable comparison, in that i am listening simultaneously to my two AVRs playing on the same speaker setups in different rooms. granted, the rooms are different, but the feeds and speakers are identical. playing songs i have known every nuance of for 30 years.

the panasonic has an enormous, effortless sound, it reminds me of the sound quality of separates- it "sounds like" you have all of the power in the world in reserve.

i don't own any SACDs. i'm going to buy one today and check this out.

i wish they had put another $25 or so in some UI stuff. that's the bourgeoise in me. but i respect what they are up to here. i'm guessing the actual cost of the core internals here rivals many of the best receivers. you're paying for what's inside, and if you are a value shopper then that is what you want companies to do for you.

me, i'm a bit of a fata$$ and a lingering issue i have had with the remotes for many of my components is now come to a head. i'm a unirem shopper this weekend.

IF i can successfully program the unirem, then my criticisms of this receiver will have boiled down to the lack of a digital out. it doesn't hurt me, since in my particular setup it would be the panny playing a slave feed from my other AVR hooked up to my HTPC, but one could easily want the other direction and be disappointed.

cjv123, I know it is probable hard to tell, but does the sound level coming from a single speaker go down when you switch from 2 channels to 5 channels (i.e. can the amp truly push $75-100 per channel even in 5-6 channels)

re: audio

me, i'm a bit of a fata$$ and a lingering issue i have had with the remotes for many of my components is now come to a head. i'm a unirem shopper this weekend.

IF i can successfully program the unirem, then my criticisms of this receiver will have boiled down to the lack of a digital out.


My panny should be getting in this Tuesday, then I can tell you how compatible it is with the Harmony 680. It works flawlessly with the rest of my system so I'm confident it will have no problems with the xr55.

cjv123, I know it is probable hard to tell, but does the sound level coming from a single speaker go down when you switch from 2 channels to 5 channels (i.e. can the amp truly push $75-100 per channel even in 5-6 channels)


oh yeahi, the "dual amp" mode is real. the sound is noticeably louder. btw, you don't have to "switch" dual amp mode on- it auto-senses- if you disconnect the fiber out from the cable box, for instance, and you have 2Ch as your default for analog, then it switches into dual amp mode on the fly.

i thnk i read somewhere in this thrad that a mag had tested it to actually go like 80 watts each channel in 7.1 mode,. ii'm basically certain it goes well over 100W each channel in dual-amp mode.

so still no upconversion eh? that is really buggin me lol...

cjv123, Can you overlay PLIIx over DTS (PLIIx + DTS)?

yes, it works beautifully. it displays "dolby ex" mode and adds the SB's to DTS and to 5.1.

allso, something my kenwood doesn't let me do, it let's you adjust the parameters for music. for PLIIX it lets you adjust the front-back balances, center widths and "panorama." you can make an adjustment of center width for DTS-Neo. for each of PLIIX and DTS-Neo, you can also adjust the subwoofer level and the level of "effect"

Can someone please post a link to the XR55 product manual, or at least an image of the back of the unit? I've searched Google and the Panasonic site, but can't find much. Thanks.

Is the XR55 able to drive 6 ohm speakers? Thanks.

Can someone please post a link to the XR55 product manual, or at least an image of the back of the unit? I've searched Google and the Panasonic site, but can't find much. Thanks.


there's one near the top of this thread- i can confirm it is accurate for the US-model players.

Is the XR55 able to drive 6 ohm speakers? Thanks.

not sure- the power specifications given in the manual do refer to 6 ohm impedance. i can't imagine why it wouldn't be able to do that.

Manual states 6-8 Ohms only... No 4 Ohms

Apparently the output stage filter needs to match impedance

another thing i didn't know is a digital amp can "clip"- there's something you adjust called the "AD Attenuation" if you get "Overflow" errors on the display.

How sensitive is the volume when adjusted from the remote? Is it easy to adjust the volume slightly, or does it overreact? TIA.

How sensitive is the volume when adjusted from the remote? Is it easy to adjust the volume slightly, or does it overreact? TIA.

One push of the volume button adjusts the volume in 1 dB increments. As you hold the button longer, the speed of adjustment increases.

One thing I noticed is that even with my fairly efficient 8 ohm speakers I listen in the low 30s for most movies and with my old Kenwood the 30s would be deafening.

well i was in to futureshop tonight speaking with a guy about digitl receivers and he stated that the only peev he had with them was that they do not have "discrete" amplifiers for each speaker. He said if there is a loud noise in one speaker then it affects the other speakers. Is this true?

So... what are the opinions out there as to the best speakers for these amps (55 or 70) ? Can you give some suggestions ? I'd love full range hence avoid having a sub, even though I figure a sub is pretty much a necessity for HT ... not sure.

well i was in to futureshop tonight speaking with a guy about digital receivers and he stated that the only peev he had with them was that they do not have "discrete" amplifiers for each speaker. He said if there is a loud noise in one speaker then it affects the other speakers. Is this true?

Don't worry, such concerns are unfounded but I think I know what's behind this.

A few years ago they used to train big box stereo salesboys to look for and sell certain features in analog A/V receivers. If you looked through the top vents of most amps you couldn't see anything distinct.

But on some of these 'new' multichannel amps, you could look inside and see that they had 2 bigger amp sections, designed to power the front L and R channels, and would ensure the best stereo sound. The other channels were all sharing some lower grade amp which is all that was really needed for filler surround sounds.

Some receivers would have these extra amp sections on daughter boards, or you could see how many such 'discrete' amp sections there were just by looking.

Some amps would have 5 of these to show how all 5 speakers in a 5.1 setup would be getting 'discrete' amplification.

So sales people were taught to emphasize this feature back then. The theory (and sales pitch) was that if your amp didn't have this, and there was a big sudden demand for sound from all 5 speakers, the non-discrete amp wouldn't have enough ooomph for all 5, and the sound would suffer.

Obviously it's a red herring, because who here wouldn't take 1 excellent 'discrete' amp over 5 mediocre ones?

I guess there's some validity to the idea that heavy demand for amplification in all channels can put a demand on the power unit.

The S&V tests from a couple years ago did tests to see how various receivers handled heavy load from 5 speakers. Some amps did suffer when 5 channels were needed versus just 2.

But the older XR25 Panasonic showed in testing that it did not degrade much under multichannel load. It's a pretty fair assumption today's Panasonic amps aren't affected much by having to deliver in multi-channel.

So the sales person saying that is probably going off some old training they were given that isn't really that relevant for you.

not sure- the power specifications given in the manual do refer to 6 ohm impedance. i can't imagine why it wouldn't be able to do that.Thanks for the info. I found the post with the link to the manual, and it does say 6-8 ohms. Should be fine for my 6 ohm speakers. I think I'm going to order the XR55 tomorrow and give it a try as a replacement for my 60 lb NAD :)

Seems like a lot more options available on this than my xr50.

Thanks for the info. I found the post with the link to the manual, and it does say 6-8 ohms. Should be fine for my 6 ohm speakers. I think I'm going to order the XR55 tomorrow and give it a try as a replacement for my 60 lb NAD :)

now this is a comparison i'll be interested in hearing about. NAD, IMO, does a much better job with music than most AV receivers i've heard. i'm curious to hear your impressions how the the panny stacks up.

Is there a way to hook up a PC to this?

Is there a way to hook up a PC to this?

for video, not really. for audio- sure, either digital fiber/coax or 5.1 analog.

now this is a comparison i'll be interested in hearing about. NAD, IMO, does a much better job with music than most AV receivers i've heard. i'm curious to hear your impressions how the the panny stacks up.

Awesome, a fellow Zappa fan :)

Yes, the NAD is pretty good with music. I am underutilizing its HT features though (I only use two channel, about to hook up a sub too). I will also underutilize the XR55's HT features, but if it performs well enough in two channel mode I'll drop the NAD.

Is there a way to hook up a PC to this?

It depends on what you want to do. I have an Linux-based HTPC running MythTV sending a signal out to my receiver. In that sense the PC is "hooked up" to the receiver.

If you're looking for a receiver that has some built-in capability for interfacing with a PC, check out the Kenwood VRS-N8100.

Awesome, a fellow Zappa fan :)

"It looks just like a Telefunken U47... you'll love it!" :D

Yes, the NAD is pretty good with music. I am underutilizing its HT features though (I only use two channel, about to hook up a sub too). I will also underutilize the XR55's HT features, but if it performs well enough in two channel mode I'll drop the NAD.

ok then... you have now become my official guinea pig. i hereby allow you to waste/spend your hard-won cash in order to determine the audio capabilities of the new panny. if you say it compares favorably with the NAD, i will waste/spend my cash on it.

it's a big responsibility; don't f**k it up. ;)

Has anyone tried to multichannel analog connection with SACD or DVD-A? Can you comment on this? I'm just wondering how the multichannel analog perform compare to the older SA-XRxx which doesn't sound very good.

"It looks just like a Telefunken U47... you'll love it!" :DHee hee :)

ok then... you have now become my official guinea pig. i hereby allow you to waste/spend your hard-won cash in order to determine the audio capabilities of the new panny. if you say it compares favorably with the NAD, i will waste/spend my cash on it.I'll sure give you my opinion, FWIW. Not being a true "audiophile" my tastes might be a lot different. But I'll at least try a Zappa CD (maybe Hot Rats) with each receiver.

If I'm happy with the Panny I'll sell the NAD and come out way ahead. So I can justify this as a money-saving purchase :D It's already been shipped, should get it by the end of the week.

Has anyone tried to multichannel analog connection with SACD or DVD-A? Can you comment on this? I'm just wondering how the multichannel analog perform compare to the older SA-XRxx which doesn't sound very good.

I'd like to know too.

Audio quality is superb. Based on this alone, the XR55 would be a bargain at twice its asking price.

I’m running an Ascend/Hsu 5.1 system, and it has never sounded better. Clarity, detail, and soundstaging are excellent. I have my Ascend CMT-340 mains biamped (thanks Panasonic), and these wonderfully transparent speakers absolutely disappear with the XR55. I’d recommend this receiver even if it wasn’t insanely cheap.

This is good new. The XR50 (which I have) was not able to drive Ascend CBM-170 (based on some feedback in the digital receiver thread). Based on the impedence curves, the 340 is not very different from the 170. So I am guessing, the new XR55 has much more power to drive wildly changing speaker impedences. This should be a welcome news for many people and should make the Panasonic popular with a more broader customer base (who might have difficult speaker loads).
Matt, please confirm that you can bi-amp in 5.1 mode. It should be possible since the receiver is 7.1 capable and these two amps could be used for bi-amping. But I just want to be sure before I upgrade from XR50 to XR55.
BTW, I am a fan of pure digital amplification (like Neild here). I am an audiophile who got sick of all the dac/preamp/ic mania and like the simplicity of the pure digital amplification concept.

SE-

yoi can bi-amp and keep 7.1- it uses the "B" speakers for the bi-amping

so what is bi-amping and how does this improve over the regular?

SE-

yoi can bi-amp and keep 7.1- it uses the "B" speakers for the bi-amping

This sounds great. Does that mean the receiver has 9 amplifiers, so that the Speaker B can also be concurrently active ?
The Manual, per my understanding, implies that Dual Amp or B-amp can only be used with stereo input.
------------------------------------------------------------------
DUAL AMP function
Enjoy a higher quality sound during stereo playback by playing
the sound through the amplifiers used for multi-channel sound
sources.
DUAL AMP does not work in the following cases.
• When all the speakers are turned off
• During multi-channel playback
• When you are using Dolby Pro Logic , DTS NEO:6 or SFC
When the DUAL AMP function does not work, the DUAL AMP lamp
goes out.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enjoying BI-AMP sound
(When the front speakers are BI-WIRE compatible)
The BI-AMP function uses separate amplifiers for the high
frequency and low frequency sounds to the BI-WIRE speakers
during playback. This produces a higher quality sound.
This function works when using a BI-WIRE connection and
input is analog (excluding DVD 6CH) or a 2-channel PCM signal.
áRefer to page 8 for connecting BI-WIRE speakers.
• Select “BI-WIRE ” for “Bi-wiring settings”. (ápage 12)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

do you think panasonic will ever get auto calibration? its the one thing that the pio 815 has over the xr55

SE-

the unit has 9 amplification "channels", for lack of a better word. "dual amp" and "biwire" are not the same thing. dual amp is available for traditional monowire fronts- the light comes on when in 2CH mode. trying to understand the bit about analog or PCM input, it does suggest you can's use biwire with DTS as-if the crossover circuitry and digital processing cannot work at the same time. i'd guess you could use PLIIX but i don't know.. i'll try to check this later today by rigging up something.

PC Connection aren't expecting a shipment until August 24th. I ordered from J&R today and it shipped UPS Ground today. Next week will be fun!

I'm interested in buying one. Where is the good place? Thanks.

The question is not where is a good place to buy, but where can you find it yet. It is brand new

Two online sites that are in stock in the US are Panasonic where you can order on their web site (register for Club Panasonic and get 10% off plus free shipping), and J&R (www.jr.com). Those are the only two I know of.

Just hooked mine up last nite. Setup menus took a little getting used to but it wasn't too hard to figure out. This is my first surround system and when I watched the echo dance scene from "House of Flying Daggers" I was blown away!

Just hooked mine up last nite. Setup menus took a little getting used to but it wasn't too hard to figure out. This is my first surround system and when I watched the echo dance scene from "House of Flying Daggers" I was blown away!

Congrats, Maui. What speakers are you running?

David

After reading all of the previous posts I decided this was the receiver for me. So I ordered it from J&R along with a Panasonic S77 DVD and a Pansonic TH-50PX50U. I can't wait to get all of this installed in my living room!!! Thanks for the help!!

Yeh, I'm running it now with the s77 and the the PD50 (will be replaced by Aquos 37GB5u). Still playing with it to get the most out of my current 3.0 setup - Athenas AS 2.2's and C1. So far while watching movies, the valume is set at about -30 and I wonder if its the norm with this unit. May I be the first one to say that I'm satisfied but not blown away by it so far. Maybe calibration and/or adding surrounds and a sub will help.

Congrats, Maui. What speakers are you running?

David

I have a small overfurnished living room so I had to go with the Onix Rocket Tykes. They sound great though!

After reading all of the previous posts I decided this was the receiver for me. So I ordered it from J&R along with a Panasonic S77 DVD and a Pansonic TH-50PX50U. I can't wait to get all of this installed in my living room!!! Thanks for the help!!Now thats the way to accessorize your receiver!! :D

My TH-50PX500U shipped today to go with my XR-55. I'm going to try to setup a HTPC for DVD playback.

Would anyone who owns the xr55 be willing to open it up and take some pictures?

I'd be curious to see how this receiver stacks up againts panasonic's previous generations, such as what pcm-->pwm chip they use. I'm also curious as to what they use for amplification; chip amp or discrete parts?

i'd also like some pics that arent professionally done.

has it been confirmed that it does not have video up-conversion?

also, what is video switching?

First thing out of the box, poped the top and took some pics. Crazy me. :) Can only attache 3 here. Enjoy.

Still playing around with it.
Some initial thoughts.:
- Very light an flimpsy chassis. consider it is a plus since this is the area Panasonic cuts the cost instead of internal components.
- Sounds a little harsh and lacking some lows out of the box ( compare to my Marantz AV9000/MM9000 in the same room) using both coaxial digital and 6channel analog.
- Does not sound good as my XR45 in another room with digital connection.
- 6 channel analog seems to sound better than XR45 when connected to the same system before (keep in mind that this is a comparison from the memory).

14x15 room, onix rocket RS750mk2/200/Athena AS-R1 (temporarily, will soon be swapped with RS250 from other room)

one more pic here

So can anyone answer the question I asked earlier? Am I gaining anything with XR70 over XR55 assuming I have 2 HDMI sources (TV, DVD)? Anyone compared passing sound via HDMI to optical?


Ok, maybe I am getting buyers remorse. I have a Panny TX500 on the way, and today decided just to get a Panny receiver. I bought the RX70, 'cause I wanted HDMI. Did I make a wrong decision? I only have 5.1 so figured it would be fine.

Please advice?

Also, as far as a DVD (with HDMI) a VCR and CD player, is Panny ok to go with?

Be king, I am a newbie :)

Am I the only one who thinks these are looking more and more like computer motherboards?

I predict that there will be a multichannel digital amp running some sort of PC software with storage, video/tuner, and networking built in within three years.

$224
Amazon,com
Free shipping
No tax
:D

SE-

the unit has 9 amplification "channels", for lack of a better word. "dual amp"

Looks like there are only 7 channels there, if you have a look at the pictures posted. Or am I looking at the wrog componenets?

/BE

$224
Amazon,com
Free shipping
No tax
:DI can't find it. A link please???

$224
Amazon,com
Free shipping
No tax
:D

Taxed and shipping charged for MA. Units are from office depot.

It didn't come up in the search. Need to navigate to it. I am trying to include the link here to see if it works.

SA-XR55 in silver (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0009E1YPW/qid=1121339614/br=1-2/ref=br_lf_e_2//002-5664106-1832058?v=glance&s=electronics&n=14269191)

SA-XR55 in black (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0009E1YPM/qid=1121339614/br=1-3/ref=br_lf_e_3//002-5664106-1832058?v=glance&s=electronics&n=14269191)

Looks like there are only 7 channels there, if you have a look at the pictures posted. Or am I looking at the wrog componenets?

/BE

i see the picture- interesting. i tested it to play 9 high outs simultaneously- i need to go back and test that again.

i have a general question about "DD5.1" sound from a cable STB.

this is not recognized as "DD," by at least this AVR, as "DTS" instead is. the AVR plays the DD5.1 from the STB in PLIIX. it sounds great, but i'm wondering if something weird is up here.

$224
Amazon,com
Free shipping
No tax
:D

only caveat is OD has a bad rep online.

I cannot see the power supply transformer in those pictures!!!
Don't digital amps have one?

I cannot see the power supply transformer in those pictures!!!
Don't digital amps have one?

See post #227. When you're 90% efficient, you don't need a monster transformer.

only caveat is OD has a bad rep online.


Has anybody here got JR to match this price?

Great pictures nikonshutterbug, thank you! :D

PWM Processor is tas5076, two of them actually inside this unit:
6 channel pwm chip
*105db dynamic range
*.005% thd+n

I''m pretty sure this is the same pwm chip that the xr50/70 models have used, but I'm not positive. For reference, the xr25/45 used an older generation pwm chip, tas 5036 (I think rev. B), which has the following specs:

*6 channel pwm chip
*.005%thd+n
*100 db dynamic range

Can't quite read the lettering for those other chips, but overall the inside is more similar to the xr70/50 (no surprise) than any other panasonic model.

Here's a link to the inside of the xr50 for reference:

http://yosuke78.at.infoseek.co.jp/image/xr50naibu.jpg

How about my post above on the 70 vs the 55? Any takers?

How about my post above on the 70 vs the 55? Any takers?

this is purely academic, as i haven't heard either model... but my personal reason for preferring the xr55 is the dual amping capability. but that's because music reproduction is a much higher priority for me than movie reproduction. even though i have HDMI on my PD50, i'm perfectly happy compromising that for better audio.

this is purely academic, as i haven't heard either model... but my personal reason for preferring the xr55 is the dual amping capability.

According to Wayne at Boulder Cable (Wayne has done mods on the 70):

The biggest difference is the SA-XR70 has HDMI inputs so you can use a Panasonic DVD player in full digital mode, including DVD-A

Otherwise, the SA-XR70 has an illuminated remote, the 55 doesn't.

The 55 has 3 component video inputs. The 70 has 2.

The 70 has a digital audio output. The 55 doesn't

The 55 has 7 audio inputs, the 70 has 5.

The rated audio output of both receivers is the same: 100 watts per channel.

The 55 has a 80 hz electronic crossover. The 70 only goes down to 100.

***The 70 also can passively bi-amp the front two channels.***

David

ok, some clarification:

1) it will also play 2 "B" speakers when playing in 7.1 mode, despite the photos above clearly showing 7 output channels. (there must be some internal strategy to share output like feeding B left the A FL and SL)

2) the DTS Neo Music sounds absolutely fantastic on this, by the way. lots of separation, unlike PLIIX. the Neo also plays in the SB channel.

3) "bi-amp" mode (biwired fronts) does not work with any surround modes. the music plays thru the speakers, but (presumably) the fronts only get the "high" signal. biamping does work with CDs, etc played from the same DVD player. one rub here for folks with biwireed fronts and a surround setup is the AVR appears to be hardwirede in autodetect mode- you'd need to choose a non-DTS audio track of a DVD to hear lows from your fronts..

4) the subwoofer plays in all 2CH modes, including biamp.

this thing sounds beautiful. i may be hallucinating, but i thought i heard new sounds on the THX intro to a DVD i've watched maybe 30 times.

Wow, it really is strange to the mind just how light this thing is. Didn't Apple stick metal weights in early computers to make them heavier? You pick it up and you're almost concerned, heh.

It's great to come home from work to just catch the UPS guy holding your new receiver and a big Velodyne box. :)

***The 70 also can passively bi-amp the front two channels.***

bi-amping and dual amping are two different things. bi-amping is powering the HF and LF drivers with separate amps. in dual amping, the receiver -- when playing 2-channel music -- uses the otherwise unused amplifiers to effectively double the output power into the 2 channels in use. as far as i'm aware, the xr70 does not do this.

any smart person know if the 70's backlit remote works with the 55?

any smart person know if the 70's backlit remote works with the 55?

Well, I'm not smart, but I can say that the 70 remote should work with this XR55. They use the same codes. I have the MX-700 universal remote using a file from an XR70 learn code and it works perfectly with my XR45. Have just tested with the XR55 with success.

Mine arrived by UPS yesterday. From J&R in New York to Connecticut in 1 day by UPS Ground :)

Got it hooked up last night, to a 7.1 speaker configuration (with two subwoofers). It was so nice to connect up to real binding posts and not flimsy spring clips. The receiver is connected S/PDIF coax to my PC, Asus A8V Deluxe digital output. Put on Star Wars - New Hope DVD, the Trilogy version with Dolby EX, and the XR55 display only said Dolby, and not Dolby EX. This disturbed me, but all 7 speaker channel indicators lit up so it was actually decoding EX. Turned on Jay Leno Tonight Show digital OTA and the display still said Dolby but now the surround back indicator went off, as it should. Turned on PLIIx, not sure if anything changed. The speaker channel indicators appear to only show the input encoding, and do not reflect the output mode. That's a bit of a drag but I'll get used to it.

No time for critical listening until the weekend, but the sound on New Hope was clean and excellent. I did notice that regular stereo has too much bass, so the subwoofer level is too high. The crossover is now set to 80Hz.

This is a keeper.


================
SA-XR55S
Asus A8V Deluxe
Rocket RS750 fronts
Aria 5 center
Custom surrounds
Two Adire Tempest 15" subwoofers, two 214L ported cabinets, single 1KW amp.

oddjob-

you have to press "PLIIX" for dolby ex- the speaker lights don't really mean anything (the SB is silent without the PLIIX. unfortunately, i can't (yet?) figure out how to "save" this mode- it seems you have to press the PLIIX button every time you listen to a DVD to get SBs decoded.

btw, i also had set my crossover down to 80- it sounds so clean this way.

oddjob-

you have to press "PLIIX" for dolby ex- the speaker lights don't really mean anything (the SB is silent without the PLIIX. unfortunately, i can't (yet?) figure out how to "save" this mode- it seems you have to press the PLIIX button every time you listen to a DVD to get SBs decoded.


The New Hope DVD automatically lit up all 7 channel indicators (LF,C,RF,LS,BS,SB,LFE) - so I assumed that the surround backs would come on? I'll check it out over the weekend. The manual does say that the receiver does not automatically detect EX, so what you say makes sense but doesn't agree with the indicators.

I wish there were two sets of indicators - one to show the input encoding and one to show the actual active speaker channels.