I've got a Samsung HL-S5087W coming soon and I'm now shopping for home theater components, so I could use some recommendations. I'd like to keep the total home theater purchase to $1200 if possible. I know that limits me somewhat, but I'm not what you'd consider an audiophile anyway. I just want a quality product that functions well and sounds good.

First off, I'm not that hung up on the DVD player. For now I just want something to hold me over until the HD DVD wars are settled and prices come down. I may even opt to keep our current progressive scan DVD, I'm not sure. But because I know it will be replaced probably sooner than later, I don't want to spend too much here.

On to audio. I was looking at the JVC RX-D702 receiver. I've seen some good reviews and I like some of the features, like wireless connectivity to a PC for digital audio playback. Then I thought about Onkyo's SKS-HT240 or 540 speakers. Then again, some of the HTIB offerings, particularly from Onkyo, look pretty good too.

The room isn't that big, but don't get too hung up on that. We'll probably be in a different home with a larger living room two or three years from now anyway. Any thoughts are welcome, and I'll answer any questions I can.

Get an onkyo TX-SR504 from Shoponkyo.com for ~$210. For a sub look at the SVS PB-10 NSD from www.svsound.com for ~$430. For speakers, look for a pair of Athena B1.2 for front L/R, a C1.2 for a center and either another pair of B1.2s for the back or R1.2 if you prefer bipoles. For a 5.1 system, you should be able to find these 5 athena speakers for around ~$500-$600 if you shop around on the net. This combination will give you a much better setup than any HTIB out there.

Look at the reviews on CNet, the JVC RX-D702 seems to have some quality issues.

Get an onkyo TX-SR504 from Shoponkyo for ~$210. For a sub look at the SVS PB-10 NSD from Svound for ~$430. For speakers, look for a pair of Athena B1.2 for front L/R, a C1.2 for a center and either another pair of B1.2s for the back or R1.2 if you prefer bipoles. For a 5.1 system, you should be able to find these 5 athena speakers for around ~$500-$600 if you shop around on the net. This combination will give you a much better setup than any HTIB out there.

I could find the 5 speakers for 440$.
1) it seems that the B1.2/51.2/C1.2 are a big improvment, compared to Athena's Micra 6, which can be found at 330$, but includes a subwoofer ; do you agree, and it is worth the price (knowing that one has to add a sub)
2) what cheaper subwoofer would you recommend ? I'll have to go back to Europe in 2 years, so don't wan't to pay big bucks for a sub I won't be able to use there. I'd be looking for something around 150$ or less, if that makes sense.
3) I've never heard a bipolar speaker. What are the pro/cons ?

Thanks in advance for the replies !

Eya,

What kind of budget do you have for 5.1 speakers and the receiver? You could get equal quality speakers from Advent and get a better sub for the same price. Check out the Advent Heritage speakers discussed on the following thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=715151. You can get the H300s for the fronts and H100s or H200s for the back and the Advent Center for ~$220 + shipping. And then for a subwoofer, if your budget is large enough, get a PB10 from svsound.com for $430 + shipping. If you can't stretch that far, look at either the Athena P4000 ($150) or either the Bic H100($250) or Athena P6000 ($250).

Eya,
What kind of budget do you have for 5.1 speakers and the receiver?

At first I wanted to buy a Onkyo HT-S580 (200$), than a Harman Kardon CP15Z (320/350$ on ebay). Now I think I'd better invest in some quality loudspeakers I can bring back to Europe, and add some refurbished receiver/loudspeaker.
Say, I'm ready to spend 300/400$ for the speakers, the least possible for the sub, and between 100 and 200$ fro the receiver.
I also have a pair of Mission 731 Pro back in Europe (hooked to an Onkyo Integra 9511), so I could bring them back, and just buy a 3.1 to complement.
For the receiver, I'm currently looking at the Pioner VSX-816, the Yamaha RX-V640 and the Denon AV-1705.

You could get equal quality speakers from Advent and get a better sub for the same price. Check out the Advent Heritage speakers . You can get the H300s for the fronts and H100s or H200s for the back and the Advent Center for ~$220 + shipping. And then for a subwoofer, if your budget is large enough, get a PB10 from svsound for $430 + shipping. If you can't stretch that far, look at either the Athena P4000 ($150) or either the Bic H100($250) or Athena P6000 ($250).
I'm going to check that out, thanks !

Edit : been checking.. $226 inc S&H from accessories4less for 2xH300+2xH200+1xCenter... if it's the same qulity as the Athean, I'm sold !
note : other prices I quotes were also inc S&H
Edit 2 : I forgot to mention, I live in an apartment, with a wooden construction for floor/ceiling. And want to stay in good term with my neighbours, so I don't need a powerful sub. I just need one with a clean bass.

been checking.. $226 inc S&H from accessories4less for 2xH300+2xH200+1xCenter... if it's the same qulity as the Athean, I'm sold !
note : other prices I quotes were also inc S&H


Shipping for all speakers is free from accessories 4 less. It should cost you $180 total.
http://www.accessories4less.com/

use "shipspeakers" code to get free shipping from accesories4less. What's the max you can spend on a sub?

use "shipspeakers" code to get free shipping from accesories4less. What's the max you can spend on a sub?
Got that ;-)
I would rather thnik : what is the min I can spend...
I think the 8 inch Advent that can be found on eBay for 68$ will suit my need. Reviews say it's clean but not powerful : just what I need.

Since you have both, how would you compare the H500 with the H200 ? I found a pair of H500@134$(couldn't find H400 cheaper), so I might take one pair instead of H300 for front speakers.

I wish I could find more review for those speakers, especially compared to better known one (Athena, Wharfedale, ...). Hope none of you is affiliated with accesories4less ;-)) kidding :-)
On top of the Amazon reviews, if found :
Hcenter (detailled review) : audioreview com/cat/speakers/floorstanding-speakers/advent/PRD_120854_1594crx aspx

I just heard about them yesterday from someone elses post showing how cheap they have the Advent speakers for. The H500s will mainly give you a lot more output (can go louder) and greater extension (deeper bass when not crossed over). When crossed over at 80hz, you will not notice a huge difference between the H200 and H500. When not crossed over, the bass extension of the H500 is mind boggeling considering all the bass is coming from 4" woofers. To be honest, you may get cleaner and louder bass from the H500s than you will from the 8" athena subwoofer. The H500 made me realize how poor quality the bass is from both my Yamaha (dual 8") and Onkyo(10") subwoofers. While the subs can go lower and shake the walls more than the H500s, the bass is clean and defined with nothing added from the H500s. You could go without a subwoofer for a while with them and save for a much better, more musical sub. If you found them for $134, that is awesome. If you have the room for floorstanders and enjoy listening to music, get them.

Eya,

The review you found is most likely from an early since one reviewer said they were discontinued in 2003 and the Heritage line here was discontinued just a few months ago, if that. They are still probably similar in terms of quality and output.

Thanks a lor for the all the advice !
Here's what I plan to purchase :
- a pair of H500 (front)
- a pair of H100 (rear)
- a center Heritage (center :-)
- no sub
As I go 5.0 to 7.0 I might expend that later with a pair of H300, that I will use as surround, using the H100 as back surrounds (or back center if I go 6.0)

As far as the receiver is concerned, I'm considering (mix of AVS advice, HCFR advice (french equivalent of AVS), online reviews and What-Hi reviews)
- Denon AVR 1705 or 1905
- Pionner VSX D812 or 815
- Yamaha RX-V 440/640/657
They retail(ed) for around 500$, but can be found beween 150 and 250$ on ebay. But I might as well go for an Harman Kardon DPR 2005 (just above 400$ on ebay), cause I just love it, and because I'm doing a lot of headphones listening, and it has Dolby Headphone.

Sounds like a great setup! Let us know how it sounds when you get it all setup.

Was about to buy the H500, but I figured out the price was par unit not per pair :-(
So I'm still considering the H300 for front.
BTW, here are the specs (from accessories4less, if not noted otherwise) :
Edit : specs from Audiovox (http://www.audiovox.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/GenProductListCmd?categoryId=5028&type=prev&langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001)
(parent company for Advent)

H100 [HECO Krypton 100] :
* 4" Woofer
* 1" Soft Dome Tweeter
* Freq.Response : 75Hz-30kHz (50-40000 on HECO site)
* Nominal Impedance : 4-8 ohms
* Sensitivity : 85dB
* Recommended Power : 15-75 Watts
* Power handling RMS/max 60/100 Watt (from HECO site)
* Recommended Output Power >20 Watt (from HECO site)
* Finish : Silver/Black
* Dims : 9.5" H x 5.3125" W x 8.125" D (240x135x210 mm)
* Video Shielded

H200 [HECO Krypton 200] :
* 5.25" Woofer
* 1" Soft Dome Tweeter
* Freq.Response : 55Hz-30kHz (35-40000 on HECO site)
* Nominal Impedance : 4-8 ohms
* Sensitivity : 87dB
* Recommended Power : 15-85 Watts
* Power handling RMS/max 90/150 Watt (from HECO site)
* Recommended Output Power >30 Watt (from HECO site)
* Finish : Silver/Black
* Dims : 11" H x 6.75" W x 10.5" D (280x70x270 mm)
* Video Shielded


H300 [HECO Krypton 300] :
* 6.5" Woofer
* 1" Soft Dome Tweeter
* Freq.Response : 45Hz-30kHz
* Nominal Impedance : 4-8 ohms
* Sensitivity : 90dB
* Recommended Power : 10-100 Watts
* Finish : Silver/Black
* Dims : 12.25" H x 7.38" W x 10.5" D (311x190x270mm)
* Video Shielded

H400 from (amazon)
* Single 2-way silver-finished tower speaker for stereo or home theater use
* Dual 6.5-inch cellulose woofers and 1-inch silk dome tweeter
* Recommended amp output of 10 to 175 watts
* 35 Hz to 30 kHz frequency response
* Magnetically shielded against video interference
* nominal impedance of 4 to 8 ohms
* Measures 7.37 by 37.5 by 12.12 inches (W x H x D); 5-year warranty
* 35 pounds (pair)


H400 (on HECO site for Krypton 400) :
* 2-way bass reflex, double-bass
* Power Handling RMS/max. 150/250 Watt
* Frequency Range 22 - 40.000 Hz
* Impedance 4-8 Ohm
* Recommended Output Power >30 Watt
* Dimensions 185x950x310 mm

H500 (from Amazon)
* Single 3-way floorstanding speaker
* 1-inch soft-dome tweeter plus four 4-inch woofers
* video shielded for distortion-free use near TVs and computer monitors
* Full-range, 35 to 30,000 Hz frequency response
* nominal impedance 4 to 8 ohms
* High 89 dB sensitivity
* recommended for use with 10- to 200-watts-per-channel amplifiers and receivers
* Measures 5.3 x 45.1 x 10.5 inches (W x H x D) (it is less wide and less large than the H400...)
* 39 pounds ? (pair)

H500 (on HECO site for Krypton Tower - I assume this is the H500) :
* 3-way bass reflex, 4 bass driver
* Power Handling RMS/max. 200/300 Watt
* Frequency Range 24 - 40.000 Hz
* Impedance 4-8 Ohm
* Recommended Output Power >30 Watt
* Dimensions 400x135x225 mm

HCenter :
* (2) 4" Woofers (2-way bass reflex, double-bass)
* 1" Soft Dome Tweeter
* Freq. Response : 55Hz-30kHz
* Nominal Impedance : 4-8 ohms
* Sensitivity : 88dB
* Recommended Power : 15-150 Watts
* Power Handling RMS/max. 80/140 Watt (from HECO site)
* Frequency Range 38 - 40.000 Hz (from HECO site)
* Recommended Output Power >20 Watt
* Finish : Silver/Black
* Dims. : 5.25" H x 15.75" W x 9" D (135x400x225 mm )
* Video Shielded

Seems like the German don't measure the frequency cut with a larger dB ratio than the US...

Seems like the German don't measure the frequency cut with a larger dB ratio than the US...

That was my thinking as well. You can find the stats for the H400 and H500 on Amazon that looks closer to US measuring standards. They are both rated from 35 to 30000 hz.

I might add that I have measured the H500 with my radioshack spl meter and while at ~90 dbs at 35 hz, they were still at 85 dbs at 20 hz even though I couldn't hear much at that frequency the spl meter was showing 85 dbs.

I might add that I have measured the H500 with my radioshack spl meter and while at ~90 dbs at 35 hz, they were still at 85 dbs at 20 hz even though I couldn't hear much at that frequency the spl meter was showing 85 dbs.

8 years ago I could hear at 20Hz. Don't know now, will check ;-)
I update the specs with the amazon info. However 5"x10.5" looks pretty thin to me, (though it matches the 135mm of the HECO Tower). Could your measure yours and confirm the size ?
The H400 is larger and deeper. I may go for those as front speakers eventually. THey have the same frequency range (perhaps even lower), and sell for $180 (a pair :D ) vs $270. I don't know how the 3 extra drivers on the H500 make a difference.
I will also go with H100 for surround ; if eventually I upgrade to 7.1, I'll move the H100 to back surround, and will buy a pair of H300 for side surround.

The H400 probably do have deeper bass due to dual 6.5 woofers vs 4 4" woofers. They are only 2 way though vs 3 way on the H500s. Don't know how big a difference that would be.

The dimensions from Amazon for the H500 are accurate. If you eventually plan to have a Subwoofer, the H300s would probably do you fine.

The H400 probably do have deeper bass due to dual 6.5 woofers vs 4 4" woofers. They are only 2 way though vs 3 way on the H500s. Don't know how big a difference that would be.

The dimensions from Amazon for the H500 are accurate. If you eventually plan to have a Subwoofer, the H300s would probably do you fine.

No sub for now (and for at least 2 years)

Then the price for a pair of H400s sounds great. At my local retailer, the H400 still cost $250 each.

Yes, but the guy who did the review on Amazon got them for $135 a pair !
BTW, the h400 are $160 each on target.com, and are available at Target stores. I guess they'll go on clearance sometime... However, I don't think they'll beat 160/pair, so I won't wait.
Too bad, cause my neighbour gave me a set of 5 onkyo speakers...

BTW when I first got interested in these speakers I ran down to Target to see them because their web site says available in most stores. Well they wre nowhere to be found. The Target I went to is one of the largest and newest in this area too so if any Target would have had them, this one would be it.

I did manage to see and hear them at RC Willey, too bad they don't have many stores.

Which Advent's did they have at RC Willey that you could demo?

BTW when I first got interested in these speakers I ran down to Target to see them because their web site says available in most stores. Well they wre nowhere to be found. The Target I went to is one of the largest and newest in this area too so if any Target would have had them, this one would be it.

I did manage to see and hear them at RC Willey, too bad they don't have many stores.
Well, I was searching for some a set of 4 chairs lately. I had spotted one in a Target, but it had no sticker... Only at the fourth Target I visited was I able to find them. And they had just 4 left. Maybe my good star is still shining, and I should go back for some speakers... :D

RCwilley.com has the H200 on sale for $70/pair, not bad. But for th brick& mortar stores.. Utah is really great, but I live in DC...

Accessories4less.com has the H200's for $59 a pair and free shipping.

RC Willey had the H200 but they also had the H100. Neither were hooked up, I sort of took care of that myself. :-)

It was crazy the H200 were tagged $199.99/pr marked down to $69.99/pr. But the H100 were marked $199.99 and not marked down! I had one of the sales people check and sure enough the H200 were marked down but the H100 were not.

That's what my sales person said as well! The reason I asked is because I bought an open box pair of H100 for $50 and wanted another pair to complete a 7.1 system but they only had the retail priced ones. So I picked up a pair of H200 for $69 instead:d. I didn't even know at that time that online prices were cheaper.

Even though the online price was $10 less, there's something to be said for being able to try them out in your home right away. That's $10 well spent, if you didn't like them you could return them easily.

If you bought the H100 online and wanted to return them, you might have had to pay for return shipping.

Good point. Although, they were "As Is"/not returnable but at least I was able to listen to them at the store before buying so I knew they worked.

micah3sixty , the H100 is supposed (in the specs) to be wall-mountable. Is there a specific device provided, do one need extra brackets, is there a hole in the back of the speaker (that wouldn't be on the H200)?

Correct. H100 model has a keywhole bracket on the back that allows for hanging walls. No extra equipment needed (other than a screw or nail). Not available on H200 and above.

Correct. H100 model has a keywhole bracket on the back that allows for hanging walls. No extra equipment needed (other than a screw or nail). Not available on H200 and above.
Thanks for the info. I'm about to pull the trigger, but am still wondering if I should not take a more compact system (because of my job I have to move every 3 to 6 years...) ; but a pack of 5 Orb Audio Mod2 costs 899$...
Another option I'm also considering is buying 4 used B&W DM302 on eBay.

BTW I found that the German magazine Audio had a comparative review on the H400 (the Heco Krypton 400) to be correct. However I couldn't proceed with their payment system to get the test results (tried a US and a european credit card.. wouldn't work :confused: )

The test (dated 15 january '04) was for loudspeakers between 400 and 600 Euros ($500 to $750). It includes (price per pair)
- Boston CR 95, 500 Euro
- Heco Krypton 400, 560 Euro
- Mission m34, 600 Euro ["grand, imposing sound - if you must have a floorstander listen to these" - What Hi-Fi? Nov 2005]
- Mordaunt Short MS904A, 400 Euro
- Visonik Revo 4, 600 Euro
- Wharfedale Diamond 8.4, 480 Euro [8.3 were rated "terrific perfomers for the money, few can match their all round abilities" by What Hi-fi? in nov 05]

God company isn't it ? Which I could see the results of the test...

That would be a nice review to read through and see how these Advents/Heco match to these high end brands that they were compared to.

Do you have a link to that article?

Do you have a link to that article?
http://www.audio.de/aud0204_p0120_boxensets_pdf.37081.d_aud_payment.htm
It's just 1,2Euro ($1.5)... I hope you can proceed through their payment system. The site is in german, but the payment site is multilingual. BTW, the review is in German (but Google linguistic tools help :) , and if needd I've got a german workmate).

Better and cheaper than the Orb, I found the Mirage Omnisat : 99$/pc (on sale, $250 usually). But due to their size, they are limited to 120Hz (though several people crossover them @80Hz). I think I will buy two for my bedroom anyway.

Well just being in that company tells you a whole lot about the Advent/Heco speakers. You don't see a car comparison comparing Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Pontiac! The company they keep tells you the caliber of speaker we are talking about, even if they come in last place. I would be curious to see the results though.

Finally got it ! Though I had to pay twice (because I didn't autorized popups...). So I guess that gives me the right to share that with one of you :p
check you PM ;-). I'm still decyphering the Google translation, that is very "Yoda-like".

Results : Boston first (best perfomance) ; Mordaunt Short second (because cheap ; lowest performance)

In perfomance, the Krypton come second, tied with Missions and Revonik.

Marked price for the Krypton : 2xH400 = 560€ , 2*H200 = 290€, HCenter = 150€

==
Now here's my issue. I have to decide between :
1) a advent set
280$ for a 5.0 set (2xH400, 2xH100, 1xHcenter)
350$ for a 5.0 set (2xH400, 2xH300, 2xH100, 1xHcenter)
Pro : outstanding value for money
Cons : size, low GAF (Girlfriend Acceptance Factor - however not an issue right now, she stays in Europe while I'm in the States)

2) a Mirage Omnisat (http://www.miragespeakers.com/PDFs/current_manuals/omnisat/OMNISATbrochure.pdf) set
$450 for 5.0 (3x omnisat+2x omnisat micro)
$600 for 5.0 (3x omnisat+4x omnisat micro)
Pro: high GAF, pretty good sound (but how it compares to Advent Heritage?), omnipolar techno (according to the reviews, really creates a volume of sound)
Cons : price, lack of bass (need for a sub, and I'd like to avoid that ; they go 'till ~100Hz)

3) possibly a mix of the 2

I think I'm going to buy a pair of H300 and Mirage Omnisat, and test them at home, then I'll buy the complement.

Wow it appears all of our speculation has been validated! Second place among the group in performance is quite the accomplishment. And it would have probably finished 1st overall if the prices we are paying were considered. Look at the Mordaunt, it finished second overall because it was cheap even though it had the lowest performance. Obviously the Advent/Heco would have won this test at our prices because it would have been the cheapest but also right at the top in performance.

Awesome!

Thank you eya!

This just reconfirms what I already believed. These are great speakers and for the price they can't be beat!

Great find, I'm building a home theatre system too, and seriously considering these.

I was going to go with 2x H300, 2x H200, and the centre, plus a sub (to be determined). However, now that I found out that the H200s can't be wall-mounted, I may go with the H100s for the rears.

Regarding a receiver, how would these pair with the Panny XR57 that everyone seems to be raving about? Or the HK AVR240?

I would think that the Panasonic and HK receiver you mention would go just as well as the Onkyo receivers that others are using. Go with what ever receiver has the features you want.

I would think that the Panasonic and HK receiver you mention would go just as well as the Onkyo receivers that others are using. Go with what ever receiver has the features you want.
I got a remanufactured HK DPR (with complete 2 year warranty from HK) for $417 including shipping, from the HK store on ebay. You can have the AVR 340 for $300, plus $35 shipping. MSRP for the DPR 2005 is $1799, $899 for the AVR340...

I am going to go with either the SA-XR55 or SA-XR57. I can't believe how good these receivers are. People are comparing them to boutique audio gear that runs into the thousands of dollars. They say that this is the worst nightmare of these high end companies because the two Panasonics sound so clean. There is about a $60-$80 difference between these two with minimal differences in their respective features. The one thing the SA-XR57 has that might sway me is HDMI in and out. I think it converts other video inputs to HDMI but I am not positive.

I haven't heard anything powered by the panasonic SA-XR57 but by a quick inspection, I have a REALLY hard time believing the stated 100 watts per channel. On the back of this receiver is a UL rating that this receiver only consumes 135 watts, just over 1 amp. The onkyo 503/504 are rated around 5 amps or 500 watts and have really beefy ventilation and heat sinks. It may be a clean sounding receiver but I doubt it can drive full 7.1 very loud without beginning to distort. I could be wrong of course. Just trying to be helpfull.

Micah the XR57 is the genuine article. It uses digital ampification which provides very clean power. This receiver is THE unit to get, read the reviews and you will see what I mean.

http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/vModelDetail?storeId=15001&catalogId=13401&itemId=97243&cacheProgram=11002&cachePartner=7000000000000005702&surfModel=SA-XR57S&catGroupId=25013&surfCategory=Receivers&displayTab=O

These Pannys have digital amps were the onkyos and most others are analog. Digital amps don't require as much amperage to push the speakers at the same levels that's where the difference in specks are. And without hesitation I would say that the Panny specks are conservative in wattage ratings in comparison. These receivers don't have to convert the signal like an analog does. The result is you get a much more powerful output signal that's cleaner at higher db levels. They also run clooler and are much smaller, they don't need the sized heat sinks that analogs do. They do have different sound characteristics to analogs though. Some people say it's brighter, but then we're getting into preference. Bottom line is due to them not haveing to convert the digital signal you get cleaner more up front ouput with power in reserve which amounts to more headroom that will produce a higher db level without distortion. The 100 watt specs per channel are very consersative in comparison.

I guess I better read up on them to see if they really are the bomb.

Micah the XR57 is the genuine article. It uses digital ampification which provides very clean power. This receiver is THE unit to get, read the reviews and you will see what I mean.


Then read the reviews about the HK DPR 2005. Audiphile and videophile. Digital as well, and 120W per channel. And if you know HK, you also know that they always underestimate their power ratings...
Only downside is that it is prone to failure (but a remanufactured one should have been extensively tested...)

I guess I better read up on them to see if they really are the bomb.

the xr-55 was wildly popular when i first came here, but strangely we don't hear much about the xr-57. it might be a price thing, i think the 55 was going for about $220 at the time, which made it a great deal.

i believe the wattage figures for these digitial amps, as they are entirely different animals from their analog counterparts. some people absolutely swear by them, but i've never heard one myself. with that kind of power and HDMI switching, though, they look like they might be a sweet deal.

The XR55 is still widely available for around $220. I am debating if the XR57 is worth the extra $70-$80. The main difference is the 57 has HDMI in and out. I am not sure that is too important, now if it were 2 or 3 HDMI in and 1 out that would be valuable.

I have had so many receivers over the years and there is always that tiny bit of hiss that seems to be unavoidable. With the 55 and 57 being digital that hiss is a thing of the past.

I have had so many receivers over the years and there is always that tiny bit of hiss that seems to be unavoidable. With the 55 and 57 being digital that hiss is a thing of the past.

Yeah, my old aiwa minisystem has a terrible amount of hiss, especially on the surrounds... Most of the time I can still hear it over decent volumes up front. As long as anything I ever get again isn't as bad as that was, I'll be quite happy :D

I have had quality receivers, namely a Denon that hissed out of the rears with no signal present. That was a good receiver but it was analog. These newer digital receivers are the answer.

I have had quality receivers, namely a Denon that hissed out of the rears with no signal present. That was a good receiver but it was analog. These newer digital receivers are the answer.

A bit late on this post, and I have read much about docprego's impressive setup.

Not to thread-jack, but just two quick notes on the Panasonic XR-55 & XR-57S.

First, like many Class-D amps, the Panasonics can have problems driving some 4 ohm speakers (as resistance changes at different frequencies). Though plenty of other people report success, looks like at least one Advent Heritage poster had a problem with the XR-55.

Second, I think (and if anyone knows, please confirm) the Panasonic XR series, when run in 5.1 mode, and be used to bi-amp the main speakers.