Which receiver to buy for 5.1...here's my setup..

I use this receiver currently: http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/p...ETYP=ATTRIBUTE

I use these B1.2 Athenas (Rear): http://www.athenaspeakers.com/produc...pecifications/

I use Bic Acoustech HT-88's (Front): http://www.overstock.com/Electronics...9/product.html

I use an Bic Acoustech HT-65 for the center

I use a nice 10" sub, comparable to a BIC F12. I forget the specs and I'm shopping away from home.

Use: I use my HT system for gaming, movies, and music pretty much evenly. I listen to rock music, play video games like COD and Forza, and watch a ton of movies. I watch mostly action movies, listen to rock, hard rock, classic rock. As an example of my taste, i'll say i like led zeppelin, pink floyd, killswitch engage and disturbed.

Budget: I am not really on a budget I am just looking for a good bang for my dollar and what fits best for me. I'd like to keep costs around 200 or so if at all possible.

Room Size: My room is about 18' wide x 25' long x 8' tall. I don't plan on living here forever.

Appearance: Everything else is black, so I'm kinda looking for a black receiver.

I was thinking about getting this receiver: http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-RX-V363...385537&sr=1-21

The main reason I am looking to upgrade the receiver is because I can barely hear my rear speakers and it might not hurt to upgrade to something with HDMI for the future. I'm not sure if I should be upgrading just for HDMI, but I do need more power for the surrounds and I could use a few more features, my current receiver is pretty basic, but sounds great to me.

Tell me what you guys think and throw some model numbers out there if you wish.

I'm looking for the best bang for my buck and this Yamaha caught my eye.

Thanks, I'll be sure to check all those out, if they are really that much better for 300 dollars or so, I am willing to step up my budget for the right receiver

I'm not really sure what all the newer receivers are capable of, so I'll have to do a lot of reading.

I'm probably going to buy the receiver used too. I've had nothing but good experiences so far with used equipment and you can get such a good deal on them.

I'm looking at the Onkyo 507 then. Looks like it has good reviews and a decent price. I thought the zone 2 feature was kind of cool too, HDMI, 80 watts for all channels. What more would I need?

Am I really getting anything more with the 7.1 and the Yamaha or Denon?

The 507 looks to be a pretty good deal.

I found the 507 for $225. Good deal right?

I will read more about the Denon 1610....thanks. You said some of the Onkyo's have the multi-band EQ, do you know which ones off hand?

Ha, that's the exact one I was looking at on ebay. Is a full equalizer worth 75 more dollars? I know it's a good feature, cuz my deck in my car has that. I like it a lot....can this receiver be found for less money than 300? audiogon doesn't have any used ones for sale.

Thank you sir, i really appreciate this. How much did you pay if you don't mind me asking.

Thanks for all the input guys.

So there isn't much difference between the 1610 and 590? Ok I will look into it.

Ok, I've been reading over these and looking at reviews, but I still got one simple question.

Are brands like Yamaha, Denon and Onkyo relatively the same anymore, sound quality wise?

I'm pretty much paying for features correct? I'm starting to go way over my intended price, but I suppose I can live with $300. Is there anywhere besides amazon and ebay that has decent prices?

Ok I did A LOT of reading tonight and i think it helped a lot.

Accessories4less had the Onkyo SR507 for the cheapest price. $225 or $250 shipped. (Refurbished)

I did some quick searches on the other sites, they were either sold out, didn't have it or it cost a lot more.

I then went searching for the Denon AVR590. I noticed right away how terrible people are for reviewing equipment. If there wasn't one little thing they didn't have, they would give it a bad rating etc. So i quit reading reviews and started using cnet, their reviews seem pretty good.

I found an "authorized dealer" on ebay that will give me the full warranty, and i can get the Denon AVR590 for $300 shipped.

Probably the best way to go right?

I also stumbled upon the Sony STR-DN1000, it looked pretty decent for about $325, what do you guys think of that?

If you guys don't think anything else is good for me, I'll probably get the Denon, it looks to be a pretty good unit, not too many HDMI connections, but I should be ok in that department. I did so much reading, my head hurts, literally. So I can probably continue this tomorrow, I didn't spend much time looking at Yamaha's yet. So I might want to do that yet. I'm leaning towards the Denon just for the MultiEQ at the moment. Seems to be it's selling point.

Ok I've done some more reading guys.

The ebay link i provided and darkmart.com are both authorized dealers for the AVR 590. They are refurbished items and sell for about $300 each.

I thought I really wanted the AVR 590 until I stumbled upon the AVR 589. They look quite similar features wise, but i have to do a bit more reading. They both have the same EQ, but I think the AVR 589 has one less HDMI port and does not pass audio through HDMI. Is that really a big deal though or a deal breaker? My TV has digital optical output, so I could just run a wire to the receiver and have great audio sound correct? I think that should work fine...not sure, I am somewhat new to this stuff. It also looks like the 589 might not decode the new blu ray sound yet? But I don't even have a blu ray player yet.

Now would this be a good idea to opt for the 589 vs. the 590? $170 vs $300 shipped. Both are from authorized dealers and have warranties. The connections are a bit different on the back and I'm still reading about the features, but it seems like they are pretty close.

590


589

Well what do you guys think?

Denon AVR 589, 590?

Or maybe a Yamaha HTR-6140?

Onkyo TX-SR606?

Any other suggested receivers?

I read through my tv manual earlier tonight and if I remember right if i use the RCA output it would be 2.1, and I actually did hear sound from the rear speakers, weird I know.

I have not tried the the optical output yet, but if my memory serves me correctly, I read in the manual that the optical should output 5.1. If I connect the PC (HDMI) to the TV (HDMI) then the TV (optical) to the Denon 589. It is should be in 5.1. I'll read it again to make sure, thanks for bringing that up.

I don't really have a budget, I just don't want to pay for features I don't need. Basically I'm a tight wad.

OK, that makes sense, and probably why it sounds like crap.


I'm going to do some searching and read about optical then. I am not educated on that, thanks for pointing this out. If you know any good links, i'll gladly accept them, but I'm sure I can find some information tonight and read about optical.

Thanks for the advice on the Sony.


I have no blu ray player, and I don't intend on buying one for a few years. I could always sell the 589 and upgrade later, I figure.

I've never heard any digital audio or video. I have that old Yamaha (see post 1) All the connections are analog and some of the speaker connections don't even use banana connectors (i think they are called).

I live in Nebraska, keep in mind. Not many people I know have 5.1 systems, blu ray players etc. I've never heard digital sound or even the new blu ray formats.

Are the new blu ray sound formats REALLY that much better than regular dolby and those formats of sound? Is it really worth the upgrade now? Or wait a few years when blu ray players and discs are cheaper. I don't have to have the latest technology.

Thanks for all the input guys.