Which receiver? Onkyo/Pioneer/Denon?

I'm in a similar boat as you. What size is your living room?

I would guess the Onkyo SR707 and Marantz sr5003/sr6003 will fit into that group. Any of them should work just fine. They are all good choices.

Hello, I think any of the receivers you mentioned will perform excellent for you and you won't be dissapointed in any of them.

I feel I should suggest you look at Yamaha, also.

I currently have a Yamaha RX-V2400 that has been simply excellent for the last several years that I've had it. This receiver, along with my Axiom speakers and HSU subwoofer has blown away everyone who has heard it.

Yamaha makes excellent stuff and they have many receivers in your price range that will do everything you need them to do - and much more. You owe it to yourself to at least check them out. Mine has never let me down, and never had a hiccup. Can't say enough good things about it.

I was very close to purchasing another Yamaha - the RX-V3900, but ended up pulling the trigger on a Harman Kardon 7550HD - which is in the mail and I'm very excited. I feel bad replacing my trusty Yamaha though - but it didn't have hdmi and I simply have too many hdmi components now, but it'll perform office/computer duty for now on.

The Elite VSX21 offers the best value at that price IMO. The Onkyo707 can be had for around the same and offers an excellent value as well. The only limitation with the Onkyo's is they run HOT which may limit installation flexibility.

You'll get all sorts of subjective opinions on speakers and suggestions to go out and listen to what you like....which.....has little to do with what will happen in your own space. So i say get the AVR, and try out what you have already. You may find after setup that you're perfectly happy with your purchase.

Yeah - stick with the Polks and hook up pretty much any modern receiver, and you'll be blown away.

Don't get too caught up in the audiophile talk.

Whether you're listening to some 2 channel audio, watching a cool movie, or playing Call of Duty, you're gonna be so happy and the envy of your friends.

Yamaha 765

I'd have to agree, if you really do intend to swap speakers, I'd audition everything before pulling the trigger.

Speaker choice will make up about 90% of your sound quality along with room treatments. With most any good brand receiver with plenty of good stable power mentioned above, the sound quality will be identical if not any subtle differences. Pick the receiver with the best features you need and spend the time listening to various speakers out there before buying.

I am about to order the Marantz sr5003 but am afraid as reading the threads about the "pop of death" thing they call and as reading through other reviews on other sites, many people have similar bad experience with the new Marantz lines shutting down on them. Scares me though.

I went with the Pioneer VSX-21THX...just yesterday as a matter of fact. I compared it to the Denon 1910 and the Yamaha 765 and found I liked the 21 better. I feel the mid range was a bit more defined and "warmer"...yes I know that is a word starting many an argument but that is how it sounded to me and my wife...who seldom notices such things but is becoming a more learned person in this area hehehe...

I did my auditioning at two different BB Magnolia's in Syracuse NY yesterday because neither had all the receivers I wanted to audition. I wanted to hear the Denon 1910, Pioneer 1019, Yamaha 765/665 and others in this vicinity. The speakers I used were a pair of Klipsch towers and Martin Logan towers for variety. I also used my own demo cd for music as it has a very nice mix...to me anyway...of music that I am very familiar with and tests both speakers and receivers, etc.

I felt the Denon, while very nice, emphasized the lower registers a bit more and the Yamaha's the upper registers a bit more than the Pioneer did. I made sure all the receivers were set up the same and the volume levels were the same...no I did not bring my spl meter...I'm not that big a geek hehehe. I did not test any Onkyo's at all as I'm not interested in that brand.

I have a Yamaha 659, have had it for 3 years, and am familiar with the sound.
I really liked the sound of the Pio 21 and felt it was well worth the few bucks over the Pio 1019 and the other brands I auditioned.
Set up was fairly easy but I would suspect not so for someone with no previous experience installing and setting up HT gear. I thought the manual was well laid out and quite clear. I honestly did not even use it until after I installed it and connected my peripherals and began to set it up. It was quite easy.

I love the sound, in my ht. I noticed immediately how much more defined and "warm"...yep there is that word again...the sound is compared to my old and well loved 659. Dialogue was a bit more clear and defined, which honestly surprised me as I thought the 659 did a fine job. Highs were not quite as bright as with the 659 but, imo, have a nicer sound.
I'm no expert by a long shot and have no handle on the correct terminology but am using words that seem right to me...

I was very surprised at how much better a BD movie sounds when using either True HD or DTS HD...I did not expect much of a difference and though I am a big forum fan I just did not expect the difference I experienced compared to non True/DTS HD formats...the depth, clarity and range really surprised me and I was shocked when my wife...who would be completely satisfied with the speakers attached to the tv...said she loved the sound and could hear things she did not hear before...WOW.

So after spending several hours listening and comparing I felt the Pio 21 was the best bang for the buck and sounded the best, again only to my ears/and wife's, compared to the other brands/models I listened to yesterday.

Good luck and keep us informed.

This is where I am at right now. Folks here at forum wisely steered me away from buying new receiver until I first did something about my my HTIB speakers. Sure glad I listened! Even though I didn't spend exhorbetant amount of money on new speakers (BIC Venturi) they alone made a world of difference in SQ.

Now, I am also in process of buying new receiver. Would the Denon 1910 / 790 at 90 watts per channel, possibly be worth consideration of OP? That is the one I am probably going after.

Yes the 1910 is a good choice. There are others that deserve consideration as well. The H/K 2600, Onkyo RC 160, and another option would be a Yamaha 665 coupled with an Emotiva UPA7 amp if you have room for it.

My present Onkyo receiver, HT-R560, came from acessories4less. Great seller to work with.

I think you'll find that there many users here that have used both EQ'ing systems and they like either of them. Some preferred audyssey over MCACC and vice versa. I've only used Yamaha's older version of YPAO and Audyssey Multi-EQ XT, guess what I liked both of them. With Audyssey Multi-EQ it will also calibrate the sub for sub for. But, I had no problems calibrating the sub with a Radio Shack DB meter with YPAO either. As for a being a newbie everytime we buy a new receiver we are all newbies. The landscape on these things change every year. If you are happy with your Elite 21, keep it and don't worry about it. Besides that it seems that this years offerings from Onkyo are having more growing pains than the models in the past few years. Read the threads for their higher end models(3007/5007) and more than a few people are mad about the "popping and clicking" issues. Firmware updates have supposed to have fixed this. You bought a very good AVR, one that is very reliable,well built, has pre-outs if you should want to add an amp later, and has a very good EQ program. Don't let buyers remorse settle in. You will never be happy with whatever you buy. Go to the dedicated threads for your AVR and learn as much from current users as you can and apply the needed changes that may make you happy from their suggestions. Don't worry about if the Onkyo's,Denon's or Yamaha's are maybe better. The only way to find that out is to try everyone of them out with your speakers, in your room, set up properly, and that is a very expensive experiment. Set your up the way you prefer it, the way it sounds best to you and yours and forget it. Your'e the only one that has to be pleased. Good luck and enjot the experimenting with it. Its half the fun.

For music speakers are ultra critical. Take a hard look at Paradigm and Energy.

I agree speakers are very very important. In choosing a receiver any of the Major Manufacturers have their pros and cons. All emphasize different sound qualities and enhancements. Many of the bells and whistles are a bit over done and some very amazing and helpfull. I have owned EAD, Several Dennon top or near top of the line receivers. Pio Elite. All very good some great. In some cases added outboard amplification to add power. I now own an Onkyo tx nr 5007. to me it is the most amazing powerful and diverse receiver to date. Sound Quality and video processing is amazing. enough power that I sold my outboard amps. There are a few quirks and they are eliminating them with firmware etc. I have found with a lot of experience all have customer service and tech support that is poor to very good. Except Onkyo. In dealing with them you need the patience of a saint. The techs are okay but most of the CSR is deplorable. That could and probably be a deal killer for some if not most. Despite that they have a good following. In short the 5007 is the best av receiver I have owned and plan to keep it for a while. Good luck in your search.

Depends on how loud you want it, really.

Another good receiver is Donald Driver.

My vote is for the Pioneer or the Yamaha unless you want to fry some eggs at the same time, then go with Onkyo......

Study the following graph for a while to understand the realities of "how much power" you need.


A much better way of achieving louder sounds would be to purchase more efficient speakers. A speaker with 3dB more sensitivity/efficiency is equivalent to doubling your amplifier power!! You could double your apparent loudness with a speaker 10dB more efficient.

PS. My main speakers are 98dB efficient. I can generate THX peak levels with about 5W/ch !!

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So a receiver pushing 90 watts per channel such as Denon 1910 and a 7.1 speaker system with the speakers having sensitivity of 90dB should be more than enough for average home theater movie watching?

More than enough!

"90dB" speakers can generate THX 105dB SPL peak levels with 32W/ch.

90W would produce 109.5dB SPL if the speakers could handle the power.

Hello,
The problem is a AVR as low on the pyramid as the 1910 comes nowhere close to outputting 90 WPC all channels driven. You usually have to get into the higher priced offerings to come close to that actual rated power.

Another example is the VSX-1019 which is rated 100x7 and when tested achieves under 30 watts ACD.
Cheers,
AD

Aren't all of the Denons supposed to be very close to their rated power with all channels driven? If not, how would best way to find out? Also, if 90dB (sensitivity) speakers only need 32 Watts for 105dB, then how much less power is required for reasonable listening?

Hello,
Denon does better than most. However, especially with 7 channels driven, the specs fall below rating. The closest thing I could come up with was the bench test for the AVR-2307CI which output 75 watts ACD.

If your speakers are 90 db efficient, you should be fine. Realize that often Speakers are not as efficient as their ratings attest. However, if within a couple of decibels, it really should be fine. The size of your room will also have an impact.
Cheers,
AD