AVS › AVS Forum › Audio › Receivers, Amps, and Processors › Looking for a good / reliable 5.1 budget receiver
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Looking for a good / reliable 5.1 budget receiver

post #1 of 16
10/16/10 at 7:09pm
Thread Starter 
I'm about to purchase two front Pioneer floor standing speakers and the pioneer front channel. I figure since I'm not even doing a full surround sound setup getting an expensive receiver is of no real value to me.

My main concern is that the receiver does a decent job for what I'm asking and doesn't break after a few years (overheating issue?).

So far these are the the two I'm concidering:
http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-SR308.../dp/B003BEDQQM
http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-VSX-52.../ref=de_a_smtd

Please share your thoughts and what you would if you only needed it for the TV/DVD/Xbox and had this speaker setup.

Thanks,
Reply
Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

post #2 of 16
10/16/10 at 7:26pm
also the slightly higher pioneer model: http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-VSX-82...039XQL2G...but the two you listed are better for comparison purposed.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 16
10/16/10 at 8:27pm
The VSX 820 will be ok - the Pioneers don't run as hot, as the
Onkyo receivers.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 16
10/16/10 at 9:38pm
Thread Starter 
Thats good to hear about the Pioneers. What about this Yamaha? It has 4 HDMI ports and is only slightly more. Would this be a better buy?

http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-HTR-306...7290075&sr=1-1
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 16
10/16/10 at 9:57pm
I am not impressed with that Yamaha model. If your budget could swing it, I would suggest a better model like the RX-V667.

If not, there may be better deals out there. New egg often has really good deals.

Not trying to encourage you to spend a lot of money, but 5.1 receivers are often ultra budget models. In those models, they make the biggest compromises in the power supply, among other things.

Using a 7.1 receiver for 5.1 is totally fine, and you are not really wasting much money on the unused amps ( they are really just a handful of cheap parts.) These models are usually more capable.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 16
10/16/10 at 10:02pm
Thread Starter 
I understand the "not wasting" since they are more quality parts but I'm unable to push it any further since I was given a 2k budget for TV + sound and I don't want to waste too much on receiver when I still need TV and stand.

Any thoughts on this Denon?

http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR-391-.../dp/B003QP3M8I

Looks like it's getting good reviews and I've always heard good things about Denon.

MichalJHuman - Could you explain why the power supply is so important?
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 16
10/16/10 at 10:22pm
How about a refurbished Denon 1610?
You could go even cheaper with a 589 -- or 590 if you can push the budget a bit. All of these have Audyssey MultEQ which will help a lot in getting the best out of your speakers.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 16
10/16/10 at 11:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cgprelude View Post

Any thoughts on this Denon?

http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR-391-.../dp/B003QP3M8I

Do you plan on buying a 3D TV, otherwise there's no need to buy an HDMI 1.4 AVR? The above Denon AVR does not include the ARC feature nor will it allow you to pass an HDMI source through while it's in Standby (ie when wanting to use the TV's speakers only). It also doesn't include the Audyssey speaker calibration system. For not much more you can upgrade to the 1611 which include all of the above. Give Denon authorized vendor Electronics Expo a call for their best price (as they list MSRP on their website).
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 16
10/17/10 at 6:37am
Thread Starter 
I've always been scared of buying refurbished products but I see a lot of guys recommend it in the threads. Is this something that people don't worry about with these manufacturers?

Also another question: I'm trying to understand speaker impedance; the speakers operate at 6ohms and the receiver is (6-ohms @1kHz, 75-Watts x 5 @ 8-ohms, 20 - 20kHz). I read that if the speaker impedance is lower than the amplifier impedance, the amplifier will tend to overheat and more power is used up in the amplifier than is delivered to the speaker. Is this just a setting I can change to make it function correctly on the 6ohms?
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 16
10/17/10 at 7:02am
Refurbished Denon AVRs come straight from Denon. Dakmart extends the normal 90 day Denon warranty to a full 1 year and would be a better choice over eCost. Although in some cases you can get a brand new unit for a very similar price from Electronics Expo.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 16
10/17/10 at 7:15am
is there any plus to 1.4hdmi if you dont own a 3d tv?

other than being future proof...?
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 16
10/17/10 at 7:20am
Nope. Which is why buying last year's models would be the better buy.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 16
10/17/10 at 7:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jdsmoothie View Post

Nope. Which is why buying last year's models would be the better buy.

this makes sense. which do you feel is best for under 250$...? (cheaper is better) esp sense only being used with two pioneer floor speakers...
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 16
10/17/10 at 7:42am
As Knucklehead suggested ... the Denon 1610, either refurbished at Dakmart or see what Electronics Expo will sell it to you for brand new which would then include a full 2 year warranty.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 16
10/17/10 at 8:33am
the 1610 looks like a solid choice, what would be your second choice if you werent going refurb (under 250$)?
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 16
10/17/10 at 8:34am
im not sure if there are any left, but newegg had the Yamaha rx-v765 for $299 shipped. New.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Receivers, Amps, and Processors

Gear mentioned in this thread:

AVS › AVS Forum › Audio › Receivers, Amps, and Processors › Looking for a good / reliable 5.1 budget receiver