Plz Help! Which would you choose? Onkyo 809, NAD T748, Denon 2112CI, Yamaha RXA-710

If you don't need networking, then drop down to the Denon 1712 which uses the same version of Audyssey MultEQ XT but no networking. Also, the 809 is more comparable to the Denon 3312CI and would be overkill for your setup. Can't speak towards the Yamaha or NAD, but you're using an entry level set of speakers so there's no reason to spend much on your AVR .. rather choose the one that meets your input/output/feature requirements at the lowest cost.

The main difference you will find between these receivers are in their room correction. The 2112 and 809 both use MultEQ XT so you won't find much difference there. The Yamaha uses YPAO which I have heard good things about but never used myself. The only problem with YPAO is that it doesn't EQ a sub on the lower models (below the A2010). I think the 809 might be a little bit of overkill for a satellite system. It seems like the 709 would be plenty. Weather or not you will hear a difference between it and the 606 is questionable. The 606 uses Audyssey 2EQ so you might get an improvement going to MultEQ XT. How much of an improvement depends on your room and system.

The NAD T748 is the same basic electrical platform as the HK 1650..
Which is significantly cheaper..
Perhaps the 2600 (w/Dolby Volume) which is on closeout is a better buy...

Just my $0.02..

The big change last year was going from HDMI 1.3 to HDMI 1.4, otherwise not alot of changes from last year to this year, so likely easier on the budget to go with a clearance model from last year.

How about the yamaha RX-A3000 at Newegg for 899 shipped. Hard to beat at that price level.

If Newegg doesn't ship to Canada Amazon has it at the same price but is temporarily out of stock and is accepting orders.

I am not sure which sub you are getting with the Paradigm system but some of the Paradigm subs can be used with the perfect bass kit(PBK) that will eq a subwoofer. If you can get that then I think the YPAO and MultEQ XT are on an even keel. The A2000/A3000 are the only models that can eq a sub. Anything under that will not so without the Paradigm PBK I would give the MultEQ XT a slight advantage. Some people don't like what Audyssey does to their system so there is no guarantee that you will like it better. It comes down to personal preference but I do think subwoofer EQ is important as I have found it to be very helpful with my system.

I really wish I wouldn't have seen the deal on the A3000 because it has me thinking about ordering one now.

You're not going to find a big difference between them without the room correction. That is where you start to find differences in sound.

809 would the lowest i would go in onkyo

2012 would the lowest i'd go in denon

if planning to use power amps I would strongly consider going the route of the onkyo pr-5509 or marantz av7005/8003

Not likely no ... go with either the Denon 2112CI or the Onkyo 709 as the 809 is overkill.

You can't ask me that because I'm super biased toward paradigms! I have heard the millenia one and I loved them. I was thinking about getting a pair for little 2.1 system but I haven't decided yet. They seem pretty easy to drive so I think the 2112 would be plenty. I was thinking about ordering the a3000 because it was such a good price (I think that's the one you were talking about) but I just don't know if I want to give up Audyssey. The YPAO on the a3000 is supposed to be excellent but I just don't know if it would be worth it for me. I use dynamic EQ for everything so I would probably miss it. My brother has the Paradigm SE1 and SE center with the 2112 and he loves them. The paradigm sub that you are talking about is so expensive because of its size but you can probably get better performance from a much cheaper 12 inch sub.

Keep in mind that Yamaha receivers do have Adaptive DRC. IMO, it is not as good as Dynamic EQ, but it does the job.

I have heard before that adaptive drc didn't do as well as audyssey. I wish yamahas had Dolby volume because ive heard good stuff about it. I know Yamaha doesn't like paying licensing fees for that stuff so they just develop their own.

Speakers are all about personal preference so thats why it's important to demo them. Glad you like the tannoys. I don't know if you have used audyssey before but if you haven't I would read through the first post in the audyssey thread. It really helped me get the best out of my system. The mic positions are really trial and error.
Did you decide on a sub?

If you get a phase error just check the wire and make sure its correct and if it is just ignore the warning.

The sub placement will be most important for getting good bass. You can just try different positions or do the crawl test. In a small room you don't have a lot of options so moving it around might work best.

I am not familiar with that sub so I'm not sure what settings you should use. You should put it at about 1/2 or 1/3 when you run Audyssey and see what trim you get. If it's more than 12 + or - I would change the volume and run it again. For example, if it's on 1/2 volume and you get - 12 then turn down the sub to 1/3 or 1/4. I am familiar with your sub so I'm not sure about the LFE setting being on or off. The crossover should be all the way up because the receiver will set the crossover when you run audyssey. The music/theater nob will probably be something you just have to experiment with to see which works better for you.

If you are using the relative volume setting (-80 to +18) on the Denon then 0 should be reference and that's usually pretty loud. When I really want to watch a movie and have that theater experience I watch between -10 and -5 and it gets really loud. Also make sure you turn off Dynamic Volume because that will cause things to not sound as loud especially on the midnight setting. It's good for commercials when watching TV or if you are watching a movie late at night.

I have directly compared. Although, Adaptive DRC works, but Audyssey is better IMO. Dolby Volume is another animal and I prefer it to Audyssey. Onkyo receivers from 709 and up have Dolby Volume, Audyssey, and THX so you can choose your poison.

I too wish Yamaha would add Dolby Volume to their receivers and allow YPAO to EQ the LFE channel on the lower models.

^^^^

Yeah I spent a lot of time going back and forth between the 709, 809 and 3311 but I was a little worried about the Onkyos after all the issues I've read about so I decided I would wait for a while before purchasing one. Dolby Vol was the main thing I missed out on by going with the 3311. The thing I like about Dyanmic EQ/Vol is that they are separate features and I don't use Dynamic vol that much. With Dolby Vol it seems like both features are packed into one so you don't have the option to keep D-EQ and turn off D-vol. I also heard on Dolby Vol disables Audyssey which I don't think I would like that but who knows. My next receiver should have it as I would like to get the Denon 4311 or Anthem MRX 300.

Dolby Volume actually is similar as it has two components. The Modeler is like Dynamic EQ and can be enabled without engaging the Leveler which is like Dynamic Volume. The way you do this in Onkyo's menus isn't exactly clear, but it's there. The x09 Onkyo models run surprisingly cool compared to previous years so it appears Onkyo is listening.

Sweet, I didn't know Dolby Volume would do that but that's great news. Thanks for the info. I will definitely want my next receiver to have it so I can try it out. I have also heard better reports about the new Onkyos so hopefully they are back on track. I always wait for the new models to come out so I can get a good deal on the last years models so I might put the 09 series on my list if they are still doing good next year. I had planned to get a 4311 this year but when the 4312 didn't come out that killed my dreams.

And also there is a good chance that the 4311 will not go lower than it is now. That 4313 that comes out next year will probably be in the $2.5k price range. You may want to order that 4311 you've been wanting off of accessories4less while they have them. Have a feeling they won't be there long. Sell out on a regular basis. Go HOGS !!!!!!!!!

I can't pay over 1k for an AVR so I'll just have to wait. I think I'll be able to find a good deal next year if I'm patient. Maybe the 3313 will get xt32. They brought XT down to the cheaper models this year so maybe they will do it with XT32 next year. I can always dream.