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Receiver suggestion needed for first DIY speaker build.

post #1 of 6
2/1/13 at 8:46am
Thread Starter 
I have been out of the HT/Audio game a long time. A REALLY long time. As in, the last time I actually had a receiver and surround setup was an old Sony unit from before the Playstation 2 came out! In other words...something like 13 years ago lol.

I have been watching TV and movies with just TV speakers for too long now. I am finally getting ready to build a decent system again. I have just about decided on a 5.1 system based on Overnight Sensations. MTM's for left, right and center, and MT's for rear. Because we are in an apartment now and have a very small living room I am going to start with just a 2 channel setup with the front left and right pair, and a receiver/amp. Later when we move into our own house I will build out the rest of the speakers and sub.

I would like to get a decent receiver...but there are so many options and I'm out of touch with what is state of the art right now. I need some recommendations. Here is what I need/want:
1) It doesn't really need huge power per channel (even a good 50 watts is fine)...but it has to be ok powering the 4 ohm Overnight Sensation MTM design!
2) I would really like it to have one of those built in automatic EQ adjustment features (like Audyssey or whatever is similar from other manufacturers)
3) I am lost on the current state of the art when it comes to networking/remote control features. I'd love some of of integration/control with ANDROID smartphones. Not sure whats possible there. Some kind of Pandora/Slacker/Rdio/Spotify type integration a big plus, but not critical. I know some can do bluetooth audio streaming but I'm leery of the quality of audio there.
4) I have a Sony BDP-S390 Blu-Ray player. Is there any particular benefit to having a Sony receiver to match it?
5) My budget is up to approx $400 for the receiver. Lower is better. :-)

I open to suggestions but please post the reasons for your suggestions, thanks!
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post #2 of 6
2/1/13 at 1:43pm
A problem is that most modern receivers, especially in your price range, aren't formally rated to drive 4 Ohm speakers. Most will, but perhaps not to high sound levels. If the woofers actually dip to 2 Ohms, though, that might be a problem. (i.e. external amps might be appropriate.)

There's no need to match manufacturers among your equipment. Denon and Onkyo receivers have Audyssey room correction software and probably would be fine. Onkyo's receivers tend to be somewhat less expensive for comparable features, but have gotten a reputation for somewhat poorer reliability. This might just be because so many more of them are sold. Unfortunately, modern Sony receivers no longer have the reputation for quality that Sony once had.

Denon certainly has apps for their receivers. Also, people often have found the receivers' Web interfaces quite convenient. The 1713 seems to be in your price range. Don't forget to call authorize dealers to get the best price, both because they aren't allowed to publish anything other than MSRP, and because Denon won't honor the warranty if you buy from unauthorized "grey-market" resellers.

I hope these comments help a little.
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post #3 of 6
2/1/13 at 2:33pm
no way a $400 receiver can power 4 ohm speakers, as like selden said, they probably dip to 2 ohms at some point. :S

you could probably find a used one for $400.00 that could.
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post #4 of 6
2/1/13 at 2:59pm
I neglected to mention that current-generation receivers with preamp outputs (ones which could be used with external amps) are well above your price range. frown.gif
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post #5 of 6
2/3/13 at 4:55pm
The Marantz 1403 satisfies your budget (MSRP $399), FL/FR pre-out, and Audyssey MultEQ requirements but is not a networking model so you would have to use either your TV or BDP as a source for your network audio and no smartphone remote control capability. If a refurb is okay, then consider the Marantz 1602 which offers the same features above but is also a networking model and would work with the Android AVR-Remote free app.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARNR1602/Marantz-NR1602-SlimLine-AV-Receiver-7.1ch-with-Networking-and-AirPlay/1.html

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.pskiwi.avrremote&hl=en
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post #6 of 6
2/3/13 at 9:35pm
I have a complete 5.1 home theater using the OS,I got the mtms for l/r/c and mts’ for surrounds and your going to be extremely happen with them. As far as driving them,I just recently bought a Harman kardon 1700 that's rated for 6/8 ohms and it has no problems driving them to high levels. Before that I had an older pos htib Sony receiver that never had issues driving them as well and I think that one was only rated for 8 ohms. The hk is on sale for 200 bucks right now and cant tell you enough about how well it and OS sound together.
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