Panasonic vs HK vs Onkyo

Hello all,

Here is some background information. I listen to music 95% of the time and do some light gaming 5% of the time. I am usually within 3 feet of my speakers, have a small room and I don't plan to play loud. As a first time buyer, I really want to buy new. I have three receivers picked out and my budget is $250(I can go up if possible, but I really want to stay in this range). Feel free to recommend others within my budget. Sound quality is my main concern.

Source
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I don't have a tv or dvd player. The only source is going to be from my computer, mainly FLAC files. My soundcard is a Chaintech 710, which has optical out.

Speakers
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I decided to go with the HSU HB-1 Horn and STF-2. I will NOT be adding more speakers. I prefer 2.1 and I plan to buy these and keep them for a long time.

Receivers
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Harman Kardon HK3480 Stereo Receiver
Onkyo TX-8522 Stereo Receiver
Panasonic SA-SR55S

Here are my thoughts:
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The Panasonic is cheap and has digital input and has some crossover frequency control.
The HK and Onkyo are made for stereo but do not have digital inputs or crossover control.

1) Is the digital input is going to be that much better?
2) Would it matter quality wise which crossover I use? (The crossover on my sub or the one on the Panasonic)

Which one do you think would be better as I've heard good things about these receivers? Hope I provided enough information. Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the advice Zardnok. I didn't know you can buy refurbished HK's with a warranty. I was hoping to get some of my questions answered as I would be able to make a better informed decision.

I have another question. Which setup would be more preferred?

1) The HK3480 has no frequency control. I can hook up the HB-1s to speaker A and the sub to speaker B. My HB-1s will receive a full range frequencies. Is this safe?

2) Or I can connect the speaker A outputs from the receiver to the high level inputs of my sub and connect the HB-1s to the sub.

3) Or I can connect the HB-1s to speaker A and the sub to the subwoofer out. It is full range on the sub out and full range on the HB-1s.

The manual recommends number 3 for my setup. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, David. Your opinion was very informative. I'm leaning on the Panasonic for its low cost and high SQ. It's reassuring that you have the same sound card and had a great experience with the Panasonic. It's also nice to know that you have the Onkyo to compare with as well.