[Big Lag]

I need a rock solid AV receiver to replace the SONY STR-DA 5300ES (piece of junk) I now have.


Are there any receivers out there with good HDMI capability that are not fraught with firmware problems, overheating, poor design concepts, etc???


What receiver should I look at as a significant reliability upgrade to the (piece of junk) SONY mentioned above?

 

[john barlow]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Lag /forum/post/15402582


I need a rock solid AV receiver to replace the SONY STR-DA 5300ES (piece of junk) I now have.


Are there any receivers out there with good HDMI capability that are not fraught with firmware problems, overheating, poor design concepts, etc???


What receiver should I look at as a significant reliability upgrade to the (piece of junk) SONY mentioned above?

I have owned my Denon 5308CI since April and I love it. It is rather expensive but you can find it significantly discounted if you shop around.


This receiver is feature rich and the video and audio is outstanding.


The 5308 replaced my 4308 which was also a good receiver. Make no mistake though, the 4308 is not even close to being in the same league as the 5308.


I also owned a few of the Onkyo receivers, 805, 875 and 905. Pain in the ass to use and not even close to the quality of the Denon offerings.


Good luck on your quest to the ultimate AV receiver.

 

[The Wraith]

The new Pioneer Elite's are very nice. You should check them out as well.

 

[GTZ]



Quote:
Originally Posted by The Wraith /forum/post/15403063


The new Pioneer Elite's are very nice. You should check them out as well.

Agree

 

[cmarkmyers]

Ditto. I love my Pioneer 94.

 

[funkyman010]

One thing I regret doing is spending a lot on a receiver and not having much left for an amp. Not sure if you currently have an amp set up, but going separates with say an Onkyo 706 or 806 and Emotiva XPA-5 would be a great combo.


That said I do love my Pio 94TXH it is just I need more power because I have 4 ohm speakers in the front. Just something to consider if you were going to rely on the receiver for amp section.

 

[Big Lag]



Quote:
Originally Posted by john barlow /forum/post/15402667



Good luck on your quest to the ultimate AV receiver.

Thank you for your recommendation of a Denon receiver. I really will check it out.


I am not looking for the ultimate receiver. I just want a receiver that actually works, that actually does what it claims. I have a 7.1 speaker system.

 

[Big Lag]



Quote:
Originally Posted by The Wraith /forum/post/15403063


The new Pioneer Elite's are very nice. You should check them out as well.

I looked and touched an SC-07 last night. I had no way to evaluate it.

 

[Big Lag]

I really wanted to see the rear panels of the display units but these were not visible. I can peruse the photographs that will be available on line.


What I am after, above all, is plug-and-play via HDMI. I want a receiver that is as easy to use as "an appliance" but gives good video up-scaling and has 7.1 audio with adequate power to run my Orb Audio speakers.


I want a receiver that is reliably controllable via a universal remote, or better yet, it's own remote that is fully compatible with the other components.

 

[SkiSmuggs]

You would be far better off going with a Harmony remote for ultimate compatibility and one button set up for whatever activity you want. Trying to use a receiver (or any other) "universal" remote is usually an exercise in frustration and confusion.

Once the Harmony is configured, you press one button to watch a DVD and it turns on the TV, sets the proper input, turns on the AVR with the proper input and turns on the DVD player. If you then want to just watch TV via a CBL/SAT receiver, it will shut down the unneeded components, turn on the CBL/SAT receiver, and switch your TV to the appropriate input.

 

[Big Lag]



Quote:
Originally Posted by SkiSmuggs /forum/post/15405182


You would be far better off going with a Harmony remote for ultimate compatibility and one button set up for whatever activity you want. Trying to use a receiver (or any other) "universal" remote is usually an exercise in frustration and confusion.

Once the Harmony is configured, you press one button to watch a DVD and it turns on the TV, sets the proper input, turns on the AVR with the proper input and turns on the DVD player. If you then want to just watch TV via a CBL/SAT receiver, it will shut down the unneeded components, turn on the CBL/SAT receiver, and switch your TV to the appropriate input.

This thread is about AV receivers. Don't get me started on Logitech harmony remotes.


I spent all morning trying to get my Harmony 550 to do simple things such as turn the units on and change the TV channels on the set-top box and volume on the receiver. It is still not working correctly. I had to make changes to its set up because the receiver is no longer using its HDMI inputs/outputs. To get the receiver to work at all, I am having to use the component video I/O, hence the need to change the remote settings.


I suppose it was in their efforts to make the software "idiot proof" that they removed all control from the user. I sent an email to Logitech Support because the software is so poor.


A year ago, I purchased and returned a $500 Hamony 1000 because it worked no better or differently than the $50 Hamony 550. These universal remotes by Logitech also suck as badly as this SONY receiver but that is the subject of another thread.


Any other recommendations on receivers, anyone?

 

[funkyman010]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Lag /forum/post/15406460


This thread is about AV receivers.


Don't get me started on Logitech harmony remotes. I spent all morning trying to get my Harmony 550 to simply turn things on and change the TV channels on the set-top box and volume on the receiver. It is still not working correctly.


I suppose it was in their efforts to make the software "idiot proof" that they removed all control from the user. I sent an email to Logitech Support because the software is so poor.


A year ago, I purchased and returned a $500 Hamony 1000 because it worked no better or differently than the $50 Hamony 550.

In a world where we have so many sources running to a TV I suggest it is important to familiarize yourself with it. Mine has gone through several TV's and several receivers and plenty of source components. Once you set it up initially (which can take a while to fine tune just right) you will find it pays off VERY much.


Just to reiterate, I would still suggest checking out separate amps as they will give you more power than nearly any receiver alone will and can make speakers come alive. Otherwise remember the Pioneer SC-05 and SC-07 have pretty darn good amp sections for stand alone receivers. Don't forget the main purpose of all this is to get quality sound and can't forget your speakers.

 

[Big Lag]

Let me a little more clarification here. I am not that worried about the sound, either the quality or volume. I believe I will get decent enough sound out of any receiver in the price range I am considering. Yes, I am taking this for granted.


I am mainly concerned about HDMI compatibility, video upscaling, video source selection/switching, HDMI stability and audio processing to utilize my 7.1 sound system. I know that's a lot but it is what I want and why I want a receiver instead of direct connection from sources to the display.

 

[mrTAPOUT]

pioneer elites have a reputation of being very reliable and issue free. I have one and couldnt be happier. Stay away from onkyo

 

[Chip E]

I'm replacing a STRDA-5200ES with a Yamaha RXV-1900 today. This is a bedroom system. I've had a Pioneer Elite VSX-56TXI in my basement rig for 5 years.. There both better than Sony from a usability standpoint.

 

[brianjb]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Lag /forum/post/15410763


Let me a little more clarification here. I am not that worried about the sound, either the quality or volume. I believe I will get decent enough sound out of any receiver in the price range I am considering. Yes, I am taking this for granted.


I am mainly concerned about HDMI compatibility, video upscaling, video source selection/switching, HDMI stability and audio processing to utilize my 7.1 sound system. I know that's a lot but it is what I want and why I want a receiver instead of direct connection from sources to the display.

Can you be a little more specific about what you want to upconvert?


I suspect the Pioneer SC series will be ruled out because they don't do any upconversion over hdmi. If you want to upconvert over analog, then they will still be a good choice for you.


The Pioneer remote is poor IMO, so I use a Harmony 620 with an SC-05 with good success. I am not sure what issues you had with your Sony, but my Harmony has worked great for me with a Yamaha, Onkyo, and Pioneer. My only gripe is that there isn't an activity option for the Pioneer Home Media Gallery, so I had to pick the Pioneer iPod dock, and then remap all of the buttons. It only took about 5 mins, but Harmony should have made this easier.


If you want good upconversion over HDMI, then I suggest the Denon 5308, Onkyo 876, and 906. These are the three best upconverting receivers.


The Onkyo's run hot, so you will either want to use fans or place them in a very open shelf. I only mention this because not everyone wants to deal with it. See the following thread for what another user had to do.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1101952

 

[john barlow]



Quote:
Originally Posted by brianjb /forum/post/15412438


Can you be a little more specific about what you want to upconvert?


I suspect the Pioneer SC series will be ruled out because they don't do any upconversion over hdmi. If you want to upconvert over analog, then they will still be a good choice for you.


The Pioneer remote is poor IMO, so I use a Harmony 620 with an SC-05 with good success. I am not sure what issues you had with your Sony, but my Harmony has worked great for me with a Yamaha, Onkyo, and Pioneer. My only gripe is that there isn't an activity option for the Pioneer Home Media Gallery, so I had to pick the Pioneer iPod dock, and then remap all of the buttons. It only took about 5 mins, but Harmony should have made this easier.


If you want good upconversion over HDMI, then I suggest the Denon 5808, Onkyo 876, and 906. These are the three best upconverting receivers.


The Onkyo's run hot, so you will either want to use fans or place them in a very open shelf. I only mention this because not everyone wants to deal with it. See the following thread for what another user had to do.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1101952

I think you mean the Denon 5308CI don't you?

 

[brianjb]



Quote:
Originally Posted by john barlow /forum/post/15412537


I think you mean the Denon 5308CI don't you?

Yes, corrected for the type-o. thanks.

 

[BKarson777]

The Denon 5308 is to expensive for my pocket but I got the 3808 and love it. Denon is Def what you want. Just depends on what you want to spend.

 

[hdmi4ever]



Quote:
Originally Posted by funkyman010 /forum/post/15406526


Just to reiterate, I would still suggest checking out separate amps as they will give you more power than nearly any receiver alone will and can make speakers come alive.

Separate amps? For Orb speakers? The first step would be to get bigger speakers, before thinking about a separate amp.