[Marc0000]

Wow, I'm overwhelmed. Newbie here, I just bought a Samsung 50B860 Plasma (great TV by the way, thanks to this forum). I have an old Sony A/V 5.1 receiver and a Polk speaker setup. I always hated that Sony, it seemed to have a mind of its own - sometimes the sound would work, sometimes it wouldn't, and I'd be pushing all combinations of buttons until it magically started functioning properly again. So I'm looking for a new one.


Sorry for such a newbie question, but I'm looking at receivers in the $300 range, maybe a Yamaha 465 or 565 (on sale at Newegg). I'm no A/V aficionado. I have the TV in the den, about 10x12 so big power isn't an issue. I'm looking for clean sound. My inputs are a Blu Ray player and cable. My TV and Blu Ray player have RJ-45 inputs, but a wireless link (bluetooth or 802.11) would be great but not important.


Might question is focused on what features I need. I doubt that I will be going to 7.1. What I see in the specifications of these receivers is that there must be at least a dozen different sound and decoding standards. I have no idea which ones are important or what's coming down the road that I should think about. I can't even look at the specifications of the Yamaha 465 and 565 and make sense of the differences. It's as if the manufacturers have made things so intentionally confusing to allow the big-box salespeople to completely befuddle anybody who walks in the door.


Can anyone give me some links to good comparison test reviews?


Thanks to all.

 

[mbyrnes]

Look for features. Pioneer includes a USB input on the front for an Ipod. Denon has Audyssey MultiEQ for room correction. Some have more inputs than others. Yamaha/Pioneer do their own thing for Room Correction, Volume Leveling, etc. I would look at the Denon 1610, Onkyo 507/607, Yamaha 565/665, Pioneer 919/1019. Each has plenty of power for your room. Really just comes down to features.


I would go with the Denon 1610. I like the Audyssey Suite of solutions the best. If I needed an Ipod input I would go with the Pioneer.

 

[Marc0000]

Thanks. Thinking about it, an on-screen display is one important to me as I would like to mount my 50B860 on the wall and put my a/v gear in a closet. My older Sony doesn't have it. I'll use an IR repeater to get the remote control signal to the gear. Do the on-screen systems all work about the same? Or do some models have some functions on screen and others not? There is no way to tell from the specs.

 

[fullerms]

if you are going to stick the avr into a closet, then the onkyos may be out, since they run hot.

If you want on screen display the 2310 is the minimum you need from Denon. But, it is much more expensive than the startup models from Denon. Look up the Denon owner threads for details.

 

[nito3]

Just bought a 7.2 5 hdmi inputs with dlpllx audessey onkyo for under $300 at costco in the palm springs, ca area. Sounds awsome and only have two floor speakers at the moment.

 

[Bill C.]

Just curious, nito3, since costco.com doesn't list anything Onkyo: which model was this?

 

[nito3]

it's the Onkyo HT-RC160! like the 607 just one less hdmi and 10 watts less and maybe one less feature but for $299 its not bad

 

[M Code]



Quote:
Originally Posted by nito3 /forum/post/18143108


Just bought a 7.2 5 hdmi inputs with dlpllx audessey onkyo for under $300 at costco in the palm springs, ca area. Sounds awsome and only have two floor speakers at the moment.

Sounds like an awesome deal..

Does CostCo honor the Onkyo warranty..

Just my $0.01..

 

[nito3]

dont know! i wonder what is their return policy

 

[afrogt]

Costco has best return policy out there! Its unlimited for electronics except for the following items which are 90 days.


televisions, computers, cameras, camcorders, iPod/MP3 players and cellular phones


It used to be unlimited for everything but people were taking advantage of it and returning computers that were 3-4 years old to get a newer, faster and cheaper model. Same thing with televisions, people were returning old projection sets to get new flat screens, or older flat screens to get newer better performing models.

 

[Marc0000]

The Onkyo looks like a good deal. It might be worth stopping by my local Costco to check it out. I read many comments that the Onkyo runs hot. Any reports of failures with this model?


What about the inevitable Onkyo / Yamaha / Denon comparison? Which is better for Blu-ray input (I don't care much about cable) and HDMI output to my Sammy 50B860?


By the way, when both the TV and the receiver have fine processors, which is better to use?