forgot to also mention the Sony 910... it caught my eye because of the hdmi inputs.
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Need help choosing a receiver! Onkyo 605, Yam 661, HK 247
Ok, I wouldn't say I'm a noob at this but it has been I while since I have looked closely at receivers. The 3 receivers I'm looking at are the Yamaha 661, Onkyo 605, and H/K 247. Now, the Yamaha and H/K I can get around $325 (my best friend works for Best Buy) but I would have to pay retail for the Onkyo.
Which one of these receivers would be the best bang for the buck considering my equipment and the price I can get each? Here is the rest of my gear:
Sony 55" LCD (720p)
Sony upconvert DVD player (connect using HDMI)
PS3 (connect using HDMI)
HD-DVR cable box (connect using component, I would use HDMI but none of the receivers have 3 HDMI inputs)
XM radio
Thanks for your help in advance!
Which one of these receivers would be the best bang for the buck considering my equipment and the price I can get each? Here is the rest of my gear:
Sony 55" LCD (720p)
Sony upconvert DVD player (connect using HDMI)
PS3 (connect using HDMI)
HD-DVR cable box (connect using component, I would use HDMI but none of the receivers have 3 HDMI inputs)
XM radio
Thanks for your help in advance!
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
Well ... I'm afraid I can't give you and hands on opinions, but I CAN tell you that after doing a good amount of research and self analysis, I bought the Yamaha 661. It does have a couple minor downsides to the Onkyo 605, but alot of known upsides (everything known about the 605 is on paper at this point). The downsides the 661 has to the 605 are:
- HDMI 1.2a vs. 1.3a on the Onkyo (after reading around I found that this really isn't much of a negative)
- No OSD over HDMI (you have to run a separate video connection to your display and switch inputs to view the OSD .. a minor annoyance but not a big deal)
- No upconversion of composite, component or S-video signals to HDMI (wasn't a big deal for me since I don't run a ton of components)
However alot of good has been said about the 661 regarding PCM processing, LFE, and unaltered passthough to 1080p, among other things, which you can find in some recent threads on this forum. It also has a few perks over the Onkyo like YPAO.
I didn't even consider the HK because I read alot of horror stories regarding it's HDMI switching and processing. Those issues may have already been resolved but I scratched it from my list pretty early ... it just didn't feel right.
In the end it's a tough choice. The right thing to do might be to wait until the 605's hit the market and the reviews start flowing in. I personally decided not to wait and feel very confident about my 661 purchase.
I'm no expert on this stuff, but I hoped I helped a bit.
- HDMI 1.2a vs. 1.3a on the Onkyo (after reading around I found that this really isn't much of a negative)
- No OSD over HDMI (you have to run a separate video connection to your display and switch inputs to view the OSD .. a minor annoyance but not a big deal)
- No upconversion of composite, component or S-video signals to HDMI (wasn't a big deal for me since I don't run a ton of components)
However alot of good has been said about the 661 regarding PCM processing, LFE, and unaltered passthough to 1080p, among other things, which you can find in some recent threads on this forum. It also has a few perks over the Onkyo like YPAO.
I didn't even consider the HK because I read alot of horror stories regarding it's HDMI switching and processing. Those issues may have already been resolved but I scratched it from my list pretty early ... it just didn't feel right.
In the end it's a tough choice. The right thing to do might be to wait until the 605's hit the market and the reviews start flowing in. I personally decided not to wait and feel very confident about my 661 purchase.
I'm no expert on this stuff, but I hoped I helped a bit.
I'd look at the DG1000 (rather than the DG910) if you want to put Sony in the mix, but it's hard to argue about choosing the 661. It's one of the most affordable, "future-proof" AVRs available (Level 6, see 1st post here http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=738511 ) and has the upside of being a "known quantity".
Yes, thanks. I'm greatly leaning towards the 661 now after reading quite a bit about the processing.
The downsides you mentioned are not too major for me. it would be nice just to have one hdmi cable going from the receiver to the tv but having to run both component and hdmi isn't a big deal. and the OSD isn't a big deal because I figure once I get it set up, I won't need to go into the menus very often and change things.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayWill /forum/post/0
Well ... I'm afraid I can't give you and hands on opinions, but I CAN tell you that after doing a good amount of research and self analysis, I bought the Yamaha 661. It does have a couple minor downsides to the Onkyo 605, but alot of known upsides (everything known about the 605 is on paper at this point). The downsides the 661 has to the 605 are:
- HDMI 1.2a vs. 1.3a on the Onkyo (after reading around I found that this really isn't much of a negative)
- No OSD over HDMI (you have to run a separate video connection to your display and switch inputs to view the OSD .. a minor annoyance but not a big deal)
- No upconversion of composite, component or S-video signals to HDMI (wasn't a big deal for me since I don't run a ton of components)
However alot of good has been said about the 661 regarding PCM processing, LFE, and unaltered passthough to 1080p, among other things, which you can find in some recent threads on this forum. It also has a few perks over the Onkyo like YPAO.
I didn't even consider the HK because I read alot of horror stories regarding it's HDMI switching and processing. Those issues may have already been resolved but I scratched it from my list pretty early ... it just didn't feel right.
In the end it's a tough choice. The right thing to do might be to wait until the 605's hit the market and the reviews start flowing in. I personally decided not to wait and feel very confident about my 661 purchase.
I'm no expert on this stuff, but I hoped I helped a bit.
Yes, thanks. I'm greatly leaning towards the 661 now after reading quite a bit about the processing.
The downsides you mentioned are not too major for me. it would be nice just to have one hdmi cable going from the receiver to the tv but having to run both component and hdmi isn't a big deal. and the OSD isn't a big deal because I figure once I get it set up, I won't need to go into the menus very often and change things.
You could sell your Sony upconverting DVD player since the PS3 now does upconversion. Hurray. I tried it last night and it is pretty good.
True, but my girlfriend bought it for me for Christmas and she might get a little ticked if I sell it. I could put it on another TV though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bommai /forum/post/0
You could sell your Sony upconverting DVD player since the PS3 now does upconversion. Hurray. I tried it last night and it is pretty good.
True, but my girlfriend bought it for me for Christmas and she might get a little ticked if I sell it. I could put it on another TV though.
I need to upconvert from component and composite, and also have HDMI and want to feed all via HDMI to the TV, so CMIIW, I think I'm limited to the Sony 910 or the Onkyo 605....
Regarding the inputs on either of these units....does connecting a source via the HDMI input (as an example the vid 2 or Sat. input) preclude you from connecting another source, composite or component via the Vid 2 or Sat input? I have 5 video sources, 1 HDMI; 3 composite; 1 component, and I don't want to have to add an external switcher.
I'm a noob, so I apologize if my questions have been answered countless times somewhere else...
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Regarding the inputs on either of these units....does connecting a source via the HDMI input (as an example the vid 2 or Sat. input) preclude you from connecting another source, composite or component via the Vid 2 or Sat input? I have 5 video sources, 1 HDMI; 3 composite; 1 component, and I don't want to have to add an external switcher.
I'm a noob, so I apologize if my questions have been answered countless times somewhere else...
Sorry to bump this but, these are the three avrs I am comsidering after about a week of research. However, I have also seen that there appears to be new yamaha and HK avrs with the same or greater capabilities for about the same price point right around the corner. My local hh greg claims they will have the new yamaha(563 and 663?) in 2 weeks. So wait for the new or look for a good deal on the old?
My current set up;
dtv hd-dvr hr-20
toshiba hd-dvd-a3
Wii
pioneer 6 disc cd changer
phillips hd plasma
10 year old plus yamaha revciever that is being replaced
yamaha surround speakers and sub
anyone with experience with these systems please help, as i have over researched and cannot decide. and there is the hk 146 onkoyo 505 options out there too, but lack of hdmi audio is discouraging considering i probably wont buy another avr for several years.
thank you
My current set up;
dtv hd-dvr hr-20
toshiba hd-dvd-a3
Wii
pioneer 6 disc cd changer
phillips hd plasma
10 year old plus yamaha revciever that is being replaced
yamaha surround speakers and sub
anyone with experience with these systems please help, as i have over researched and cannot decide. and there is the hk 146 onkoyo 505 options out there too, but lack of hdmi audio is discouraging considering i probably wont buy another avr for several years.
thank you
also why does the onkyo tend to be left out of this comparison?
if you can hold off for a month or so, you might be better served with the onkyo 606 ... should be shipping some time in the next 6 weeks
that is the dilema with yamaha find a discounted 661 or wait for the 663...onkyo 605($379 for silver at cc) or wait on the 606..h/k 247 or wait for the 255
I'm leaning toward trying to get a deal on an open box 661...what would be a fair price? 300..350...LESS?
I'm leaning toward trying to get a deal on an open box 661...what would be a fair price? 300..350...LESS?
ecost has the 605 for $279
that is a great price, but i'm old fashion in that i want to buy from a local store with cash so at bb or cc or hh gregg what would be a good price for an open box buy on any of these 3 models?
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
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