[csanika]

After using a sony dav sc8 s-master for a few years,i decided i needed something better in terms of quality.I bought some jamo s708 speakers(at a bargain price) for wich i desperatly need an amp/receiver.I want to use a 5.0 or maybe a 7.0 setting,all using these speakers.These are 6ohm,with a sensitivity of 92db and 200w/400w.

I have to choose between the oldschool pioneer vsx-ax5ai(i think it's called vsx-56txi in america) and the onkyo sr606,or maybe the marantz 8500 all at the same price.

I'm no expert,so i don't really know what i have to look for.Is the power and quality of the 606 enough,since the speakers have high sensitivity?Has anyone heard the pioneer,this 45lbs monster with mosfets without the new gizmos?

I can live without hdmi,since i will connect the bluray directly to the projector(because i don't really trust the receiver in terms of video),and the new hd sound can be achieved through the 7.1 inputs on the pioneer,it's a compromise i know,but i could live with it if the quality is so much better.

Thanks in advance

 

[DonoMan]

The 56 is definitely not even close to "old school." However, go with something new that isn't Onkyo.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

The 56TXi is "old school" in the sense that it was one of the last Elite units with a big beefy power supply to feed the amp section... the 7/8/9 series were a step down in this sense, though still no slouches (I still own an 82TXs as a backup to my Onkyo). The new SC line makes a step back towards top-notch amp technology, but in the form of ICE class-D amps. Of the three you mentioned I would go for the Pioneer Elite as long as your BD source is able to decode to 7.1ch analog outputs.

 

[csanika]

Thank you for the fast answers.

DonoMan,by oldschool i meant old.What do you recommand for these speakers?

Stephen thank you for your help.

Do i need that much power if my speakers have high impedance?The power of the to receivers seems equal on paper,altough there is a 20lbs difference,how does your pioneer sound different?

Has anyone tried to run hd sound through an "old" receiver like this?Will it make a difference or the new amps with internal decoding just do a better job?

I saw that the onkyo guarantees 6ohms,will the pioneer handle it better or will i loose from the power?The onkyo lacks thx,does it make a difference?

Many questions,i'm sorry,will thank you for it and i hope i can help you to in the future,i'm new to this forum,but already like it very much.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

I used a 43TX (same amps as the 56TXi) with 6ohm speakers with no problems. As for the HD codecs, if the source can decode them and has decent quality DACs then there should be no difference in that vs. receiver decoded. I would discount the SR606 from your list because it is much lower-end in terms of amplification (even though it does have the most up to date feature set). Between the Pioneer Elite and Marantz, it's much closer, but I personally would take the Elite for the heft and I'm biased a bit towards Pioneer Elite (even though I now own an Onkyo).