[rjman36]

Okay...I can't possibly read everything there is to read...but I've tried and now I'm going to ask for help. I just purchased a Samsung ln52a650 tv and now I'm trying to build a system around it.


The Room is 18 x 20 ft with 18ft ceilings. Drywall walls, carpeted floor, leather furniture. Windows on most of one wall. A built in cabinet with doors will be holding the equipment. The TV mounted above the fireplace in the center of the room.


I'll be listening to music and watching TV/ Movies equally and will probably add a game system and a DVR in the future. I'll also be driving another pair of (outside) speakers from this unit.


I have 4 kids and a beautiful wife that I would much rather play with than spend all my time tinkering with a sound system. (As if I have a choice)


6th ave has a Denon AVR 2309ci with Denon dvd1800bd blu-ray bundle for $975 delivered. Seems like an adequate setup for what I need. Keep in mind that I will run this system until it quits working. The Kenwood I received for my 16th birthday finally died last week. (Now I'm 45)


Speakers are the big question in a room this size. Suggestions?


I have about $1500-1700 for the receiver, blu-ray player, and speakers.


Please tell me what complete system you would buy with that budget. Thanks in advance.

 

[rjman36]

Oops! Scratch the 2309ci. No pre outs except for subwoofer. Big room might need the flexibility. Right???

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

I usually reccomend you spend twice as much on speakers as electronics, but there are a few deals going that offer performance greatly disproportional to their price. There are so many possible combinations that reccomendations are fall from be-all-end-all, but here's what I would do with that budget:


Receiver - Onkyo SR806 ($600, refurbished, accessories4less)

BluRay - Samsung BD-P1500 ($160, refurbished, refurbdepot)

Mains - Infinity P362 ($130/ea, new, Frys)

Center - Infinity PC350 ($190/ea, new, bestpriceaudiovideo)

Surrounds - Infinity P152 ($72/ea, new, bestpriceaudiovideo)

Subwoofer - BIC PA-120 ($225, new, eBay)


Total - $1579 + SH

 

[rjman36]

I've read that the Onkyos tend to run quite hot and that in cabinet installs are not suggested. Thoughts?

 

[AndrewS99]

Onkyos are hot. Good amps that put out a lot of power are hot. So what. Get a 120mm fan and dissipate the heat. Problem solved. Heat issue on Onkyos are blown way out of proportion here IMHO. You obviously need to be careful in a rack, but a fan should make the heat a non-issue.

 

[Muskeg]

There is no good reason for Onkyo making such "hot" receivers. The complaints on this forum about their heat issues are plentiful. Onkyo, a brand that I used to be loyal to for their quality (their late 80s cassette decks were the greatest), is not the same company they used to be. There is no reason anyone should have to add a fan on top of a well made receiver. Their internal design is simply poor, and over time they will fail.


There are other brands out there that make quality receivers, and I always tell folks to check them all out and then decide. Pioneer Elites, Denon, Marantz, Sony ES, etc. My preference right now (and for the last 10 years) has been the Sony ES line--I've had great luck with them and they have a 5-year warranty, most other makes are 2 or 1. Go to a couple of stores and fiddle with the knobs to see what you like. I thought the Pioneers were fugly--I don't like how they scream "ELITE" all over the front. That was enough of a turn off for me.

 

[rnatalli]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen Hopkins /forum/post/15476174


I usually reccomend you spend twice as much on speakers as electronics

+1 Go shopping for speakers first as they impact sound the most and only you will know what your ears like. But, I'll throw a system out there:


Speakers: SVS SBS-01 5.1 w/ PB12NSD (Direct from SVS)

Receiver: Harman Kardon AVR-254 (JR)

Blu-Ray: Panasonic BD35 (Pretty much anywhere)

 

[penngray]



Quote:
Heat issue on Onkyos are blown way out of proportion here IMHO. You obviously need to be careful in a rack, but a fan should make the heat a non-issue.

blown way out of proportion?? and you suggest buyng extra "UGLY" equipment to solve the "small" heat problem. To some people that makes it a HUGE problem to start with.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

That's the first mention of the SR606 I've seen in this thread...


For what Onkyos offer in the price/performance and price/feature ratio, I'd say they are well worth the possibility that it MIGHT run hot in your setup and you MIGHT have to add some cooling or re-arrange the location. You don't hear major complaints of heat issues with high-end A-Biased AB Amps, but I gaurantee you it's not because they don't run hot... it's because those users understand that heat is a byproduct of the design and amount of power those amps produce. The design and amount of power the SR805/875/876/905/906 produce are new to the sub-$1000 receiver market... if you're upgrading from a $300, or even an older $1000 receiver the heat associated with the design and power produced is going to be new to you... and we're always afraid of what we don't understand.


Could a more robust cooling design keep the SR805 and up from running as hot as they do? Yes. Is the heat they generate unusual for their design and the amount of power they produce? No.

 

[mmj]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen Hopkins /forum/post/15476174


I usually reccomend you spend twice as much on speakers as electronics

+2


I started out with a HTiB paired with a 42" plasma. Has I known then what I know now, I would have spent more then to get to where I am now and would have enjoyed it along the way.

Speakers play a huge part especially if you are going to watch more movies than play music. and I do reccommend listening to a lot of them as much as possible so you can get a feel for what sounds the best for you. Speakers sound differently to each individual, so i would say don't get caught up on people saying one brand sounds better than the other (although there seems to be a somewhat unified opinion on Bose).

 

[~Ohdee~]

I'd suggest http://www.onkyo.ca/model.cfm?m=HT-S...ss=Systems&p=i an Onkyo HT-S6100.


If you were happy with your Kenwood receiver for 30 years this is all you'll need! 6100 and a Bd player should set you back about 1500.00!

 

[AndrewS99]



Quote:
That's the first mention of the SR606 I've seen in this thread...


For what Onkyos offer in the price/performance and price/feature ratio, I'd say they are well worth the possibility that it MIGHT run hot in your setup and you MIGHT have to add some cooling or re-arrange the location. You don't hear major complaints of heat issues with high-end A-Biased AB Amps, but I gaurantee you it's not because they don't run hot... it's because those users understand that heat is a byproduct of the design and amount of power those amps produce. The design and amount of power the SR805/875/876/905/906 produce are new to the sub-$1000 receiver market... if you're upgrading from a $300, or even an older $1000 receiver the heat associated with the design and power produced is going to be new to you... and we're always afraid of what we don't understand.


Could a more robust cooling design keep the SR805 and up from running as hot as they do? Yes. Is the heat they generate unusual for their design and the amount of power they produce? No.

Extremely well said. Thank you.

 

[Knucklehead90]



Quote:
Originally Posted by AndrewS99 /forum/post/15485891


Onkyos are hot. Good amps that put out a lot of power are hot. So what. Get a 120mm fan and dissipate the heat. Problem solved. Heat issue on Onkyos are blown way out of proportion here IMHO. You obviously need to be careful in a rack, but a fan should make the heat a non-issue.

*

+1

Heat issues are only a problem if you have a closed cabinet (WAF usual cause) where the receiver can't get adequate circulation. Buy the receiver that appeals to you, they are all good.