[Zocki]

Hiya


I'm a big fan of these forums.

It has already set my mind straight on what i want my HT system to do.


My issue right now is choosing an receiver.

My setup will be a 5.1 one and won't be upgraded in the near future to 7.1.

(The room can't handle it)

Speakers of choice will be the KEF KHT-2005.2 system.

(Clean slick design and good sound)

Inputs to this system will be a very high-end HTPC for gaming and playing backed up HD movies. (SoundBlaster X-fi fatal1ty soundcard at the moment)

Also a PS3 will be used for gaming and playing my new BluRay discs before I get around to backing them up.


Main uses:

Movies (insane amounts)

Music (almost play as much music as I watch movies)


Secondary uses:

Gaming (usually plug-in my Sennheizer headphones when i play, but when the girl is out I crank some 5.1 sound loud : )


5.1 for now this will due.

(I will upgrade to a 7.1 system later on by adding two new satellites to the KEF speakers, but at that time i will also by a new amp and go full out with prefect true-HD sound and video using standalone BD/HD players)

No need for video switching, i let the TV handle that.

I do want enough options to really tune this system in, perhaps using different tools learning them as I go, it's basically my step stone receiver to enter the HT world.


Price:

Cheap!

No seriously, I want really good quality 5.1 surround sound and really good music sound.

BUT, I want to cut corners in price with loosing the whole video part and sticking to good old 5.1.

This should present me with a cheap selection of amps if I'm not totally mistaken.


Can I go all out on old school receivers?

Or will I miss lots of new nice features even if I stick to 5.1 sounds?


Please help me out, i going blind on all the selections at this moment.

I'm having trouble wrapping my head around all the different sound abbreviations out there.

DD+,LPCM,Bitstream,DTS,Dolby prologic II, speaker delay,HDCP... Arrg!

Cheap 5.1 receivers with good music qualities, good enough to handle my KEF speakers with enough tuning capabilities to play around with.


Got any ideas?

Am I barking up the wrong tree here?



Thanks for an outstanding forum!

(Dear audiophiles, excuse my budget approach, I'll be back to tickle your brains when my house is built and dedicated HT room is begging for some love

)

 

[Zocki]

shameless bump


Anyone out there able to shine some light on this?

 

[tvtommy]

This really is a hard question to answer because there are so many choices out there. Read some of the other "which receiver" threads to find out more specific ideas.


But people here seem to be really happy with Yamaha 661, Pioneer 817, Onkyo 505, 605, Harman Kardon 247,347 and Denon 1708 which would be in the 300-600 dollar range. All of these will have video switching, most have at least HDMI pass through, and I think it would be pretty hard to find a 5.1 audio only processor. So you might as well use the switching if you have the capability. It actually makes the system a little easier to use.

 

[Zocki]

Thanks


I think i'll have to check around some more then.

As i thought, it's a jungle out there and i just have to find me a machete.