[AdamITR]

My question is what should I upgrade first ... the system is a bit out of date ... The Receiver?? Recommendations are appreciated. Don't want to spent too much $. Thanks.


Reciever: Onkyo 717 Pro (Old School)

DVD Player: Onkyo DV-C600

CD Player: Onkyo DX-C120

Cable Box: Scientific Atlanta Explorer 4250HDC (HDMI)

Display: Panasonic 42" Plasma TH-42PX75U


Speakers:

Front L/R: Infinity RS-425 Towers

Center: Infinity CC-2

Rears: Infinity Reference 2000.2

Subwoofer: Velodyne VA-1012XII

 

[MichaelJHuman]

The first question you should ask is why you want to upgrade. Once you know why, then set a budget.


Until you do that, I can't think of any useful advice I, or anyone else, could offer.


When thinking about WHY you want to upgrade, you can consider what current receivers can offer, that you don't have now.


Some relatively recent receiver features -


* Easier AV switching; I can switch all my source devices from my receiver and run a single HDMI cable to my TV

* Room correction - modern AVRs offer improved auto setup and room correction ( I am assuming yours is fairly old?)

* HDMI - Source devices are adding HDMI outputs; HDMI can improve AV quality and can simplify wiring, but sometimes it does not work as advertized

 

[AdamITR]

All good points. Yes, my receiver is old (about 10-12 years, I think) I'm looking to spend under $500 for a new receiver, that is 5.1 capable, with easier av switching, and hdmi support.

 

[AdamITR]

Any more opinions on this?

 

[shiram]

i'd say pick your speakers first, they are (to me at least) the most important part

than you can pick out a new receiver, if you old one doesnt fit your needs

 

[Lhasa-lover]



Quote:
Originally Posted by shiram /forum/post/16834650


i'd say pick your speakers first, they are (to me at least) the most important part

than you can pick out a new receiver, if you old one doesnt fit your needs

Why do you assume he needs new speakers???? Are you familiar with the ones he has???? What, exactly, is wrong with them that would force him to replace them?


I am familiar with those speakers and they are just fine. If it were me, the first thing I would upgrade is the receiver. Given the list of your equipment my opinion is that moving to a descrete 5.1 receiver would make the most difference. There are dozens of threads on inexpensive receivers. Go read them and select one that fits your needs from a features point of view. SQ is going to be pretty much the same regardless of brand. Then you can make decisions about what else to replace if you feel the need.

 

[Jim Burns]

If you are looking for a receiver, or anything else for that matter we have over 80 brands, feel free to give us a call we can find something great within your budget.

 

[Jason Turk]

Speakers are probably the most subjective piece in AV. Basically every person has their own opinion on which they like. I'd say if he has not upgraded his speakers in this many years, there is no point in changing them (unless there is a complaint about them). The receiver will also affect the sound, but I would agree it probably is due. 10 year old units don't have any of the new formats and lack all the switching of the newer units. Based on that system, if it were mine, I'd do the receiver.

My 2 cents.

 

[In2Photos]

I would go with a receiver first and then maybe add a blu ray player.


For the receiver $500 for your small list of needs should be adequate. There are models from Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneer, HK, etc, etc that would do the trick. Do you have any brand preferences? It looks like it based on all the Onkyo gear you have. If so check out the TX-SR507 and 607. The 607 adds a lot of features, the ability to run 7 channels instead of 5, and more inputs. If you want to try another brand check out the Denon AVR-1610 or the Yamaha RX-V665.

 

[AdamITR]

Thanks for the replies ... I have been happy with the speakers, they are in excellent shape for their age and sound good to me, although I have nothing to compare them to. I will look into some of the receivers mentioned above. My DVD player is also old (not progressive scan either), so I will look into some blue ray players as well.