JVC - 770W 7.1-Ch. A/V Home Theater Receiver $399.99 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...t&productCategoryId=cat03031&id=1117177016119 Pioneer 840W 7.1-Ch. THX-Certified A/V Home Theater Receiver Model: VSX-1015TX $514.99 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...t&productCategoryId=cat03031&id=1099395572329 Yamaha 770W 7.1-Ch. XM Satellite Radio-Ready Digital Home Theater Receiver $511.99 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...t&productCategoryId=cat03031&id=1108125945988 These are some of the receivers i have been looking at in adds. I will have to see them in person to make sure that they have 5 speaker inputs of the style i need, which is bare speaker wires with no jacks on them. The components that will be hooked to the receiver are: 1. DirecTV DVR Box 2. Lite-On DVD Recorder/Player 3. Samsung 56" DLP Rear Projection TV 4. Xbox 5. PSTwo 6. 2 Boston Accoustics floor speakers and 3 Infinity Surround Sound speakers I would really like one that upconverts from composite to S Video or component as all of them currently have composite cables. Any suggestions or insite from the experts here is greatly appreciated. I just want to make sure i get the best bang for the buck and am looking to stay around the $500 and under range.
@steimy: Will comment more later...sort of hectic at work today. The yammie is, hand down, the best of the choices. No such thing as "upconversion of composite to S-video" ...s-video just carries a better signal. I will take a good look at the yammie when I can; there is a good chance that the AVR itself upconverts for which you'd need to use component or HDMI to your TV. Will look much closer when I can but the Yamaha is BY FAR better than the JVC or Pioneer. Talk to you soon.
the yamaha is by far the best receiver you have listed here. specs and all of that aside that receiver will sound night and day different than the other 2 you have listed. plus it has an adjustable lfe crossover and auto calibration . i didn't notice if you had a sub or not but if you do the lfe crossover is a big + . the pioneer would be my second choice but thx select2 is designed for a certain size room and viewing distance and there are not that many movies worth watching in thx in my opinion... its hard to hear a difference when you are listening to those receivers in a store like best buy .. before i bought another receiver i would ask about their return policy and try them all at home with your set up and see which sounds best to you. it may seem like a headache but $500 bucks is quite a bit of cash (at least to me).
Thanks guys, so far looks like the Yamaha is in the lead. And most people only think they make dirt bikes LOL This is what i was talking about when i said upconversion, so please help me understand this feature. Component video upconversion automatically converts the input signal (composite video or S-video) from your VCR, DVD player, DVR or camcorder to a component video signal for hookup to your compatible TV S-video up/down-conversion automatically converts the input signal (composite video to S-video or S-video to composite video) to match your TV input Does this mean that i could use a standard composite cable, which all my stuff has now, and run it into the receiver, then run a set of component or an S-Video cable out to the TV and have TRUELY better picture quality? My TV has a ton of hook up's, but after i buy a new receiver i will most likely have to re-route everything so that it all works correctly. here are the specs on that. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...t&productCategoryId=cat03006&id=1110265593286
Hi Steimy ... looks like I really won't get to this until after work. At my job, we either have nothing to do or we're hopping. 1)REALLY nice TV 2)You will want to use HDMI/DVI or component from receiver to TV, not s-video 3)You don't want to run EVERYTHING through your receiver unless it has a "pass through" or you'll CONSTANTLY have to run the receiver no matter what. Fun at first but a pain in the a$$ after you have it awhile. 4) Is that 3 surround or two surround and one center? Have you bought these speakers yet or are you making a plan here? I ask because you're using two different brands of speakers here which can be tricky and can sound like crap if they're not "timber matched" @fcuker: keep going bud! You're doin a great job! (we agree on thx ... nice change LOL)
+1 to everything gerry1 said ... but remember steimy the yamaha has a center eq.that may allow you to closely match your center to your mains in the case that they are not timber matched. but you really should have a matched center 50-60% of the audio is produced from the center. i had to use mine before i upgraded to my polk r series mains to my csi3 center .. i think that receiver has no hdmi capabilities unfortunately .. you can hook your equipment as you mentioned in your post but you would not be using your television to its full potential .. do a little more reading about hdmi and consider increasing your budget a little .. upgradeitus is a very,very, serious and expensive disease for which there is no cure..in most cases it is not fatal though.LOL... don't make the same mistake i did .. i bought my yamaha based on price without understanding all the aspects and not taking into consideration the upgrades i may want to make in the future .. now i am in a position where i have no choice but to buy another one.
Remember that his TV has only one HDMI. Seems to me, component outs from the Yammi would be perfect as his only true hi def will probably be coming from his cable/sat box directly to the HDMI of the TV....HDMI to HDMI is always best if you're not routing signals all over the place (and saves money) ...other components don't need it. Calbe HDMI to TV HDMI. Cable/sat composite to TV analog...then TV's optical out to receiver on the fixed audio output. Connecting it t this way, you needn't run the receiver unless you really want good sound. TV sound will continue to operate but if you want, turn off TV volume, receiver on TV and voila. Why am I talking like steimy is out of the room...well, you both are, I guess LOL! Back to work!
steimy........ The link you have for the JVC, is going to a Sony. I thought something was wrong, since Best Buy doesn't usually sell JVC receivers. I'd probably take the Yamaha too, choosing from those three. But if you were actually including a JVC, as a choice, I'd definately go with the JVC! You'd never guess that from my user name, would you? ) I think you get much more bang for the buck with JVC. That's been MY experiences in the past. I'm not up on all their new stuff though. I can't see them suddenly not being as good, as in the past. I've heard their new digital receivers are outstanding, but out of the price range you're showing, with your choices. On past models, I've done comparisons with same price range models, with Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo, Panasonic, and JVC. JVC had more watts per channel (none of them actually produce what they advertise), more digital inputs (at least one, sometimes more), easier setup, and a more user friendly remote. gerry1 and fcuker......... you guys didn't even check the links to see what each was, or you'd know the JVC link was a Sony. You have it in your mind, when you saw the name Yamaha, that it was best.......no matter what. That's your opinions, just as the JVC is my opinion. I'm not putting you down. You're entitled to your opinion, as I am mine. I'm saying you should have checked the links to really compare, instead of just automatically jumping in, when you saw the name Yamaha. You guys usually give some decent advice........ )
Hi JVC...nice to see you again and you know what, you are absolutely right; I did immediately jump to that conclusion. Past problems, and long past I admit, should not keep me from checking independent and objective review sites before opening my mouth. You are right and I stand corrected! @steimy: I know a number of very good independent review sites; I'll look them up and provide the links for you. Also, I sent you a private message about something I can't discuss in the forums. JVC, you must know why.
to answer some of the questions the 2 Boston Accoustic speakers are just the standard bookshelf style and i use those in the slots for when i switch my receiver to stereo rather than surround. I think when i have on surround all 5 are used. The current receiver is Technics by the way, not the best but it has served me well for about 10 years now and still works fine. it jus is outdated and has no S-Video or component cable slots. The 3 Infinity speakers are all the same, they were sold as a surround sound system, also about 10yrs ago, and each one can be used as either a center chanel or surround. believe it or not the speakers i have now still sound as good as most newer models. Boston Accoustics and Infinity both make outstanding speakers. I had not looked at JVC yet but will do that, i want to consider all my options. I know i can't afford the best right now due to the TV which i just bought and am still paying for, interest free till 2009 made it easier. The DirecTV box i have doesn't have any component or HDMI slots so i am out of luck there. Just an S-Video, Digital audio, 2 standard composite, and the RF out the only way i can get the HDMI is to spend $500 and upgrade to the HDTV box, which is also $10 more a month because you have to sign up for the service. That will happen eventually. The only component i have that has anything better than stanadard composite in/out is the DVD player which has component out, and the TV of course has all the newest stuff. That is why i was hoping the upconversion mentioned on the receiver would help me. If i rtook all the composites into the receiver and it upconverted it to component, then used component cables out tto the TV i thought it may give me the better picture quality.
I hope I didn't come off sounding like I was preaching or talking junk, because that's not what I intended. gerry1, you didn't seem to take it that way, and I'm glad. You give a lot of good advice here, so I wouldn't deliberately talk junk to you (unless you went way out of character, and gave BAD advice). Most people just advise to get the same thing they have, because that's what they have the most experience with. All brands can have problems. When looking for bang for the buck, I advise JVC. When looking higher end stuff, with a good size budget, I advise Denon. I've never owned a Denon, but a friend owns a Denon 2803 receiver and dvd 2200. I had to set it up and keep it adjusted for him, because he's not very technical at all. If anyone wants to check out some very fine speakers, check here: http://www.allisonacoustics.com and see what you think. They have a list of dealers there. If there's a dealer near you, it would be worth a visit to demo them! Excellent speakers! Didn't mean to get off track.......... See y'all around soon. )
@JVC...no, certainly took no offense at all, in fact you were quite right in pointing that out. Some problems with JVC and Pioneer in the past (Like sony rear projections) had some problems and that has indeed given the ol' mental block. Shouldn't shoot my mouth off without reading reviews. In fact, sometimes correcting the problems creats a better unit; I, of all people, should know that. I didn't want to buy my sony LCD rear projection because of lamp issues in the models just before it. When I saw the pic on a new model with a price I couldn't turn my nose at, I read reviews that raved at the differences brought about by resolving older problems, bought it and have been very happy so I should have known better. You are right about people trying to get others to buy what they own; I've seen it many times. I'm not a Yammie buff though; I've got a Denon 3805. When you start getting into really good, top of the line stuff, it becomes more a matter of personal taste than which is of better quality; that's true of AVRs and it's particularly true of speakers. As you might know from other threads, I'm a music teacher and teach classical piano and organ performance. If you know any organists, they'll tell you how difficult it is to find an amp and especially speakers that can reproduce pipe organs (fortunately for the industry nobody but us long hairs listen to that anymore LOL!)I must have driven sales people crazy ... I went armed with a DVD, a couple of CDs of the most pompus pipe organ music I could find and I must have tried every amp through every damn set of speakers at tweeters. Which is how I came up with m Denon and Mirages. @Steimy: I'll be more help tomorrow; just been one of those days where I haven't stopped from the time I got up! Your right about you're speakers....I don't know the models but they're damned good manufactures. You said some other things that are very important but I'm too brain dead to go over it. But what the hell is this about spending $500 for an hidef box? I've never heard of such a thing...though they do charge the extra $10.00 a month...I pay that too. Many areas have a good amount of broadcast hi def...do you in your area? $500.00 can buy you a really decent AVR .. will be of more assistance but let me ask you, would you really use satellite radio? Well good night guys...I suspect I'm babbling LOL!
Hell, now I can't sleep...thought I'd do some reading; body is dog tired but the mind (such as it is) won't stop spinning @Steimy: What concerns me most about all this is that you've just bought one hell of a TV; I looked it up and it is awesome!! Having said that, the greatest thing about your TV is that it's got one hell of a hi def picture, yet, you have absolutely nothing hi-def! That a serious waste and your missing out on a hell of a lot here. The first thing to do is to look up if you have any hi-def broadcasting in your area. If you're not sure, I'll look it up and tell you how to access it...I don't need to know your address but I would need to know the town (or at least county) and the state. I also want to ask a bunch of questions but please be a little patient as there is a method to my madness: 1. What is the make and model of your Direct TV box? 2. What is the company that operates the system (i.e.) who do you pay the bill to? 3. Did you buy the box or do you rent it? Most places rent but not all. 4. What is your city and state and zip code if possible(or county if your uncomfortable giving me the name of your city or town. 5. What is the make and model of your Technics? (10 years ago, technics actually did make some really good stuff...if it's an AVR though, it would only be "digital ready" and not digital meaning that all the decoding goodies would have to be in the dvd player). 6. What is the make and model of your DVD player. I know I'm being a pain in the a$$ with these questions but I'm asking for a reason but it would take me forever to explain! Lastly, steimy, you're putting way too much stock in the types of cables. Guys on sites like this are perfectionists...and go on and on about cables and which has the better picture but the degree of improvement is barely noticible to the eye ...these are just perfectionists who spend thousands for every little bit of improvement they can get. A 480i (non hi-def) is a 480i and there aren't any cables that will get you an astonishingly better picture; ain''t gonna happen! Naturally, I'll do some homework on the receivers (AVRs) but we need to get you a picture worth looking at on that great TV you spent some serious bucks for! I'd go crazy if I had my TV and no HI DEF! THe difference is immesurable. Well, going to read a little and try hitting the hay again. Sleep well.
I don't mind answering any questions you have. I know that more questions provide better answers. I try to explain this to so many people in the console forums but they just get mad and think you are not trying to help them when in fact you are taking the time to do a BETTER job helping them and providing the best solution. 1. What is the make and model of your Direct TV box? Hughs SD-DVR4 2. What is the company that operates the system (i.e.) who do you pay the bill to? DirecTV is where the bill comes from. 3. Did you buy the box or do you rent it? Most places rent but not all. I bought it from them like i would the HDTV box 4. What is your city and state and zip code if possible(or county if your uncomfortable giving me the name of your city or town. Greensboro, NC 27405 Guilford Co. 5. What is the make and model of your Technics? (10 years ago, technics actually did make some really good stuff...if it's an AVR though, it would only be "digital ready" and not digital meaning that all the decoding goodies would have to be in the dvd player). SA-GX290 6. What is the make and model of your DVD player. Lite-On LVW-1101 I looked up the free HD service in my area and this is what i came up with, so i guess an antenna is needed? I see both outdoor and indoor, the outdoor is more expensive i i assume that it would get me a better signal. Getting a signal inside the house i live in is hard for regular antenna's and cell phone so i may have to pay the price and get the outdoor. I can run the cables through the floor where the satalite comes in no problem, and i mounted the dish so i figure this would not cause me any problems either. Here is one i was looking at http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...t&productCategoryId=cat08084&id=1091101853739 and here is the HDTV it says i can get. http://www.checkhd.com/default.aspx as far as the $500 DirecTV box, It is a HDTV box with DVR service. My current box has DVR and now i just can't do without my Tivo! I love it too much. That is what it costs here for the new box, Install, and a new HDTV dish.
steimy....... You use a DirecTv box, and pay your bill to Time Warner Cable? I've never heard of this before. Didn't know it was even possible. )
no that was an error on my part that i have to correct above. I was just typing and looking at stuff and my mind got off track. I pay DirecTV for my service, Time Warner Cable is my internet provider.
i don't take any offence to your comments either jvc .. in fact i too noticed the sony but just didn't remember to mention it in the last post i made .. i have a few comments that i will add later on when i have time and of course when i have my facts in order.
JVC...you seem to have a mind for some unusual details LOL! Which store sells which equipment; what time warner does and does not own ... are you a stock trader or something of the sort LOL?
