What Receiver Should I Choose?

I have 11 assorted, all pretty crummy speakers and a single o.k. subwoofer in my room. I have been using an old amplifier that I always have to open up and replace the fuses because it cannot handle the power of all the speakers at once. Now I want to get another better used receiver. My choices at the local video/game/stereo store is a 5.1 dolby digital pro logic sound receiver, and a newer sony receiver with built in am/fm radio receiver, but I do not know much about the second one because it is in a box. The only thing I know about the second one is that it's newer and a little bigger. The first one is 180watts, but I do not know what the second one is(I asume it is atleast 180watts). They both are pretty close in price. Which one should I choose?

 

For a good cheap RXvr I would look at finding a Yamaha. I'm not a Sony fan at all. Buts its very hard to advise when you can't give the second make or any model numbers.

 

so how much money are you looking to spend is my question?

i personally just bought the yammy rx-v1500 on clearance for 600 bucks at a local h/t store.
i had sony prior to this unit, and i will tell you what, i wont buy sony no more. i considered onkyo too, but this deal came up, was 100 bucks cheaper, 100 more watts total, plus the weight was another 15 lbs, and, it looks better.......

 

I don't think theres too much better than onkyo.

 

the onkyo model i looked at was the txsr702, but i bought the yamaha rx-v1500 due to price difference.

 

Do NOT buy Sony - their receivers are defective - they cease functioning after 4 months and start flashing PROTECT.

 

my old sony never gave me any problems at all.. but i upgraded to heavier construction, more power, Yamaha.

 

yes stay away from anything that says sony if i may here is my onkyo i just purchased onkyo TX-NR1000 now the older model yahmas was awsome but dont care to much about the new line of yammys just my opinion

 

first of all it boils down to how much ya can afford on a new home theater and second of all bose is way over priced stay away from home theaters in a box if all possible of yeah gotta love onkyo just need better speakers any ideas would be appreciated as well thanks

 

For what its worth...I spent some cash and went with NAD receiver and NAD Dvd player....with wharfdale speakers....

Result...AWESOME!

Idleman

 

i did state in a few up replies that i did end up buying the Yamaha RX-V1500 model, got it on a close out price for $600 bucks, but i am now learing that this receiver is heating up much more while watching a dts movie and will shut off. i am returning this unit today for exchange or replacement........

 

Hey guy! Forgive the cliche here but, as they say, " the chain is only as strong as its weakest like"...my point? ... the best AVR that money can buy is still going to sound crummy if run through eleven crummy speakers. I don't mean to sound like a jerk but eleven speakers is foolish (unless your amplifier is so set up which I donbt); you're going to totally ruin seperation. If your current amplifier is working, why not use that $600 to buy some used, high end speakers that are center, front and rear matched for good sound and buy the amp later? I made the same mistake you're talking about...I had all different speakers (decent speakers at that)connected to an awsome amp...didn't sound good at all...speakers MUST be matched to the amplifier and speakers MUST be matched to each other. If you're current amp works and is decent, go for quality of the sound first ... for all you know, the amp might actually sound good if you've had it connected to crummy speakers all this time. Well...just my two cents! ... Jerry

 

i think that you have the original thread starter confused with me.
i have a yamaha rx-v1500 with paradigm towers, and polk center, surrounds, sides, and sub.
all sound well and rock the pictures off my wall. however, i may drop my sub and trade up for a klipsch sub or even a velodyne, but still happy with what i have... but the wife dont like the speakers everywhere...
till i build my next house, which will include a home theater room with built in speakers all over, then she wont complain as much.

 

OOOPS! You're absolutely right; sorry. Still, I can't help but wonder if that guy knows that he's probably blowing fuses because running eleven speakers connected together will dramatically change their impedence. Oh well.

 

yeah, he never mentioned series or parallel wiring either.

 

Sounds like you have a really nice set up. I'm running a Denon 3805 with Mirage all the way around; OM5 main, OMC3 center and 4OMR2 rears. My sub is Klipsch though...I'm really happy with it because it seems that no matter how deep or how loud, it isn't "boomy" but rather a nice, extremely deep yet firm sound. I teach classical organ and if I should play recordings, the bass from pipe organs gets deeper than most...most subs I've heard sounded kind of muddy that low. When I bought the sub, I brought a CD with me to hear them. I loved the Mirages for everything else, but Klipsch made a much better sub (at least for my uses!). Take it easy guy!! Happy listening!

 

i want the klipsch sub because of the low notes they can maintain... i think down around 40hz or even 30hz.
my sub is a polk psw404, it hits low, but i am sure it could always be better. after i upgraded my receiver from a sony to the yammy, i hear sounds i have never heard before. i have to watch all my dvd's al over again just to be able to 'feel' the movie now.

 

Oh yea...I know what you mean about watching all your movies all over again. I did the same thing when I bought my new Denon and what a difference. I don't know if my initial frame of reference was better or worse than yours but I was using one of the first AVRs made and it required that you use equipment with built in decoders as they weren't in the unit. It was the first Technics AVR...forget the model now. It might surprise you to learn that, when it came to music, the sound was really very good...technics aren't exactly top of the line equipment but this one was rather surprising but as home theater went, well, it sucked but that was in it's infancy, I guess. When I bought my Denon 3805, I was astonished at the sounds and effects the old one didn't produce and watched all my DVDs and even my VHS all over again. I'm still really happy with my purchase; I didn't really need that kind of power but I was so impressed with the sound that I went for it anyway. I truly is a genuine home theater now. I'm a real music and movie buff and while I'm usually pretty damned cheap, I treated myself when it came to AVR and speakers and it was worth every penny.

 

well, i have read that if it sounds good in stereo for music, it will rock in home theater. i know find myself in a dilema, because my new yammy is at the repair shop under warranty for loosing audio while in dts mode. it would loose the audio after about an hour of play, guess it was heating up. but i have also read that the denon 3805, the yammy rx-v1500/2500, and the onkyo txsr702 are all in the same league. now to find out, the original onkyo i wanted, which was the 702 is now on sale at circuit city for 569 bucks.
i paid 600 for the yammy too. if they cant fix it, i will return it for the onkyo i guess. i will give up only 20 watts, but it has all the same features, thx, all the decoders built it, only rated at 100 x 7 but it is still high current and has a set up mic, but the major difference is the remote, its back lit and learning. (mine is learning, but not back lit) so i will see if i want to buy this unit or not. i have read many stories on this model and i am still impressed on the reviews. do you know anything about this model?

edit; typo

p.s. i hope this original poster dont get mad, as we have now hijacked his thread.

 

I guess we did hijack his threat; hope he doesn't mind either but it doesn't looking like he's been adding anything.

Sorry about your new yammie; you must have been seriously ticked off! That happened with my new computer and I was steaming mad. HP was great but all the same, if I get myself a new toy that doesn't work right, I become a tantrum throwing five year old again. You're clearly more technologically adept than me but does losing audio in dts because of heat make any sense? Just doesn't sound right; yamaha engineers are better than that.

You wrote that if you switch AVRs, you'd lose 20X7. My Denon like your Yammie is 120 X 7 and forget home theater...that could power a real one! I doubt that I've barely gone over 25% of that power; unless you've got one hell of a living room, 100 X 7 should still be considerably more than you need!

I'm afraid I don't know anything about the Onkyo you're looking at but when I get home from work, I'll send you a hyperlink to this really awesome independent review site...they're independent, sponsored by no one; the reviews are very lengthy though and they discuss every imaginable aspect and give both good and bad points. They get a bit more technical than this pea brain can understand but I understood enough and I'm sure you'd understand even more. Wish I could remember it but I forgot.

Seems more and more remotes are back lit but I guess they sort of have to so that they can put multiple menues like a screen or monitor; hell, how many buttons can one cram on a remote? I don't like them much because I can't see crap up close and have to run for my glasses to use it! I liked buttons because once I was use to it, I could just feel my way around...such is progress. Hope you are well and will send you that hyperlike tonite.