Another "Oldies But Goodies" Receiver Thread... (1 Viewer)

[Alan M]

"Thanks for your thoughts, Alan. What are you running for serious DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 decoding in a main room, anything?"

Yep,I'm running an Outlaw 950 pre/pro with most of todays bells and whistles.It 2 years old,and I'll upgrade when the new hd sound formats make it to market.

 

[Adam Scott]

Here are some must-have DTS titles to demo:

-Gladiator SIGNATURE SELECTION (DreamWorks, DTS ES); don't buy any other version of this title (now out of print, you'll have to get it online somewhere) and you will thank me for that when you hear the roar of the crowds in DTS ES and the tiger-fighting scene!!

-U571 (Universal, DTS); be careful when you turn your system up and how your sub is calibrated on this one during the depth charge sequences...wow...some of the best examples of ambient detail on a surround mix too, as every single creak of the sub can be heard in a quiet theater room during the slower scenes...

-War of the Worlds (remake, DreamWorks, DTS); the LFE here is frightening, and this may be the best audio track available today in terms of demo usage...

-The Haunting SIGNATURE SELECTION (DreamWorks, DTS ES); the most LFE you will ever experience on a DVD...also out of print...

-Saving Private Ryan (DreamWorks, DTS version ONLY)

-Twister Special Edition (Warner Brothers, DTS)

-Bad Boys II Superbit (Columbia/TriStar, DTS)

-Black Hawk Down Superbit (Columbia/TriStar, DTS)

-The Patriot Superbit (Columbia/TriStar, DTS)

-The Fast and the Furious (Universal, DTS)

-Jurassic Park (Universal, DTS version ONLY)

Thats what I can think of now, but there are SURELY a lot more than these; others should have some suggestions, too.

 

[Adam Scott]

"Perhaps it is I who should have been more clear. I gathered your point from the get-go; I invoked my vintage units simply to illustrate that some of this gear can, and ought to, last a considerable period of time, as we might rightly expect."

Indeed; I did not mean to infer "vintage" equipment of that age...

"Gotta say I've precious little time for such elitists. Talk about sucking the fun right out of an otherwise blast of a hobby!! They can have their new receiver/pre-pro/doo-dad. I'll keep the $1K in my pocket, and enjoy what I've got. The PQ/AQ of The Island knocked me out last night (and the movie itself was less poor than I'd been led to believe)."

Aside from agreeing with you about those elitists, I must disagree about the Island...wow, I thought that one of the worst films ever made!! Are we to believe then, based on your comment before that, that you are a receiver man through and through?

"I think we're all in agreement on this."

Was just double checking that we were all on the same page; I did not get that direct of verification from the other membership which has participated.

"I suppose I'm a good deal more cynical than you may be Adam, but I think, for some, it is. See the elitists referenced above. The more sensible among us, I like to think, are satisfied with the size and performance of their equipment."

Well, I can be cynical with the best of 'em, for sure, but I still believe it is not really the theory of "the person with the most toys wins" here, which it seems to be for just about everything else in this materialistic-driven society, but simply "worrying" that our receivers a few years old now are doing okay for us...

"We can, and we do. The proof of the suitability of the gear lies in the experience."

So if we are enjoying the experience, our gear is not obsolete (save for, of course, if it was not decoding all the modern soundtracks, which my Onkyo does)?

 

[Adam Scott]

Thanks for your thoughts; I suppose I will wait, too. What about your amplification? What are you running? Is it enough power for you now?

 

[Alan M]

I run Magnepans in my HT.They are a wonderfull speaker but,could be connected by cable direct to my local power companies generating plant and still want more power.(joke)

I have my mains running off a crown 402b pushing 400 WPC @ 4 ohms.my center and surrounds(6.1 config) are pushed by an Outlaw 7100 amp(165 WPC @ 4 ohms). I have no plans to upgrade my amps anytime in the near future.

 

[Shane Harg]

Since I moved to Japan, last year, I had to sell everything I owned in the States, and buy all updated equipment. Poor me!:frowning: I feel so left out and like I have a big "L" on my forehead. "'L' for 'love'!"

 

[Adam Scott]

As, with that kind of power, you would not really ever need to.....Im jealous...

Dang....I thought I was doing okay with just 80 watts per channel on my Onkyo....

How about taking this thread into another area, fellas, now that Alan brings this up...is there anyone else running lower power figures on your receiver, like me, but still thinks the power is just fine for your needs?

 

[Grant B]

Hey Adam
I am still running my Sony TAE 9000ES Preamp along with 2 TANs and a TAP9000ES.The TAE with the 2.0 SW sounds great and is built like a tank.
The TAP gets me 5.1 inputs for SACD DVDA.
Ive had it since 97 or 98 and still haven't got the upgrade bug....most new ones look like toys in comparison.
I set up a friends new sony a few months back (7001 maybe?) and the controls/features still is only a minor subset of what I have on my preamp

Grant

 

[Adam Scott]

Thanks Grant.

How about anyone else and their power....anyone else running receivers under 100 watts a channel and doin' just fine?

 

[Dave Simpson]

Quote: "Are we to believe...that you are a receiver man through and through?"

Not necessarily, Adam. I've always made do with a receiver, and I've always been pleased with them (most of them, anyway; I used Sony and Technics models about 15 years ago that each had their share of difficulties, and I'm being kind). Only when I set up a dedicated front-projection room did I move to out-board amps. Room was about 30' x 10.5', and I figured that too much power would be preferable to too little. I used the hitherto mentioned Yamaha 795a as a pre-pro until I bought a Yammie 1500 for PLIIx and 7.1. Given the prices of pre/processors, I doubt I'll ever buy one; the Yamaha receivers have excelled in their home-theater apps.

Quote: "So if we are enjoying the experience, our gear is not obsolete (save for, of course, if it was not decoding all the modern soundtracks, which my Onkyo does)?"

If our gear is at least decoding DD and DTS (let's leave the HD codecs out of this, for now), then I don't see how it could be considered obsolete. These models may have been superseded in the manufacturer's line-ups, but that doesn't make them functionally obsolete.

Quote: "anyone else running receivers under 100 watts a channel and doin' just fine?"

As I've indicated, my amps (Parasound 1205a and 1000a) and my more current receiver (which may indeed be considered by some to be out-dated, but not by me) are gathering dust in their cartons until the time comes that I build a dedicated room in my new basement here. Meantime, my second-class citizen Yamaha 795a, purchased Oct 99 and spec'ed at 85wpc x 5, never fails me. I'm quite content with it. Cheers.

DS.

 

[Adam Scott]

Thanks!

 

[Jeffrey_K]

I am running an Yamaha HTR-5560, does that count?

It does everything I need and then some. I'm not such an expert that it makes a difference.

 

[Adam Scott]

Jeffrey,

How old is that Yammie, and how much power does it pump out?

 

[Grant B]

Hey when something works the way you want it and you are happy with the sound; then why change?

This forum tends to cater to people who like upgrading and experimenting so it's a wonder there are so many responses

 

[Adam Scott]

Well, true Grant, about what you say in the first paragraph, but according to the many responses we have received, indeed perhaps there are more people that are holding onto their older gear in here than you were aware of; the point of the thread, though, was just to know if there were others in my boat with receivers going on more than a "few" years old, and if they felt "comfortable" with holding onto them -- sure, when something works why change, yes, but what about the temptation of "THX Certified" receivers for those of us who dont own one? What about the temptation of more power, as some of us have receivers that put out, say, 80 watts a channel? What about more speaker connection availablity? What about better DACs and such? THATS what makes us wonder if our gear is....well...."good enough" at least for now....

 

[BillSuneson]

Running a little older receiver an Onkyo TX-NR 900 matched up with polk lsi speakers and I'm lovin it. Power is just fine even for very power hungry speakers. The only thing down the road I would want would be video up conversion so i can make things easier when running cable for theater construction. but most likely will just run all extra cables

 

[McPaul]

Using an Onkyo TX-DS575TX still over the last 2-3 years, it's been a tank for me... I've babied it over this time. I figure if I treat it well, it will treat me well. I'm looking at making an upgrade now, not sure what to get, and while I hesitate, I know it will be there for me day in, and day out.

 

[Adam Scott]

Thanks for the comments, Paul! How powerful is that DS575 -- Im guessing thats the replacement for Onkyo's 'SR500 that put out 75 watts a channel, or am I wrong?

 

[BillSuneson]

I believe without taking the time to look it up it's 100x7 and it's the same model year as yours 900/600 compared to 901/601 or 803/703 it's all in the last two digits. But that power is definitley better than most receivers that i could find in that price range when i bought it. ( about 1500 new found mine for about 900) only downfall to receiver is no upconversion, that was the following year. oh well.
Bill

Adam what kind of polk speakers are you running with that 600?

 

[McPaul]

You are correct, in addition, it was the first 500 series receiver to be a high current amplifier, so the 75X5 is actually a 'true' high current rating