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How to determine if its a good receiver ???

#1
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5/1/09 at 3:01pm
  • Joined: April 2009
  • Post Count: 3
Hello everyone, welcome to my second post hehehe

So, now that I have discarded the idea of going with Bose, (my lil brother finally nailed it down) its time to start piecing together a nice theatre listening experience.

So first purchase on my list is the Receiver...
But what makes a good receiver worth the money, I mean, I am sure price is somewhat of a guideline on how good it is, but what should I look for. Today it seems everything around $500 to $800 comes with the same options, (DTS, HDMI, Satellite radio ready...) so how do I choose ???
BTW 500 - 800 is my budget for a receiver.

Any ideas or tips on purchasing this will be greatly appreciated
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#2
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5/1/09 at 3:34pm
  • Joined: April 2000
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Re: How to determine if its a good receiver ???

You first need to identify the features that you will require, the features that would be nice to have, and the features that you will NOT use. From that, you can narrow things down to a price and model range. Go out and demo the receivers and play around with the functions (how easy is it to calibrate the system, how easy is it to adjust the audio decoding, etc.).

Alternatively, you can go down to the receivers forum and pick one of the more popular options (Denon, Onkyo, etc.).

I will add that a 7ch system is not a huge benefit for theaters in your budget unless your room is large. You will end up getting 7 so-so speakers instead of a better set of 5 for the same price.

Greg
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#3
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5/1/09 at 6:04pm
  • Joined: January 2004
  • Location: Mechanicsburg, PA
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Re: How to determine if its a good receiver ???

In your other post you mentioned a $2k budget for everything. You also mentioned you were thinking of getting a PS3. With a budget that size, I would not spend too much on a receiver (most should be put towards speakers). With the PS3, your options are greater and will get you in below $500 for a good one.

IMO, the newest Onkyo's have the most features and the best price. Check out the Onkyo 576 or 606.
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#4
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5/1/09 at 7:02pm
  • Joined: May 1999
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Re: How to determine if its a good receiver ???

The old rule was power and weight. The heavier receiver would handle high power duties and stay cool.

Today - it's about number of HDMI connections, video up-conversion and auto-calibration.

Onkyo has been impressing a lot of people for packing tons of bells into their receivers and pricing them starting at $380.
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#5
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5/1/09 at 7:24pm
  • Joined: December 1969
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Re: How to determine if its a good receiver ???

You want one with sure hands, good timing and the ability to make the run after the catch.

Beyond that I have nothing to add to the excellent advice given above. Well, except that I've owned Denon and Onkyo receivers (my current one is an Onkyo, old enough that it lacks HDMI connections) and have been very happy with both.

Regards,

Joe
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