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** My first A/V Receiver (Need Your Help) **

#1
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7/22/09 at 1:27pm
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Hey guys!

I'm about to buy my first Home Theater A/V Receiver...

What do you think are the most important characteristics to search on A/V Receiver?

I looked into the following Denon's Receivers...

Denon AVR-1910
Denon AVR-790
Denon AVR-890
Denon AVR-2310CI

What do you think about them?
My budget is $1000.

Thanks!

ALX
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#2
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7/22/09 at 3:24pm
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Hi Alex,

Most important is to get what you need, and don't pay for things you don't. Spend more on speakers (if you don't already have them).  Once you get above the $500 price range, the differences are small (at least until you hit the $1500+ range).

I like Denon, but they tend to be a bit more expensive.  Onkyo seems to be cheaper for the same feature set.  Pioneer, Yamaha, and Marantz are also popular in this price range. Denon and Onkyo both have Audyssey EQ, which is very high on my feature list (Marantz includes this as well but there are some corners cut).

What speakers are you planning to use?
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#3
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7/22/09 at 5:35pm
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Thanks David!

You are right, the price range for my A/V Receiver options is from $500-$850 and the only difference I see on them is the Power-Output


The Audyssey EQ, is the feature that auto setup the speakers connected to the receiver, right?
Which other options do you think I need to search for, on this kind of devices.

 


I´m thinking of using the following speakers:

- Polk Audio RTi A Series Speakers or the TSi A Series
- Klipsch F2 Speaker System

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#4
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7/23/09 at 6:48am
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Yes, Audyssey sets your speaker levels, distances, and EQ's them for your room.  It is and advanced EQ that attempts to make your room the same as the mixing room the film was created in.  The MultEQ and MultEQ XT are the best varieties.  Some of the lower end AVRs have MultEQ 2EQ which is missing the subwoofer filters.  From Onkyo you will want the 706 or above.  From Denon, any model.
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#5
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7/23/09 at 7:20am
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David you know what?

I just checked the Onkyo website and I realized that for the price I get more features on Onkyo AVRs than on Denon's.

This weekend I'm going to a couple of stores and check those AVRs...

Besides this Audyssey feature, what other features should I take into consideration?

 

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#6
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7/23/09 at 8:40am
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If you plan on getting Blu-Ray, decoding of the new HD formats is a plus.  Also, the more HDMI inputs the better (for future expansion). 

Power (watts) is over rated and is used too much as a marketing tool.  The difference between 90 watts and 120 watts is very small.  Don't discount a receiver just because it is "less powerful". 

Also, don't rule out companies like Pioneer, Yamaha, and Harmon Kardon just because I like Onkyo.  They make excellent products as well.  Just avoid store brands, low end Sony's, and ANYTHING from BOSE.

It is really hard to get a bad receiver at this price point if you stick with the brands mentioned here.  Have fun shopping
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#7
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7/23/09 at 7:12pm
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David thanks so much for your help!


I can´t wait for the weekend to go and check/test the Denon and Onkyo AVRs

I´m going to check those:


Denon:

AVR-890
AVR-2310CI


Onkyo:

TX-SR706
TX-SR607

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#8
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7/23/09 at 8:31pm
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The Denon 890 and 2310CI (Custom Installer) are virtually identical. I'd look at the 790 instead of the 2310.

I'd also look at auditioning as many different speakers as possible. Both the Polk RTi's and especially the Klipsch are considered to be very brite sounding. Listen to as many different brands as you can.

Don't forget about a good sub woofer. SVS, HSU and Elemental Designs (all available on the internet) are the most often  recommended around here. 

Also budget for a good universal remote control like Logitech's Harmony (they are a customer of mine so I had to mention them!). They can make using your components so much easier.

Don't forget about cables and wire. No need to spend a lot. Monoprice.com and BlueJeansCables.com are great places for good quality, but very in-expensive, products. PartsExpress.com is good for a variety of different parts and accessories.

As for other features to look for, Audyssey Dynamic EQ and Volume and decoding TrueHD and DTS-MA are the ones I'd look for and all the receivers you mentioned have them. Harman has EZSetEQ, Yamaha has Yapo and Pioneer has MCACC but Audyssey is the most popular.

"Everyday room": Mitsubishi 52631 RPTV, H/K 520, H/K dvd-5, H/K 8380, H/K CDR 20, OPPO BDP-83 BluRay player, Dish-HD, Infinity Beta 20's-C250-OWS1's, Dayton HSU10.
"Movie/Music room": Toshiba 65HM167 RPTV, Pioneer Elite 59txi, Elite DV59avi, Elite CD-59, Pioneer PD-51FD BR, Dish-DVR, Swan Diva...
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#9
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7/23/09 at 10:04pm
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Gene C thank you for your advice!!

 

I took note of it...

I need to think about the speakers I´m going to use for the AVR...

 

Which model of speakers do you recommend?

 

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#10
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7/24/09 at 7:30am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ALX09 View Post


Gene C thank you for your advice!!

 

I took note of it...

I need to think about the speakers I´m going to use for the AVR...

 

Which model of speakers do you recommend?

 



Alex,

That is totally up to you.  Speakers are a very personal choice.  Only you can decide what you like.  Decide how much you can spend and go listen to as many  as possible in and a bit above your price range. 

Also consider internet direct brands like Axiom and SVS.  These companies will allow you 30 days to test their speakers in your home.  If you don't like them, ship them back for a refund (minus shipping).

The only exception would be the subwoofer.  I HIGHLY recommend SVS,

BTW - Depending on your budget, you will probably want to spend more on the sub than any other speaker.  The sub has the hardest job and can make everything else better.

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#11
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7/24/09 at 2:13pm
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Quote:
Which model of speakers do you recommend?

 


What Dave said.

Other internet direct brands are www.theaudioinsider.com/, www.aperionaudio.com/home.aspx, www.av123.com/, www.hsuresearch.com/speakers.html, www.edesignaudio.com/index.php. Others to look for are Infinity's on eBay, Energy and Boston Acoustics at www.audioadvisor.com/, and PSB and Monitor Audio at www.saturdayaudio.com/. And there's www.thespeakercompany.com/ which I have zero experience with but others around here seem to like them. And of course, Amazon is always a good place to look for things. I've seen some great deals on speakers I've mentioned here.
"Everyday room": Mitsubishi 52631 RPTV, H/K 520, H/K dvd-5, H/K 8380, H/K CDR 20, OPPO BDP-83 BluRay player, Dish-HD, Infinity Beta 20's-C250-OWS1's, Dayton HSU10.
"Movie/Music room": Toshiba 65HM167 RPTV, Pioneer Elite 59txi, Elite DV59avi, Elite CD-59, Pioneer PD-51FD BR, Dish-DVR, Swan Diva...
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