Peter Keeling

Basic reveiver or amps and such?

Im not exactly knowledgable when it comes to pre-amps and amps and stuff, and was wondering if i want a dedicated HT if I should go with a regular receiver or the serperate items. I was thinking of going with Pioneer VSX-59TXi or the Denon AVR-5803. Any other suggestions would be very helpful, as Im not a professional at this, and also dont want to make a big mistake buying a bad reveiver.

Thanks,
Peter Keeling

Owen Bartley

Peter, I guess it depends on a few things. I'll start off, and I'm sure people will add.

1) Depends on the rest of your gear. Seperates can sound great, but may not make a big difference when paired with average speakers, etc.

2) Receivers can sound great too, and there are some pretty high end ones that can get you started in the hobby, and as time (and money) go by, you can use it as a pre/pro and add power amps, then eventually replace it with a new dedicated pre/pro.

3) Budget is a big factor here. You can get a pretty good entry level receiver for a lot cheaper than starting out with seperates. Just make sure it has pre-outs for all the 7.1 channels and you can always upgrade (as in #2) I see you're looking at some high end receivers, which yuo shuold be very happy with unless you are a super critical listener.

4) I guess the main thing people say about seperates is that they have improved clarity, dynamics, and imaging. The rest of your equipment, and your HT room itself might have a lot of influence on these too, and might be worth looking into improving first.

Off the top of my head, thats all I can think of right now. Hope it helped a bit.

- OJ -

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John Garcia

I would hardly call the 5803a or 59TXi "basic", and in their price category, I think you will be hard pressed to find a bad receiver.

If you want somewhat fewer components and connections, and don't really need the flexibility to upgrade either the processor or amp separately, and aren't going to be powering a bunch of power hungry speakers, you likely don't need anything more than a receiver. These receivers should be able to handle most anything that will be thrown at them though, I'd expect.

I'd have to agree with Owen on critical listening - if you aren't looking for the ultimate in sound reproduction, and absolute musical accuracy, then you might not even need to spend that much on a receiver, but it certainly won't hurt to have as much power as you can get.

A modest receiver with decent external amplification, which is sort of a budget (poorman's, if you will) separates route, will still give you most of what a flagship receiver is doing while leaving you the ability to upgrade to separates easily. Tthis is the route I have taken, and I am actually quite happy with this setup right now.

"The trouble with the world is not that people know too little, but that they know so many things that ain't so." - Mark Twain

HT: Marantz SR-8300, MA500 monoblocks x 2, 5X GR Research A/V-2s, Adire Audio Tempest sub, Denon 2900, Oppo 980H, Toshiba HD-A2, RC2000MkII remote, Panamax 5100, Panamax Max2 sub, Slim PS2, PS3 60G + 320G USB

Bedroom: Marantz PM-7200 Integrated, GR Research A/V-1s, Sony 222ES SACD, RC3200 remote, Panamax M8EX

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