[Josh Larkins]

I bought the AudioSource System 230 for my parents about 2 years ago. I got an open box receiver/amp/whatever at the same time from Best Buy, a Sony STR-DE345. Sometime in the past year while I was at school, they messed with it and screwed the audio up pretty good. There was no sound coming out of the front left or right speakers. I disconnected everything, hooked it up out on the floor to try to figure where the problem lay, couldn’t get any audio out of any speakers. Did all the factory resets – nothing worked. I figure it’s the receiver that’s croaked.

I need suggestions on a new receiver. The only thing I’ll be hooking it up to is a DVD player and possibly a satellite box. I’d love to see a price under $200, but under $300 should be acceptable. I figure the speakers are crappy, but my parents couldn’t tell the difference between high-end speakers and $5 headphones. They just like hearing the movie all around them.

[gene c]

I would recommend an Onkyo 303 or 304. Onkyo's seem to be among the most user friendly avr's around and would be a good choice for your parents. An entry level Sherwood would also be a good choice. Those speakers are actually pretty decent for the price. Well, for movies anyway. Not so good with music. Sounded kinda flat to me. But the sub is pretty crappy. But as you said, O.K for the parents.

[Josh Larkins]

Thanks for your suggestions. I like the prices. I was browsing through Sherwoods website and realized one last thing. What is the ohm rating on the AudioSource speakers I have? I know they need to match the amp or the amp can overheat, or at least, I think that's right. I thought I remembered these speakers were 4ohms but I can't find this information anywhere.

Any recommendations on the Sherwood receivers?

[gene c]

I'm 99% sure those AudioSource speakers are 8 ohm. Any receiver can handle them. As for which Sherwood to get, either the 6500 or 6105 are readily available and would be perfect. Circuit City has the 6500 on sale on their web site for $129. Fry's used to sell some Sherwood receivers for well under $100 but I haven't seen them in their add lately.

[Tom Donaghue]

Here's a list of manufacturer refurbished solid entry level receivers available from uBid. As they're refurbs, they'll give you a substantial savings over a new product, however they do have a limited warranty or exchange period if this is a problem for you. In my experience, I've found that if an electronic device of this level is going to exhibit any problems, it willl likely be within the first month of ownership, obviously not including any lightning strike related issues, etc.

Having purchased a few receivers and other components from uBid, I feel pretty confident recommending them as every product I've purchased with them has worked flawless and has appeared to be brand new. In addition to this, they've got a solid track record in resolving product related problems in regards to returns/exchanges.

These are ordered in my suggested preference in regards to performance for cost, taking into consideration this is for your parents and all should be within your price range including shipping charges:

Denon AVR-786S (Silver) for $269
90 day warranty through Denon

Yamaha HTR-5835 (Silver) for $144
60 day exchange through uBid

Denon AVR-1705 (Black) for $175
90 day warranty through Denon
*(There's also a Denon AVR-686S for $219 which is the same as the 1705 only a newer model and silver as opposed to black)

Pioneer VSX-915 (Black) for $229
90 day warranty through Pioneer

Pioneer VSX-815 (Black) for $199
90 day warranty through Pioneer

Onkyo TX-SR503 (Black) for $159
1 year warranty through Onkyo


Keep in mind the shipping costs when making your decision as some units may be a bit more than others and this should be a consideration. I, personally. have owned a Denon AVR-685S (identical to the 1705 except for color) in the past and for what it offers, it's a great entry level receiver. I also currently own the next step up from the AVR-786S (886S) and from what I've heard from it so far in the past month, this would be the best performer of the lot, though at the upper end of the price scale.

Regardless of which of these you might decide on (if at all), I think you'd be satisfied with any of them for your application. Good luck and have fun choosing! -TD

[Josh Larkins]

Darn it! I knew something like this would happen...

I ordered the Sherwood 6105. It got here a few minutes ago, I unwrapped it, and found to my dismay it's 6ohm. What to do?!?

[gene c]

Many entry level receivers rate their power @ 6 ohms because it sounds more impressive. That same receiver rated @ 8 ohms would be around 75-80 wpc. Maybe less. It's kind of like cheating to make it look better on paper. But don't worry, it will power your 8 ohm Audio Source speakers just fine. In fact, I'm sure it was designed for 8 ohms. On page 6 of the manual it says to be sure and use speakers "over 6 ohms".

[Josh Larkins]

Excellent then. I'm off to hook it up now...