What are your plans for your home theater Steve?
Are you planing on buying, using or planing on doing any of the following:
- upscaling SD-DVD's
- HD-DVD Player (currently a 1080i source)
- Bluray Player (1080p source)
- 720p, 1080i or 1080p HDTV
- Standard Digital Cable or High Definition Cable (or Satalite version)
- How many video inputs and how many digital inputs do you need?
If you are planning on going with a high definition player I do not suggest going with anything that does not include HDMI 1.2. The Yamaha HTR-5990 does not have HDMI inputs. How badly do you need a reciever right now and are you willing to spend more money on a more up to date model in the near future if you need HD capatibility?
Low Dollar Recievers:
Yamaha HTR-5990 6.1 Surround Sound Reciever - $449.95
- 6.1-Channel, 660W Powerful Surround Sound (110W x 6)
- 192kHz/24-Bit DACs for All Channels
- HDTV Compatible 3 Component Video Inputs
- Component Video Up-Conversion
- No HDMI
If you want to upconvert your current DVD's you will need HDMI on your reciever. This reciever has 5.1 analog input so if you want to use the analog for Dolby Digital or Dolby True HD. Then you will be stuck if you also use a DVD-A player. This reciever has some good performance but its a very basic model.
Yamaha RX-V557 7.1 Surround Sound Reciever - $549.95
- 7.1-Channel, 665W Powerful Surround Sound (95W x 7)
- Quad-Field CINEMA DSP and 14 Surround Programs
- 192 kHz/24-Bit DAC for All Channels
- Selectable 9-Band Subwoofer Crossover
- 8-Channel External Decoder Input
- Audio Delay for Lip Sync (0–160 ms)
- HDTV Compatible Component Video Out
- Component Video Up Conversion (Full)
- No HDMI
Yamaha RX-V1600 7.1 Surround Sound Reciever - $1099.95
- Burr-Brown 192 kHz/24-Bit DACs for All Channels
- 7-Channel 840W Powerful Surround Sound (120W x 7)
- Assignable Amplifiers for Bi-Amp Connection
- Fully Analog Video Up Conversion to HDMI and Component Video Output with TBC
- HDMI 1.1 Switching
- Wide-Range Video Bandwidth (100MHz -3 dB)
- 2 In/1 Out HDMI Interface for High Quality Digital Audio and Video Data Handling
- Quad-Field/Tri-Field CINEMA DSP and 19 Surround Programs with 5 THX Select2 Programs
- Dolby Pro Logic IIx and DTS 96/24 Compatibility
- 3 Component Video Inputs
- Audio Delay for Adjusting Lip-Sync (0–240ms)
- Selectable 9-Band Subwoofer Crossover
- Remote Terminal for Zone 2 and Zone 3
Now I am not sure but I believe that HDMI can handle 1080i, HDMI 1.2 can handle 1080p but I think you have to have HDMI 1.3 for the new Dolby True HD and DTS-HD. This is where you really want to do your home work on HDMI. If you are just planing on watching DVD's and only want Dobly Digital and DTS then the basic Yamaha, Sony, Denon, Pioneer will work for you. But if you are going to do HD and you want more flexability and other features then the basic models will not cut it. I really do not recomend Sony recievers but if thats what you want and the price is good.
Sony STR-DA3200ES 7.1 Surround Reciever - $799.95
- Channel Power Rating: 120 Watts X 7 Amplifier Power (8 ohms, 1Khz, 0.7% THD)
- Sound Fields: Cinema - 4; Music - 8; Auto Format Decoding - 12; 2 Channel - 1
- Composite Video Input(s): 5 (1 Front, 4 Rear)
- Multi-Channel Input(s): 1 (Rear, 7.1 Channel)
- Up Conversion: Yes (HDMI Up Conversion from Component, S-Video and Composite to 1080i)
- HD Component Video Input(s): 2 (Rear)
Pioneer VSX-1016TXV 7.1 Surround Reciever 1080p HDMI - $499
- 7-Channel 770W Powerful Surround Sound (110W x 7)
- HD Component Video Input(s): 2 (Rear)
- Wide-Range Video Bandwidth (100MHz -3 dB)
- 192 kHz/24-Bit DACs
- 3 Component Video Inputs / 1 Component Out
- 1080p HDMI video only passthrough
- HD Component Video
- Two 1080p HDMI Inputs
Pioneer Elite VSX-80TXV 7.1 Surround Reciever 1080p HDMI - $650
- 7-Channel 770W Powerful Surround Sound (110W x 7)
- Dual 48-Bit Freescale DSP Processor
- Auto MCACC - Auto setup
- 192 kHz/24-Bit DACs
- 3 Component Video Inputs / 1 Component Out
- 1080p HDMI video only passthrough
- Wide-Range Video Bandwidth (100MHz -3 dB)
- Two 1080p HDMI Inputs
- 7.1 external decoder input
- 5/6/7 Channel Stereo
Denon AVR-2307CI: 7.1 CH/5.1+2 CH Independent Zone Home Theater Receiver $799
- 7-Channel 700W Surround Sound (100W x 7)
- All Channels Rated @ 0.05 THD
- Dynamic Discrete Surround Circuit – D.D.S.C
- 32-bit Floating Point Surround Processor
- 5/6/7 Channel Stereo
- True 24-bit/96-kHz Digital Input Capability
- DVI/HDMI Video Inputs – Compatible with 1.1 Spec. – Multi-Channel Audio *1080p HDMI
- +12v Trigger Output - Assignable
- Variable High/Low Pass Crossover Points (12/24dB) 40/60/80/100/120/150/200/250
- 2 1080p HDMI Inputs
- 3 Component Video Inputs / 1 Component Out
- Auto Setup Calibration
For the money the Denon IMHO is the best and most flexible reciever besides the Pioneer Elite models. But I feel that the Denon is the best bang for the buck!
Again if you are looking for a reciever that has Dolby True HD and DTS-HD decoding, HDMI 1.3 1080p inputs and all the newest toys you will want to wait for the new models to come out at the end of next year. It all depends on what you are looking to do. How flexible do you need your reciever to be and what you will be using it for.
My
philosophy when selecting equipment is to get the best model I can possible afford and to get the model with the most flexibility. If you get something that offers more than you need then you will be less likely to outgrow it and need to replace it prematurely. For myself I am looking to end up with a 1080p home theater system that will include a 1080i HD-DVD player, 1080p Sony Bluray player, Sony 1080p video projector, DVD-A and SACD player, 3 channel power amp, updated reciever with (1080p HDMI 1.3 switching, Internal Dolby True HD and DTS-HD decoding, assignable digital inputs, assignable HDMI, assignable componenet video, assignable internal power amps, assignable remote triggers ect...). The goal is to not have to spend money upgrading something a second time that should have been upgraded once.
I hope this helps.
