[cccullen]

Hi, my father is looking for a very good receiver for his home theater. He wants something that can use an ipod docking station

He has an Onkyo TX-SR603 right now but it took a crap on him and blew out all the tweets so he just wants to get another amp instead of having it fixed.

I know nothing about HT so I really need your help.

This is what he wants:

1. of course a 5.1 or 7.1 it doesn't have to be THX certified.
2. He wants to be able to put an ipod to it (via docking station)
3. 80-100 watts per channel
4. he also has an amp so he wants to be able to connect that amp to the receiver.
5. budget around $350-$600

As far as I know he's just using regular speaker connections (pos and neg) and RCA connections for the speakers and i don't think he's using XLR connections.

I'm just throwing models out there but what about the Onkyo TX-SR605? can another amp be connected into this receiver?

It's supposed to be a good receiver, very highly rated. but again, i really don't know. I really have to learn about HT. I hate not knowing a thing about this.lol

[Bluzman]

Onkyo TX-SR605 doesn't have preouts so can't be used with an amp. The new Yamaha RX-V663 would fit his requirements and its available now. Also, I think the Onkyo TX-SR705 will also work for him. The Marantz SR4002 you also be considered. If he's willing to wait for a while, the Pioneer VSX-1018TXH-K will also work when it comes out.

[cccullen]

on the Onkyo TX-SR603 he's using zone 2 to connect the external amp. the TX-SR605 doesn't have that kind of feature?

Also, I'm looking a Ipod docks for the amp. I was looking at a marantz IS 201. Just wondering what are the best ipod docks that can be hooked up to a receiver?

[Dave Moritz]

You can find the Onkyo 805 online for around $630 - $680 that might fit what you are looking for. But make sure that you give it plenty of breathing area and do not put it in a sealed rack. The 805 has a quirk or two as do many of the new receivers but it is has all the new toys and its heavy as sin, or should I say built like a tank.

Onkyo TX-SR805:
7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver
130W/Ch x 7 ch
THX ultra2 certified
HDMI V1.3 repeater (3in/1out, 1080p compatible), w/HDMI video up-conversion
Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD decoding
Top line of Burr-Brown DACs for clean sound
High Instantaneous Current Capability 60A
Amplifier Frequency Response 5Hz-100kHz
Independent Block Construction (Amp/Preprocessor)
Audyssey Dynamic EQ
Component Video / Bandwidth 3 in / 1 Out / 100MHz
Weight 50.9 lbs. (23.1 kg)
XM Radio Ready
SIRIUS Radio Ready
Tripple Zone Receiver

This might be the one to replace my 10+ year old Yamaha RX-V995 because money is really tight. The 905 has a nice big toridal transformer.