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Good entry level Receiver?

post #1 of 18
4/14/09 at 7:33am
Thread Starter 
would this be a good starter receiver for me? i need to connect my 360, Ps3 to it.

Onkyo TX-SR507 - 5.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver | Model Information | Onkyo USA Home Theater Products
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post #2 of 18
4/14/09 at 7:52am

Re: Good entry level Receiver?

Yes, that's a nice receiver. It has more connections than you currently need, so you could probably step down if you need to save money. But if it's in your range I'd say go for it.
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post #3 of 18
4/14/09 at 8:00am
Thread Starter 

Re: Good entry level Receiver?

now what kind of speakers should i get with it?
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post #4 of 18
4/14/09 at 1:33pm

Re: Good entry level Receiver?

Quote:
Originally Posted by joeyfine
would this be a good starter receiver for me? i need to connect my 360, Ps3 to it.

Onkyo TX-SR507 - 5.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver | Model Information | Onkyo USA Home Theater Products

Another good choice, and one I had considered, is the Yamaha RX-V465 if you only want 5.1, or the RX-V565 for 7.1. Both have 4 HDMI inputs, and also feature the lossless audio codecs (Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD MA). The 465 I've seen as low as $349.

I eventually went with last year's RX-V563, which I found on closeout for under $300. It does not have the lossless codecs, but with the PS3 you don't need them, as long as the receiver can process multi-channel PCM over HDMI. The 563 also has only 2 HDMI inputs, but does have multi-channel analog inputs, which the 465 and 565 lack.
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post #5 of 18
4/14/09 at 5:21pm

Re: Good entry level Receiver?

Quote:
now what kind of speakers should i get with it?
What's your budget? Will you be watching movies in addition to playing games?
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post #6 of 18
4/15/09 at 6:11am
Thread Starter 

Re: Good entry level Receiver?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg_R
What's your budget? Will you be watching movies in addition to playing games?

yes movies and video games. i would say $300-$500 on speakers.
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post #7 of 18
4/15/09 at 7:46am

Re: Good entry level Receiver?

If music is not a primary consideration you can go with satellites. (I'm sure there are good satellite systems for music, but I haven't found any in the lower price range, say < $1000.)

I really love my H/Ks, but they don't make my model any more. Here's one just for reference, I didn't look around to get a best price:

Harman Kardon HKTS 18 5.1-Channel Home Theater Speaker System in Home Theater Speaker Kits at JR.com

Thing is, speakers are very subjective. The best thing you can do is listen to them yourself. You will not like sets that I'll think are fantastic and vice versa.
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post #8 of 18
4/16/09 at 7:37am
Thread Starter 

Re: Good entry level Receiver?

ya music isnt a big deal. looking for a good movie experience.
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post #9 of 18
4/16/09 at 9:20pm

Re: Good entry level Receiver?

But you will find that a speaker system that will satisfy your musical ear will also give you a great movie experience. I found that listening to music that I was familiar with was the best way to evaluate the speaker systems I listened to.
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post #10 of 18
4/16/09 at 10:58pm

Re: Good entry level Receiver?

So generally a system that gives good music experience will also provide decent movie experience right??
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post #11 of 18
4/17/09 at 5:59am

Re: Good entry level Receiver?

Quote:
So generally a system that gives good music experience will also provide decent movie experience right??

I think that's true. The problem is that a system built that way will cost more. You really want a 5.1 set-up for movies. Buying 5 music quality speakers is much more expensive than buying 5 good speakers for a theater. If you choose to just get two or three music quality speakers (for the fronts on the theater) then you have to worry about timbre matching the speakers.

But if you have the cash, auditioning for music should work.
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post #12 of 18
4/17/09 at 2:40pm

Re: Good entry level Receiver?

For your current budget, I would suggest starting out with one of the following options:

- A decent set of main speakers (no sub, no surround, no center channel)
- A good set of headphones (best audio quality option but no one else can participate)
- $200-$250 on mains, $250-$300 on a subwoofer

Used would be best to maximize the value for your $$$. I think you will be much happier with a few decent speakers than 5.1 channels of under performing junk. Many home theaters start out this way... just slowly add quality components as budget allows.
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post #13 of 18
4/18/09 at 8:01am

Re: Good entry level Receiver?

I agree with the above. Buy two front speakers now for $500 and add a center, etc. later when you can afford it.
If you buy a $500 package (in-a- box) and want to upgrade in a year, there is $500 wasted.
I bought piece-by-piece over six months and saved money because I watched for sales of each stereo type (surrounds would be on sale one week, etc.)
Just make sure you when you buy the fronts, that you like the company's center and surrounds (and be sure that they make centers and surrounds).
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post #14 of 18
4/19/09 at 3:44am

Re: Good entry level Receiver?

Quote:
I agree with the above. Buy two front speakers now for $500 and add a center, etc. later when you can afford it.
If you buy a $500 package (in-a- box) and want to upgrade in a year, there is $500 wasted.

I disagree completely. The OP said he wasn't concerned about music. The receiver he mentioned, and the speakers I referenced, are both separate components and can be upgraded at any time - they are not part of a HT in a box. He will have a much better movie experience with a decent 5.1 system that with an above average 2.1 system.
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post #15 of 18
4/19/09 at 2:39pm

Re: Good entry level Receiver?

Don't get me wrong, I am not anti H-Kardon, (I have an H-K AVR) but when you spend $500 on six speakers, one of which is a subwoofer, you are getting six $85 speakers. $85 does not buy much of a subwoofer (I tried that once - my only speaker purchase I regretted).
Again, I don't mean to knock this suggested speaker setup as I have not heard it and if you don't want to go over $500 that is fine.
My idea was to spend $500 on two or three speakers and add the last two or three later when you maybe have another $500 or $600.
Better to spend $1000 slowly than to spend $500 now and then $1000 later when you decide you want the better quality.
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post #16 of 18
4/20/09 at 12:57pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Good entry level Receiver?

So if i was to buy main speakers which ones should i go with?
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post #17 of 18
4/20/09 at 6:56pm

Re: Good entry level Receiver?

Wow. Now that's a big question. It is almost like someone asking what car you should buy.
I'd suggest you start a new topic under "Speakers" as this thread is about receivers.
When you do that, state the size of the room and the amount you want to spend on the speakers.
Let's say you had a budget for $300 speakers. I would listen to as many as I could find in my city/area in that price range and then decide.

I went with KEFs. See below.
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...e-theater.html
But KEFs might not be available in your area, they might not be in your price range, and you might not even like the sound.
It is fine to read up on this and ask others and get opinions, but just because 6 others like brand Y does not mean you should buy brand Y.
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post #18 of 18
4/21/09 at 1:14pm

Re: Good entry level Receiver?

I have a brand new set of yamaha NS-555 towers that I would be willing to part with and a 12'' polk audio powered sub too.
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