H/K AVR-245 (1 Viewer)

[KevinFC]

Anybody have any info on it? I saw one at a local Fry's and listened to it versus a few onkyo's such as the 703 and a 802 i think it was. The H/K sounded crisper and clearer then the Onk's did. Anybody read or found reviews on it or own one? Im thinking of getting one of these and it has HDMI switching and it is a pretty good price online as well. How does it stack up to others in its price?

 

[John Garcia]

Frys isn't exactly a good place to listen to gear... For one, it is impossible to know what the settings are and if they are anywhere near comparable, and for two, their listening "areas" leave a lot to be desired.

I highly doubt it will do better than the higher Onkyos, it is basically H/Ks bottom model. Yes they sound good, but not THAT good IMO. Did you listen to it with the same speakers? The previous 2xx and 3xx models from H/K are very decent, so I would expect the new ones to be no less.

 

[KevinFC]

Yeah i listened to them with the same speakers....3 different pair matter of fact. I have an older onkyo 601 and wanted to upgrade to something with HDMI switching. I am not a newbie by any means and i was surprised how good it sounded as well.

 

[John Garcia]

I've heard the 601, 235 and 335 and though they all sounded about the same power-wise, but I do like the sound of the H/Ks a bit better.

 

[KevinFC]

Well the new 340 doesn't have HDMI switching on it only the models ending in X45 so the next jump is the 445 and there is a 300.00 dollar jump as well. And it is a 15 watt jump and that is not enough to convince the Wife to let me fork out an extra 3 bills for...When i am also looking at a velodyne sub as well. I can get the HK for about 4 or less. Any other receiver out ther in that range with HDMI and a good clean sound?

 

[John Garcia]

How many in/outs do you need? I'd also consider the Marantz 4001 or 5001 (both v1.1, 2 in 1 out), though the 5001 is in the 445 realm.

 

[KevinFC]

I need a coax from the HD cable box, an optical from the dvd player and an optical from the TV. Then 1 HDMI from the cable box and one from the dvd player. That is about it.

 

[John Garcia]

Do you have a HD DVD or BD player or just a standard DVD player? You would need HDMI 1.3 for the high def players, but probably don't for a SD DVD player. Does your HDMI work from your cable box? What cable box? Most that I've seen do not support HDMI yet, it is just "there" for future use.

Both Marantz models will get you there if you don't need 1.3, but the 245 will get you there for less and should give you pretty good sound too. What speakers?

 

[KevinFC]

It is a sony upconverting dvd so just a sd player but i want this receiver for future use when i do get a hd dvd or bd player. I have polk R series: R50 for the fronts, R30 for rears and CSi25 for a center. My sub is a soon to be replaced yamaha with a velodyne. My cable box i use a DVI to HDMI cable. The DVR cable boxes and the new series my cable company has they say have HDMI and that it works...but i dont know first hand. When i upgraded my TV which i used DVI i was given a DVI to HDMI cable from a buddy that got the wrong cable and never used it.

 

[John Garcia]

Well, if you're looking to do one of the hi def formats, I'd look for a receiver that has HDMI 1.3, which most of the new models should. Not sure if the x45s do or not.