looking for receiver advice (1 Viewer)

i was pretty much set with onkyo txsr608, but more and more i think about it i would rather spend 100$ more on sub and get receiver in $250 range +/-. maybe onkyo 508. not quite sure, i dont understand these stuff that much . i am looking for 7.1, with min 4 hdmi ports, and will mostly use it for movies, tv, games and music. i am open to other brands too.

thanks

You should always spend less on the receiver and more on speakers/sub woofer. Just make sure the receiver you get has the features you need.


In most cases the 508 is enough even though the 608 is most often recommended.


Others to look at are the Pioneer 520/820 and Yamaha 467/567 but low end Onkyo's seem to have more usable power than the same level Pioneer's and Yamaha's but those would probably be strong enough anyway.


Factory refurbs and closeouts of last years models are other ways to save a lot of money. Ac4l.com is Onkyo's factory refurbished outlet and they come with a one year warranty from Onkyo. They also handle Marantz. Dakmart.com handles Denon. I'm not sure who, if anyone, handles Pioneer and Yamaha refurbs.

what about denon avr 1611. i found open box for $100 less than its original price. how does it compare to onkyos 608/508?

thanks


in fact i dont really need 7.1 as i am going to run 5.1 setup and not planing to add. is denon avr 391 pretty much the same as avr 1611, just 5.1 instead of 7.1?

I think the 1611 is more like the 591. The 391 is a step lower.


The 1611 is as good or better than any others listed. I didn't mention it because i thought it would be a little more than you wanted to spend. I would choose it over any of the others mainly because it has a better version of Audyssey. Setup and usability is my biggest complaint with the 1611. If I owned a Denon I'm sure it would be easier to use over time but they seem to fuction a bit differently than other brands. Keep the manual handy. But you can't fault the features/performance of the 1611.

The Onkyo is not a bad value, I prefer the Denon myself. I feel the Denon is better as far as build and sound quality. The Onkyo reciever seem to run hotter so if you prefer what you see with the Onkyo I would make sure you do not close it in and that it has ventelation. The Onkyo seems to have more anlog inputs and outputs, although there is no 5.1 in or out on ether reciever. There is also no component video which is my only beef on the Denon! In electronics you do get what you pay for so get the best you can afford. And I would agree that the speakers are very important because you can make a mediocer reciever sound good but you can also make a good reciever sound bad depending on the speakers you hook up to it. Like I said about normally I would say Denon but in this case you might want to go with the Onkyo. Look at other brands and if possible listen to as many as you can before spending your hard earned cash on anything. I want to upgrade and update my old Yamaha RX-V995 but I decided that if I can not get above a certain price point and features that I would put it off until I could get what I want. So for now the old Yamaha is still pulling music and movie duty!


[*] Onkyo TX-SR508

[*] 80 W + 80 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08%)

[*] 4 HDMI Input (Repeater)

[*] V1.4a (supporting 3D video and Audio Return Channel)

[*] Power Consumption 3.9a

[*] Decodes: Dolby True HD, DTS HD Master Audio

[*] No upscaling

[*] Audyssey Dynamic Volume™

[*] Audyssey 2EQ w/ Dynamic EQ

[*] http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?m=TX-SR508&class=Receiver&p=s

[*]

[*] Denon AVR-1611

[*] 75 watts (8 ohms, 20 Hz to 20 kHz, 0.08% THD).

[*] Decodes: Dolby True HD, DTS HD Master Audio

[*] 4 HDMI Input (Repeater)

[*] V1.4a (supporting 3D video and Audio Return Channel)

[*] Audyssey Dynamic Volume™

[*] http://usa.denon.com/DocumentMaster/US/AVR-1611_Lit521.pdf