choosing a receiver (1 Viewer)

Hi im new to home theatre so all help is thanked.


building my system just need info on a receiver for a 5.1 system. Im buying right now 2 towers a sub and receiver



the two towers will be either


axiom m60


emp tek e55ti


martin logan motion 10


or


ascend acoustic sierra-1



my needs are on a $1000 budget i will be needing a receiver.....and if able a sub aswell but can wait on the sub..

Hi Scott, welcome to the forum.


The most important considerations to take into account when shopping for a receiver are:

1. The number and type of connectivity options you need (i.e. how many sources you have, and how will they be connected - HDMI, Component video, etc.)
2. The rated impedance load the receiver is able to handle (if you have speakers picked out already). Most receivers are 8/6 ohm compatible. If you require a receiver capable of handling 4 ohm speakers, you generally step up a notch in price.

Of the speakers you listed, all are 8 or 6 ohm models except the Martin Logans. According to their website, however, despite their "nominal" impedance of 4 ohms, the speakers are "compatible" with 6 or 8 ohm receivers. I'm not familiar with these speakers, so I'm not sure how this is achieved. Hopefully others can chime in with definitive information on whether these speakers will work with any receiver.


You didn't provide any information on what source(s) you want to connect to the system. Do you have cable/satellite? HD? DVD or Blu-ray? Any game systems, like Wii?


Things that are NOT important to consider when buying a receiver:

1. Wattage numbers. They are all subjective and have little bearing on reality. Also, it takes double the wattage to produce a 3dB increase in system volume. So the difference between 70 watts per channel and 90 watts per channel is miniscule.
2. 5.1 or 7.1 - All 7.1 receivers can be configured to run as 5.1 (or just about anything, really), so don't limit your choices to models that are ONLY 5.1.

Finally, $1000 is more than enough for a nice receiver. In fact, I believe that for most folks, a good plateau for features can be found at around $500 (give or take). Models that fall in the $500-1000 range usually add "niche" features that may or may not be important to you.


The most commonly recommended brands around here include Denon, Yamaha, Pioneer, and Onkyo. Marantz and Harmon/Kardon are frequently mentioned, as well, however the "bang-for-the-buck" factor drops off a bit for those brands, IMO.


Let us know more about what sources you have, and what sort of features you're looking for (powered zone 2, network capability, XM or Satellite radio, etc.) and we can try making some specific recommendations.

Jason.


Sources are gaming - ps3/blu ray , xbox 360 , satellite , network capability for my alienware pc.


$500 give or take is great as that will leave room for a sub.


Thank you greatly appreciated...Any other information you need?


p.s those speakers i mentioned any suggestions ???

I can't offer any feedback on the speaker choices. I don't have any experience with those brands, and in the end, it all depends on how they sound to you. Definitely spend some time listening to the speakers (if possible) before you buy. Everyone has different preferences, only you can decide what's best for you.


On the receiver front, the addition of the PC/networking capability will help narrow down your choices. I'm most familiar with the Onkyo line of receivers. Their newer lineup includes the Onkyo 609 (Amazon is an authorized dealer for Onkyo) which looks like it has just about everything you're looking for. It will NOT work with 4 ohm speakers (the Martin-Logans) - for that, you'd have to step up a model to the 709 which is about $300 more (4 ohm capability is one of those features that most folks don't really need, and usually can only be found on the more expensive receiver models).


All of the sources you listed are HDMI, so you don't really need to worry about upconversion from analog to HDMI (which the 609 does offer, by the way).


You can use that model Onkyo as a baseline and look up comparable models from other manufacturers to see how they compare price-wise.

Ok well, I have 6 speakers, and was wondering which surround sound receiver i should get. My price range is 100-300 dollars.


NutraSlim

Decided to go with Onkyo TX-NR709 for its network / multieq combo mostly but also its 4ohm certified and the speakers decided on are the axiom m80s for front for n ow and then a extra m80 for center and qs8 surrounds.. svs or hsu sub down the road.

Can anyone chime in on what my pc needs to connect the receiver through network?


Buying a new pc so wanna make it has what i need

If your pc has an HDMI out that should be all you need. But dont quote me on that.