$700 Receiver-Follow-up Question (1 Viewer)

[ChrisFR]

Still trying to sort through all of the models that have been suggested in this price range and try to make a meaningful comparison between selected models (What makes this a bit more difficult is that there are a lot of models that are still being sold - even though there are new models being offered at the same time - Marantz being a case in point with the 300 series and 400 series available)

Also I am confused by the many compatibility features such asDolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro Logic II, IIX, DTS-ES Discrete 6.1, DTS Neo:6 and DTS 96/24 etc. etc.

Apart from connectivity and audio quality issues - can anyone tell me what a good mid-range receiver should possess in terms of its ability to process the different formats - like those listed above and others.

I want to avoid purchasing a receiver only to find out it is unable to handle a current or emerging format.

Hope this somewhat disjointed question makes sense to at least a few of you - and thanks to all for the excellent guidance!

 

[Angelo.M]

Chris:

First, receivers of similar specification will provide similar, if not identical, performance. Ultimately, the "sound" is shaped primarily by your speakers, your room and your brain. So, I would use feature sets to discriminate receivers.

As far as the various decoding formats, these are described in detail elsewhere. Suffice it to say that at the $700 price point, virtually all AVRs offer Dolby Digital/Dolby Digital EX, dts/dts-ES, dts Neo:6, and Dolby PL II. dts 96/24, which you may or may not find in this range, requires software encoded to take advantage of this processing, and very little of it exists. Dolby PL IIx is a very new format, the latest iteration of Dolby Pro Logic, and is available on only the very latest AVRs.

My two-cents: virtually every AVR in your price range is going to have all the necessary processing, and I wouldn't exclude a piece because it lacked dts 96/24 and/or Dolby PL IIx. Remember (1) that the vast majority of DVD software is encoded for garden-variety Dolby Digital 5.1 and/or dts and (2) Dolby PL II is a vast enough improvement over standard Pro Logic for most folks. Finally, there are some other surround processing formats, such as harman's Logic7 and Denon's Widescreen 7.1, which achieve a similar effect to varying degrees of success; some folks prefer these to Dolby PL II.

Hope this helps.

 

[Chester II]

Dudes,

I agree with Angelo. As long as the receiver supports DTS, Dolby Digital EX, and Dolby Pro-logic II then you are good to go. I hate all the hype going around nowadays. Stick with quality of sound from quality components and never forget our good friend S T E R E O

Dudes,

Chester