Do I need a new receiver??? (1 Viewer)

[acidburn]

I am looking to provide surround sound in my projector room primarily for sports (directv), gaming (ps3), and movies (NetFlix streaming via PS3).


I have a Kenwood VR-205 that I'm thinking about using but it's 10 years old. Have there been enough improvements in audio receivers over the past decade to merit a new receiver? I would prefer to get more use out of the receiver before retiring it for a newer model.


I would appreciate input on the following:


1) Is this receiver outdated? If so, what can a more modern receiver do that this one won't?


2) Assuming I stick with this receiver, can someone please recommend a speaker setup I may want to use with it? Given its fairly low power output, I am thinking I will need a powered sub.


I'm hoping to put together a fairly inexpensive surround sound setup and am considering a HTiB (I'm not exactly an audiophile) setup if I can't make it work with the Kenwood.


Thanks in advance!

 

[Jose G]

The answer to this all depends on your needs, wants, etc. The receiver is outdated in that there are receivers with hdmi and optical audio inputs/outputs, better decoding, etc. That means nothing to some and a world of importance to others. My PS3 is hooked up so that my receiver gets a digital audio signal- via the digital optical in, which means the signal is sent in a way that all my speakers get it as it was intended. Footsteps in a movie behind me sound like they are behind me, for example, just where intended. I don't believe you have that option on your receiver. That doesn't mean you can't send the audio via rca and let your receiver do its thing. But the difference is remarkable if you compare them. You are correct that you will need a sub if you want to really get a feel for home theater. At 50 w/ch you are fine for the most part (as long as the space isn't too large), but you need to make sure your speakers are sensitive enough so that receiver can drive them properly. If you do some HTiB, that will be fine, but I would not do that myself. Others I know have it and think it's fine- that all depends again on the user and his/her needs/wants, etc. I personally have never heard a good HTiB system, but others apparently have. As far as speakers go, there are so many to choose from and really only you know the sound you like- warm, cool, bright, mellow, etc, so you may want to listen to as many as possible before you buy. Boston acoustic has a good sale going on right now and some incredible refurb deals on subs. I am a Boston fan and my older HD8s still sound great. If I were you, I would go here: http://www.bostonacoustics.com/Bookshelf-C13.aspx (scroll down). I might get four cs26 speakers ($90 ea.) and the cs225 center ($99), plus one of their subs ($150-$200). If you can afford it, get the cs226 instead (at $150 each that's not bad at all) and the cs225 center) and two cs26 as surrounds. Then go to the refurb section for the subs- great deals on those right now. Also get the best sub you can afford. Right now they have a crazy refurb deal on a 12" 300W sub, but you might want to settle for the 10". You need to go to the 'shop boston' link and then to the left of the page and click on 'refurbished products' to find it. I buy refurb all the time and have never had an issue. Good luck with all this. there are other companies and sales. I just happened to have come upon the sale last week.