Entry Level DPL II A/V Receiver - Recommendations?? (1 Viewer)

[Wayne Reibold]

I'm looking for an entry level DPL II a/v receiver, hoping to keep the out the door cost to under $300. It won't be used with Dolby Digital, DTS, etc. so primary interest is DPL II. Any recommendations??

 

[Wayne Reibold]

P.S. I should also state it needs to have connections for an external equalizer. The speakers being connected to it require use of an external equalizer.

I started looking at the Denon 1602 but it looks to me like it cannot accept an external equalizer so the search continues...

 

[John Sully]

Don't tell me you have an old pair of Bose 901's?

If you only need to EQ the front 2 speakers you should be able to get by with running the EQ in the tape loop. Otherwise I'm afraid you are sunk because I know of no receiver which has 6 (or 8) channel preout/main in connections. The 6 or 8 channel inputs used for DVD-A and SACD are not true main inputs, but are rather an auxilary input which bypasses everything but the volume control in the pre/pro section of your receiver.

You may be forced to go the separates route and spend the $$$$.

 

[Randy Schissler]

Wayne,

What speakers are you using? You say it won't be for Dolby Digital or DTS, does that mean you don't have a 5.1 speaker setup? Or do you have a 5.1 setup and plan to use the DPLII for music or TV audio?

If you don't have five speakers in your system, DPLII will be of no use to you. If you do have five speakers, you might consider the Kenwood VR507. Although I have never actually heard it, it is an inexpensive model with DPLII.

--Randy Schissler

 

[Wayne Reibold]

I don't, but my parents do and they're quite happy with them so I'm not going to rock the boat...

Yes, the equalizer only needs to run the front left and right speakers which are the Bose.

Any recommendations of entry level a/v receivers (preferably with DPL II) that have a tape monitor loop? I'm searching all over and either the manufacturer's info doesn't say (and doesn't show a picture of the back of the unit) or is vague. Going into somewhere like Good Guys is going to be a nightmare too because there's a 99% chance the salespeople won't know plus the back of the units aren't visible in the stores. Argh!

 

[parin_patel]

It's going to be hard to find a receiver with your requirements at that price range. THe only ones that come close are the STR-DEX75 series (675/875/975/1075). You can find them online anywhere between $250 to $450, and they all have digital equalizers. From, Crutchfield's site, the following informations was provided:

EQ: you may select one of 23 treble frequencies (ranging from 1kHz to 10kHz), one of 37 mid frequencies (ranging from 198Hz to 10kHz), and one of 21 bass frequencies (ranging from 99Hz to 1kHz) for each channel. You can adjust the level of those frequencies from -10dB to +6dB, in 1 dB steps.

The best bet would be to get the 975 (for around $350-375) which has an On-Screen Display, making it a lot easier to adjust those frequencies.
The only moderately priced receiver I know of that has Main-in/Pre-outs is the Harman Kardon AVR 520 which can be found for around $600-$650 from places like JandR.com and Onecall.com.
Parin
Edit: The Onkyo TX-SR500 has a tape loop, Prologic II and can be found for approx $250 (again from places like JandR and Onecall).

 

[JesseR]

If you find some models just a little outside your price range you may try looking at ebay or at for sale pages in this forum or any others like it....I'm in a similar boat as I'd like to get a DPL2 without spending more than like 400 bucks....so far from what ive found my best option seems to be for something like the denon 1802 and tryin to find it used or b-stock or something.....good luck

 

[Wayne Reibold]

It looks like the Panasonic SA-HE70 a/v receiver has DPL II and a Tape Monitor loop. It lists for only $199 which is suspect if it sounds any good.

They're also supposed to have out an SA-HE100 a/v receiver with the same but 100W (vs. the SA-HE70's 70W) next month that lists for $300.

Another option are the Kenwood receivers that have DPL II and Tape Monitor loop but I know of two people that have had major problems with Kenwood a/v receivers which makes me leery of Kenwood products or at least their a/v receivers as far as reliability. I've owned Yamaha and Denon products over the years and never had ANY problems with them even as they got really old.

 

[Chuck Frady]

screw the low end sony stuff.

If you really want a nice receiver with DTS, DD, PLII and more, look at the new Yamaha receivers. The 430 retails for $299, and the 530 retails for $399. Of course you can get the RX-V630 for less than it's $499 price tag.

check them out.

Chuck

 

[NickSo]

I have a kenwood VR407 reciever, and its been working great since the day i got it, great price, great value... I'd recommend a Kenwood