Here's what I have- now which receiver? (1 Viewer)

[Randy Noel]

I have purchased the JBL S-Center II, a pair of S-26's for rears, and am planning on the S-36 for fronts. Is there a decent receiver to be had for < $400.00 for this setup? I am about 90% HT, 10% music, would like DPLII. Would moving up to around $500.00 MAX make a big difference? Thanks.

 

[ThomasL]

Randy, do a search for "budget receiver" and you should get a number of hits. There has been plenty of discussion recently about receivers in the ~$400 range.

cheers,


--tom

 

[Brian Campbell]

I got the Onkyo SR600 for $399 at Circuit City. See this thread:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=62657
(read the last few pages)

 

[Randy Noel]

Thanks Thomas. Search in progress.

 

[Alf S]

I for one am very happy with my new "budget" receiver, the Pioneer VSX-D811S.

Plenty of great features for around $300.

Alfer

 

[chung_sotheby]

Here are a couple of starting points
~400
Marantz 4200
Oknyo 600
Sony DB1070
Denon 1802
Yamaha 5460 (dont know the exact model #)
Used Outlaw 1050
Used Marantz 7000

~550
Marantz 5200
Used Marantz 7200
HK 520
Used Nad t761
SOny da3es
Yamaha 5490
New Outlaw 1050
Denon 2802
Yamaha rx1200

For most of the manufacturers listed above, the price gap between 400 and 500 usually adds an additional channel of amplification and maybe DTS-ES, DDEX, or some other 6.1 sound format. Rarely are there a significant jump in the quality of the components used. So judge for yourself what you want. As for the best receivers, IMHO Denon and Outlaw have the most solid amps inside their receivers, while Marantz and Onkyo tend to overstate their peak wattage. Sonys sound a little to harsh/bright, but do a good job on decoding (they utilize two 32 bit chips instead of just one), while the newest generations of Yamahas seem to me like a step down from their predecessors. For possibly the best deal, and if you dont need PLII or 6.1 surround, see if you can find a used Marantz 8000 for around $550-600. These were some of the best receivers made for DD and DTS, and they came equipped with incredible amps.

 

[ThomasL]

You're welcome Randy.
For the record, I also have had the pioneer VSX-D811S for the past 3 weeks and for movies, it works great. I got mine at Best Buy for $400 but it's cheaper on-line. If you have a small to medium sized room, I think it would be a fine choice. Probably the other main choice would be the Onkyo SR600 which can be had for $450 at Circuit City or less possibly. That search should have revealed other choices as well. So, you definitely have a number to choose from! good luck.
--tom

 

[Alf S]

If you have a small to medium sized room, I think it would be a fine choice.

It also works great in large rooms
My room is around 20' x 25' w/ vaulted ceilings, and the 811 hold up quite nicely. (You can see pix on my site below)

 

[Randy Noel]

Thanks everyone. The Pioneer 811 sounds like a contender for me. BTW, this is all to go with my new 65HX81!

 

[matthew_rm]

Not trying to start anything! But, how much does the 811S Weigh?

 

[ThomasL]

I think it comes in at 23 1/2 pounds approx. The Onkyo SR600 is 24 1/2 pounds approx. if I recall correctly.

 

[matthew_rm]

Wow. Not very heavy. I know that may mean nothing, my souldn't surround recievers weigh like 30lbs?

 

[Steve_Tk]

The HK 320 is 499 at JandR.com it's authorized dealer. just click on get latest price.

I love mine already, sounds great, goes loud enough where I'll never listen to it that loud. Has DPL2. And the remote is not as bad as people say. It calibrates your system for you if you are not ready to buy Avia and a spl meter at radio shack.

and it weighs 32 lbs because you wanted to know. I was kinda worried putting it up on my piece of crap entertainment cabinet.

 

[ThomasL]

Matthew,
some put a lot of weight, pardon the pun , on how much the receiver weighs. While, I think it does give a general idea of the build quality, I don't think without opening the thing up and actually having some idea what to look for, does one really know if one budget receiver is better than another in the build quality category. For example, the Denon 2802, the Yamaha 5560, the above mentioned Pioneer and Onkyo all weigh in from ~23-~25 pounds.
And then one has to ask how does the build quality affect performance? reliability? For example, is the Pioneer lighter simply because they skimped on the chassis and put more plastic into it's design? That may affect aesthetics but not overall performance. In many respects, you'd have to be familiar with the components used to build the receiver, much like being familiar with the individual components that make up a PC.
cheers,
--tom

 

[Kevin Parker]

Check Yamaha HTR-5560 too while you searching, maybe you like it, And let us know which receiver you chose.

 

[Randy Noel]

Just wanted to let you all know, I ended up with a Sherwood Newcastle R-945 for $310.00 new, full warranty. I know it wasn't on anyone's list, including mine, but I ran across it while searching around, read some reviews on it, and thought it was a good deal for the quality. older model, I know, but based on what I'm used to listening to I expect to be very pleased! Now all I have to do is figure out how to ceiling mount the JBL S-36's! Thanks for all your help.

 

[Brent Cantrell]

Not to troll or anything, but I've got a Marantz sr6200 for sale in the Hardware section, if you'd like to make me an offer, shoot me an e-mail or message me. I need to unload it to finish my upgradeitis.