In need of an extremly cheap receiver (1 Viewer)

[Dan Shogren]

hello all,
I am in need of a very cheap reciver in the $100-$150 price rangewith dolby digital and dts and an optical audio port(if there even are any) Because i purchased a very crappy reciever at walmart a couple months ago, and i was disapointed with the sound i was getting, but just a few weeks ago i realized that i wasnt getting true surround sound, it was just dolby prologic. So, i purchased a coaxial cable to connect the reciver to the dvd player(because the reciever only has coaxial), when i realized the dvd player only had an optical out put. I dont want to replace the dvd player because ive found no problems with it and i want to have a dts surround sound option on the reciever. (the one i have now is just dolby digital) Please help!:frowning:

 

[Jason Wilcox]

you're in luck dan!

http://www.onecall.com/PMN_722.htm?BCPID=387

you won't find any receivers even close to this one at this price

if that link doesn't work go to the deals forum here, scroll down to friday the 11th and click on the onkyo txsr500 deal from onecall.com

 

[gregD]

If you want a new DD/DTS receiver, you'll need to push your budget up to $200... unless you settle for some 'off' brand or an apparent 'bargain'... but you don't want to go through that again.

If you have occasion to come to the Bay Area from Geyserville, there's a neat little used audio shop in Berkeley called The Sound Well... http://www.thesoundwell.com/prices.html ... just a little privately-owned shop that refurbishes and recyles decent old gear... I've done business with them, prices are reasonable, they're very nice.

If you don't mind the risk that comes with anonymous online auctions or directories, I see a few receivers in your price range at Audiogon http://buy.audiogon.com/cgia/fsb.pl?miscrcvr&1&ctg&st1 ... no direct experience, but lots of posters here use the service and would vouch for it... and there's always Ebay.

And even at that, make sure you do your homework to ensure the new receiver will have everything you need... it's certain that manufacturers will cut back on features to create lower price points.

 

[Keith_As]

As an alternative, partsexpress has optical/coaxial converters for under $20. I don't have any experience with such devices, but I believe they should work. I realize this won't give you DTS like you said you wanted, but I thought I'd just throw this out there anyways.

 

[Dan Shogren]

Thanks guys!

 

[StevenK]

I'm with KeithAs...go with the Audio Express Optical-->Coax converter if you want cheap.

The next cheapest would be the Sherwood 6108...I've seen them on sale at CC and Best Buy for $79.

 

[Steve Adams]

search ebay, im sure there is something there for your price range with the features you want.....

 

[AaronJB]

Panasonic SAHE75 (the new model vs. the 70) is available at jandr.com for 149. However, the Onkyo deal mentioned early in this thread is a better choice.

 

[Ben Gillenwater]

My buddy and I just bought that same Onkyo at Fry's for $150 Saturday. (brand new)

 

[Greg Thomas]

Fry's is clearing out the Onkyo 500, 600 and 700 series receiver now that the 501,601 and 701 models are out. I saw the Onkyo 700 for $399 in an ad the other day. If you can get the 500 for $150 there that's great. Onecall would be a good way to go also since Fry's really isn't close to Geyserville. They're a very reputable dealer.

There's a Circuit City in Santa Rosa, maybe you can talk them down on the Onkyo 500 since they should be on clearance.

Since you're determined to get a new receiver with DTS, you might as well buy a digital optical cable. Parts Express has an AR 6' optical cable for $7 and they also have the Dayton house brand cables for $7-$10 for 1.5-6ft. That's cheaper than a opt-coax converter.

 

[Derek_OC]

Ecost has a refurbished Kenwood vr605 for $89.99. It does DTS and Pro Logic II, and has 2 coax ins and one optical in. This would probably work pretty well for what you are looking to get. They also have a Denon avr483 at $120.05 that has similar features that would be a good choice too. Just a couple things to consider.

 

[Dan Shogren]

Does DTS only work with an optical cable?

 

[Greg Thomas]

Does DTS only work with an optical cable?

No, DTS and Dolby Digital work with either an optical or digital coaxial cable. But since your DVD player only has a digital optical output, you need an optical cable. The DVD player actually passes the signal to the receiver, which does all the decoding. As long as your new receiver has the DTS logo, you'll be fine. Practically all new surround receivers decode DTS and Dolby Digital, except the one you bought at Wal Mart I guess. :frowning:

 

[EugeneR]

You can find the Yamaha HTR 5540 for as little as $145 online (don't forget about the $25-$30 shipping). I think it's a damn good receiver for the money. I've had the RV-905 for the last few years, which is essentially the same receiver minus DTS and Pro Logic II, and I've been very happy with it. I paid $400 for it(it was $100 below what it cost at the store at the time), so for $145 you can get a receiver with more features than what you would have gotten for $400-$500 4 years ago.

 

[Robert_Gaither]

I'll second the Sherwood 6108, after listening to this at a friend's home I picked one up for the bedroom and may add one for the computer. The selling feature other than the DD, DTS, and DPL2 decoding, was that this has a sleep timer which to me is much more convienient than the half a million BS DSP modes that most brands come with (in other words, a feature that is truly used).

The bad, proprietary remote (controls only Sherwood products), spring clip connectors, composite video switching, no pre-outs (other than the sub), and crappy ergonomics of the remote. Sound wise it's good for the price.

 

[Dan Shogren]

about the optical to digital switcher, does it work? and does it mess up the sound quality?

 

[Ben LG]

Experiencing the SR500 firsthand, its hard to find a receiver with the same build/sound quality at that price, especially if its new (I picked it up at $150 refurbished). I highly recommend it as a budget receiver.

 

[ChuckSolo]

I too am using the Sherwood 6108 as a secondary (bedroom) receiver hooked up to my Zenith DVD/VCR combo and it works great. I got it for $79.95 from Fry's and I would definately recommend it. Not to shabby a price for a 500 watt A/V receiver. Sounds pretty good with CDs too. The Prologic II is great playing VHS movies with Dolby Surround. Separation is quite good after conversion. You can't go wrong with this receiver. This is not the price for a refurbished unit either, my unit was brand new.

 

[David G Greene]

Sherwood 6108 is a very good choice. I owned one before I bought 2 HK's refurbished. One of the HK's that I bought is the AVR 110. The Sherwood 6108 sounded better overall believe it or not.