My receiver is dying (1 Viewer)

[Big Daddy Rhino]

After 17 years, my beloved Kenwood KR-V5560 is saying goodbye. It has been an excellent receiver for so long, it truly does feel like a pet passing away.

So I've got outdated technology in my system. I know this. Do I have to replace my speakers as well as my receiver? I have CRS-15 (also Kenwood) for my center speaker and my rear surrounds (I think they were a package deal, seeing as the two surround units are small and squarish, and the center is wide and rectangular but they all share the same model). My front two speakers are KS-H72 (Kenwoods) and they also serve as the theater subwoofers (they've got 12"s in the cabinets). Yes, my stuff is nearly fossilized, I know, BUT the speakers still work well.

As you can see by my avatar, I'm on a very strict budget. I'm by no means a purist or an audiophile, but I can't stand listening to my TV with just the TV speakers. I've got a beautiful Samsung LED HDTV that I'd love to hang on the wall with a single HDMI from a receiver that would accommodate video as well as audio (my old Kenwood was audio only). Also, I'd like to run the cable behind the drywall, too.

Are you ready for the best part? I want to keep the entire project under $300. Impossible?! Nothing is impossible for brilliant people like all of you. Let's hear the idea of what I can/should do.

Thanks in advance!

 

[DaveF]

If your speakers still work normally, and are normal 8-ohm speakers, they'll be fine with a new receiver.


I last shopped seriously in 2009 on a $600 budget and bought a new, mid-range Onkyo. At the same time, a buddy was shopping on a $300 budget. I saw you could get very nice receivers for $300. A quick look at Crutchfield right now finds Onkyo and Denon 5.1 receivers with HDMI (3D capable) for under $300!


If you really want to save money, you can buy an older receiver on CraigsList or eBay. When I bought my new receiver in 2009, I sold a 2001 receiver for $99. The only thing missing (and why I sold it) was it didn't do HDMI. So if you really want to save some $$, and don't mind being a bit behind on newest features, you can get great bargains on used hardware.


You've got lots of options. Decide on your budget and start shopping

 

[JeremyR]

Looks like this Onkyo tx-sr508 refurb unit (that comes with a 1 year warranty from Onkyo) for $229 would be perfect for you, AND it doesn't leave you behind the times. HDMI 1.4a, all the latest audio decoding,


http://www.shoponkyo.com/detail.cfm?productid=TX-SR508&modelid=43&group_id=1&detail=1&ext_war=1

 

[JeremyR]

You could also give this a try..


http://cgi.ebay.com/Harman-Kardon-HK-AVR-254-7-1-Home-Theater-Receiver-HDMI-/150552398721?pt=Receivers_Tuners&hash=item230d9f4b81


This is the manufacturer's outlet on ebay.

 

[John_Bilbrey]

AC4L has great deals on refurbished Onkyo, with manufacturer's warranty in-tact.

 

[Big Daddy Rhino]

I just bit the bullet and bought this. I didn't want to mess around with my old speakers, etc... Picked it up on sale for $499.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882120160


Any thoughts? Good choice? Bad choice?

 

[Philip Hamm]

I bought an Onkyo HTIB system similar to that one for family members as a gift a few years ago. It's been a good sounding reliable system. I think you'll be very happy with it for many years to come. If you enjoy listening to stereo music, you may want to try your old main front left/right speakers where they are if you don't mind their appearance. Set them up as "small" in the setup in the receiver even though they appear to be large. That allows the subwoofer play the bass frequencies.


The center and surround speakers from the Onkyo kit will almost definitely be far superior to what you have now. Your current center/surround package sounds like it is one of many such speaker systems marketed in the early/mid 90s for ProLogic systems. These kinds of systems are usually abysmal when used with modern surround sound formats, as the ProLogic they were designed for had limited capabilities / frequency range.


You're going to love the new surround formats. If you're a football fan wait till you hear the 5.1 sound for the Super Bowl. Crowd/stadium noise clear as a bell in the rears, announcers in the center - it's fantastic.


Good luck digging into the drywall. I'm not even going to begin to comment on that project. If you're looking for HDMI cables, check www.monoprice.com www.cablesforless.com www.trianglecables.com and other low priced retailers. Don't buy into the cable hype.