Nephew needs CHEAP receiver... (1 Viewer)

[Lynn Johnson]

Just wondering if someone could suggest something in the sub $200 area that does 5.1 decoding and has optical in. He has a dinky 5.1 Jensen setup, which is fine for his bedroom, but needs to decode the dvd's! He also has a fast pc if you can think of how to use that. Thanks...

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

I would look at the Pioneer VSX-D411 or D511. The D411 can be had at Circuit City or Best Buy for $200 any day of the week, and is frequently advertised in their Sunday adds for $180 and less. The D511 is very similar with a few more features, presets, and what not. I've found it online as low as $166 + shipping. Either of these would be a solid sub $200 choice. If you can go just over $200, I've been able to find the Pioneer D711, which is a significant step up from the D411 and D511 in terms of build quality. Spring clips are replaced with binding posts, and the front panel buttons are nicely hidden by a drop down door. The D711 is the 5.1 version of the 6.1 D811S, which has a very good reputation on this board. I currently have a D711 in my bedroom/computer system and I think it is plenty for a small room w/ some decent speakers.

I would also recommend staying away from the cheaper Sony stuff, JVC, and stuff like Sherwood and KLH. They offer some good prices, but most of their products are sub par. Anytime you talk about a $200 receiver, compromises will have been made to reach that price point, but the Sonys and JVCs use poor materials and take several shortcuts that lead to a poorly constructed product.

Hope this helps.

 

[Jay_E]

Best Buy currently has the Pioneer D411 receiver on sale for $139. I disagree with Stephen's comment regarding Sherwood receivers. I have bought 2 different low end models as gifts for family members and have been very pleased. The Sherwood unit I just bought was much heavier than similar Pioneer and Sony models. I don't know anything about KLH except that they look pretty cheap.
Jay

 

[Mike S H]

I just went into Circuit City tonight to look at the Sherwood RD6108 on SALE for $129.00 marked down from $189.00. And after reading a couple of other topics on Sherwood recivers, it seemed like a good choice. But the sales guy really turned me off it. He was telling me how I should go with the Panasonic open box for $165 marked down from $200. I forget model #.

But I found a Pioneer VSX-D511 on ebay for $145 BUY IT NOW! I'm gonna email them and see if I can buy one for that price. Right now I am actually bidding on a Pioneer VSX-D411 USED for $118.

 

[Wayne Ernst]

I just went into Circuit City tonight to look at the Sherwood RD6108 on SALE for $129.00 marked down from $189.00. And after reading a couple of other topics on Sherwood recivers, it seemed like a good choice. But the sales guy really turned me off it. He was telling me how I should go with the Panasonic open box for $165 marked down from $200. I forget model #.

But I found a Pioneer VSX-D511 on ebay for $145 BUY IT NOW! I'm gonna email them and see if I can buy one for that price. Right now I am actually bidding on a Pioneer VSX-D411 USED for $118.

Make sure you fully read the auction terms - and the shipping rates. Some people on EBay are charging big $$ for shipping items that don't weigh a whole lot. Plus, some are charging high insurance fees on top of the high shipping charges. Personally, I'd probably go for the open box Panasonic. CC gives you a 30-day return policy in the event the receiver doesn't work out for your nephew.

I just did a quick check at Ebay and could only come up with a few "buy it now" 511s for $159.99 + $20 (shipping.) But, these were items that have open boxes.

 

[Bill Griffith]

Sherwoods are pretty good for the money they charge.

(not to mention they're the OEM supplier for some of the components in the better brands)

Besides if your happy with with they're performance and there costs was low, it sounds like you already have a solution that you can see, instead of relying on shipping over the holidays, and getting an unknown.

 

[Wayne Ernst]

Also, I forgot to mention in my previous reply. Accessories4less is an "authorized" retailer for Marantz gear. They have the Marantz 4200 for $239 + shipping which seems like a pretty sweet deal. I'm sure with whatever you end up picking, your nephew will have a pretty nice setup.

 

[Danny Tse]

Mike S H,

$200.00 Panasonic receiver? That sounds like the SA-HE 70....you can get a brand-new one from J&R for $150.00 + shipping any time.

 

[Bill Will]

In low-cost receivers I don't think you can beat Sherwood for build quality. That said, I would go with the Sherwood model 7103 that www.wellspent.org has for $132.83 (just poke in Sherwood in the find products box & it will come up). It's a stepup from the model at Circuit City for only a few dollars more. Check www.sherwoodusa.com for the specs. on both. You might also want to check your local Radio Shack they have been cleaning out RCA's, which are just rebadged Pioneer Receivers.

 

[Chris Shelly]

I would like to say that I am very happy with Sherwood. They have a different business practice that allows them to sell products at lower prices then the competition. This business practice does not affect the quality or performance of the product.

I would not call them hi-end but for the price they can't be beat. They have even been known to beat out receivers costing twice as much.

I own a Sherwood RD-7106. I was very impressed with it. I recently replaced it with a Panasonic SA-HE200 thinking I would be getting something better. I am not sure if I actually gained anything besided DD EX/DTS ES. The Panasonic does sound a little more crisp but I don't think it is $240 better. I only paid $130 for for my Sherwood. I did have the minor issue with DD/DTS coming out of the 2 front speakers. You could hear very little dialog. You can fix it if you toggle the DSP MODE switch. I suspect it was a relay of some kind not turning on all the amps.

Since I have 2 home theater systems in my house I decided to order a Sherwood RD-8108. I found it for $222 on the internet. Interestingly after I let my older RD-7106 sit unplugged for a few days it is now working perfectly. Probably just a logic circuit that needed to be reset....LOL

Paying only a $130 for it I will donate it to a family member and set the RD-8108 up on my secondary system.

 

[Ben Gillenwater]

I'm getting the Panasonic SA-HE70 at the end of this month for $145 + shipping from etronics.com. I've read some decent reviews on it and you can't beat the price.

 

[Mike S H]

In low-cost receivers I don't think you can beat Sherwood for build quality. That said, I would go with the Sherwood model 7103 that www.wellspent.org has for $132.83 (just poke in Sherwood in the find products box & it will come up). It's a stepup from the model at Circuit City for only a few dollars more. Check www.sherwoodusa.com for the specs. on both. You might also want to check your local Radio Shack they have been cleaning out RCA's, which are just rebadged Pioneer Receivers.

Bill Will:
I'm glad you replied! I think I might go with that Sherwood at wellspent.com. It must be better than the RD6108 that Circuit City is selling. What are the main differences? While I'm saying this I am now gonna check it out at audioreview.com. I just hope it arrives for Christmas Eve. It's a gift for my parents. I'm taking a chance if I order it now.
ps: SherwoodUSA.com doesn't have the specs for the RD6108. It must be brand new. They only have specs for the 6106. Also, I noticed that 6108 has Dolby Pro Logic II and the 7103 doesn't.

 

[Jay_E]

Mike,
I would go for the 6108 at Circuit City. Here are the specs for it. The 7103 is last years model. The main difference between the two is that the 7103 has a 6th channel of amplification and the 6108 had Pro-Logic II. Good luck.
Jay

 

[Danny Tse]

I just went to check out the Sherwood 6108 at Circuit City. Indeed, very impressive. I would have like to see at least binding post for the front channels, but for $130.00, how much more can anyone ask for? One thing the 6108 has that the Panasonic SA-HE70 don't is the 24 Bit/96 kHz A/D and D/A convertion chip, so this may prove to be valuable for those with hi-rez formats such as SACD or DVD-Audio.

Sale price at CC is good until 12/21/02.

Edit: I sound like I work for Circuit City, don't I? No, I don't work for them or any of its subsidiaries.

 

[Danny Tse]

The Sherwood RD-6108 is on sale at Circuit City for $120.00 after $20.00 rebate until 1/11/03.