New receiver: Onkyo 607 vs. Pioneer VSX-819H-K? any other suggestions? (1 Viewer)

[Keith_R]

Hey all, I've been running a Sony HTiB for about 9 years now. About 2 weeks ago my receiver just stopped working and will not come out of "protect" mode no matter what I do. As far as I can tell, the speakers that came with my system are ok and it just appears to be the reciever.

Therefore, I'm now in the market for a new receiver. I'd like something that is capable of 5.1 as well as doing the new high def sound formats since I'm doing blu-ray now. HDMI switching is required somewhat as well because the two hdmi ports on my tv are filled and I may have some more hdmi equipment coming this year.

The speakers I'm using are Sony satellite speakers which I foresee myself replacing probably in the next couple of years.

Thus far, in my research, I've found three receivers that interest me: Onkyo TX-SR606, Onkyo TX-SR607, and Pioneer VSX-819H-K. I'm leaning towards the SR607 or the Pioneer but am also still looking to see if there are any other models that will do.

What is everyone's opinion? Are there any other receivers that someone would like to point me towards?

As a side note, all of the current receivers I've been seeing only accept banana plugs. My current speakers do not have banana plugs, my research seems to indicate that I'm capable of buying banana plugs to connect to my speaker cable and connect to the receiver, would this be a correct assumption?

Thanks!

 

[Ed Moxley]

You might also want to look at the Yamaha RX-V465. I, personally, would go with that, or the Onkyo. I have no experience with Pioneer receivers. I know that some people like them though.

Yes, you should be able to connect banana plugs to your speaker wire, to connect to the receiver. If the speaker wire has the proprietary, color coded connectors, it may not work too well. The wire on those isn't much thicker than thread..........

Since the speakers are coming from an HTIB, make sure they aren't 3-4 ohm speakers. Some HTIB speakers are. If the receiver isn't built to handle 3-4 ohms, it can also go into protect mode and shut off. If the speakers are 8 ohm, you should be ok.
Good luck!

 

[Keith_R]

Thanks. I think I'm starting to narrow it down between the Yamaha and the Onkyo now.

I planned on probably upgrading all of my wiring with this upgrade so I'll just end up doing the banana plugs at that time. I've also checked my speakers and they are indeed 8ohm as opposed to 3 or 4 ohm.

 

[Chip E]

The new Onkyo does look nice....

 

[Keith_R]

I ended up with the Yamaha RX-V465 and so far I'm very pleased. I've only had it hooked up for one day but have had time to do some gaming and music off of it, I already see an improvement over the previous. I plan on watching "The Dark Knight" on BD tonight in Dolby True HD to keep testing this abd boy out.

 

[gunabcd]

Congratz! Please let us know your experience with the new toy, it has exactly the features i am looking for: low price, excellent audio/video quality, HD decoding, volume leveling(comercials should not sound louder), auto calibration, 5.1, at least 3 hdmi input.

 

[jkellam]

Anyone considering banana plugs should check your AVR before using DUAL banana plugs. Many manufacturers (about half) use NONSTANDARD spacing on their binding posts. Standard spacing for dual banana plugs has been 3/4 inch for more than 50 years. Why anyone would want to use one-inch spacing in a cramped area like an AVR back panel is beyond me, but if you get dual banana plugs, they won't fit, and you'll have to cut 'em in half like I did with my Elite. GRRR !!!