New Setup (1 Viewer)

[AlistairHT]

Hey Guys,
So, we are setting up a brand new system in our family room, but know very little about home theater setups. I've started to look around for a mid-level receiver, and found the Denon AVR-1912. Our set up will be for only 1 room, 2 Floor Standing speakers to start. Later on I'll setup a center speaker, sub, and 2x rear speakers. We don't care for 3D, so its not a factor. I do like the AirPlay, and could go either via powerline or wireless, either way.
My big question is, without the need for 2 zones or 3D passthrough, is there much incentive for the newer AVR 1913 model?
The room is about 20 feet long, about 15 feet wide with a ceiling of roughly 10 (sorry I'm not there at the moment to measure), and it opens up to the rest of the house.
Is there any suggestions for or against the Denon avr-1912? Is it too old or thoroughly tested? Are the other suggested similar receivers you guys may suggest?
While I'm at it, any good ideas on floor standing speakers? Polk Monitor? Klipsch?
Let me know what you guys think?
Thanks very much in advance,
-Alistair

 

[gene c]

Denon is a fine receiver. So is Onkyo, Yamaha, Pioneer and Marantz. I would avoid Sony, Sherwood and most house brands unless money is really tight. And even then...
Most of the new features on the latest receivers have to do with internet connectivity and options. There isn't much difference in performance. The 1913 does have a front hdmi input which might be nice for some people, but they removed one from the back (although 5 hdmi inputs should be more than enough, shouldn't it?).
We usually recommend factory refurbished receivers from ac4l.com. They really are good as new and you can get a 2, 3 0r 5 year extended warranty for $25-$50. http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/brand/denon/results/1.html
As for speakers, it's hard to recommend anything because speakers are a personal choice. You need to buy what sounds good to you and not someone else. A firm budget would also help. Having said that, the Infinity P363 has been on sale at Fry's for $99-$109 a piece. That's a tremendous price for a pretty good speaker. They retailed for $329 a piece. Fry's has also had the matching P153 and P163 on sale occasionally. Polk Monitors from Newegg.com is another good value. The subwoofer is very important and should be a good chunk of the speaker budget.
When buying speakers, the ohm rating and the SPL are the most important things to look at. For the 1912/1913 you need 6-8 ohm speakers. 4 ohm probably won't work with those receivers. The higher the SPL the less power that's required to play them at the same level as less effecient speakers. 88 is cansidered averager, 85 less than average and 92 very efficient. But don't confuse louder with better sound quality because it may not be.

 

[AlistairHT]

Gene C,
Thanks so very much! This is more of a response that I could have wished for. I'll take a look at ac4l.com as well as the Infinity P363 at Fry's. Also, great advice on the ohm raiting, I'll keep that in mind when I research.
Thanks again!