Please help me pick a receiver! (1 Viewer)

[John_E]

I am moving in two weeks, and I am in the process of buying all of the components for my new family room/home theater. The room size 20x14x8..My current Pro-Logic setup is going in the basement, and I am starting from scratch. I have pretty much decided on everything but the receiver. I definitely want Pro-Logic II. Who can help me spend $300 - $400 for a quality receiver? I am buying Titans/CC170/Atoms/PDR-10 as my speaker setup.
I appreciate any feedback.
Thanks!!
John
[Edited last by John_E on October 08, 2001 at 01:58 PM]

 

[Rob Robinson]

Harman Kardon AVR 120

 

[BryanZ]

Denon AVR-1802
Onkyo TX-DS595

 

[Norm Strong]

if I were doing it, there would be little question about it: Kenwood VR-509, $300.
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Norm Strong ([email protected])

 

[Albert M]

I second the Kenwood.

 

[Matt Wallace]

Onkyo 494 can be had for less than that. The 595 can be bought in that price range too. Mated with Paradigm's, I'm sure they will sound smooth and detailed!
Let us know what you get : )
Matt

 

[Vin]

Kenwood VR-507 or VR-509 offer one of the best bangs for your buck, IMO!
Happy Shopping!

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[Ken Arnold]

I'd stay away from the lower end Kenwood's with the KAM-1 amplifiers. According to independent tests, they clip at around 50% of their rated power. Yes, they sound good and are feature rich, but a friend of mine had one and has blew 3 speakers before he upgraded to a higher end unit.
Here's link to site with a lot of advertised specs that came from Sound & Audio (I believe):
www.geocities.com/Area51/Hollow/3401/ratevsac.htm
Their KSTAT amps in the higher models (5090 and above) test out at 97.3% of the rated 100 watts per channel before clipping. (Clipping will damage your speakers.)
Go with Denon.
[Edited last by Ken Arnold on October 09, 2001 at 10:04 AM]

 

[Chuck Kent]

One other thing worth pointing out is that the Kenwood models have adjustable Pro Logic II Music mode parameters (Panorama, Dimension and Center Width.) This can and does make a difference in the quality of 2 channel music played back in surround. The Onkyo's do not offer any adjustments in Pro Logic II Music mode.
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[John_E]

I appreciate all of the input. I went and listened to the VR-509 last night at a local dealer. I think that this is the one. Problem is....They want $399.00 for it. I've seen it on-line for $299.00. Who is a reputable dealer that still has a great price?
Thanks again!!!
John

 

[Vin]

John, ecost.com has the VR-509 for $291.48 and it's in stock....shipping is around $30 so it's still a pretty good deal.
You might want to try to get a price match from 800.com....they're very reputable and have done this for me in the past even though the place I was asking them to match wasn't on their list of approved dealers. It's worth a shot if you don't feel comfortable with ecost. I've never ordered from ecost myself so I can't give a recommendation but their prices seem to be very competitive.
Hope this helps.
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[Chuck Kent]

I bought my 509 at Circuit City for $355. They threw in a Sony center and surrounds promo pack too (I'll probably donate the Sony speaks to someone on a small budget moving up from a stereo setup.)
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