Plz recommend good RECEIVER for under $500 (1 Viewer)

[Mike_Ped]

Welp, I finished my Sonosub, and when I went to calibrate it I was having difficulty I never thought I would run into or mind...I do!

Right now I have a Yamaha HTR-5460. It's a nice receiver...but, recently I have learned its drawbacks. ( I bought it less than a year ago as my first, but this was also before I learned A LOT more about HT)

Drawback #1 - NO PRE-OUTS whatsoever!

Drawback #2 - No individual level control for speakers (it only has balance between left and right speaker)

There are a few others but can't remember them right now.

Sooo....what I'm asking is the following:

Recommend me a receiver that has PREOUTS, INDIVIDUAL LEVEL CONTROLS FOR EACH SPEAKER, AND DTS. ALSO, I'D LIKE ONE WITH AT LEAST 100WATTS/CHANNEL.

Go ahead and recommend me some that have other little things like DPLII. I have no brand preference, but want a good one. Thanks for your suggestions!

Mike

P.S. I won't be purchasing this thing for at least 6 months, just doing some early research!

P.P.S Plz include possible dealers for best price also.

 

[Mike_Ped]

BTW - I have the following audio set-up

Fronts: JBL-S38

Rears: JBL-S36

Center: JBL-SCenter

Sub: DIY Sonosub (15" Adire Tempest)

Amp(for sub): Carver M-500t

Receiver: Yamaha HTR-5460

 

[Albert M]

The Kenwood VR-510, it is THX Select. It has DD, DTS, DPL2 and SRS Circle Surround. www.etronics.com has it for $409.99, you may want to try www.800.com and give them a call, maybe they will price match Etronics.

 

[jacek p]

Kenwood VR509 is the same thing as VR510 but without THX logo and is $120 cheeper (that gives you an idea how much THX certification costs). I like this for many reasons (check the universal remote!) but also becouse subwoofer output has a low cut-off point (not specified nor adjustable, but feels like 50-60Hz). The Technics I used to own had one adjustable 100Hz or 150Hz and it sounded horrible.

 

[Sean Conklin]

jacek,

Actually the 510 is rated at 110 watts/ch. and the 509 is rated at 100 watts/ch., Plus the 510 has THX cinema RE-EQ(may or may not be useless), also the 510 has 6 ch. output for external amps, I believe the 509 only has 2 line level outputs, please correct me if I'm wrong about the outputs. And both come with the awesome RF remote!

Mike: You sound like a good candidate for a new Kenwood 509 or 510

 

[Dalton]

For just over $500 you can get the Denon AVR2802. It has pre-outs for all channels(and a 7th channel if you use an outboard amp in the future), DPLII,DTS-ES Discreet and Matrix 6.1, level controls for all channels and it is 90wattsX6. It has plenty of power. My friend has one hooked up in a rather large room and it goes loud and clear. You can probably get one for about $550 shipped online. Goodluck.

 

[jacek p]

Sean,

Thanks for the correction.

 

[Mike_Ped]

Thanx for all the suggestions....I'll have to go take a look at that Kenwood and Denon.

Any others I should consider?

Mike

 

[Sean Conklin]

Any others I should consider?

Probably the usual suspects: Onkyo, Harmon Kardon, SonyES, Pioneer, Marantz.

But I do not think you will find bigger bang for the buck than Kenwood. I also like the Harmon Kardons.

Happy Shopping!

 

[ReggieW]

I vouch for the Denon 2802. This is the best receiver in its price class hands down. I just read Sound and Vision where they matched it against a Sony (which I believe was a high-end DB model which went for $200.00 more than the Denon) and Pioneer (was it the 810?).....Guess who they picked?

Go for this one,

R.C.

 

[John Garcia]

Onkyo TX-DS494 can be had for ~$400, but I would recommend the -595. Don't let a bit of $$ stop you from getting a good receiver.

Marantz SR-4200 is also right around ~$400, and will give you better music than the Denon 2802 (imo). The 2802 is also an excellent choice.

Best bet is to try to listen to all of them with similar speakers.

 

[JohnFR]

Mike,

If you feel you've outgrown your Yamaha, you might hang on and save a little more $$ to get one of the better Onkyos or Denons (Onkyo 797 or Denon 3802 or above). For $500, don't forget about the Outlaw 1050. I had the same Yamaha model as you do for about 3 weeks until I returned it in favor of the Outlaw. The Outlaw has most of the features you want, including preouts. Also, it has a "direct" mode which is essential for SACD or DVD-A.

I would be sceptical about rated power output. The Outlaw sounds to me more powerful and robust than the Yamaha, even though it is only rated at 65 watts per channel in surround mode. The Outlaw flat out sounds better to me.

Good luck,

JR

 

[John Garcia]

Since DVD-A and SACD are analog, they are "direct" by default. Good receivers will not process signal on the 5.1/6.1 analog inputs.

 

[Thomas_Berg]

Onkyo TX-DS494 can be had for ~$400

yes, at B&M's. i got my Onkyo 595 for $359 at www.jandr.com over the summer, and i bet the price has fallen since.
also consider the Marantz in this price range as well as the Outlaw 1050 (i'm surprised noone has said this yet!). i'd choose any of these three before considering the Kenwoods. these (and the Denon) are in another league than the Kenwood line.

 

[JohnFR]

Since DVD-A and SACD are analog, they are "direct" by default. Good receivers will not process signal on the 5.1/6.1 analog inputs.

Correct. I was merely referring to the 6 channel analog inputs for outboard processing. For some reason I was recalling that the Yamaha HTR-5460 doesn't have them, but I checked and it does.

JR

 

[Charlie_M]

I am very happy with my new Onkyo 494. Nice DD, DTS, and Pro Logic II sound for under $300.