Seeking new home theater receiver advice (1 Viewer)

[JDTFL]

Good evening, new to the forum and the home theater experience I suppose. I have an all-in-one LG Blu Ray 5.1 home theater system, or rather had one, as the Blu-ray player/receiver died the other day. I had that one 5 years. Now I'm seeking a new receiver to work with the speakers as they are in fine working order. Just finding a receiver is a daunting task, there are so many companies, models, pros/cons, options to choose from that I feel overwhelmed and underqualified to make a decision that will either satisfy me greatly or leave me utterly depressed. I read reviews on Amazon and Crutchfield and other sellers of various makes and models and I'm left worried whether the model will last me like I wish. How long should I expect a receiver to last? I don't think it's like the old days, with all the Firmware updates and lack of support over time it seems I can only expect to have a system for a limited number of years. I'm guessing that's part of the reason why my LG took a dive on me. It was no longer supported for updates/firmware from LG. I really don't want LG again. Anyway, my surround sound speaker are cable ends only, not a type of plug. Do I have to put a plug type on the end of the cables to plug it into a new receiver, is this even possible? What are the most important aspects to consider when looking for a receiver? Are the remotes IR where there has to be a line of sight, or are they Bluetooth, like the Amazon Fire Stick remote and can be used from anywhere? My Entertainment center only has 5 1/2 inch height slots for devices, so I would have to put the receiver in the cabinet below, hence the remote question or get a slimline receiver. Would the remote work if the doors remained closed, or is there a workaround for it? Again, so many questions and I'm feeling overwhelmed. Just finding a make and model is a task. Any advice for a newbie in this field would be greatly appreciated.

 

[B-ROLL]

Welcome to the Forum
Here's how to start:

Check the back or side of the speakers for the impedance. It will be expressed in ohms or have an omega symbol next to it.If they are rated at 8 ohms then virtually any receiver will work with them. if they are six or four or something else, the speakers will not work well in most systems. (Some will allow four ohms) but almost by definition you will not be able to use them at decent volume for most of the action films made today.

After you have determined the impedance of the speakers you will need to set a budget and work from there....
AFIAK receivers don't tend to get a lot of updates. Bluray player get more updates but eventually they stop. Not updating either does not necessarily cause anything to break - you just may not be able to use newer discs on it.

Arguably the most consistent investment you can make will be in your speakers. Most of my speakers are over 20 years old (the company that made them went out of business) yet I have upgraded receivers about every 5 years to take advantage of new technologies.

 

[JDTFL]

Welcome to the Forum
Here's how to start:

Check the back or side of the speakers for the impedance. It will be expressed in ohms or have an omega symbol next to it.If they are rated at 8 ohms then virtually any receiver will work with them. if they are six or four or something else, the speakers will not work well in most systems. (Some will allow four ohms) but almost by definition you will not be able to use them at decent volume for most of the action films made today.

After you have determined the impedance of the speakers you will need to set a budget and work from there....
AFIAK receivers don't tend to get a lot of updates. Bluray player get more updates but eventually they stop. Not updating either does not necessarily cause anything to break - you just may not be able to use newer discs on it.

Arguably the most consistent investment you can make will be in your speakers. Most of my speakers are over 20 years old (the company that made them went out of business) yet I have upgraded receivers about every 5 years to take advantage of new technologies.

Thank you very much B-Roll for the starting information. I will be sure to check the speakers first to begin my new system upgrade. Good to know about the updates as well, that they don't necessarily cause anything to break. I was thinking of spending up to $500 max on a receiver, but first things first, I'll check those speakers this afternoon. Much appreciated.

 

[Martino]

When looking for a receiver - have had good luck with refurbished units from accessories4less

Current receivers - with a $0 - $500 price range filter added

That will give you a good idea of what is available - and be able to get something a little nicer for your budget.

 

[JDTFL]

When looking for a receiver - have had good luck with refurbished units from accessories4less

Current receivers - with a $0 - $500 price range filter added

That will give you a good idea of what is available - and be able to get something a little nicer for your budget.

Great! Thanks Martino!

 

[citywalker]

These HTiB speakers will not work with your new receiver. First, your subwoofer is probably passive, but it must be active. Also most htib speakers are 3 ohm, so they will burn down your receiver. They are bad anyway, so you need new speakers. So, these HTIB systems are non upgradable, if something brakes, throw all components in the trash and start new.

Real receivers and speakers are separate systems, so you can upgrade one or another, even some of your speakers, not nessesary upgrade all together. Or if something brakes, you can buy only one new part, not totally new system.
Receivers software updates are not important at all. Yes, maybe first update, to get all things working, but thats it. You need separate bluray player anyway.

 

[JDTFL]

These HTiB speakers will not work with your new receiver. First, your subwoofer is probably passive, but it must be active. Also most htib speakers are 3 ohm, so they will burn down your receiver. They are bad anyway, so you need new speakers. So, these HTIB systems are non upgradable, if something brakes, throw all components in the trash and start new.

Real receivers and speakers are separate systems, so you can upgrade one or another, even some of your speakers, not nessesary upgrade all together. Or if something brakes, you can buy only one new part, not totally new system.
Receivers software updates are not important at all. Yes, maybe first update, to get all things working, but thats it. You need separate bluray player anyway.

Thanks Citywalker, I didn't realize that about HTiB systems. And yes my subwoofer is 3 ohms, the center and other 4 speakers are 4ohms. I will be looking at buying all new equipment. I was trying to save some money, but it sounds like I may just end up jeopardizing a new receiver if I continue using what I have. Thanks again.

 

[Mike Frezon]

In cases like yours, if you want to stick with an HTIB, I always recommend the Onkyo systems. My son brought one years ago. It is still going strong and sounds great! And the best thing about them is they are "real" systems. Everything is upgradeable and compatible with normal sources, etc. Nothing proprietary.

My son got the 5400 system back in 2012.

Here's the 7700. And, here's the 5800. Just to give a couple of ideas. These have powered subwoofers and have nice speakers for the price. But all would be upgradeable down the road. You WOULD need to purchase a Blu-ray player as one is not included.

As to your question about the receiver/remote situation. Most any receiver is going to be taller than the 5 1/2" allowed in your cabinet. And you will want to give the receiver room to breathe anyway. They generate heat and need to be able to disperse it or else they overheat and die. Most receiver/remotes at this level are line-of-sight...so you'll have to figure that out. If you wanted to turn things up a notch, you might consider a universal remote (like a Harmony) which would give you IR capabilities. But we're getting way ahead of ourselves.

All is dependent, of course, on your budget. We LOVE to help others spend their money! In fact, we are very talented on that front here! But are you still committed to that $500 price point given that you'll be starting from scratch?

 

[JDTFL]

In cases like yours, if you want to stick with an HTIB, I always recommend the Onkyo systems. My son brought one years ago. It is still going strong and sounds great! And the best thing about them is they are "real" systems. Everything is upgradeable and compatible with normal sources, etc. Nothing proprietary.

My son got the 5400 system back in 2012.

Here's the 7700. And, here's the 5800. Just to give a couple of ideas. These have powered subwoofers and have nice speakers for the price. But all would be upgradeable down the road. You WOULD need to purchase a Blu-ray player as one is not included.

As to your question about the receiver/remote situation. Most any receiver is going to be taller than the 5 1/2" allowed in your cabinet. And you will want to give the receiver room to breathe anyway. They generate heat and need to be able to disperse it or else they overheat and die. Most receiver/remotes at this level are line-of-sight...so you'll have to figure that out. If you wanted to turn things up a notch, you might consider a universal remote (like a Harmony) which would give you IR capabilities. But we're getting way ahead of ourselves.

All is dependent, of course, on your budget. We LOVE to help others spend their money! In fact, we are very talented on that front here! But are you still committed to that $500 price point given that you'll be starting from scratch?

Hi Mike, thanks for the response. In finding I have a less than ideal speaker situation, no, my price range is most certainly going to be increasing by probably triple. I will certainly look into the Onkyo systems, but I'm not opposed to building my own system either. I was actually just looking at Cambridge Minx Min12 speakers and the X201 subwoofer. Any opinion on those? They seem to have great reviews for sound and build quality and have a 5 year warranty. I haven't decided on a receiver at all. So many options. I have looked at a few Denon, Onkyo and Yamahas, but I'm just not sure what to get. I'll keep researching for what suits my needs. I guess I just have to decide what features and connections I really want and need and go from there. As far as placement of the unit I'm sure I'll figure something out. Just have to make sure it's visually appealing to the wife Thanks much for all the advice, I'll take all I can get.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I'm a firm believer in WAF (wife approval factor) when figuring things out!

Sometimes WAF actually works in your favor. I just upgraded not too long ago from some entry level tower speakers to some much nicer bookshelfs speakers as I was able to mount them on our walls allowing us to reclaim the floor space in the living room!

I am ignorant of the Cambridge speakers...but others might have some info. Another poster here responded about the refurbished receivers at acessories4less.com. I echo that. And there are also good deals to be had, on occasion, at Crutchfield.com. The speakers I upgraded to were found on the Polk Audio eBay page (some really good deals there, too!)

The thing about receivers is to figure out what features will fit best for you. There are so many and they all do things differently: 5.1 vs. 7.1 vs. the new Atmos set-ups. Airplay, USB ports, and on and on and on.

 

[JDTFL]

I'm a firm believer in WAF (wife approval factor) when figuring things out!

Sometimes WAF actually works in your favor. I just upgraded not too long ago from some entry level tower speakers to some much nicer bookshelfs speakers as I was able to mount them on our walls allowing us to reclaim the floor space in the living room!

I am ignorant of the Cambridge speakers...but others might have some info. Another poster here responded about the refurbished receivers at acessories4less.com. I echo that. And there are also good deals to be had, on occasion, at Crutchfield.com. The speakers I upgraded to were found on the Polk Audio eBay page (some really good deals there, too!)

The thing about receivers is to figure out what features will fit best for you. There are so many and they all do things differently: 5.1 vs. 7.1 vs. the new Atmos set-ups. Airplay, USB ports, and on and on and on.

WAF, I like that. Thanks again for all the info and links, it has helped me greatly to start moving forward. Much appreciated.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Do your research and report back to us here. We've got lots of people who will give you feedback.

 

[Mike Frezon]

You might want to check THIS out.

 

[JDTFL]

So first off, thank you to everyone for your information. I'm liking the accessories4less website, a lot of good buys there. The features, reviews, and price of the Onkyo TX-NR646 seem to fit my needs nicely. And for speakers I see a lot of great reviews of the Cambridge Audio speakers, namely the Minx Min12 bookshelf speakers, Minx X201 200W subwoofer, and Aero 5 center speaker. They would fit our layout nicely and the WAF I would like to try that setup, but I'm having a hard time figuring out if everything fits together as far as impedence, sufficient output to the speakers, etc. I'm such a novice at this, I'm trying to learn quickly, but am in over my head trying to make sense of the technical specs. My research is very limited to what I actually understand, which at this point is still very little. Any thoughts? Thanks again everybody.

 

[B-ROLL]

So first off, thank you to everyone for your information. I'm liking the accessories4less website, a lot of good buys there. The features, reviews, and price of the Onkyo TX-NR646 seem to fit my needs nicely. And for speakers I see a lot of great reviews of the Cambridge Audio speakers, namely the Minx Min12 bookshelf speakers, Minx X201 200W subwoofer, and Aero 5 center speaker. They would fit our layout nicely and the WAF I would like to try that setup, but I'm having a hard time figuring out if everything fits together as far as impedence, sufficient output to the speakers, etc. I'm such a novice at this, I'm trying to learn quickly, but am in over my head trying to make sense of the technical specs. My research is very limited to what I actually understand, which at this point is still very little. Any thoughts? Thanks again everybody.

From what I gather they are 8 ohm
They also have removable binding post terminals accept bare wire, pin connectors, spade connectors, or banana plugs that pretty much covers every kind of connection or speaker wire

I looks like the ONKYO receiver takes banana spade plugs or bare wire

Here is C/net's review
http://www.cnet.com/products/onkyo-tx-nr646/specs/#p=onkyo-tx-nr646/

Keep in mind the speakers are only 3 inches high and that may affect the amount of sound you will get out of them.

 

[JDTFL]

From what I gather they are 8 ohm
They also have removable binding post terminals accept bare wire, pin connectors, spade connectors, or banana plugs that pretty much covers every kind of connection or speaker wire

I looks like the ONKYO receiver takes banana spade plugs or bare wire

Here is C/net's review
http://www.cnet.com/products/onkyo-tx-nr646/specs/#p=onkyo-tx-nr646/

Keep in mind the speakers are only 3 inches high and that may affect the amount of sound you will get out of them.

Thank you B-Roll, Glad to hear your initial take on the speaker and receiver compatibility. The more the speakers are hidden, the happier the wife. Hence the small size, but quality speaker I'm looking for. They seem like a great option I'm willing to try. I should have posted a link to the speakers, Crutchfield’s take on them HERE for the AERO 5 center speaker, HERE for the Minx Min 12, both 8 ohms as you stated, and HERE for the Minx X201 subwoofer. Hope I added those links right. Thank you again for the assistance.

 

[B-ROLL]

Thank you B-Roll, Glad to hear your initial take on the speaker and receiver compatibility. The more the speakers are hidden, the happier the wife. Hence the small size, but quality speaker I'm looking for. They seem like a great option I'm willing to try. I should have posted a link to the speakers, Crutchfield’s take on them HERE for the AERO 5 center speaker, HERE for the Minx Min 12, both 8 ohms as you stated, and HERE for the Minx X201 subwoofer. Hope I added those links right. Thank you again for the assistance.

You are most welcome