Starting out (I've been mostly in the newb section) and rethinking my strategy (1 Viewer)

[289FIACobra]

In my thread "Replacing my Bose Lifestyle 30...", I thought I might be good with say an Onkyo NR-515 after some initial research. Then I took the advice of some and went speaker listening over the weekend. I "think" I've found the speakers I would like (assuming the 'boss' approves) : Klipsch RC-52. Our room isn't the largest and due to placement of things, I'm holding off on rear surround speakers so I'm thinking of a 3.1 kind of setup now: 2 x RF-52 Towers 1 x RC-52 ii Center 1 x BIC F-12 So now, I'm looking into amps and it seems if I use Onkyo as an example, they cover virtually every single price point you can think of, which makes things rather easy and difficult at the same time as I look into the comparison charts at the bottom and as you would expect, more features, more money. I am opening up to other units as well such as Denon and Pioneer. The reason I was looking into the NR-515 was primarily price and using Amazon for all the pricing to keep things somewhat even, I found: TX-NR-515 $ 299.00 TX-NR-616 $ 379.00 TX-NR-717 $ 582.75 TX-NR-809 $ 606.54 General thoughts: all units above NR-515 are THX Certified. Could be a big deal since I watch Star Wars, Indiana Jones, etc. and whatever future movies may be using THX. So it may come down to the NR-616 and NR-717. Oddly, in thinkig on the NR-717, the jump between it and the NR-616 is substantial, but the jump to the NR-809 is only another $24 . In either case, I'm at the $2,000 budget which I had in mind. Any suggestions on similar AVR to go with the speaker system I assembled? I don't want to box myself in on just Onkyo. Thanks in advance!

 

[Jason Charlton]

Originally Posted by 289FIACobra
TX-NR-515 $ 299.00
TX-NR-616 $ 379.00
TX-NR-717 $ 582.75
TX-NR-809 $ 606.54
General thoughts: all units above NR-515 are THX Certified. Could be a big deal since I watch Star Wars, Indiana Jones, etc. and whatever future movies may be using THX.

THX isn't really worth much when it comes to receivers.
THX is not a sound or video format, it's simply a quality standard (those movies don't do anything differently than any other movies). Oh, and it's a quality standard that requires manufacturers to pay THX for the right to stick the THX logo on the front. There are lots of products that would qualify for THX certification, but the manufacturers choose not to pay THX for the logo, which, in essence, creates added cost that is passed on to the consumer.
Take the 515 vs the 616 for example. A comparison on the Onkyo website lists the only difference (other than a measly 20 wpc and THX certification) as a third zone line out. That's it. Everything else is the same. The extra $80 ($100 in MSRP) gets you next to nothing in tangible difference, but it does put that logo on the front.
Adding the 717 to the mix adds a few features. Most fall into the "meh" category: bi amp capability, 4 ohm capability, a phono input, an extra component and some audio inputs, and a 12v trigger, etc. None of those are worth a whole lot unless your specific needs call for them. The only signficant feature it adds is a full set of pre-outs for connecting external amps. That carries a $300 MSRP premium over the 616!!!
The trend here is that, IMO, there is a serious law of diminishing returns that happens once you step up a couple rungs in the product line. I am a firm believer in not overspending on a receiver. Put your money into speakers - they are much more important in making a good sounding system than the receiver. Get a receiver based on the features you're going to need. If you don't need 3 zones, and you're not planning on getting exotic, 4 ohm speakers, but you ARE going to get decent, moderately efficient speakers, then the 515 should serve your needs.
Spend at least 2/3 of your overall budget on speakers (and of that 2/3 consider spending about half of that on the subwoofer). The rest on the receiver and everything else.
Edit: Oh, and if you're worried about settling for "only" 80 watts per channel vs. 110 or more, consider that it takes double the wattage to make a 3dB difference in volume. If you get efficient speakers (>90dB - that is 90dB with 1 watt of power behind them) you can risk permanent hearing damage by producing 102dB with only 16 watts of actual continuous power behind them.

 

[289FIACobra]

Jason: Thank you very much on the THX subject. Sounds reasonable that THX would get some type of royalty for a company to plaster their logo on a product - very similar to cars such as "Eddie Bauer" or "Harley Davidson" edition of a Ford SUV or Truck. I guess as I've gotten older, I've gotten more pragmatic. I was checking the specifications on the Klipsch RF-52 and they are showing a response to 1 w as >92 db so to your point, I believe the NT-515 will do fine and not worry too much about anything else and not spend more money then needed.

 

[Gregg Loewen]

THX isn't really worth much when it comes to receivers.

I couldn't disagree with you more on that comment. In addition, THX is not only quality standard, it is also a performance standard.

 

[Jason Charlton]

Originally Posted by Gregg Loewen
I couldn't disagree with you more on that comment.
In addition, THX is not only quality standard, it is also a performance standard.

Gregg, can you share which aspects of THX certification on AVRs you feel offer a defacto concrete enhancement over non-certified AVR's?
I'm curious, really. Are there specific hardware enhancements that THX certification (of any flavor) adds to the equation? I am familiar with the additional signal processing and listening modes that are included with THX gear, but I much prefer to listen to material in as close to "native" form as possible - with no extra processing applied. So, in that sense, THX adds nothing of value for me.
Really, the intent of my comment to the OP was to dispel the myth that if he's watching movies that have "THX" on the label, that he needs to have a "THX certified" receiver so that he can "use THX". Many people believe that THX is analagous to "Dolby HD" or "DTS-MA" - and we all know that's not the case.
My very first receiver was the Onkyo 828 - one of the first THX certified consumer-level products out there (before THX had developed varying "standards" for their "standard" - another reason my opinion of THX has soured over the years). However, that was a ProLogic receiver that used an outboard DD decoder. In that case, the added signal processing that THX provided offered specific improvements over the current Dolby ProLogic decoding for stereo sources.
I do still feel that where THX certification still has some significance is in displays - if for no other reason than, if my understanding is correct, the THX certification requires that all artificial image enhancements be user-defeatable (if not by menu choice, then through selection of a "THX" preset picture mode).
In essence, I like "purity" in my home theater experience, and based on that, I feel that THX certification on an AVR brings very little (if anything) to the table in helping me achieve that goal.
If I am wrong/misinformed in that regard, I really would be interested in hearing your thoughts on how and/or why.
Cheers!

 

[289FIACobra]

Curious to hear too. Let's also be clear that I am a novice in the AVR world (the Bose Lifestyle 30 doesn't qualify IMO) As a first time AVR person, I'm doing research first. I don't want this to become an argumentative thread. Also keep in mind I may not go full surround. My starting point will be a 3.1 setup. I can always add the satellites later on once I figure out if it's worth the extra expense (or I get my free bookshelf speakers this week.)

 

[schan1269]

THX is a performance standard...and nothing more. It is analogous to Oikos Greek Yogurt. You can buy Dannon Oikos, or StonyField Oikos. The only thing you are guaranteed with StonyField is it is RGBH free/organic. Dannon uses RGBH/organic anyway...but to meet demand, they'll add "normal" milk. Do you want the performance standard or not?

 

[gene c]

The 809 is last years model. That accounts for a little bit of it only being $24 more then the 717. Those Klipsch speakers are going play very loud with any of those receivers. As far as sound quality goes, I think you would need the MultEQ XT of the 809 to really hear any improvement from the 515 and that's going to cost you $300. Probably not worth it. But Sam knows a lot more about Onkyo's then I do. I just wish I hadn't sold my Intergra 70.2 last year . But that's a whole 'nuther story. Also check ac4l.com for factory refurbished models. Extended warranties are very reasonable there. http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/brand/onkyo/results/1.html