Upgrading home theater receiver...Need help/advice :) (1 Viewer)

[BrianF]

I'm currently looking to upgrade my receiver. My primary use is home theater/TV, probably 80%-90%. I want something that I won't have to upgrade soon, so I'm looking at 7.1 compatiable receviers. One of my main concerns is noise level, as my current receiver definitely is not quiet. I've listened to the H/K, Yamaha and Onkyo (797 and 898) receivers. I'm also looking at the Pioneer 45TX but have not been able to demo it and at the upcoming Denon 3803.

Yamaha doesn't support 7.1 but sounds great. H/K's also sounds great with not a hint of noise at any volume but lacks some of the features of the other brands. The Onkyo 797 is noisy but has great home theater performance and in that case seemed to sound better than the 898 (although the 898 wasn't noisy). The 797 seemed to be more forceful sounding in movies with more volume and detail in the rear channels compared to the H/K and 898. If I went the Yamaha route do you think that I would really be missing out on that extra rear channel? Am I going to need to upgrade again in a year or two? Has anyone listened to the mew Onkyo receivers and do they exhibit the same noise levels? In regards to the Pioneer is it noisy, exhibit any hissing etc? Also how does it sound compared to the above units in home theater mode? Any help or advice would be appreciated.

 

[DonJ]

You are right H/K soes not have as many bells but IMO they have better sound.

 

[BrianF]

Someone has to have some information. Come on.

 

[JackS]

Brian- Sorry, but theres no pat answer to your questions.Everyone has chosen their particular receiver for a personnaly precieved sound preference or feature, thus what they have may not be exactly what you would like to have. Your post expresses some opinions which seem to favor the Onykos'. Use the Onyko as your 'standard' and compare with a couple of others. Make a choice, enjoy uour new purchase. Best of luck, Jack

 

[Angelo.M]

Brian:

In my opinion, if you're looking for a piece and you're planning to use it primarily ("80%-90%") for theater, I'd look no further than Yamaha. No, I don't think you're missing very much at all with a receiver that doesn't have 7.1 capability. In fact, in my opinion, certain to be unpopular, there really isn't much use for anything beyond 5.1 nowadays as the software hasn't caught up with all this multichannel hardware business.

I think Yamaha makes some of the very best receiver pieces for theater use, and I would choose one over the other brands you mentioned if theater was my primary application. I think a comparably-priced/comparably-powered Yamaha will be as or more dynamic in 5.1 theater than an H/K, Onkyo, Denon, etc. These are all good brands, and Yamaha is near the head of the pack.

--AM

 

[Frank Zimkas]

Welcome to the Forum Brian!
Although there may not be a lot of movies that contain a 6.1 soundtrack, there are some out there. Buying the most up to date receiver (7.1) makes sense, if you are thinking about adding the rear channels later on. I have a 7.1 channel system and I find the effect to be pretty darn cool, even for 5.1 sound tracks matrixed into 7.1. IMO a more enveloping sound field, some like it, some don't. No real right or wrong answer on this subject.
Keep looking for someone in your area that carries the Pioneer Elite receivers before you spend any money on the others. That way you'll be able to make the choice based on what YOU hear, not on what others have heard. Here's a link for the Pioneer web site, you can do a search for dealers in your area.
http://www.vicinity.com/pioneerservice/dealerprx.hm
Don't forget to post your findings so the rest of us can learn something!

 

[BrianF]

Thanks Angelo and Frank. I'll have to see if Paradyme carries the Elite line. I know that the other dealers in my area do not. Buying the most up to date makes sense to me, that's why I've been interested in 7.1. With all the different sound formats I guess you'll always be looking to upgrade. Getting a reciever that is ONLY 6.1 might not be such a big deal I guess. Maybe that's why Yamaha hasn't gone to 7.1 yet. Well when I finally take the plunge I'll let you know what fine piece of equipment I ended up with and of course give my review. Thanks again.

 

[Steve Adams]

well brian,

I just purchased the pioneer svx-d810s, it's awsome. makes my sony look like crap! now if this is any indication of the elite line, listen to them before buying. H/K has great sound, but here, there are ALOT of them coming back for warranty work. so that is something to think about. I know im opening up a can of worms by saying that but I worked at the HK dealership for awhile, and out of all the receivers that came back HK was the top of the list. they are also not estically pleasing either. they look cheap...the pioneer, onkyo, denon or yamaha are good choices.....

 

[Alex Prosak]

Brian,

HK has recently introduced some new receivers, I don't know if they've hit the street or not yet but they may now have some of the features you want. You can find out some of the info on the new 525 at onecall.com.

Alex

 

[BrianF]

I'm aware of the H/K 525 that's coming out. I have contacted Onecall about it and they don't have any information other than what is on their site. I also contacted SoundCity and they to didn't have any information other than what was on their site. They said that it will hopefully be out early November. I'm curious to know if Logic 7 will work on 5.1 sources. I know that the manual says it won't but it also said that it wouldn't work on the 8000 and it does.

Steve-I've heard about some of these companies having reliablilty problems (H/K, Marantz, Denon, Onkyo etc.). I rarely hear people having major problems with Pioneer or Yamaha. I guess that's something else for me to consider. I'm going to try to find a dealer tomorrow morning that carries the Elite line and hopefully get to hear them.

I have another question about the 45TX. It doesn't say on their website whether the THX mode is 6.1 or 7.1. I know there are two versions of THX EX. Will it automatically play 7.1 if I have the speakers set up? Is there an option to select?

 

[Harold A]

Brian,

THe 45TX will play 7.1 instead of 6.1 if both speakers are there. I have a PDF of the manual if you want I can send it to you. It is big about 6mb.

I just purchased the 45TX. I was looking at the Sony 4ES, Onkyo 898, and 45TX. I went with the Pioneer. The MCACC was a big factor for me. People that use it say it works excellent. It also had THX certification. I will be using an external amp to drive my front speakers.

 

[BrianF]

Harold - Yeah can you send the manual to me. That would be great. I'll PM you the email address you can send it to. Thanks.

 

[BrianF]

I ended up purchasing the H/K AVR 525.

 

[Guy Usher]

Brian,
Great choice for a reciever. All the ones discussed are excellent but each one has its own personality. Elite's are troublesome with the master volume control, either it is too load or it is not load enough(they are pretty) Yahamaha's have a sound of their own and I don't think they have the balls that the HK does(I like their sound and they are pretty too)Sony ES, you gotta love em however I don't think they up to the task that they once were.
Bottom line add a 5 channel (or more) amp then down the road put a good Pre-Pro on it and move the HK to the bedroom.