Which AVR suits my needs? Want to purchase a new AVR. (1 Viewer)

[ali.khalil]

A few years ago when I got my first 40" LCD TV I had a need to connect my HTPC and XBox through HDMI to get 5.1 audio working. I ended up purchasing an LG HT906TAW (DVD Player) which had 2 HDMI Inputs and 1 HDMI Output allowing me to switch between the HTPC and XBox while giving me 5.1 audio.

The LG unit has many flaws with which I am now just fed up along with now having more than 2 HDMI based AV devices. Long story short I am now in the market to get a 'decent' AVR. I don't want to cheap out this time. I want to get something that will last me for the next 5 years at least. I've got a budget of ~$1500-2000.

I've been researching suitable AVR units and so far the contenders seem to be Denon, Yamaha, Harman Kardon, and Onkyo. There are some heated discussions out there with mixed feelings about all of them. After having gone through them I am more confused than ever.

Also, I have the LG Speakers (4-Ohm) which seem just fine to my ear. I'd prefer to reuse these with the new AVR, but if I have to I will buy new speakers.

Anybody out there that's gone through a similar process? I'd love to hear from people that have had similar requirements for their setups.

Any and all constructive input is appreciated.

My devices (all with HDMI outputs):

[*]Linux HTPC, watching lots of videos with mostly AC3 and DTS audio.
[*]XBox 360
[*]Set Top Box which does both Stereo and DTS output
[*]PS3
[*]Laptop
[/list]
My base requirements are

[*]5+ HDMI Inputs.
The more the merrier. I'm sure I'll end up with more HDMI output devices
[*]5.1+ Audio
In case I actually want to use 7.1 or higher in the future
[*]1080p/3D/4k Ultra HD Video
For future kick ass TV I'm sure I'll get at some point down the line
[*]Dedicated input selection buttons on the remote.
Tired of cycling through the entire input list just to go from HDMI Input 2 to 1
[*]Could not possibly care less about Airplay. Just putting it out there since there seems to be a lot of Airplay related banter in the discussions.
[/list]

 

[schan1269]

If you are using those speakers, buy anything but a Denon.All AVR in your intended range will have a remote that you will enjoy using.

 

[ali.khalil]

I went to the showroom of the main vendor for Yamaha AVRs in the area and they actually have a pretty good sale going on. Saw the RX-A820 for under $1000 which definitely has enough inputs/outputs to keep me satisfied for a good while.

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/aventage/rx-a820_black_u/?mode=model

In the specs section it mentions:
Dynamic Power per Channel (8/6/4/2 ohms) 140/180/210/250W


Does this mean that it will support my 4-Ohm speakers natively i.e. 'auto switching' without any worry of stressing the AVR? The speakers are my only major worry at this point. Everything else is just feature set related.

 

[Al.Anderson]

The manual has this (pg-13):

Under its default settings, the unit is configured for 8-ohm speakers. When connecting 6-ohm speakers, set the unit’s speaker impedance to "6 ohm min". In this case, you can also use 4-ohm speakers as the front speakers. For details, see “Setting the speaker impedance” (p.16).

 

[schan1269]

You can also ignore the impedance switch. All it does is reduce the gain. I have a feeling you won't be using these LG speakers very long. You also(which is way more important) need to see how (in)efficient these speakers are. If anything lower than 80...start a new speaker fund.

 

[ali.khalil]

So, I ended up buying the Yamaha RX-A820 for $950. I'm in the Middle East and such electronics sell at above US/Europe prices. It's got the specs to match my requirements and then some. I hooked the speakers from the LG unit and things were going well till I saw that the Subwoofer connection on the back of the amp was RCA. The next day I went and got myself the RCA plug and wired it up. To my surprise... no sound from the subwoofer. I spent the next 30 minutes making sure I connected the RCA plug up properly. Still nothing. That's when I went through the manual and I saw this:

"Select the speaker layout for the number of speakers that you are using and place the speakers and subwoofer (with built-in amplifier) in your room."

The subwoofer with the LG unit is Passive. Great! I can't get the subwoofer working with my AVR. Now, I'm looking around for speakers. I don't feel like blowing a lot of money on the speakers, but I also don't want to get something with which I'll be unhappy. I know price and satisfaction have an inverse relationship here.

Most of the shops I visited are trying to push Bose speakers on me. I know they're supposed to be really good, but they are very expensive. The unit that would suit me is the Acoustimass 10 at $1500. The cheaper option from Bose is the Acoustimass 6 at $1100. They're both out of my budget.

So far, the only 'decent priced' speaker system I found locally is the Harman Kardon HKT 7. I found it here for $550. The speakers have wall mounts included in the package, but I'd rather have them on floor stands. The speaker stands are $140 per pair. That's about $800 for the speakers with 4 floor stands.

Any thoughts?

 

[Al.Anderson]

Definitely stay away from the Bose.

If you liked the speakers before and are just addressing the passive sub, youdon't have to buy all new speakers, just get a sub.

And if you really want to keep it in budget, you can get an amp for the sub. Something like:

http://www.amazon.com/Dayton-Audio-DTA-100a-Class-T-Amplifier/dp/B004JK8BDK/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1371491051&sr=1-2&keywords=t+amp

(These are not my niche, but I'm betting you'll get even more specific responses for the T-amp.)