Im sure there are some home audio lovers on here that can help with my question:

I bought a receiver back maybe 10years ago and its worked as a stereo. I am now looking to get a 7.1 surround sound, (mid-grade), receiver that is less then $900. My goal is to spend as little as possible but still get a great receiver. With that said, I am not looking for a $199 setup.

What I need:
7.1 surround sound - eventhough i will only be using it for 5.1 till 7.1 becomes mainstream
Auto-surround-sound setup - just let the system set itself up with a few clicks
A quality product
2 room+ speaker controls

Other than that I want to play all the surround sound grades of encoding. Please post some deals if you know of any or models that i can keep my eye out for within the next 3 months.

Thanks

 

bud go with harman kardon. when it comes to home audio stuff, you just can't beat em. they give true power rankings on their receivers....for example....Sony and Yamaha along with like Denon and a bunch of others list their receivers as 120w x 7 channels. in reality thats when only one channel is driver. when HK lists their power ratings, they do it with all 7 channels driven. the actual power an HK puts out as compared to a sony or yamaha really is phenomenal. also look into outlaw audio. i dont mind pioneer myself, nor onkyo, but dont be cheap on your receiver. head over to avsforum.com and get some opinions there. also ecoustics.com. lastly, whats up with you old receiver? i might be able to take it off your hands....im in the market for a cheap 2 channel receiver for some garage speakers. pm me and lemme know.

 

I personally have a Pioneer VSX-816. I really like it, and the auto setup is pretty accurate. I had a Yamaha before that, and the Pioneer beats the pants off of it. avsforum.com is a great resource too...

 

Unless you are a hard-core audiophile, you will never "hear" the difference from one brand to the next as long as you are looking in the same price range. Many people will swear by one brand or another simply because they've owned one and it never gave them any problems. That doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with the 10 other brands that they've never owned. If you stick with any of the main-stream brands you'll be fine. Just pick one that has all of the features you want and then shop around for the best price. Make sure it has enough connections to fit your needs down the road too. Even if you don't currently use some things (like multiple HDMI ports) you probably will later on. Sites like Crutchfiled are great for doing homework. Sites like J&R can really surprise you with great prices. Have fun!

 

k you will hear a difference between a yamaha rated at 75x7 and an HK rated at 75x7......they strictly just dont put out the same power.

 

ahhh - ok i shall go to those webpages. My old receiver is being used for the same .. just a 2 speaker setup.


Anybody have specific models in mind? I really dont want to say im being cheap on the receiver but if 2 products are both the same in quality and one is $600 and one is $450 - im going with the $450

 

If someone sat blindfolded in a room with 4 or 5 different receivers (all in the same range) connected to a home theatre system, and you played a DVD or music through each one, 99% of people wouldn't be able to tell one brand from the next. That's not to say that there arent differences in quality of construction, but the sound you get will be pretty darned good from all of them as long as you didn't include a really cheap unit. My point is, you probably aren't ever going to hear the difference, but you can probably save a bundle.

 

doubling the wattage will obtain a 25% increase in volume. a yamaha, denon, sony, or onkyo rated around 75 watts will on average only do half that wattage becuase of the way its rated. its like how ratings were before CEA established the CEA-2006 ratings restrictions for mobile audio stuff. HK gives a true wattage with all channels driven, not just one channel driven like the other manufacturers do. now....im only using HK as an example. there are other manufacturers who give out true ratings as well...NAD, Outlaw, Cambridge, etc.

outlaw stuff is here jwaggz: http://outlawaudio.com/products/index.html

take a look for some suggestions here: http://www.audioholics.com/buying-gu...-buying-guides


your best bet is to simply start reading. dont buy anything for at least a week or two.....just read....forums, blogs, reviews, magazines, etc......just read. you'll gain a large general knowledge of everything and you'll learn about what you need and what you dont need. get a name on ecoustics and avsforum and start asking questions. you'll quickly find a good 2-3 choices for yourself.

 

my dream HK receiver would be the 347...

http://harmankardon.com/product_deta...%20347&sType=C

ive had a 245 and i loved it...it was just too big for where i needed it....the 347 is a real step up though.

 

Does that have all of the new and upcomming HD encoders (or decoders ...whatever they are called)?

I was thinking of: http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-SR674...5495161&sr=8-1

 

I stronlgy agree with tc skier about the power ratings. My uncle has a high end Onkyo and it kicks my recivers ace.
Then agian he has Paradigm speakers and a nice velodyne sub. (rich bastard)

 

Is there anything compared to this: Onkyo TXSR705

That might be better for the same price or for less $$? I like how that model has ( i think ) all the upcomming stream types, hdmi 1.3, and multiroom audio.

 

onkyo 605 or onkyo 805
faroudja edge video scaler, dts-hd and DD-hd surround decoding, 1080p audio and video hdmi processing not just pass through, auto calibration, user friendly menu system. hdm,i v1.3

605 is a 2 zone receiver and the 805 is a 3 zone receiver

 

actually you will hear a difference between a sony, yamaha, pioneer, onkyo , denon or HK.
onkyo, denon and harmon kardon are definately on a different tier of fidelity over the other consumer brands in the same prie range.

also, if you want hdmi, make sure you look for hdmi v1.3 that will process both audio and video, if you see anything that says "pass through" in the fine print, run the other direction.

 

Harmon Kardons have very good audio fidelity, and even though its not recommended or listed in the manual, I know their upper tier "5" lines are 4 ohm stable. which really speaks well for their amps.

the general ideas between the onkyo and harmon kardon, is that the HKs have better amp sections and are much more stable, while the onkyos are a significant value and usually ahead of the pack in terms of features and newest options at the same price point.

though, if you have a dream hk receiver aim high , look at their flagship 700 line, not the 300