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I'd like some opinions about my options for an entry level A/V receiver. I'll be pairing this with a Cambridge Soundworks 5.1 system and a mis-match of various other equipment. I'm not an audiophile and am not expecting this to be a home theater masterpiece but just want it to sound its best.



I have a regular TV with S-cable input, DVD with optical and coax audio and S-cable and component video outs, VCR with RCA outs, Dish Network DVR with optical audio and S-cable video outs and Sirius Sat with RCA outs.



I don't listen to the TV loud but I want it to be clear and robust. I like for video to be through the receiver so I don't have to change channels or use a stand alone switch. I like to be able to adjust the sound qualities to what I like, not what someone else thinks they should be. I like an A/B switch so I can run some speakers out on the deck. It needs to be easy to switch between sources as other family members will be using it as well. I doubt I will ever add speakers 6 & 7.



I've narrowed it down to (in no particular order).



Pioneer VSX816

Onkyo TXSR504 - leaning towards this one

Sony STRDG600

Harmon Kardon AVR140

Yamaha HTR5850



I'm trying to stay under $250.



Any help / suggestions / alternatives / things to think about would be greatly

appreciated.



Thank you
 
I have an Onkyo reviver, speakers, and DVD player and they seem to be the best bang for the buck to me.
 
I would also vote for Onkyo....I have a 5.1 Onkyo receiver that I bought about 8 or 9 years ago from Cambridge Soundworks that is paired with Cambridge speakers and it has been great, no problems what so ever with the receiver....good luck!
 
I have that exact Yamaha and it has performed great. My father has one in the same line just a larger one that runs a unbelievable 6.1 surround system with klipsch speakers that shakes his house. I don't know much about the rest but out of the brands I would go with onkyo, yamaha, and sony. good luck.
 
my sugestion would be to see what the stores return poicy is and if there is a re-stocking fee first. all of your choices are very good but in the end its going to be how it sounds to your ears. that being said see if you can demo them in your home. at this price level that might be hard though.

I like to be able to adjust the sound qualities to what I like, not what someone else thinks they should be.
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guess you've had some pushy sales people. the only other thing I can say is bring your own music w/you and have them hook up to speakers that are "close" to what you have.

good luck and let your ears be the judge.
 
pair of Blazers said:
guess you've had some pushy sales people. the only other thing I can say is bring your own music w/you and have them hook up to speakers that are "close" to what you have.

good luck and let your ears be the judge.
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Not what I meant but thanks for the advice. What I meant was some of the preprogrammed settings that the manufacturer installs like "cinema, concert hall, ect".
 
Thanks guys. Onkyo seems to get the most votes everywhere I've posted so that is the way I am going to go. Best price I have found is $217.
 
Yet another vote for Onkyo. I have an older 5.1 unit that has been faultless. It has the same power rating as the one you are considering.....75 WPC. The clincher for me at the time was when Consumer Reports tested the unit I ended up buying. Although rated @ 75 watts it put out 88. They thought it a fluke and bought an identical unit to retest, also 88 watts.



This is my 3rd purchase of this brand, all worked flawlessly but the previous two were 2 channel stereo.
 
Do a Google on anything with T-Amp !



Audiophile quality at poormans pricing



This palm size amp blew the high-ends away !

david1.jpg
 
I have a couple of entry-level Denon A/V receivers (I liked the first so much, I bought a second when I ran across a great deal on a refurb unit). The one thing the Denon offered that wasn't available on other units in that price range is video up-conversion . . . All of the video inputs are routed to a single component output, so there's only one connection from the receiver to your television. Composite and S-Video inputs are all switched via the receiver and routed to the component output. Very convenient, and it cuts down on the rat's nest of wires a bit.



IMO, look for a unit that has up-conversion, and as many component and digital audio inputs as you can get (as well as looking for sound that's meets the demands of your ears, of course).



My (non-audiophile) $0.02,

Tort
 
I'm afraid I cant' offer any insight on the products being considered.



Offtopic:

EdLancer, kudos on the clean (dare I say minimalist :cool: ?) install. :xyxthumbs Would you care to go around the room so to speak identifying you equipment? If you don't want to in this thread, you could open another thread.



Are those speaker stands weighted? Whose equipment stands are you using?
 
Mr. Clean said:
EdLancer, kudos on the clean (dare I say minimalist :cool: ?) install. :xyxthumbs Would you care to go around the room so to speak identifying you equipment? If you don't want to in this thread, you could open another thread.
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That ain't my system, it belongs to 6Moon staff David Kan, the only thing I have in common is the TA-10 amp ! I wish I had all that uber costing gear ! He even got 2 TA-10 and use it as a seperate speaker amp bring it to a total of 30 watts per channel. 15 watts per channel is able to power a flooring standing speaker, a 90dB + speaker and a T-Amp = audiophile tube like sound , not bad for a system that can cost you a mere $300 against a $5000 system ! I simply plug in an iPod or CD player into the T-Amp and my system is audiophile grade.
 
Audophile = separates, however with that being said Denon, Onkyo and Yamaha are my vote. I have a Denon receiver in my dedicated theater and have been blown away with the sound quality. I didn't want to drop a ton of money up front but wanted something with good clean power. In that price range I'd stick to one of the brands you've listed and check out the features to assist with your decision. Here's a shot of my setup.



front_resize.jpg
 
Can someone explain how you set up a T-Amplifier and how does it work? It seems like for just a few dollars the quality in sound jumps dramatically.
 
Spilchy said:
Can someone explain how you set up a T-Amplifier and how does it work? It seems like for just a few dollars the quality in sound jumps dramatically.
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It's actually quite a controversy, but I'll try and explain some of the basic premise, or my understanding of it at least. This actually all started with Car Audio - power efficiency was getting to be a concern as people were throwing more and more power into their car systems. In order to reduce power usage, Class D amplifiers (switching mosfets) started to become more common. There was a downside though - they didn't sound as good as their Class A/B counterparts. Most people using them didn't care since they were relegated mainly to subwoofer duty - the loss of amplifier damping is less audible below 150hz making them popular for cheap, efficient power.



Enter a company called Tripath - they revised the class D design to compensate for the loss of damping, creating what they call a Class T amplifier (the power-efficiency of a class D that could be used full range). The design debuted in Car Audio on a couple of amps from Synopsis, Arc Audio and Clarion to little success. In the past couple of years, they've become more popular in the home audio world.



Now, I personally think the majority of the Class T amps on the market sound horrible. For those that like them, however, they do make for an awesome deal. It's basically subjectively based upon the changes that the amp imparts onto the audio signal.



Some people say they sound more tube-like than a Class A/B. As to why, it's mainly due to the lower damping factor along with the introduction of minor distortion into the signal, which are a couple of characteristics of tubes that lead to a "warmer" sound. Class T, however, lacks the most important part of the tube sound in my opinion - soft clipping. Some of the higher end Class T amplifiers seem to do this perfectly (i.e. the Bel Canto), but I have yet to hear one of the cheaper ones sound nearly as good.



Anyway, everything in audio is subjective, so I'd suggest taking a listen to see which sound you prefer. As long as we're on the topic of cheap audiophile amplification though, the Dussun DS99 is (in my opinion) one of the best sounding amps I've heard, has an integrated preamp, and can be had for under $500 new.
 
Thanks! I've seen them mentioned here and there but never new much about them. What I've read didn't help explain it for a novice such as myself.
 
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