AVR for TSI500

gnek

Hi guys,
I am new to this forum and I would appreciate suggestions to purchase a good AVR for my TSI500. For two weeks I used the HK3490 which I kind of liked. Although I am a big fan of HK, I had the impression that at low-medium volume this receiver did not perform as well as I expected especially with hard rock/metal music. I am not sure if I need more power to drive my 500s. For many years I used HK6600 with Rowen R3 speakers (AR components) and enjoyed an amazing sound quality.
Plus, now I purchased an LED TV, so I am looking to combine high quality music with HD sound capability. Besides the HK 7550HD (which is actually less powerful) I have no clue where to look. I saw good reviews about the Yamaha rx-v1900 but I am not familiar with Yamaha sound.
My budget is around 800$ that I could stretch if really worth the effort.I would like to try Rotel but I don't think I can make it with that budget.
I am also open to a nice amp with an AVR as pre-out, but I guess same budget limitation.

Please shoot me your suggestions, so I can look into a new AVR and not be disappointed with sound quality.

thanks

PrazVT

Welcome to Club Polk!

So wait - which AVR do you have right now? And does it have pre-outs? Is this a 2ch system?

B Run

The Rx-v1900 is a great receiver and sounded great with my Monitor 60's, i'd recommend it.

gnek

PrazVT wrote: »

Welcome to Club Polk!

So wait - which AVR do you have right now? And does it have pre-outs? Is this a 2ch system?

thanks... I dont have any AVR right now. I returned the HK3490. Yes at the moment I have only the TSI500. Perhaps in the future I will get nicer front speaker and use the 500s as surround.

thanks

cfrizz

Get a receiver that has all the bells & whistles that you want it to have & make sure it has preouts for future power upgrades.

Welcome to Club Polk.

gnek

cfrizz wrote: »

Get a receiver that has all the bells & whistles that you want it to have & make sure it has preouts for future power upgrades.

Welcome to Club Polk.

OK....any recommendation in terms of min power output, High current capacity...and so on???

ciao

B Run

I just got a Harmon Kardon 3600, it's high current but the lowest posted wattage of any AVR i've ever owned (I've had 9 this year haha) and it blows the others out of the water. I think i'd focus on features important to YOU. Do you want 1080p upconversion? 3d? Pre outs? Internet connectivity? If you're planning on getting an amp sooner i'd say wattage isn't as important and save for a good amp. I really do like the Rxv in terms of power, sound quality and features (like pre outs). Good luck

gnek

B Run wrote: »

I just got a Harmon Kardon 3600, it's high current but the lowest posted wattage of any AVR i've ever owned (I've had 9 this year haha) and it blows the others out of the water. I think i'd focus on features important to YOU. Do you want 1080p upconversion? 3d? Pre outs? Internet connectivity? If you're planning on getting an amp sooner i'd say wattage isn't as important and save for a good amp. I really do like the Rxv in terms of power, sound quality and features (like pre outs). Good luck

thanks, for you tip...I guess my priority is sound quality, so I am thinking to get the rotel rb-1552 and a cheap AVR to use it as pre-out. btw, are there pre-amp receivers with all the functions that work as an AVR but without the amp component?

B Run

Yeah if you've got the coin the Marantz Av-7500 is a beast, but you're better off just buying an avr with pre outs even though you won't be using the amp section. I'd check out the pioneer 1120, yamaha rxv1900 or rvx867, marantz sr5005 or 6005, hk avr 3600, onkyo 708 or 709, or denon 3310.

B Run

I'm not really sure besides 3d and 7.1 and a few new features, but i've got the 3600 as a pre/pro and i'm actually considering returning it. It's got a few quirks that bother me and i'm thinking about trying and Onkyo 3008 or Pioneer SC35 instead. I don't like the overall sound the more I listen, the setup mic isn't even close to accurate, there's a really bad audio delay if you ff or rewind, and I cannot get the sub to blend and sound right no matter how hard I try. Not trying to talk you out of HK I know they have a lot of followers who love them, but since I recommended it in my last post I thought I should at least be honest about my experience with the 3600.

drewg74

I run my TSI500's, cs20 center, and psw505 sub with a Yamaha RX-v667. Newegg has the step-up (networking feature added) rx-v867 on sale through 6/29 for $429 with free shipping.

I'm happy with the sound of the Yamaha with these speakers, however I do feel I will need a bit more power to really push these speakers. I'm considering an Emotiva 5 channel Amp in the near future to see how much of a difference an amp will make. Any suggestions would be welcome.

cnh

Do you still have the HK 3490? If so...just get a nice power amp--problem solved if you're just a 2 channel guy (Your HK has L/R pre-outs and two sub-outs). If you're looking for HT you may need to power up the 500s with an external amp regardless of which AVR you get? The 500s open up with more 'power'.

I'd say get a nice B&K or Parasound for your HK for now. There is a B&K in the Flea Market right now that would be 'perfect'!

cnh

drummer86

pio elite sc-35's are selling new and refurbished on ebay for $700-850. Should have plenty of juice and all the features to meet your requirements... IceAmps get a lot of love on these forums.

you could also step down to the elite vsx-32/33 for $400-500 and save for an amp.

B Run

I just got an open box Onkyo Tx-NR3008 for $720 in mint condition with 2 year warranty. I've bee really happy with it so far, it can do more things than i'll ever use or be able to figure out haha.