Receiver?

jeremyp

I'm looking at buying a pair of monitor 60's and am a tech novice. My last home theater was a htib - jvc. Worked for what I was looking for but blew out on me. That being said, I want something that has more of a full bodied sound to it. If anyone could recommend a receiver that will fully utilize the 60's, and be capable of building a full home theater system when budget allows, I'd greatly appreciate. I'm looking at spending no more than 400 on the receiver. Any tips on different or additional speakers would be great too. Thanks in advance!

Jeremy

jeremyp

tx nr609 looks like it may be capable. any feedback? refurb from onkyo @ $380

domflane

Welcome to Club Polk Jeremy. The 609 will work pretty well with M60's. It's a decent audio receiver with a lot of new streaming and connectivity frills, but it won't give you much headroom if you ever want to upgrade as it only has sub preouts. Depending on your needs, there are some other options out there that will give you better audio performance for just a bit over your budget. The Pioneer VSX1121 and Harman Kardon AVR3600 are about $500 and the Onkyo 709 is around $550. However, if you dont see yourself upgrading, or you budget is really tight, the 609 is a fine choice.

Also, since you're planning on building a 5 or 7 channel system, the Monitor line has gotten pretty affordable, and you might want to look into the Monitor 70's for mains. They're a lot more speaker than the 60's and they're not that much more expensive. Keep an eye on newegg.com for some great deals on Monitors. Adding a CS2 center and a pair of Monitor 30's or 40's for the rears would give you a nice 5 channel rig if that's where you want to end up. Good luck and enjoy the search, you journey is just beginning.

- Dom

domflane

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?127667-Onkyo-TX-SR706-300-shipping

This is for sale right now in the classifieds section of the forum. A better choice than the 609 and a good price too

Lietuvis91

Sounds like a job for the Denon 1912. I think it would be great in this case.

$399 + free shipping if and when they get back in stock.
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/DENAVR1912/DENON-AVR-1912-7.1-Channel-Network-Streaming-A/V-Home-Theater-Receiver/1.html?gclid=CISdmpOOua0CFYPc4AodSjynlg

Get a nice 10-12inch sub, and you should be a happy camper

tonyb

I don't think that Denon has preouts and for 100 bucks less, the one in the FM does. Thats the better deal for sure. Your getting alot of avr for the 3 bones in the FM.

Lietuvis91

tonyb wrote: »

I don't think that Denon has preouts and for 100 bucks less, the one in the FM does. Thats the better deal for sure. Your getting alot of avr for the 3 bones in the FM.

No doubt, if he's willing to buy used, that is a better option. Unless you need 3d and airplay for your ipod/iphone.

tonyb

Eh....anyone using those Ipod connections on mid to entry level receivers is in for a world of poor sound quality anyway. Plus you can hook up an Ipod to most any receiver anyway, so I don't see that as a selling point really. 3d is more dependant on the TV AND bdp matching up, unless you want to switch thru the receiver then yeah, it would be a desireable option. Either way, nice options for the OP.

jeremyp

Hey everyone- thanks for the replies. ... I just bought a pioneer vsx1021 - I didnt see any responses before I went out this AM. I'm super impatient. The only issue faced with a used system is that I have a 2.5 year old who loves to spill drinks. That in mind - I got the extended warranty. This came in @ just about $420. The thing I'm looking to do down the road is have a 5.1 setup in the living room and 2 speakers in the zone2 in a separate room. I did a lot of research and studying reviews and in this price range this seemed to be the best system based on quality-to-price. If this isn't the case I can return - any feedback for this impatient donkey would be great. Thanks again!

domflane

For a little more you could've had the VSX1121, which is a much better receiver. Where did you buy it?

chumlie

domflane wrote: »

For a little more you could've had the VSX1121, which is a much better receiver. Where did you buy it?

I'll second that. Much better off with the 1121.

jeremyp

I got it(1021) at best buy. I see the 1121 on newegg for 500. What is the main benefit of the upgrade?

domflane

It's on amazon for $500 too and prime eligible. Has preouts, a better amp section, zone 2 preouts and more connectivity and expandability features. It's basically the best Pio AVR that doesn't say elite on it, a much better unit for the $80 price bump.

- Dom

jeremyp

while zone 2 preouts sounds great I don't see myself expanding to that degree in the next 5 years. By then I will hopefully have my garage turned into more of a living space and probably be able to use this one out there. That's assuming these receivers last that long. I find it hard not to buy the best I can afford but have found from experience I almost never use something to its full potential ever... wasteful. So I tried to set a budget - $80 isn't much - but from there another $80 or $100 and I could buy something even better, and so on. My home's only 2500 sf+- and I only envision having speakers in two living areas. Also - sadly the 1121 is too big for my current setup - I dont have enough depth in my closet and I was going for hidden components (couldnt even turn it on its side)
I appreciate all the feedback and will definitely keep checking since I have the 30 day return policy... ha ha Thanks so much guys

domflane

That's cool Jeremy. It's your call after all pal, enjoy your new receiver. But if you find yourself wanting a power amp later, which you may not, but you probably will, you're gonna wish you spent that extra $80.

jeremyp

I'm considering taking back the receiver.... The whole hmg input is useless as far as I see it. That was one of the main selling points for me. I hooked up my fios router directly to the avr( after trying it through wifi) and still can't find my wmp files through my computer.... Oh and I punched some holes in my walls(neatly) to run cables through the basement. I still have the 4 old jvc floorstanding so I decided a 2 channel in 2 separate rooms... Well I can't get the tuner to even play in zone two... Zone 2 seems to be slaved off zone 1... Is this due to my lack of 5.1 in ghe main room? Will I be able to independently change both zones volumes if this does get corrected.... If not - which receiver should i be looking to purchase? I have an Android which isn't avrcp Bluetooth and would ideally like to play music off of it... Any suggestions dom?

jeremyp

But keep in mind I need something the same dimensions if not smaller to store in my cabinet....

tonyb

Unfortunately Jeremy, receivers are not custom made to order pieces that you pick and choose the features. To get one set of features you may like, means you may also get some you may never use. Receivers in general have to do alot these days so size is a consideration. Maybe time for a different cabinet ??

As far as your Zone question goes, you have to make sure everything is connected to those zone 2 inputs. They operate independantly of each other. Have you read the manual ? Set up the receiver ? All the inputs ?

jeremyp

Yea I read the manual and its just very vague saying that I can have it set up in 5.1 zone 1 and zone 2 2 channel... I'm fine with having features I dont use but I just would like to have the features I do want to work. I can't really change my cabinet. The house is old and one of the architectural features was a chimney with wooden boxes to the left and right(used as warming boxes). The chimneys not in use.. so I mounted the tv on the brick and have all my components inside the boxes. Am I better just getting a lower end receiver and additional amp? Oh... I just ordered 4 monitor60s and a cs2... I had only planned on spending 300 total on speakers now but I couldn't pass the deal... 60s 100 a piece and cs2 @110 on newegg. The 60s were the same price or cheaper than 50s and 40s.

shawn474

Not sure about this particular AVR but some, even though they state zone 2, need a separate amplifier to power the zone 2 speakers. I have the pioneer elite vsx-21txh and that's how I have to do it. Also, most zone 2 that i know will only pass analog signals. Hope this helps.

gtaudio

I have am onkyo 608 right now it is a great receiver with a ton of inputs. I would really like pre-outs and and amp but that means a new system. I could convince the wife I need one but and amp and reciver is much harder.

tonyb

jeremyp wrote: »

Yea I read the manual and its just very vague saying that I can have it set up in 5.1 zone 1 and zone 2 2 channel... I'm fine with having features I dont use but I just would like to have the features I do want to work. I can't really change my cabinet. The house is old and one of the architectural features was a chimney with wooden boxes to the left and right(used as warming boxes). The chimneys not in use.. so I mounted the tv on the brick and have all my components inside the boxes. Am I better just getting a lower end receiver and additional amp? Oh... I just ordered 4 monitor60s and a cs2... I had only planned on spending 300 total on speakers now but I couldn't pass the deal... 60s 100 a piece and cs2 @110 on newegg. The 60s were the same price or cheaper than 50s and 40s.

Ok, follow you now. Is it not a possibility to put a standing rack on one side of the fireplace ? Just a thought. Incidently, the speakers you have chosen are pretty easy to drive with any receiver, an amp wouldn't be necessary. Back to the receiver, still fuzzy on what bells and whistles you want, but look for a receiver that has what you want and then maybe look on the used market to fit your budget. When you start adding all the bells and whistles though, price goes up, but the bang for your buck is still available on the used market.

Second Guess

I was in a similar situation a couple of weeks ago. I had a similar pioneer receiver (926k, it's between the 921 and 1021) that I ended up taking back simply due to the lack of pre-outs. In the end I spent countless hours trying to find an affordable receiver that offered this feature. In the end I was about to purchase an Onyko 709, as I couldn't seem to come across anything better, then, at the last minute, I found the Onkyo HT-RC370. It is basically a 709 with a couple less features, but at a discounted cost.

It seemed almost foolish to buy a receiver without the ability to later hook an amp up to it - at least if you want your speakers to reach their full potential! (if you upgrade your speakers at some point)

tonyb

Second Guess wrote: »

It seemed almost foolish to buy a receiver without the ability to later hook an amp up to it - at least if you want your speakers to reach their full potential! (if you upgrade your speakers at some point)

Yep, preouts may not be needed now, but it is a feature to somewhat future proof your needs down the road.

jeremyp

Alright so now I'm lost. The whole network connectivity feature seems pointless. I have a ps3 and am debating getting an appletv thus making any avr networking useless... I like the preouts idea and possibly a 7.2 over 7.1.... Also being able to use an hdmi source to run zone 2 and be able run zone 2s volume independently. I can't find anything around 500-550 for this... I thought about getting an older model since I don't care about networking but can't find any mass info on anything prior to 2011. I am willing to increase my budget but don't need network connectivity or airplay and would like 110+ wpc with the above referenced features. If anyone has the patience with me I'd greatly appreciate.

tonyb

Don't know of any that cheap that will do what you want. Most don't have independant volume controls for 2 zones, nor do they have hdmi for 2 zones, or run them both at the same time.

Have you thought about just getting 2 used receivers ?

gtaudio

At the end of the day you really may just need two receivers. I have three Onkyo receivers one for dedicated HT in family room, one for living room upstairs and one for outside patio speakers. With a couple airport expresses I can have all three playing iTunes at the same time and control all three of them with my iPhone. It's really amazing!! I go the airport expresses used on eBay for $50 each.

I plan to move to Control 4 in the next year and then I'll have to figure out if that is even a better way to do it.