best 7.2 receiver

wilbert

Hello guys. I'm looking for a new receiver for my HT-System.
I have a Polk Rti70 front (planning to change them for a pair of rti12) an fx1000 surround an rt3000 (without the subs) as surround back a cs400 as center and a psw450.
I Just bought a Klipsch RW-12d. room measurement 16.4 x 13.1 x 8.5. Any one has a suggestion?
what is the best 7.2.receiver for my setup.Budget is about $ 600,-

snyderkv

Not sure if there is a "best" as all $600 dollar AVRs are "low end"

I'd just buy a receiver that has the features you want like DSP settings, HDMI exc, rather than trying to find the highest wattage or sonic quality as the only difference will be a matter of "preference" and not "better"

http://hometheaterreview.com/hdmi-and-av-receiver-reviews-and-information/

Side by side comparison of features for 5-600 AVRs
http://av-receiver-review.toptenreviews.com/

http://hometheatergears.com/top-10-home-theater-receivers/

Also, find a refurbish shop online or in person. You could get way more receiver for the dollar + whatever is likely to break on them already has and has been replaced possibly making it more reliable than new?

tonyb

Or just look used on your local craigslist, Audiogon, our own FM. Good way to get the most per buck in a receiver.

You really want to look for something with preouts so you can add an amp down the road should you feel the need.

wilbert

snyderkv wrote: »

Not sure if there is a "best" as all $600 dollar AVRs are "low end"

So you don't think 600 ios a good price range. Can you then advise a receiver that push mine speaker. or do I have to hook up an amp on the system. If so what amp do you recomend, since I have no experience with amp's.
Room measurment 16.4 x 13.1 x 8.5. 80 percent video and 20 music.

dorokusai

My advice is to always spend more when it comes to your main source and buy more than you could possibly need. You can never have too much power or too many features. I've seen hundreds, literally hundreds, of people buy another AVR after realizing they should have spent more or picked up the higher end model than what they actually purchased because one of TWO things....it's underpowered or it doesn't have a specific connection or feature they wanted in the first place. This is predominately because something was ON SALE or a "Good Deal". That's not to say it isn't a good deal or perfect but it's usually at a cost and the later cost of regret. By buying more than you need, you often avoid "upgtraditis" and the need top buy something bigger and better down the road.

I have a Onkyo TX-NR5007 with a Polk Surround Bar 500 for my HT and I'll never use half of what it can do but I have no connectivity issues, no power issues and have a little future upgrade ability built-into the unit so it will last me for many years.

ALWAYS go with overkill when it comes to AVR's and HT.

Mark

tonyb

Sound advice above.

On the cheap though, since you want those rti 12's and they like some power behind them, find a used receiver with preouts and a used amp in the 3-500 buck range. Don't be afraid of amps because you never used one. A 2 channel amp connects to the preouts on the receiver with 2 rca cables and the speakers connect to the back of the amp, done. Preouts give you more flexability in your speaker choices, while no preouts limits those choices to what the receiver can power.

That said, a used pioneer SC model would be my first choice or a used Onkyo 7 or 8 series.

snake1

I have the Onkyo 809(used) personally and I saved and shopped for quite a while before I found one for the price I wanted. The suggestion I got for an AVR was actually a 709 but like many here suggest I went up one size, saved, and bought something really good. It pushes my 12's extremely well and as time goes on it also has the preouts for an amp plus it can do 7.2 surround. I found the Onk for $500 plus shipping on ebay, and it took a lot of patience but good deals come along fairly regularly. JM2c

dorokusai

The Onkyo 809 is a great choice.

Clipdat

Onkyo makes a great AVR in my opinion. I've had a HT-RC360 that gets used daily for a little under a year now and couldn't be happier with it.

To be fair, a number of people have reported that their HDMI boards went out on their Onkyo and that they had to send their unit in for service. I do notice on mine that a fair amount of heat gets generated from the HDMI board so you may want to make sure you don't have anything on top if you do decided to go with an Onkyo.

That being said, there must have been some amount of thought put into thermal management, because they did include what looks like 92mm temperature controlled fan inside that pushes hot air out. It doesn't come on too often though, mostly when streaming Pandora as opposed to watching a DD or DTS movie - not sure why.

As a bit of side note/tangent, I sometimes think one of the reasons that I've had good luck with mine and no HDMI board failure is because for the first few months of running the unit it was in a fairly cool environment (never above 60 degrees). Perhaps multiple heat/cool cycles in this environment allowed the solder joints to really solidify before the unit was facing really warm summertime operating conditions.

Hard to say, but in general I really think the switch to lead free solder to comply with RoHS has had a direct impact on the overall longevity of electronics.

leftwinger57

As luck would have it the avr I bought does have pre-outs and at the time I knew nothing of them or there worth.Yes at first I was disappointed in the Yamaha 665 at 90 watts per chl. but since it's been redialed in, taken out of an enclosed rack it performs admirably for h/t use .I'm more into music and w/the Adcom /Yamaha combo there is pretty much no limit to what I can or need to do .So for $300 in the Adcom and at the time $375 for the Yamaha there's your $600 give or take some cash w/ the used market.

cnh

I'm pretty much in agreement with Mark (doro). I've been running an Onkyo TX-SR 805 for ages. Yeah, I don't have the latest, there. But at almost 51 lbs of raw WRAT power I don't need to bother with amps for my room. Try that with a lower end AVR.

Also in terms of the ratings above. Look at the "weight" of those Onkyos compared to all those other receivers! The 809 would be a fine choice if you can get a good sale price on it.

Some of the non-elite Pioneers also have ICE amps now, like the VSX-1222. Look for a possible discount on that as well.

In any case, don't go lower than an Onkyo 709 (you may need the pre-outs).

And have fun listening!

cnh

spock 2054

cnh wrote: »

I'm pretty much in agreement with Mark (doro). I've been running an Onkyo TX-SR 805 for ages. Yeah, I don't have the latest, there. But at almost 51 lbs of raw WRAT power I don't need to bother with amps for my room. Try that with a lower end AVR.

Also in terms of the ratings above. Look at the "weight" of those Onkyos compared to all those other receivers! The 809 would be a fine choice if you can get a good sale price on it.

Some of the non-elite Pioneers also have ICE amps now, like the VSX-1222. Look for a possible discount on that as well.

In any case, don't go lower than an Onkyo 709 (you may need the pre-outs).

And have fun listening!

cnh

+1 on the 709 - I found an open box 709 at Best Buy, but returned it to purchase a used 809 from Amazon Warehouse deals for less than the price of the 709! Using the pre-outs to power my L C and R channels with a Carver AV-405. It runs much cooler than my 806 which has been relocated to my office. The 709 ran hotter than the 809 - go figure.. Accesories 4 Less is a great place to shop for refurbed receivers too.

As far as HDMI issues go, one solution is to buy a few of the hd EZ lock adapters from Blue Echo. That solved the problem of HDMI cables moving about in the receiver connections. It should also extend the life of the HDMI board thanks to a secure connection between the cable and the receiver input. Part of the problem with HDMI cables is that the connectors are huge and gravity moves them south. EZ lock solved that issue for me...

http://www.blueechosolutions.com/proddetail.php?prod=hd-ez-lock

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Echo-lock-Universal-HDMI/dp/B001QV2AKK

wilbert

ok. I see. and what about the TXNR818. I saw the features are almost the same as the 809. And should I use an amp. what amp do you recommend.

Clipdat

Could always start with just the 818 and see what you think. 135wpc is pretty respectable imo.

begbie

TXN818 has multi xt32 Audyssey over the 809. Still the 809 is a great choice

snake1

Either Onk is a good choice! Before you haul off and buy an amplifier I would just give it a shot and see how you like it hooked to the AVR itself. My 809 def has some authority with the 12s. Once you move on up to a full 7.2 system (which you implied), then you might as well grab an amp for the fronts, esp. if you listen to music often. I haven't done the math but with a full complement of speakers pulling on your AVR wattage is going to go down quite a bit I assume!