A little more help?

RK8

Thank you all for your help. I think I may return the Klipsch sub and get a Polk, will the psw10 go well with the R50's and CSI3?
One more, if you will:
Any recommendations on these?
Harmon Kardon AVR-247 50 watts (x7) $399 (free shipping too)
Onkyo TX-SR605 90 watts (x7) $399
Pioneer VSX 1017TXVK 150 watts(x7) $359
Marantz SR4002 80 watts9x7) $419 (THX certified)

Please briefly school me on importance, or lack thereof, of wattage.
Is THXcertification a big deal?
Thank you all in advance.

ben62670

I like the HK's. For the money, and pre-outs you can't beat the bang for buck.
http://stores.ebay.com/Harman-Audio_Harman-Kardon_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ2QQftidZ1QQtZkm
Take your time, and find a good deal. 247's can be had pretty cheap. This is from HK, not some ebayer.
THX means the company paid for a fancy sticker.
50 watts HK = 100+ watts most other manufacturers in the same price range.
Don't get too hung on watts. You need to double them to get a 3db difference.
Getting a separate amp used for the fronts is a good way to really start a nice system going.
Happy hunting
Ben

zingo

I am a marantz guy. It's not as big a brand as others, but quality equipment to be sure. THX certification isn't important. It technology only applies to watching movies, and is a set of specifications that have to be followed by the manufacture. THX certification stuff is usually good, but there is a lot of gear that is as good and better.

strider

I agree with Ben on the HK. I've been running an HK avr for a number of years. Started with it powering everything, then added outboard amps with the signal from the pre outs. Solid power even without the added amps. You can also buy direct from their site:

Harmon Kardon direct

Refurbs from them are a great bang for the buck kinda deal.

RK8

Ben, great site, thank you.
Zingo & Strider, I am torn between Marantz and HK. I had a Marantz 30 years ago (actually still have it) and love the 'feel' of it, heavy with nice knobs (kinda like my ex).
The HK is highly rated, but on some reviews it seems that the 'dead after a month' syndrome pops up a little too often, is this a concern? Also, do I realy need HDMI connections? Thanks a lot, to all of you.

WilliamM2

Out of those choices, I would go with Marantz.

I've had plenty of Marantz gear over the years, never any failures. I have also read of a lot of HK failures, although a lot of these are refurbs that arrive non-functioning. Don't know if the failure rate of new units is higher than any other brand.

strider

RK8 wrote: »

Ben, great site, thank you.
Zingo & Strider, I am torn between Marantz and HK. I had a Marantz 30 years ago (actually still have it) and love the 'feel' of it, heavy with nice knobs (kinda like my ex).
The HK is highly rated, but on some reviews it seems that the 'dead after a month' syndrome pops up a little too often, is this a concern? Also, do I realy need HDMI connections? Thanks a lot, to all of you.

I've owned 2 HK AVR's in the past 8 years. The first I outgrew, the second I've had since '04 and it hasn't really missed a beat. I've not really done any digging on the 'net, so I can't comment on them crapping out after a month. As for HDMI, I personally have no use for it, I still have a 27 inch tube TV. It's a Symphonic. As you can tell, I'm more into the audio end of things. If you see yourself getting into (or currently have) something capable of making use of high def signals, get something with HDMI. If not, don't worry about it and save yourself some money on something without it. I think you'll be able to find something that you'll like in either brand, pick one and don't lose any sleep over it. There's people here that have had good experience with both brands.