Looking for recommendation on a receiver for RTi10 for music

IamNotRichard wrote: »

Also, am I right to assume that getting a 2 channel receiver is better than getting an AVR in the same budget range? !

I'd say no. AVRs will have better connectivity, room correction, and features. The sound quality won't likely be different in that price range.

Either of these should do

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/yamrxa810bl/yamaha-rx-a810-home-theater-receiver-networking-3d-ready-hdmi/1.html

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/onktxnr717/onkyo-tx-nr717-7.2-ch-thx-certified-network-a/v-receiver/1.html

IamNotRichard wrote: »

Thanks Drummer86 for the suggestions. I do happen to own an Onkyo717, set up for the TV. When I first hooked up the TSi10 (in theden as a separate zone), the sound wasn't too good. I could hear the full range and there is good level of clarity and details. But something seems to be missing - the sound is a bit sterile. Not really much of an audiophile myself, I am not sure if this is what some people talk about the speakers being on the "bright" side. That is why I am thinking of trying out a different amp. But, granted, I have not had the time to fully experiment with AVR settings, speaker placement etc on the current setup. Guess I need do that to see if the sound somehow can be improved. Or maybe it is a limitation on the speakers. These are a few years old and I have not heard them before.

Bright = lots of treble sizzle Warm = good clarity in treble region no sizzle.

You really need to get in the receiver and run whatever it has for room correction and them play with that. Placement is another.
TSi and RTi are two completely different sounding speakers...

what you feel you might be missing is the bass which is not to happy with under powered speakers

Don't bother bi-amping using the AVR, it doesn't really accomplish anything because of the shared power supply. Current is just as important as the wpc.

IamNotRichard wrote: »

Hermitism, so doing bi-amp with the AVR won't help much? I am relatively new to all this. That sucks.

msg, yeah, I was thinking about using the pre-out with another amp too. I'll experiment a bit, though I am not as fortunate as you with available resources. And as you suggested, if in the end, these speakers don't work out, I'll get something else. These speakers look quite stately, but the size is a bit overwhelming for my den anyway. They probably would work quite well as fronts in a home theater.

oh, don't get me wrong, man, I'm not made of money - I didn't have those AVR's or any of that other stuff on hand - those high end AVR's were individual purchases that didn't work out and ended up going back to the shop, unfortunately. it was more a broadsword chop to see whether a high end AVR would solve my problem - it didn't. Instead, I ended up piecing my system together with used equipment purchases, mostly, all from Audiogon, Ebay, and Craigslist. I went with separates. took me a while, and it was a maddening few months trying to sift through all the information and make decisions without opportunities to listen.

you can totally start off with an AVR, but I think the idea everyone is conveying is that any AVR won't properly push those speakers to their potential. don't be discouraged though - start off and see for yourself. you might find that it works well enough for your needs. I say, since you already have the RTi10's (?) go ahead and do your research and check to see if any of those AVR's offer preouts (for later), and see how things work out. you might find that you like them just fine. you can add an amp later, and this would at least get you started. never know, you might be completely satisfied and done!


if not, down the road...

like the guys suggested, you can find a nice powerful amplifier used, with a little patience. any equipment you buy will carry over and be usable with any speakers, generally speaking, but not necessarily if you're very particular about sound. buying used will also let you get more gear for your money, and you could step up into higher quality stuff.

howeverrrrr, if you're seriously into music and are super picky, you might consider the separates route and start looking seriously at stuff designed specifically for music. personally, I feel that you can get reasonably acceptable results with an AVR, amp, and using the system effects to your benefit, providing you're not a purist. I have tremendous respect for these guys and their wealth of knowledge, but for my listening practices, I prefer to have systems that work with mobile devices and digital sources, etc., and I have to give up some fidelity here. this is a trade-off I've mostly accepted. these don't necessarily *have* to be mutually exclusive, but they seem to be when you're first starting off, at least in my relatively limited experience so far.

I only have a few pieces that are new. There are some really good people out there, and also some dirt bags, so be careful. most of the good guys won't try to push their stuff on you, and will be forthcoming with info and recommendations. these guys are typically very enthusiastic about the hobby and many will truly enjoy sharing what they know, whether you buy their stuff or note. talking to a lot of different people will do two things - 1. overwhelm you (experience talking) 2. help you figure out what you need/want to suit your needs. many selling equipment will offer to demo the stuff for you before you buy, at least the local ones. doesn't mean that those that don't are out to screw you, though. anyway, just a heads up on what to expect if you delve into that.



yes, those RTi series speakers do look very nice. I really struggled with the decision to move on, and kinda miss mine at times. I'd just sit and look at them sometimes, hehe, but I had to let them go. they just weren't right for my needs, and I was driving myself nuts trying to find gear that would make them produce the sound/response I was after when their inherent design is primarily HT. It was just easier (cheaper) to change speakers, reassess my goals, and adjust my equipment direction a bit.

to confirm, no, bi-amping doesn't work in the sense advertised by the AVR manufacturers I tried. even after most here said it wouldn't work I needed to see for myself. I really don't know why they recommend that. anyone who tries is going to notice that it doesn't really sound any different. whether they admit it or not is another thing entirely.

sorry man, got kinda wordy, but I totally get where you're at, and it can be a bit daunting and frustrating getting started, but it's doable. hopefully, the madness won't consume you and you'll settle in to whatever system you put together and enjoy your experiences with it

actually, that HK7300 sells for $250+ regularly on Ebay
I stumbled across that unit several weeks ago and was interested in finding one, but they kept sellingor were a little beat up. I'd love to hear one. agreed, beasts, and had great reviews.
thing retailed for what, $2300+?

Some of those older HK receivers are powerhouses. I have a 635 that weighs no less than 45 lbs. 75wpc 7 channels driven. $1300 new in 2004, got mine free in a dumpster two years ago. It'll drive the snot out of anything, including some big 4-ohm bookshelves I had from a friend for a while, without breaking a sweat.

that's a STEAL on that amp!

very nice.
great to see these deals being had from time to time. Those amps and the HCA-1500 can go for up to $500 apparently. how long had you been looking? sometimes you have to be patient on this stuff, I'm finding, and then deals pop up. this is really difficult when you're ready to build out.

IamNotRichard - if you didn't already know this, you could do a search on Ebay, and save the search and it will notify you by email when items matching your criteria come up. I didn't know how to do this until another audio person told me how.

man, that was lucky. I had a look/wait a while for mine.