I cannot decide on what receiver to get!!

Polkie918
Polkie918 Posts: 245
edited December 2008 in Electronics
Ive been looking for weeks and just cannot decide.....for what I want to spend my mind is pretty much set on the onkyo 606....I hear the yamaha 663 isnt the best choice for polks rti series cause they would be too bright....


people say to look at pioneer denon but I dont know what to look for!

obviously I want HDMI that does all the new master HD true dolby etc....

I want to spend a max of $500 MSRP....like the onkyo 606 which is on amazon right now for $319 shipped....

I do not see anything that can beat that price....for what u get with it.

do you?
Fronts- RTi8
Center- CSi5
Rears- FXiA4
Sub- Velodyne 12"
Onkyo TX-SR806
Ps3
Xbox 360
65" DLP 1080P Toshiba TV
Post edited by Polkie918 on
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Comments

  • MikeC78
    MikeC78 Posts: 2,315
    edited December 2008
    A little over your budget, but check out the Denon 988 on Amazon.
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  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited December 2008
    Look at the Onkyo 705
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  • thsmith
    thsmith Posts: 6,082
    edited December 2008
    Forget the 606 no pre outs. The Yamaha 663 should not be ignored, it sounds just fine with Polks, a friend has one with his RTi10s and it sounds great.

    I own a Denon but for your budget the 663 is a sweet deal, can be found for $360. That almost leaves you enough to buy a used Carver AMP like the TFM-25 if you shop hard.
    Speakers: SDA-1C (most all the goodies)
    Preamp: Joule Electra LA-150 MKII SE
    Amp: Wright WPA 50-50 EAT KT88s
    Analog: Marantz TT-15S1 MBS Glider SL| Wright WPP100C Amperex BB 6er5 and 7316 & WPM-100 SUT
    Digital: Mac mini 2.3GHz dual-core i5 8g RAM 1.5 TB HDD Music Server Amarra (memory play) - USB - W4S DAC 2
    Cables: Mits S3 IC and Spk cables| PS Audio PCs
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  • doggie750
    doggie750 Posts: 1,160
    edited December 2008
    bright warm cool
    Per my research....If you're goal is to upgrade your HT in the future, obtaining a dedicated/ separates system, then go with inexpensive AVRs w/ preouts that supports current Format. As informed by others, HK254 should be sufficient (CHEAP). I like Yam863 as well due to the built in HD tuner. Might wanna check out the Marantz as well. Denon/ Onks/ Sony/ Elites...etc. you just have to try them out and listen to them in your OWN current set up. YOu'll be the judge!

    Be patient my friend and dont rush finalyzing your HT....coz it will never END. Welcome to the BREED of Polks
    Godspeed,
    D0661E

    AVR:Pioneer Elite SC-07
    Surrounds: RTis
    2channel:Rti100 (carver driven
    Sub:SVS PB12-Plus/2
    Dedicated AMPs:Adcom GFA535, 2xCarver 1.5t, Carver m1.0t
    Wsrn:Hitachi ultra vision LCD60, 32XBR400
    PowerConditioner: MonsterC HTS5100
    PS3, Toshiba HD A2, etc: SonySACD/ Panasonic gears DIVX.

    MR3LIGION: Polkaudio; GSXR; E46; Reeftank;
    Odyclub; Xsimulator; Sony; Zune; Canon
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  • Fongolio
    Fongolio Posts: 3,516
    edited December 2008
    I will be taking delivery on a Yamaha 6160 which is the same as a 663 today (provided Fed-Ex delivers on time). I am using RTiA7's up front with a CSi-40 center and RTi70 surrounds. I will post my assessment as soon as possible. Kind of sad to switch out the Pioneer Elite but I want the new HD audio codecs.
    SDA-1C (full mods)
    Carver TFM-55
    NAD 1130 Pre-amp
    Rega Planar 3 TT/Shelter 501 MkII
    The Clamp
    Revox A77 Mk IV Dolby reel to reel
    Thorens TD160/Mission 774 arm/Stanton 881S Shibata
    Nakamichi CR7 Cassette Deck
    Rotel RCD-855 with modified tube output stage
    Cambridge Audio DACmagic Plus
    ADC Soundshaper 3 EQ
    Ben's IC's
    Nitty Gritty 1.5FI RCM
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  • Polkie918
    Polkie918 Posts: 245
    edited December 2008
    Fongolio wrote: »
    I will be taking delivery on a Yamaha 6160 which is the same as a 663 today (provided Fed-Ex delivers on time). I am using RTiA7's up front with a CSi-40 center and RTi70 surrounds. I will post my assessment as soon as possible. Kind of sad to switch out the Pioneer Elite but I want the new HD audio codecs.



    yes please let me know how u like it....
    Fronts- RTi8
    Center- CSi5
    Rears- FXiA4
    Sub- Velodyne 12"
    Onkyo TX-SR806
    Ps3
    Xbox 360
    65" DLP 1080P Toshiba TV
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  • Berty
    Berty Posts: 23
    edited December 2008
    I'm very please with my Elite VSX-01TXH. My Polk setup sound better with this reciever than my last Yamaha RXV-1400
    ________________

    Pioneer Elite VSX-01TXH
    Mains: Polk Rti10
    Center: Polk Csi-5
    Surround: Rc-65i
    Back surr.: Rc-85i
    Sub: SVS PC-Ultra
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  • beardog03
    beardog03 Posts: 5,550
    edited December 2008
    Nice sub Berty !!

    that one is hard to beat
    Cary SLP-98L F1 DC Pre Amp (Jag Blue)
    Parasound HCA-3500
    Cary Audio V12 amp (Jag Red)
    Polk Audio Xm Reciever (Autographed by THE MAN Himself) :cool:
    Magnum Dynalab MD-102 Analog Tuna
    Jolida JD-100 CDP
    Polk Audio LSi9 Speaks (ebony)
    SVS PC-Ultra Sub
    AQ Bedrock Speaker Cables (Bi-Wired)
    MIT Shotgun S1 I/C`s
    AQ Black Thunder Sub Cables
    PS Audio Plus Power Cords
    Magnum Dynalab ST-2 FM Antenna
    Sanus Cherry wood Speak Stands
    Adona AV45CS3 / 3 Tier Rack (Black /Gold)

    :cool:
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  • ben62670
    ben62670 Posts: 15,969
    edited December 2008
    Berty wrote: »
    I'm very please with my Elite VSX-01TXH. My Polk setup sound better with this reciever than my last Yamaha RXV-1400

    Is that Canada eh? I have a close friend who lives there:)
    Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
    Thanks
    Ben
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  • Berty
    Berty Posts: 23
    edited December 2008
    Yes I'm in Canada (province of Quebec).
    I really enjoy my sub, it shake the house the way I want.
    ________________

    Pioneer Elite VSX-01TXH
    Mains: Polk Rti10
    Center: Polk Csi-5
    Surround: Rc-65i
    Back surr.: Rc-85i
    Sub: SVS PC-Ultra
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  • mrbigbluelight
    mrbigbluelight Posts: 9,878
    edited December 2008
    MikeC78 wrote: »
    A little over your budget, but check out the Denon 988 on Amazon.


    Good price on Amazon for new ($539.95), also check out the Denon 988 on ecost.
    It's a refurb, but it's a pretty nice price ...... $420 with about $20 for shipping.


    http://www.ecost.com/Detail.aspx?edp=39388170&navid=155441519

    The 988 does only have 2 HDMI outs, but that's easily solved with an HDMI switcher (cheap).

    There's a 21 customer review discussion on Amazon regarding the 988. Very good discussions. You might want to check it out, Polkie918.

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/B000UPA4O2/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=172282&s=electronics


    Looks like I'll be retiring my Onkyo 503 AVR. :)
    Sal Palooza
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  • Fongolio
    Fongolio Posts: 3,516
    edited December 2008
    After a weekend with my new Yamaha 6160 which is identical to the 663 I can say on my system I am very very pleased. Bass is tighter (more controlled sounding). Trebles are NOT too bright even though I'm using RTiA7's and RTi70's for front and surround. The HDMI connection to the satellite box and PS3 for movies is excellent. I watched a blue ray with DTS HD master and the sound was outstanding. Only drawback so far was the remote and navigating the menus but that may be years of using only Pioneer and Elite remotes. This receiver replaced a Pioneer Elite VSX-52Txi and I can honestly say I was very cautious to take the Elite out of system but now I'm confident it was a good move. The Yamaha is a fantastic bang for the buck receiver so far. Oh ya it did an amazing job as well playing high bitrate mp3's streamed from the computer using the PS3 as a server as well. Only thing I haven't tried yet is DVD-audio disks and SACD disks through the new unit but I must say I am so far totally pleased with this unit.
    SDA-1C (full mods)
    Carver TFM-55
    NAD 1130 Pre-amp
    Rega Planar 3 TT/Shelter 501 MkII
    The Clamp
    Revox A77 Mk IV Dolby reel to reel
    Thorens TD160/Mission 774 arm/Stanton 881S Shibata
    Nakamichi CR7 Cassette Deck
    Rotel RCD-855 with modified tube output stage
    Cambridge Audio DACmagic Plus
    ADC Soundshaper 3 EQ
    Ben's IC's
    Nitty Gritty 1.5FI RCM
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  • olilugo
    olilugo Posts: 405
    edited December 2008
    I think you should look at the pioneer vsx-1018AH, you can find it for about 420 at newegg. lots of people have commented that it is better than the yamaha 663 and the denons on the same price point.

    -the only problem people seam to have but I didn't think it was a big deal is that it does not have any s-video connectors.
    the front plate is plastic and the remote is also plastic but it works...
    Current HT setup
    Mains: B&W 804s
    Center: Polk CSi5
    Surround: Polk FXi3
    Sub: Velodyne DLS-3750R
    Receiver: Pioneer SC-07
    Amplifier: Sunfire TGA5200
    TV: Sony KDS60A2020
    DBP: Sony DBP-S350
    CDP: Pioneer DV-48AV
    Interconnect cables: SignalCable analog II
    speaker cables: SignalCable Ultra Speaker Cables Bi-wire
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  • Fongolio
    Fongolio Posts: 3,516
    edited December 2008
    In my review I forgot to add that this was an open box item that cost me $252.00 usd. It positively does yes have pre-outs, and does audio delay for syncing picture with sound on high def sat/cable box. I love my Pioneers but the Yamaha has it beat hands down bang for buck.
    SDA-1C (full mods)
    Carver TFM-55
    NAD 1130 Pre-amp
    Rega Planar 3 TT/Shelter 501 MkII
    The Clamp
    Revox A77 Mk IV Dolby reel to reel
    Thorens TD160/Mission 774 arm/Stanton 881S Shibata
    Nakamichi CR7 Cassette Deck
    Rotel RCD-855 with modified tube output stage
    Cambridge Audio DACmagic Plus
    ADC Soundshaper 3 EQ
    Ben's IC's
    Nitty Gritty 1.5FI RCM
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  • Parachoute
    Parachoute Posts: 88
    edited December 2008
    Berty wrote: »
    Yes I'm in Canada (province of Quebec).
    I really enjoy my sub, it shake the house the way I want.

    Where exactly? I'm in Montreal, maybe we're neighbors?!!!:D

    The house next to mine shakes all the time!
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  • Berty
    Berty Posts: 23
    edited December 2008
    Parachoute, I'm in Sherbrooke, not too far neighbour compare to other Polky ;)
    ________________

    Pioneer Elite VSX-01TXH
    Mains: Polk Rti10
    Center: Polk Csi-5
    Surround: Rc-65i
    Back surr.: Rc-85i
    Sub: SVS PC-Ultra
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  • bigred7078
    bigred7078 Posts: 477
    edited December 2008
    The 663 is a great entry receiver. Probably one of the best for the money. Current Yamaha receiver are really not "bright". That has been thrown around alot, but it really just depends on the system (what components and speakers your using).
    Pro-ject RM-9.1 w/ Grado Sonata 1 -> USP-1 -> RPA-1 -> Vienna Acoustics Mozart Grands
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