All,

Trying to decide on an entry-level AV Receiver for my living room. I have a Mac Mini, PS3, and PS2 in my living room. What would be the best choice without breaking $300. So far I was thinking this:


Sony STRDH720 7.1 Channel 3D AV Receiver (Black)


thoughts?

[Edited on May 13, 2012 at 1:27 AM. Reason : l]

5/13/2012 1:23:29 AM

I'd buy the nicest Yamaha or denon in your price range.

Sony often has nice software but mediocre amplifiers.

5/13/2012 2:45:18 AM

depending on how cheap you want to go... http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/73428/pauls-tv-denon-avr1312-5.1-channel-av-home-theater-receiver

that is pretty bare-ass basic, but sd has receiver deals from time to time.

5/13/2012 7:30:43 AM

http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/74044/beach-camera-pioneer-vsx1022k-7.1channel-3d-network-ready-av-receiver

this one is a lot better for around 300 bucks. buy it.

5/13/2012 3:51:24 PM

Is Pioneer, Yamaha and Denon the way to go?

I don't think I understand what is meant when you say that Sony has mediocre amplifiers...

Thanks Smath! You're awesome on the deal finds for this website. That one looks great as a killer!

5/13/2012 6:03:37 PM

I auditioned Yamaha Aventage, Pioneer Elite, Marantz, Denon, and maybe one or two others. I preferred Yamaha pretty decidedly, but none of these are entry-level receivers...they were high-end, flagship models--the last step before you totally relinquish any hold on sanity and just go with separates.

If you're looking for entry-level, you probably aren't that serious and aren't going to appreciate any subtle differences--you're more sensitive to price than anything else, which is probably the right answer for the vast majority of people who aren't audio nuts. I'd just get whatever you can get a good deal on from any of the major brands.

Also, I've had great experiences with http://www.audioholics.com and their online store.

5/13/2012 8:49:44 PM

DO NOT USE YAMAHA WITH SPEAKERS THAT HAVE HORN TWEETERS.

Otherwise i absolutely love them.

But yamaha + klipsch = way way way to harsh of treble

Denon is a good all around amp but just doesn't handle wattage as well as yamaha.

i wouldn't get anything marantz unless it was a separate signal processor/amp.

Pioneer elite has the best video shit but audio is meh.

[Edited on May 14, 2012 at 8:15 AM. Reason : .]

5/14/2012 8:14:08 AM

I've heard the same about Pioneer Elite; it's great at doing THX-level movie surround sound, good at video, etc. Yamaha's Aventage line kills it in terms of playing music, though, at least to my ear. I was floored at how much difference there was in the way they sounded. The Aventage sounded so good, I thought, that it pretty much squashed my ideas about going with separates--I didn't want to spend an extra couple thousand bucks and not be sure I'd even match--let alone improve on--how much I liked the Aventage. I got the flagship RX-A3010, and even at 150w per channel, and bi-amped to the fronts at that, I was a little concerned that I might want more power for my MLs. I think that was unfounded after hearing it, haha--I tried to see if I could make it audibly distort, and I never got anywhere near full grunt from it before I just couldn't stand to be in the room anymore.

My system is totally geared for music listening; 5.1 for movies was sort of an afterthought. I don't have such a critical ear for that stuff--any audio setup that I'd be happy with for music would work well enough to keep me happy when watching movies.

Of course, Aventage and Pioneer Elite and MartinLogan and even Klipsch's Synergy series are probably all way outside the scope of this thread, so whatever.



Again, I'd just get something decent but modest, and let the deciding factor largely be what you get the best deal on. Anything worth a tenth of a shit will have be loud enough for most people--big speakers and lots of wattage aren't really about volume, to me at least. Screw it, if I was going entry level, I'd have to give serious thought to just getting a relatively upper-midrange to upper-end home theater in a box. You'll have the rest of your life to spend beaucoup money on a stupendous setup, once you figure out what you like and can afford it. Get something that will serve the purpose now, and save the pennies for the dream stereo down the road.

[Edited on May 14, 2012 at 9:40 PM. Reason : ]

5/14/2012 9:32:00 PM

I have all paradigm studio (100s 40s and cc690) series with a jl fathom 12 and i love it..

i have a ps3 and an xbox with a (old) samsung 40" 1080p lcd tv (back when they cost a fortune)
rx-v2600 amp

i'm thinking about getting a new amp, but if i do i think i want an amp and a singnal processor so i don't have to keep changing out a perfectly good amp...

I mean mine is 145 watt rms per channel @ 8ohms and is bi amped to my studio 100s and it sounds fantastic. i'm half thinking about getting a signal processor and using the direct analog audio ins/outs to the yamaha and then off to the speakers (using my current yamaha as a stand-alone amp) because it sounds great but it so old it doesn't like hdmi surround sound and won't push 1080p through it either.

Anyway...i would recommend a denon or yamaha... pretty much anything but onkyo imho.

[Edited on May 15, 2012 at 10:29 AM. Reason : .]

5/15/2012 10:28:36 AM

I've owned nothing but Yamaha and recently changed to Pioneer because of a sale. I wish I hadn't. They make a quality receiver but in comparison to Yamaha, I think their sound isn't as crisp, their controller layout is horrible and their menu systems aren't as user friendly as Yamaha. I will probably go back to Yamaha in a year or two. They are a little bit more but they sound better and are easier to use. Maybe I'm just used to Yamaha but I think most will agree that Yamaha makes a very good product.



[Edited on May 15, 2012 at 12:43 PM. Reason : .]

5/15/2012 12:42:02 PM

I bought a pioneer off slickdeals.net in Feb and it does the job but the menus and stuff are horrendous to figure out. I have not really spent any time trying to use the advanced features but at the same time think some of it should be more self explanatory than it is.

I also hoped it would have a pass-through feature for my cable box for when the receiver is off but no such luck, it either does not have it or I cant figure it out. Receiver must be on at all times.

The OSD for the iPod feature sucks too.

5/15/2012 5:21:52 PM

http://slickdeals.net/f/4440602-Yamaha-RX-V373-5-1-Channel-AV-Receiver-210-Shipped-2012-Model

5/16/2012 7:51:20 PM

Quote :

"I also hoped it would have a pass-through feature for my cable box for when the receiver is off but no such luck, it either does not have it or I cant figure it out. Receiver must be on at all times. "

Which receiver do you have?

5/17/2012 10:57:34 AM

the denon Smath74 posted is back for $140 (so $3 more)...and i'm thinking about getting it for my parents

two questions:
1.) they have a BR player with only HDMI and RCA stereo out (no optical)...will this receiver let them pass the audio to the stereo via the HDMI?
2.) i don't know that they care about 5.1 (or higher) but would probably appreciate a 2.1 system (pretty much anything but the TV's speakers, hence the receiver)...they are NOT audiophiles, so what is a VERY basic (ie. cheap, but not awful) 2.1 setup that would work with the system? there are boatloads of affordable (ie. cheap) PC/multimedia setups, but i don't see many HT 2.1 setups that aren't zomgbose or whatever

5/19/2012 9:25:44 PM

^my parents have a 7.1 they currently use as a 3.1 (2 fronts, center, sub)

5/19/2012 9:27:52 PM

^ that is EXACTLY what would happen with mine...i know them well enough not to waste time on such things

5/19/2012 9:29:07 PM

ANSWER MY QUESTION.

5/20/2012 9:22:51 PM

Eh, whatever. I have a 9-channel receiver and the whole setup costs about as much as my truck and motorcycle combined, and I mostly use it in 2.1.

Hell, after 2 months, I have yet to play or watch anything even recorded for 5.1 or more.

5/21/2012 11:09:42 PM

looking at the back of this receiver, could i plug a left/right/sub into the "pre out" (bottom left) block if they have RCA connectors and use them as a 2.1 setup? or are those unpowered?

also, this (denon AVR-1312) unit looks like it passes audio and video via the HDMI ports, yes?

5/22/2012 7:16:07 AM

those are all underpowered... just to give you an idea of how underpowered they will be



this would make them a perfect headphone jack for small headphones.

They are meant to be used for speakers containing their own amps.


[Edited on May 22, 2012 at 9:29 AM. Reason : .]

5/22/2012 9:28:16 AM

^ thanks for the heads up

how do i tell if this will process audio through the HDMI cable? i just want to make sure separate audio cables are NOT necessary (ie. video and audio through the HDMI from source to the receiver)

http://usa.denon.com/us/Product/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?CatId=AVReceivers%28DenonNA%29&PId=AVR1312%28DenonNA%29

5/22/2012 11:55:47 AM

http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/74444/beach-camera-pioneer-vsx1022k-7.1channel-3d-network-ready-av-receiver

5/22/2012 11:56:23 AM

^ good deal, but way more than i'm willing to spend for a simple 2.1 setup with speakers of this quality: http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Tech-ET-AR504LR-BK-Soundstage-Subwoofer/dp/B0029Z9UNW

5/22/2012 11:58:14 AM

I've recently learned this lesson if your hdmi connections aren't coming up right. Get the same brand category 2 certified hdmi across the board or it will go nuts on both the audio and video signals. It makes it faster to transition between one cable to the next and if your device to receiver to tv has an Hdmi cable in-between each, then the same cable will transmit the same signal each way without problem.

I bought the sony and it's working pretty good, but trying to get the mac mini to play on multiple audio channels... I'm working on that right now.

By the way, I chose the sony because I've been using the PS3 as my media center hub.

Good entry level AV receiver I think so far.

5/25/2012 10:58:54 PM