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Home Theater

Had to replace an Onkyo SR-606 last month after only 3 years due to the HDMI board completely going tits up. Unit was the highest rated mid-class receiver on CNET when I bought it, but since then it has become evident that that Onkyo model is completely useless. Replaced it with a Denon AVR-1912. I won't be buying any more Onkyos.
 
Posting from iPad & waiting for an ambien to take effect so forgive any typos/errors.

I had about the same budget 2-3 years ago & decided to piece together my own package using primarily slickdeals.net to find some bargains.

Took me about a month & the trouble of reselling one set of satellite speakers included in a package to wind up w/ a solid Harmon-Kardon receiver & powered sub w/ some really nice floor-standing Polks & a solid matching center bookshelf.

All in all, it's probably a legit $2k setup & after getting everything accessorized and dumping the extra pieces on Craigslist, it didn't set me back more than $700. I've greatly enjoyed it.

I will say, having moved twice in the past 12 months... There's a lot to be said for the simplicity & functionality of some of the higher end sound-bars out there. If you're not trying to go the complicated route, you may want to listen to one of those & see if it would serve your intended purpose.
 
Say Hey Deac said:
Had to replace an Onkyo SR-606 last month after only 3 years due to the HDMI board completely going tits up. Unit was the highest rated mid-class receiver on CNET when I bought it, but since then it has become evident that that Onkyo model is completely useless. Replaced it with a Denon AVR-1912. I won't be buying any more Onkyos.
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FYI - I have the same receiver in my study. There's a warranty extension for that problem. I'm in the process of getting mine fixed.

Onkyo makes decent stuff and I'd buy again.
 
Onkyo generally makes good units, I love mine and they were constantly the ones we sold to people when designing home theaters for people while working at an A/V store (did custom sets only, no box-sets).

Currently running an Onkyo receiver, Klipsch center, Canton front and sides, Definitive backs, and a MartinLogan sub. All of that is out of your price range initially but see my suggestion below.

My suggestion is this:
Get a great receiver and front pair. You'll only have stereo sound initially but it will still sound much better than your normal tv speakers. You'll then have two speakers that are really good to work off of. My current sides were my fronts when I started out building my system so you can easily rotate your fronts to your sides, etc. if necessary.
 
WFFaithful said:
thanks everyone
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Let us know what you go with & if you like it.

Seems like a random thing to tack onto the thread... but you might want to consider investing in a Logitech remote if you've never had a A/V connected to your system... Its pretty handy when it comes to getting everything powered on, turned to the right input/settings, and turned back off in the touch of a button.

I've tried out a couple of similar devices, but nothing comes close to the ease-of-use of the Logitech. You can get an older model (I'd go with the 890*) for a fraction of what the new ones cost and they're going to be virtually identical in terms of functionality.

*
2Q==
hrem880.jpg


I had my place in Blacksburg setup to let people use it for football weekends, etc... It was pretty nice (/made me feel cool) to say the remote will tell you how to make everything (including the lights and fans) work.

My real use for it personally is controlling the sound system & having it utilize the surround system more than I normally would.

Anything dented-box/refurbished directly from Logitech should be legit if you find specials on either of those.
 
I had an 890 and the volume and channel buttons wore out prematurely. Got a Harmony One and love it.
 
I have a 5.1 set from Boston Acoustics coming in this week... need to find a receiver but I'm leaning towards the Denon 1912. It sounds like people here like it.

How hard is it to setup the Logitech remote?
 
buckets said:
I have a 5.1 set from Boston Acoustics coming in this week... need to find a receiver but I'm leaning towards the Denon 1912. It sounds like people here like it.

How hard is it to setup the Logitech remote?
Click to expand...

They're very easy to set up. The application is straightforward.
 
buckets said:
I have a 5.1 set from Boston Acoustics coming in this week... need to find a receiver but I'm leaning towards the Denon 1912. It sounds like people here like it.

How hard is it to setup the Logitech remote?
Click to expand...

let me know what you think after setting it up
 
For a $600 budget including speakers, your going to have a hard time finding a Denon, Onkyo, etc. top of the line receiver. I would suggest a Sony receiver. The Sony STR-DH line is very good for the money, I bought a STR-DH 520 a year ago for 175 dollars, and it's great. You can get an STR-DH 720 for near 200 dollars now.
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-STRDH720-Channel-Receiver-Black/dp/B004QOA92A/ref=pd_vtp_e_1

Make sure with whatever speaker set you get, that you get a powered sub-woofer, and not passive.
 
I am just slowly piecing my system together through slickdeals... I would like to get a Denon 1612, so holding out for a deal on one of those
 
While I am not really up to date on state of the art HiFi components, I can offer some advice. My system was slowly built piece by piece, just like what others have said. Definitely start with a solid head unit. Denon makes great units, but I have always owned and loved Yamahas. JBL makes good speakers for the price IMO. Always spend the most on your front L&Rs and subwoofer. Get some good floorstanding speakers if you have the room.
 
IslandDeac said:
Onkyo generally makes good units, I love mine and they were constantly the ones we sold to people when designing home theaters for people while working at an A/V store (did custom sets only, no box-sets).

Currently running an Onkyo receiver, Klipsch center, Canton front and sides, Definitive backs, and a MartinLogan sub. All of that is out of your price range initially but see my suggestion below.

My suggestion is this:
Get a great receiver and front pair. You'll only have stereo sound initially but it will still sound much better than your normal tv speakers. You'll then have two speakers that are really good to work off of. My current sides were my fronts when I started out building my system so you can easily rotate your fronts to your sides, etc. if necessary.
Click to expand...

Did you work for Custom Audio Video? My parents use them back home.

I think I'm going to follow your suggestion. I currently have an old Sony AV receiver (no HDMI inputs or outputs) and two pretty good Boston front speakers. I was considering getting an all-in-one home theater system but I'm worried that the sound won't be that good and will actually be inferior to the speakers that I already have. I'm also kind of concerned about the stripped down AV receiver that would come in an all-in-one package. I might just upgrade the AV receiver to the Denon 1912 and then eventually build around the front speakers that I have.
 
PhysDeac said:
While I am not really up to date on state of the art HiFi components, I can offer some advice. My system was slowly built piece by piece, just like what others have said. Definitely start with a solid head unit. Denon makes great units, but I have always owned and loved Yamahas. JBL makes good speakers for the price IMO. Always spend the most on your front L&Rs and subwoofer. Get some good floorstanding speakers if you have the room.
Click to expand...

It really depends what you're listening to. LRs are great to spend money on if you listen to a lot of music. However, for movies, most sound's coming through the center channel.
 
SCDeac13 said:
Did you work for Custom Audio Video? My parents use them back home.

I think I'm going to follow your suggestion. I currently have an old Sony AV receiver (no HDMI inputs or outputs) and two pretty good Boston front speakers. I was considering getting an all-in-one home theater system but I'm worried that the sound won't be that good and will actually be inferior to the speakers that I already have. I'm also kind of concerned about the stripped down AV receiver that would come in an all-in-one package. I might just upgrade the AV receiver to the Denon 1912 and then eventually build around the front speakers that I have.
Click to expand...

If your mixing and matching components, try to match up the impedance's as close as possible.

http://www.prestonelectronics.com/audio/Impedance.htm
 
bym051d said:
It really depends what you're listening to. LRs are great to spend money on if you listen to a lot of music. However, for movies, most sound's coming through the center channel.
Click to expand...

Pretty much agree here, but I wouldn't spend a lot of loot on a system if I weren't going blast music.
 
PhysDeac said:
Pretty much agree here, but I wouldn't spend a lot of loot on a system if I weren't going blast music.
Click to expand...

Just another aside, but you'll get far superior sound blasting music with headphones for a much cheaper price.

If its just for you, they might be a better option.
 
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