Official A/V Thread

[Neo Ash]

How much should i spend on a receiver?

Right now i have dedicated home theater for watching movies. i could care less about music. The room size is 10x24 i think. Im not audiophile, so im just going by what i have enjoyed for over a decade. Im more of bang for your buck type of guy as i have other priorities to put money on.

My current setup is 5.1 surround (2 towers at the front w/ center & then rear speakers). I plan to add atmos speaker fronts for the 5.1.2 or maybe even 5.1.4 to see how it goes.

Dat door...

Nice room and worthy of investing in. Which speakers and other components are you using? Are you okay with spending more if you know you can gain flexibility and longevity through quality products that you are willing to own for the long haul? What's the most you are willing to spend...period. That info will steer my suggestions to maximize bang for the buck recommendations. If you don't constantly change gear like some people *cough* me *cough* it makes sense to spend a little extra and go a little more all in. It's worth it, trust me.

 

[HDRchampion]

Dat door...

Nice room and worthy of investing in. Which speakers and other components are you using? Are you okay with spending more if you know you can gain flexibility and longevity through quality products that you are willing to own for the long haul? What's the most you are willing to spend...period. That info will steer my suggestions to maximize bang for the buck recommendations. If you don't constantly change gear like some people *cough* me *cough* it makes sense to spend a little extra and go a little more all in. It's worth it, trust me.

Yeah i dont change my stuff at all unless it breaks. The speakers im using are called Athena's. They were better then the Klipsch & the other brands they had at the time at Circuit City/Best Buy. I went to HT store & heard the B&W's & just couldn't justify the extra cost.

The projector im using is an Epson 3020E & i have an Oppo 103D for my universal player. My current receiver is some Onkyo, not sure what the model but it worked great.

I guess the max i can actually go in a receiver is probably $1200 or maybe $1500 but it would have to be an extreme difference maker & must have all the new stuff like Bluetooth, Atmos/4kpassthru.

 

[Neo Ash]

Yeah i dont change my stuff at all unless it breaks. The speakers im using are called Athena's. They were better then the Klipsch & the other brands they had at the time at Circuit City/Best Buy. I went to HT store & heard the B&W's & just couldn't justify the extra cost.

The projector im using is an Epson 3020E & i have an Oppo 103D for my universal player. My current receiver is some Onkyo, not sure what the model but it worked great.

I guess the max i can actually go in a receiver is probably $1200 or maybe $1500 but it would have to be an extreme difference maker & must have all the new stuff like Bluetooth, Atmos/4kpassthru.

To start with you have a really great source, as Oppo makes very nice products. Plus with that projector, I'm sure it looks great. One question I have after seeing the pictures, is where's the center channel? And if behind the screen is it acoustically transparent? Buying a center channel that's to small or placing it either too high or low are some easy mistakes. Concerning Atoms, I'm not super big on it. Where I find it excels is during quite passages in a film as it adds some subtle effects that provide the fine details. I personally wouldn't install it...but that's just me. I'm not all familiar with your Athena speakers. If you are happy with them, that's great.

Regarding the receiver there are a few paths you could go down. Knowing that you're looking for a quality product that you plan to keep many many years, I have to suggest NAD. I've always been pleased with their products. While minimalist, they still manage to have all the right features and they sound great. Two main points for you, is NAD has very honest specs and a modular design. The modular design I think is a key element for a person that's not looking to constantly replace a component as new feature are released. If a new HDMI version or whatever is released, the receiver can be upgrade by swapping out a card...no need to forklift the entire AVR.

The NAD T 748V2 will give you all the features you are looking for.....7.1...Atmos...3D and 4K compatible. It is missing Bluetooth. I can't say that's a bad thing as Bluetooth is terrible for audio in my option. However, a Chromecast Audio device would solve that problem on the cheap.

If you want to take things up a notch, I would consider the above AVR paired with a good external amp. If you don't mind used I would highly recommend picking up a pre-owned 5 channel amp by ATI. They're a very solid company, that actual does a lot of OEM work for some big names. They're reliable well made and most importantly to me, made in th USA. You should be able to score a nice used one for 500 to 700 bucks. This will allow you to later on, keep the power amp and upgrade the AVR to a higher end unit or a full on prepro. Additionally, you will gain additional power, headroom, while opening up the option to go with virtually any speaker you would most likely want to use.

Lastly, if you are OK with buying pre-owned, the NAD T777 V3 would be a great buy in the used market. With some good shopping, you should be able to get one at the high end of your budget. This is the third version of this AVR, so be sure you're buying the latest iteration. It builds on everything the above mentioned model offers, plus greatly expands on the modular design features.

NAD MDC example

 

[terry.330]

Ooo, that's sexy.

Need input on a new TV for my Moms. Looking at either a Sony 55" XBR or a Samsung UN556300. Netflix, BD and DVDs., you know mom use.

Also swapped out my Quad speakers on the hi-fi for Reference 3A studio monitors. Still up in the air.

 

[fake]

I drive by this pro audio store pretty frequently and have been meaning to check it out for years, but they're open sporadically. I finally went in on Saturday.

The place is lined from floor to ceiling with receivers, amps, turntables, and other components. There's no front desk, just a few repair workstations standing at odd angles. Everything has a string and tag with a number written on it and nothing has an actual price on it.

A guy finally came out from the back and said hi. I said hi and asked if he had any blank MiniDiscs. He goes, "Oh, I'm sure we do; I'll take a look." At the same time I hear someone from the back of the store howl, "Nooooo!!!" This guy comes running up to me. He's wearing a white Kangol bucket hat, a white inside-out polo with the collar popped, white workout shorts, white shin-high socks, and white New Balances. He's got a ponytail. He yells at me as he's running, "NEVER commit ANYTHING to MiniDisc!" I laughed and he goes, "No, I'm serious! Never!" And I'm like, "It's just for fun, man. I always wanted one as a kid and now I've got one so I want to put a few albums on MiniDisc." And he talked to me for literally a half hour about how terrible the MiniDisc format is, both in terms of hardware the audio encoding it uses. One of the repair guys locked eyes with me from over his shoulder, shaking his head as if to say I'm so sorry; this guy is nuts. He kept telling me to sell my player because it's worth $200. It's not; it's worth about $50. He kept trying to get me to not listen to music on MD, so finally I said, "Alright, I'll just buy the blank discs off of eBay." And of course that's when he changed his tune and explained how there's a difference between people who will sell you what you want and people who will educate you on a better purchase. Luckily, his shift ended and he left. The first guy I talked to came back up to me and I said, "So you've got those MiniDiscs?" He laughed and gave me four of them for $8. I have a work trip coming up next week, so I'll try to put some classic albums I've never listened to on them.

 

[Neo Ash]

Ooo, that's sexy.

Need input on a new TV for my Moms. Looking at either a Sony 55" XBR or a Samsung UN556300. Netflix, BD and DVDs., you know mom use.

Also swapped out my Quad speakers on the hi-fi for Reference 3A studio monitors. Still up in the air.

I don't think you could go totally wrong with either the Sony or Samsung. Personally, I would go with the Sony XBR. However, being that's it's for you mom, you might want the price to steer some of the decision. Neither of my parents would really care as long as it worked.

Those Ref 3A speakers are special. Add a couple of good quick subwoofers and I think the winner will come out on top fairly quickly.

 

[madman]

I drive by this pro audio store pretty frequently and have been meaning to check it out for years, but they're open sporadically. I finally went in on Saturday.

The place is lined from floor to ceiling with receivers, amps, turntables, and other components. There's no front desk, just a few repair workstations standing at odd angles. Everything has a string and tag with a number written on it and nothing has an actual price on it.

A guy finally came out from the back and said hi. I said hi and asked if he had any blank MiniDiscs. He goes, "Oh, I'm sure we do; I'll take a look." At the same time I hear someone from the back of the store howl, "Nooooo!!!" This guy comes running up to me. He's wearing a white Kangol bucket hat, a white inside-out polo with the collar popped, white workout shorts, white shin-high socks, and white New Balances. He's got a ponytail. He yells at me as he's running, "NEVER commit ANYTHING to MiniDisc!" I laughed and he goes, "No, I'm serious! Never!" And I'm like, "It's just for fun, man. I always wanted one as a kid and now I've got one so I want to put a few albums on MiniDisc." And he talked to me for literally a half hour about how terrible the MiniDisc format is, both in terms of hardware the audio encoding it uses. One of the repair guys locked eyes with me from over his shoulder, shaking his head as if to say I'm so sorry; this guy is nuts. He kept telling me to sell my player because it's worth $200. It's not; it's worth about $50. He kept trying to get me to not listen to music on MD, so finally I said, "Alright, I'll just buy the blank discs off of eBay." And of course that's when he changed his tune and explained how there's a difference between people who will sell you what you want and people who will educate you on a better purchase. Luckily, his shift ended and he left. The first guy I talked to came back up to me and I said, "So you've got those MiniDiscs?" He laughed and gave me four of them for $8. I have a work trip coming up next week, so I'll try to put some classic albums I've never listened to on them.

Some of those old curmudgeon repair guys can be hilarious. Not enough to want to spend a half hour listening to one tell me about how crappy minidisc is, but still funny. There are some shit MD transports out there, but also some well-built ones. And Sony even started making new blanks again last year, so that says something. The format just never caught on much in the States sadly.

 

[terry.330]

I don't think you could go totally wrong with either the Sony or Samsung. Personally, I would go with the Sony XBR. However, being that's it's for you mom, you might want the price to steer some of the decision. Neither of my parents would really care as long as it worked.

Those Ref 3A speakers are special. Add a couple of good quick subwoofers and I think the winner will come out on top fairly quickly.

Eh my Mom cares enough since she's been super unhappy with her Toshiba.

And yes, I still have my REL sub and with that the 3As are pretty amazing. They're also the old ones that were still made in Sweden or wherever before they switched to Canada.

 

[famicommander]

Got some Audio Technica ATH-M50X headphones today. They're fantastic. Almost makes me glad I broke my old Panasonics last week, these are much better.

Excellent sound quality, comfortable, they fit on my giant head, detachable cable, comes with different length cables, good build quality. I've had them less than a day but so far they're amazing.

 

[Wachenroder]

hey so quick question.....

i have a old Sony subwoofer SRS-B3TV (late 80s i think) and ive been using it with my PVM for about a year.

I never really thought about it but those things tend to be magnetized right? i had been using it literally right beside my 1954Q for a pretty long time and never noticed anything wrong. I now have it about 9 inches from my current set (CRT > SCART SWITCH > COMPONENT SWITCH > SMALL SUBWOOFER).

But now im wondering should i move it further away......is it likely that this thing is shielded or can the magnetism be that subtle as to never show any signs of distortion?

I couldnt find anything in the specs that mentions magnetic shielding but now im concerned.

 

[Tripredacus]

All speakers have magnets in them.

 

[Neo Ash]

hey so quick question.....

i have a old Sony subwoofer SRS-B3TV (late 80s i think) and ive been using it with my PVM for about a year.

I never really thought about it but those things tend to be magnetized right? i had been using it literally right beside my 1954Q for a pretty long time and never noticed anything wrong. I now have it about 9 inches from my current set (CRT > SCART SWITCH > COMPONENT SWITCH > SMALL SUBWOOFER).

But now im wondering should i move it further away......is it likely that this thing is shielded or can the magnetism be that subtle as to never show any signs of distortion?

I couldnt find anything in the specs that mentions magnetic shielding but now im concerned.

As long as your display does not look funky with bands of color distorting the image, I wouldn't worry about. Proximity and the size of the magnet play a role. Most CRTs will auto degauss on power up. If you have had it that close in the past, and didn't notice any display issues, it's *probably* magnetically shielded.

All speakers have magnets in them.

Most have magnets, however not all do. Plasma ion tweeters are an example. And man, are they fantastic. Without a doubt the best tweeter I have heard. If you ever have an opportunity to hear the speaker from Acapella, it's a must audition.

 

[Jibbajaba]

I drive by this pro audio store pretty frequently and have been meaning to check it out for years, but they're open sporadically. I finally went in on Saturday.

The place is lined from floor to ceiling with receivers, amps, turntables, and other components. There's no front desk, just a few repair workstations standing at odd angles. Everything has a string and tag with a number written on it and nothing has an actual price on it.

A guy finally came out from the back and said hi. I said hi and asked if he had any blank MiniDiscs. He goes, "Oh, I'm sure we do; I'll take a look." At the same time I hear someone from the back of the store howl, "Nooooo!!!" This guy comes running up to me. He's wearing a white Kangol bucket hat, a white inside-out polo with the collar popped, white workout shorts, white shin-high socks, and white New Balances. He's got a ponytail. He yells at me as he's running, "NEVER commit ANYTHING to MiniDisc!" I laughed and he goes, "No, I'm serious! Never!" And I'm like, "It's just for fun, man. I always wanted one as a kid and now I've got one so I want to put a few albums on MiniDisc." And he talked to me for literally a half hour about how terrible the MiniDisc format is, both in terms of hardware the audio encoding it uses. One of the repair guys locked eyes with me from over his shoulder, shaking his head as if to say I'm so sorry; this guy is nuts. He kept telling me to sell my player because it's worth $200. It's not; it's worth about $50. He kept trying to get me to not listen to music on MD, so finally I said, "Alright, I'll just buy the blank discs off of eBay." And of course that's when he changed his tune and explained how there's a difference between people who will sell you what you want and people who will educate you on a better purchase. Luckily, his shift ended and he left. The first guy I talked to came back up to me and I said, "So you've got those MiniDiscs?" He laughed and gave me four of them for $8. I have a work trip coming up next week, so I'll try to put some classic albums I've never listened to on them.

You should have posted a WTB thread. I'd have sent you some minidiscs. I bought my player back in like '97, when Sony bundled the home player with the little MD walkman deal. Those things were sweet before MP3 players took over. I actually miss my MD walkman. Now I have some fancy-looking Teac home MD player that my coworker gave me. He brought it back from Japan when he was over there visiting his in-laws (I guess it belonged to his father-in-law who didn't want it anymore).

He didn't mention whether or not the father in law walked in on him naked in the shower.

 

[Wachenroder]

As long as your display does not look funky with bands of color distorting the image, I wouldn't worry about. Proximity and the size of the magnet play a role. Most CRTs will auto degauss on power up. If you have had it that close in the past, and didn't notice any display issues, it's *probably* magnetically shielded.



Most have magnets, however not all do. Plasma ion tweeters are an example. And man, are they fantastic. Without a doubt the best tweeter I have heard. If you ever have an opportunity to hear the speaker from Acapella, it's a must audition.

Thanks for that

Ive been a little worried about that but you put my mind at ease. so been checking on all my other equipment and so far, everything else is turning up shielded.

 

[Late]

I've developed an irrational want for a Beosound 4 :---E

 

[Kiel]

I've developed an irrational want for a Beosystem 4 :---E

I really want a Beocord 9000

 

[itsofrustratin]

Who makes the best receivers out of Onkyo , Denon, Sony, Pioneer and Yamaha in the $500-$1000 range? I'm thinking of upgrading to a 7.2 setup eventually.

 

[kuze]

Any thoughts on the Marantz PM5005? Looking for a decent amp to power a pair of Polk RTI A7s with a budget around $500.

I'm coming from a vintage budget tube amp, so I'd like something that's got a bit of a warm sound.

Also considering the Onkyo 9050 and Music Hall A15.3. I don't really need something with an integrated DAC if that helps. It will be paired with a U-Turn Orbit Plus turntable that has it's own switchable preamp.

 

[greedostick]

Any thoughts on the Marantz PM5005? Looking for a decent amp to power a pair of Polk RTI A7s with a budget around $500.

I'm coming from a vintage budget tube amp, so I'd like something that's got a bit of a warm sound.

Also considering the Onkyo 9050 and Music Hall A15.3. I don't really need something with an integrated DAC if that helps. It will be paired with a U-Turn Orbit Plus turntable that has it's own switchable preamp.

I have the marantz pm 5004 with polk tsx330t speakers and love it. Huge upgrade from a typical home stereo I owned in the 90's. Acoustic albums sound especially great on my Marantz

 

[fake]

I want this:

 

[kuze]

I have the marantz pm 5004 with polk tsx330t speakers and love it. Huge upgrade from a typical home stereo I owned in the 90's. Acoustic albums sound especially great on my Marantz

Sweet! I decided on the 5005 since it's the current model available. Will let you know how it sounds once it arrives.

 

[Tripredacus]

I want this:

Me too even if I don't have any media for it. Such is the case with the DAT player I own.

 

[kuze]

Sweet! I decided on the 5005 since it's the current model available. Will let you know how it sounds once it arrives.

So the Marantz PM5005 came in and is DOA.

I've tried multiple cables (tested working on another amp), multiple sets of compatible speakers and multiple audio sources but I don't get any sound. I gradually turned it up to see if anything at all would come out and once it is at 100% volume you can just barely hear audio out of the speakers. Same thing on both bookshelf speakers and floor speakers.

Going to send it back and probably steer clear of Marantz as I read some other similar reports of this model as well when I looked it up.

It'll be a bit before I can order a new amp, so if anyone has a recommendation in the meantime I'm all ears.

Still considering the Music Hall A15.3 or the Onkyo 9050 as possible options, though I'm now thinking about possibly going for a used vintage amp locally.

 

[fake]

I thrifted this for $9 the other day.

 

[fake]

I thrifted this for $9 the other day.

So I finally got around to hooking this up. It's alive, but the playback is way high pitched and it sounds like there's a flanger effect on it. I'm guessing this is the belt. Any other guesses?