Do you use a receiver?

towert7 said:
Fibroptikl, how do you like those speakers and how do they compare to others you have used(if any)?
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I used to have a pair of JBL HT4V's, however they are vertical reference THX speakers and are mainly meant for theater, but work just great with music.

I love the Revel M22 over the HT4V's, lots more bass for first of all, and the sound seems much more "complete". I have yet to do some listening tests with both of them (switching back and forth), but if you want music speakers - these are pretty damn nice.
 
Wow! I'm pleased and surprised to see so many people have discovered the benefit of the receiver/bookshelf speaker concept. After going though three of the top-end computer multimedia speaker system this year (Altec Lansing, Logitech, Klipsch), I finally realized the only way to get good sound would be to have a real receiver.

I bought the Cambridge Newton M50s ($299) they sound better than any multimedia system and they are playing from an old receiver from the line out of my onboard sound (waiting for X-Fi). Multimedia speakers should be renamed "gaming speakers" because that is really the only area they excell in. Music and movie fans should buy a real system and hear is like it's meant to be played!
 
parawing742 said:
Wow! I'm pleased and surprised to see so many people have discovered the benefit of the receiver/bookshelf speaker concept. After going though three of the top-end computer multimedia speaker system this year (Altec Lansing, Logitech, Klipsch), I finally realized the only way to get good sound would be to have a real receiver.
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hehe I am surprised it has taken people this long to catch on.. I have been doing it this way since 1996-97 about the time when I got one of the first dvd players released.. a Panasonic DVD-A300 (about $650) and my first dolby digital / dts reciever.. which happened to have an external decoder. man.. those were the days...
 
ok well here's the million dollar question:

if i get a $400-$500 digital receiver will it sound better than a respectable brand receiver with the same price?
 
magnetik said:
hehe I am surprised it has taken people this long to catch on.. I have been doing it this way since 1996-97 about the time when I got one of the first dvd players released.. a Panasonic DVD-A300 (about $650) and my first dolby digital / dts reciever.. which happened to have an external decoder. man.. those were the days...
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Hey, I remember those days, I've been on the DVD band wagon since near the beginning, long enough to still have a DIVX (the CC version lol) player in a closet somewhere. Those old Pannies were great players though, actually, the new Pannies aren't to shabby either, I love my DVD-S97s right now (which replaced a Yamaha DVD-A920, which I think was based on a Panny chassis...). The Panny RP82 was also probably the best bang for the buck DVD player I have ever seen.

Xeero -

Panasonic has had a history of making some damn nice receivers for a lowish price. Sometimes the stats they release on paper don't make them look that great, but from the reviews they've gotten in real world testing, they tend to do incredibly well.

FAKE EDIT: OK, this thread makes me look like a Matsushita whore, trust me, I'm not, but I sold HT gear for a long time, saw a lot of it come and go, and yeah, it is one company that constantly impressed me with an ability to turn out products which didn't suck.
 
Xeero said:
any other brands you recommend that never dissapoints?
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I wouldn't say Panasonic never dissapoints... I mean, they have never released total crap, but not everything they have come out with has been best in class either. Read up on reviews, check stuff out, buy what you like.

Audio still works on basic physics, the Audio Press works on a combination of basic physics and a great high on snake oil and kickbacks. Honestly, the speakers make way, way, way, more of an impact that your receiver does. Unless you are buying a crap receiver (*cough* sherwood *cough* or KLH...) you are pretty much set. Find the speakers you like, and pick a receiver that puts out what they need for your situation.

Like I said earlier, the main reason I went with the DPR-1001 was that it was the first mainstream release digital receiver at the time, and due to my job I could get one for $400 when it was retailing for $1200, so it was a no brainer for me, if it sucked, I could re-sale it on E-bay for at least twice what I paid.

I will say I have been very happy in general from products I have seen from HK, Yamaha, Onkyo, Panasonic, Denon, Lexicon, Sony ES, Arcam, Outlaw Audio, and McIntosh. Some you pay a ton more just for the name and style, some are great bang for the buck, all depends what your priorities are.
 
NulloModo said:
I wouldn't say Panasonic never dissapoints... I mean, they have never released total crap, but not everything they have come out with has been best in class either. Read up on reviews, check stuff out, buy what you like.
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true.. I am not a matsushita whore either.. from my experience.. I have used Technics for years and always was pretty impressed.

It was great going to Blockbuster when they first released dvd's for rental... because you never had a problem getting a new release because not many had dvd players!
 
magnetik said:
true.. I am not a matsushita whore either.. from my experience.. I have used Technics for years and always was pretty impressed.

It was great going to Blockbuster when they first released dvd's for rental... because you never had a problem getting a new release because not many had dvd players!
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Well Technics is Panny's supposed high-end (in case you didn't know) but that brand seems to have dropped off lately.
 
Xeero, first set a price you want to spend, then check all receivers to make sure it has all the features you want, then just go out, see them in person, and listen to them and fool around with them. See if any stands out to you. (just be carful, there's a lot of HK fan-boys here ^_^ , and they will wisper in your ear HK HK)
 
towert7 said:
Xeero, first set a price you want to spend, then check all receivers to make sure it has all the features you want, then just go out, see them in person, and listen to them and fool around with them. See if any stands out to you. (just be carful, there's a lot of HK fan-boys here ^_^ , and they will wisper in your ear HK HK)
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Well hey, HK is good stuff, and it looks very cool, but unless you have the speakers and source to really take advantage of it, you are better off elsewhere.
 
well i have a low end hk right now. its the avr-130. i just wanted to know some more information. so just in the case in the future if i want to upgrade, i can look into other brands and not just stick w/ hk
 
NulloModo said:
Well hey, HK is good stuff, and it looks very cool, but unless you have the speakers and source to really take advantage of it, you are better off elsewhere.
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Who said it was bad.......... I just gave Xeero a heads up.
Maybe its good, maybe its bad... I just know a lot of people here like to recommend them.

Personally I think they look bad. (I don't like the looks and build quality on the outside).

Xeero, look at all the brands in your price range with the features you need. Don't limit yourself based on other people's recommendations, especially when it comes to audio because it's such a sketchy topic.
 
"don't judge a book by its cover"....

but well you made me favor denon tho... was set to buy an HK635 but im going wit the D 21** or 38** most likely 21**... I'm rigorously searching for Denon deals heh.. I hope someone would upgrade then FS it here at [H]...
 
Looks like people are looking for recomendations. Well I have a few. I have 3 digital theater systems in my house. They all use Denon Recievers, In my opinion they are one of the best recievers in the market today. They have A/V recievers all the way from $200 - $5000. The best thing about Denon is the amplifcation and output. The build quality is fantastic.
If you dont want a whole slew of features then
Denon AVR-1705 and AVR-1905 are great entry level surround receivers.
Denon 2805 and 3805 are excellent. Most high end A/V showrooms use these recievers to demo their speakers. 2805.
I think they just released some 06 models (ex 1706 and 1906)

Im not biased about denon. I have experianced Denons, Onkyo's, Yamahas, Technics, Pioneers and HK and other small brands. Those 6 brands have great A/V recievers and HiFI components. Denons are a bit more expensive then the competing brands but you get what you pay for. If you are on a budget then I would suggest buying a 04/05 model. Lots of speciality A/V stores give a huge discount on older models since new modles come in. I have had 2 Denon recievrs for over 6 years without any issues. They work the same if not better as they did on day one.

I have few recommendations on speakers also. Let me know if you want those.

Take Care
Akshay
 
most "high-end" showrooms don't use denon's to demo their stuff... sorry... certainly not the 2805...

"high-end" consumer ones, maybe...
 
I'm in the same boat as AMX. My dad has had his 1801 for quite a few years, and for an entry level receiver I really enjoyed it. Time came for me to get a cheap receiver, and I looked at the 1705 and it still has the same build quality as my dad's and worked good in the showroom. 280$us (Denon AVR-685s), cheap enough. What's even better, they have a lower end model with a diffrent DSP DAC, and 1 less optical input for 230$us. Come's with things like tone defeat, a lot of surround modes, 5ch stereo which is nifty, and banana plugs for the speaker cable. My only complaint..... it does'nt have a special Phono input.

But as always, don't limit yourself based on what I say, after all you want to know you get the best for your needs.
 
MrGuvernment said:
i could be, i am not a hge audiophile and rearely use my computer sound except for a game and often tat is only to hear where sniper fire is coming from

once i sell the 3 syste i got i plan to build a nice system - and likely get a gh end audio card :) for once.
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I don't claim to be an huge Audiophile either.

It's more than just direction. When I played America's Army a lot, I got jumpped for cheating. Now that was with an Audigy2 before the A2-ZS shipped. Then the others got Aduigy 2 and 2 ZS then folks not using the cards complained that it was an unfair advantage.

Same thing now happens in Battlefield 2. I was shot just as I took out a guy throwing nades from the other side of one of the Double Stacked Barrel Barriers. I could hear him jumpping up and down. I jump up on the barrel, got em' with a M-203 and then their sniper got me. Two other players heard him but couldn't tell he was behind the wall with smoke blinding both sides of the barrier.

I can't wait to get a better receiver!

Donnie27
 
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