Looking for a Stereo Reciever

I

ignitionxvi

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 17, 2004
Messages
324
Hey Guys,

I plan to be building myself a new system late this summer, and was looking at my sound options. In my room right now i have a pair of really good infinity speakers, but my stereo reciever is lacking. Its a AIWA 2 channel stereo reciever, without any special jacks, basically its your run of the mill $75 reciever.

Well i was looking at the new motherboards, and they all seem to have very good onboard sound (i'm not a real audiophile, and my friend has a Nvidia Nforce 3 board, and it sounded just as nice as my audigy for all i could tell) and many of them have SPDIF outs, so my plan was to sell my current stereo reciever, and buy a much more high quality one.

What I'm looking for is a reciever which i can connect my computer to with a SPDIF connector, and growth for a 5.1 speaker setup. I'm not really expecting something really high quality out of all of this, just something nice which i'll be able to keep for a long time. The price range i'm trying to stay below is 200 dollars. If you guys know anything about stereo recievers, thanks for the advice!

If you could, i'm looking for a brand name and if at all possible, model names. Thanks so much guys!

edit: the speakers i have are Infinity SM 215
 
it sounds like any digital receiver will do, just go google 'digital receiver', or go to amazon and find a cheap one. try to get good brands though (Denon, some japanese brand, another some japanese brand). Try to avoid Sony though, I personally never had a problem with them, but thats the general consensus..
 
There is a refurb SRTX-501 availible at http://www.shoponkyo.com for $185.95. Create an account at http://www.clubonkyo.com and you will get 10 "bonus points". Use that account, and that's -$10. I'm not sure how much shipping is, but it shouldn't be that bad.

I used to have the SRTX-500. It was an alright little unit for ~$200. The tx-501 is rated to amplify a stereo pair of speakers with impedance as low as 3 ohms, analog multichannel inputs, and component video switching. I think you'de be hard pressed to find a better value for ~$200. You could get a stereo receiver, but most in this price range do not have digital inputs. If you think that you might upgrade to a surround setup, then a surround receiver would be a good idea.
 
GodsMadClown said:
There is a refurb SRTX-501 availible at http://www.shoponkyo.com for $185.95. Create an account at http://www.clubonkyo.com and you will get 10 "bonus points". Use that account, and that's -$10. I'm not sure how much shipping is, but it shouldn't be that bad.

I used to have the SRTX-500. It was an alright little unit for ~$200. The tx-501 is rated to amplify a stereo pair of speakers with impedance as low as 3 ohms, analog multichannel inputs, and component video switching. I think you'de be hard pressed to find a better value for ~$200. You could get a stereo receiver, but most in this price range do not have digital inputs. If you think that you might upgrade to a surround setup, then a surround receiver would be a good idea.
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so i'm guessing i had my lingo wrong, and a surround reciever is what i want, not a stereo receiver. Is referb an alright thing to do, or should i try to buy new? Thanks, it really looks pretty much what i'm looking for!
 
You can tack on a 2-year warranty for $30 if you're nervous about it. I wouldn't worry too much about it. It comes with a free 1 year Parts & labor warranty. Oh, and the shipping is free.
 
Free ground shipping at ShopOnkyo. I ordered the HT-S760 at the beginning of the year and got it in 2 days, NJ -> DC Area. 1 gigantic box 75% the size of a refridgerator :D
 
GodsMadClown said:
J+R ships UPS Ground for $23.35

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=3955363
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ahh thanks. I was just looking at the Onyko website, and i realized the SR501 is only on refurbished, and on the audio + video page, they had the SR502 for 300 dollars!! They're probably just trying to stop selling the 501's so they just put em on the refurb page. It looks like you really found me a winner! Does anyone else have an opinion on a different reciever?
 
so i'm guessing i had my lingo wrong, and a surround reciever is what i want, not a stereo receiver.
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Yup.
The Onkyo GMC pointed you to should work just fine.
J&R does not charge sales tax if you are outside NY state :)
 
www.accessories4less.com has some pretty good deals on Acoustic Research cables. (their site seems to be down at the moment for me)

If, you have a coaxial digital jack on the MB you're looking to get, I'd use it rather than optical. It has less jitter and the cables are cheaper.

AR HT172 PRO SERIES DIGITAL COAXIAL 12FT Our Price: $ 6.99

When they are back up, you could get some speaker wire too.
 
GodsMadClown said:
www.accessories4less.com has some pretty good deals on Acoustic Research cables. (their site seems to be down at the moment for me)

If, you have a coaxial digital jack on the MB you're looking to get, I'd use it rather than optical. It has less jitter and the cables are cheaper.

AR HT172 PRO SERIES DIGITAL COAXIAL 12FT Our Price: $ 6.99

When they are back up, you could get some speaker wire too.
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Thanks on the digital, i iddn't know that about it, but since both the reciever and the computer have it i'lll use digital. Also i ahve a big pack of 16 (i believe) gauge wire. Is that good enough, i've been using it for a while.

also the only other reciever i found was this one. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-tZlemF...0420&I=257RX6040B&o=p&a=0&cc=01&avf=N&search=
opinions on it?
 
ignitionxvi said:
i also found it at amazon http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t..._3/002-4966134-6795245?v=glance&s=electronics for 150 refurbished. Is that the same model, i see it has an RB on the end.
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My friend used to have this, but upgraded to the 601. Both are pretty similar, and both are pretty nice units. They have enough inputs to cover most bases, and also have a decent amount of power.

www.accessories4less.com has a good selection of refurbed Marantz gear. I picked up my SR8200 there for 1000$, which is a good 700 less than retail at the time. They also carry a variety of their lower-end recievers, which I've heard good things about also.
 
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BO(V)BZ said:
My friend used to have this, but upgraded to the 601. Both are pretty similar, and both are pretty nice units. They have enough inputs to cover most bases, and also have a decent amount of power.

www.accessories4less.com has a good selection of refurbed Marantz gear. I picked up my SR8200 there for 1000$, which is a good 700 less than retail at the time. They also carry a variety of their lower-end recievers, which I've heard good things about also.
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out of my price range tho :(
 
Let's see what the audio mavens in the HT section have to add......... :D
 
i hate to say this to anyone, if your really serious about getting a new reciever i would wait and save your money. we are on the brink of a new age of connectivity that will integrate the receiver and pc. plus 200 is really hard to get something that sounds really good and will last a long time. i would look into ebay if you must have and try to find a steal in a sony ES, yamaha, or a denon. if possible go look at them. and ask the sales person at a sterep store to let you pick it up. the heavier it is, means, in most cases, a better build. this is one thing where the heavier it is better. i am like you i have a small budget and want a huge increase in performance. its just not possible at this time. but you can find some decent gear, research it all and look hear for reviews. www.audioreview.com]
 
Hollow4 said:
we are on the brink of a new age of connectivity that will integrate the receiver and pc.
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What on earth are you talking about? Firewire into digitally amped receivers? The guy has some bookshelves that he wants to use as computer speakers. He needs an amp to do it, and has $200 to spend. That is like two totally separate worlds of uses.
 
GodsMadClown said:
What on earth are you talking about? Firewire into digitally amped receivers? The guy has some bookshelves that he wants to use as computer speakers. He needs an amp to do it, and has $200 to spend. That is like two totally separate worlds of uses.
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there floorstanding speakers, but you've got the gist of it ;) I think i'm going to get the Onkyo, it looks so nice. I'm just worried about overspending myself. First i thought "well it has surround sound, and i only have 2 speakers, maybe i should buy another pair so i can have rear speakers also" And then i though "ya no if i'm going to have a reciever right there i should get a good pair of headphones to plug into it!" Must. Resist. Urge. to. Spend. Money.
 
The difference between the onkyo 500 and 600 series recievers is that the 600 has 6 discrete amplifiers; many audio enthusiasts believe that this makes all the difference. I personally went throught the reciever hunt a couple of months ago. I settled for the Kenwood VR-7070 - refurbished (although I couldn't tell) 120W x 6 discrete amplification. THX certified, low THD and enough inputs to wire up glastonbury. It was about $200 from ecost at the time - you should be able to find a refurb unit for about the same price (VR-7080 is identicale except for a cooler remote).
I would personally go for the 601 over the 501 if you wanted onkyo. But in any case buy a name brand. But don't buy Sony, they have been backsliding for years now in home audio.
 
DENON AVR-484

# Fully Discrete, Equal Power Five Amplifier Channels, 110 Watts Each
# Front 110 W + 110 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7 % THD)
# Center 110 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7 % THD)
# Surround 110 W + 110 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7 % THD)

No component video switching. That's not exactly an issue for this application.
 
GodsMadClown said:
DENON AVR-484

# Fully Discrete, Equal Power Five Amplifier Channels, 110 Watts Each
# Front 110 W + 110 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7 % THD)
# Center 110 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7 % THD)
# Surround 110 W + 110 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7 % THD)

No component video switching. That's not exactly an issue for this application.
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gah, now that just totally messes with everything i was thinking :p Thank looks like a really nice one, but now i need to decide whether i should get component video switching for more of future proofing. Denon seems to be more of a high quality name, i'm just totally confused now.
 
After having to service and support recievers for a little while now I would deffinately say get the denon over the onkyo. While both are good units we have had more trouble with onkyo than any other recievers and denons seem to be pretty stable. I still prefer my HK to any of them but I have no problem recommending denon.
 
How many component video connections will you need? A single DVD -> TV connection requires no switching. If you have are going to be watching a PC monitor, then video switching is really a non-issue. Isn't this unit for PC use only?
 
GodsMadClown said:
How many component video connections will you need? A single DVD -> TV connection requires no switching. If you have are going to be watching a PC monitor, then video switching is really a non-issue. Isn't this unit for PC use only?
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yes it is, i guess i'm just trying to think whether in the future it would be helpful. I guess i really need to know what component switching means :p If in college i wanted to hook up an external DVD player to it and use a tv tuner card to watch tv on my monitor, would having this help any?

Thanks so much for helping me through this guys, i'm pretty much a noob on this stuff.
 
CrimandEvil said:
In that situation why not just get a DVD drive?
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.........well aren't there special high quality DVD players or something? You're right, i probably would do that.
 
From my experience unless your getting a $500 DVD player software can pretty much do everything that a $150 DVD player would do.
 
CrimandEvil said:
From my experience unless your getting a $500 DVD player software can pretty much do everything that a $150 DVD player would do.
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hmm well thats a relief than, i guess i wouldn't really have any use for the component jacks? The only thing i can think is isn't it needed for HDTV (even tho i don't know when i wiould need it).
 
Get an ATI card and use the component dodgle or use a transcoder (look under the sticky for "what do I use for my HDTV?")
 
hmm well wouldn't that mean i couldn't use HDTV then? or wait...i wouldn't need to go through the reciever for the video would i? Gah, i'm way out of my area of comfort now.

is eCost a reputable site? I read their resellerrating, and it was pretty low (~6). Most of the stuff that gave em bad ratings was that they have free shipping but charge for handling (which i already saw) and having major problems with rebates (this reciever has no rebates) so i think i should be good.
 
eCost is great actually. Bought 2 pairs of Sennheiser PC-150's there and they came in about 2 days standard shipping. Try your luck! :)
 
I don't mind ecost, in fact I love thier prices... though I've never tried to return anything. I have bought some big ticket items too - an XGA projector (compaq refurb) and a Kenwood receiever (refurb) - both worked perfected and were beatiful - note: not great for smaller stuff because of a "handling charge" appended to every order - buy in bulk.
 
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