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| CSS996 | Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Mega Guru
 
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OK, so as prefaced in my chat post, I could use some advice.
Here's what I have: 42" 1080 LCD TV. (Don't remember if interlaced or progressive. Whichever is cheaper) Sony Playstation 3 iPod connectivity is desired I have a Bose Acoustimass speaker system that consists of a sub woofer and two small satellite speakers that will be used for FR and FL channels. I will either have to buy separate speakers or an entirely new surround package later. Can't afford speakers right now. I only need to pump sound into my living room that is maybe 17' square, with an open floor plan into a kitchen and dining area. I envision the back of my receiver having only the power cord, two HDMI in (cable box and PS3), One HDMI out (to TV), speakers and an iPod connection. I don't want to have to run optical or RCA lines for audio. Right now I run my cable box and my PS3 directly into my TV with just HDMI cables. Anyone have suggestions for a unit that can pull this off for under $500? I'm not asking you to do my research for me. I can do that, and enjoy it. But if you have knowledge to share and get me pointed in the right direction, I would appreciate it. I could move up the the Harman/Kardon AVR-247, but the reviews on that were not so good. And it sounds like the unit is not capable of handling 1080 video. It takes 720 and up-converts it, or something like that. This stuff is all new to me. Last time I bought a stereo, everything was RCA jacks. Thanks for reading. |
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Posted on: 2008/1/29 15:34
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| bogus | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah
 
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first off, loose the bose. The expandibility is questionable. As is the SQ.
Check Onkyo for a reciever. Very nice pieces. For speakers, Mirage, Polk, Kliptch, Yamaha, Boston... a few others, I will have to refresh my memory. |
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Posted on: 2008/1/29 15:37
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| CSS996 | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Mega Guru
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Damn, I was blown away by the sound of the Bose.
 I'll have to live with them for awhile, but I am excited to hear that they suck, as whatever I end up with next should really knock my socks off!I will start checking specs on the Onkyo gear. Much obliged.  |
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Posted on: 2008/1/29 15:48
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| CSS996 | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Mega Guru
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This looks like it might do the trick....
[url]http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?m=TX-SR605&class=Receiver&p=i[/url] |
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Posted on: 2008/1/29 16:03
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| mseven | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Senior Guru
 
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my choice was the pioneer elite 94 for an AV reciever, this reciver processes all capabilities available on a BR disc, especially combined w/the pioneer elite 95 BRDP . The 94 av deck will process all of the hd audio including HD-MA, (all DTS available) etc. and 1080p x25fps., 1.3 firmware, and all true 6-7 channel sources using an HDMI cable, etc.etc.. The elitle 95, and the panny are the only 2 BRDP that have the 1.3 firmware and codecs/processing for all DTS audio and 1080p/24, and 60 fps.
There are even better decks that start at around 3500.00 (yamaha 90X (think model number is right), 11.2 channel, 220 rms per channel etc.etc.) but the pioneer elite 94 av deck can be had for right around 1k. The 1017 pioneer is a good passthrough goes for about 400.00 the spec. that deck is very hard to beat. built in 5 band eq, processes most DTS, and is capable of 6-7 channel (depending on source) at 110.watts rms. Most recievers are strictly pass through, and some will actually degrade the signal as it cannot process the signal properly from an HDMI cable, hence the need for most to have an opti for audio. At that point your only gain will be able to put everything on one remote. Spec. sheets from AV. reciever MFG.'s really need to be scrutinised carefully. The ps-3 does not process HD-MA (br-audio) and currently the pioneer and panny are the only ones, combined w/7channel 1.3 frimware, etc.etc.. |
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Posted on: 2008/1/29 17:27
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| CSS996 | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Mega Guru
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Damn...
I am going to have to learn some new words or something....  Thanks for that detailed reply. I will check out that Pioneer. The Onkyo is getting some bad press, in that it runs hot, and some owners are experiencing picture shutdowns and audio popping. Not sure how many of those problems are related to improper setups though... Plenty of satisfied users as well. I found an AVS website with a lot of useful information. I understand about 10% of what they are saying at this point.  |
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Posted on: 2008/1/29 18:14
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| jsup | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Elite Guru
 
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Denon 1508. Cheap, and has all the features you need. $350 at best buys.
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Posted on: 2008/1/29 18:35
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| jsup | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Elite Guru
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Quote:
first off, loose the bose. The expandibility is questionable. As is the SQ.  Loose the Bose.Spend more money on the speakers than you do the receiver, the speakers are more important. I picked up a Boston Acoustics 8 inch sub for $160. Does the job in my 16X20 Living room. I matched it to Boston sattillites I purchased back in 1990 or so. Then I picked up the Boston Micro Center for $150. This is just in my living room and it's plenty. I have B&W ceiling speakers in the LR, Kitchen, and DR. I hooked the LR speaker to the REAR SPEAKER output, so I have 5.1 in the LR. I used speaker B in the DR. So when I flip on the "B" switch the DR comes on. ZONE 2 is the Kitchen. Works out great for what I use it for. I have the Denon 1508 as I stated above. |
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Posted on: 2008/1/29 18:39
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| CSS996 | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Mega Guru
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I was looking at the Denon 1908. I will have to check the 1508 to see what the specs are. More than a few people who had purchased the Onkyo said they replaced a Denon, and liked the Denon sound better.
Some returned their Onkyo's and got Denon's and were happier.... The 1508 cannot play audio through the HDMI ports. So that would put me in the same boat I'm in with the receiver I am returning. But the 1908 is still a contender. |
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Posted on: 2008/1/29 18:52
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| jsup | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Elite Guru
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Is this a small system for the LR? Or a real home theater?
In my home theater I have the denon 3803 I picked up a few years ago. That rocks. The 1508 is 75 watts, which is enough in a small room with small speakers. If this is your PRIMARY system and you're building for a HT, then I'd look at the 1908 or newer 3808. You may want more power, in the 110 Watts range. In which case, I'd go with larger speakers. SPEND YOU MONEY ON THE SPEAKERS!!!!!! I'm using this as my second system for the LR, DR, Kitchen..... Remember, my ceiling speakers are in play when we have people over, and it's for background music, not movie watching. It's for fill. |
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Posted on: 2008/1/29 19:00
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| CSS996 | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Mega Guru
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This is a primary system in a living room. I do not need the system to destroy walls, but I want to be able to feel some bass from action movies, and rock hard to Guitar Hero or Rock Band.
I don't need different zones, although that could be cool. I don't need twenty S-Video inputs. I don't need hardly ANY inputs... The sound will be largely a part of what speakers I end up with. But I simply cannot buy speakers right now. I have to use what I got, or skip the whole purchase for a month or two. I have NO head unit at all right now. It's nice that there are so many reviews available online, but every unit has enough bad posts that it's hard to commit to anything. I could probably be happy with anything, but I hear the Onkyo overheats and shuts down. The H/K 247, which is the upgrade the the model I bought, sometimes shows sparkles with running HDMI 1080 inputs, and the Denon is a little more than I wanted to spend.... It goes on and on. I found a Sony in my price range, but I don't know about them anymore. I still need to look at the Pioneer deck mentioned above. I'm off to do that now. |
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Posted on: 2008/1/29 20:04
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| CSS996 | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Mega Guru
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Holy sheeshkebob! That Pioneer is over a grand. Can't do it. No way, no how.... :shaking:
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Posted on: 2008/1/29 20:07
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| jsup | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Elite Guru
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Quote:
This is a primary system in a living room. I do not need the system to destroy walls, but I want to be able to feel some bass from action movies, and rock hard to Guitar Hero or Rock Band. Money being the issue, the 1508 dollar for dollar is the most feature rich, quality receiver on the market, in my opinion. Save you money on the receiver, put it into the speakers when you can. Buy only speakers made in Canada, USA, or UK. NOT JAPAN. Japanese speakers suck. I like my small sub from BA. Get it for $150, you won't be disappointed. |
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Posted on: 2008/1/29 20:27
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| CSS996 | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Mega Guru
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I really do appreciate you insight. But I kinda feel like sticking to my guns on having the audio run through the HDMI. If I could live with running digital audio or optical, or whatever, then i could just keep the unit i bought. It seems to get very good reviews for SQ.
I may just end up moving from the 146 to the 247 in the Harman/Kardon and hoping I get a good unit. I will be purchasing at Best Buy, so they should have a decent return policy if things go wrong. The Denon 1908 sounds like a good way to go, but at $600, it is just a tad pricey for me. But it would do the HDMI audio. This is really turning into more of a hassle than I wanted. I may just return the unit and go cry in a corner for awhile. Once I get this all figured out, I'm looking forward to purchasing some killer speakers. Thanks for the advice on those. |
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Posted on: 2008/1/29 20:38
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| CSS996 | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Mega Guru
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I can't seem to find anything bad written about the Denon 1908. And it seems to do everything I want the unit to do. I wish it wasn't $300 more than what I just purchased, but I may have to bite the bullet and get this unit. I don't want to be disappointed with something that just doesn't do what I want.
Hopefully they have one in stock when I return the H/K in about an hour or two. Fingers crossed. |
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Posted on: 2008/1/29 21:23
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| mseven | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Senior Guru
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lots of real info here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/ the pioneer 94 lists at 1600, got it for 1065. When I was looking I could not find anything that was able to actually use the HDMI the way it is supposed to be used (audio and video) through an AV properly for less than 1k. All other decks were all passthrough, video no audio the 1508 denon is a passthrough. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.j ... 77112416170#productdetail 1908 supposedly does: (last review) http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.j ... 77112314235#productdetail |
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Posted on: 2008/1/30 0:45
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| jsup | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Elite Guru
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Other than the extra wire, what's the big deal about running audio over fiber? It's just as clean? I don't see spending 100s more for that feature today....
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Posted on: 2008/1/30 0:57
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| mseven | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Senior Guru
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Quote:
Other than the extra wire, what's the big deal about running audio over fiber? It's just as clean? I don't see spending 100s more for that feature today.... if your using a regular dvd or up vert ... none, I originally ran my set-up that way before going to a good BRP. Bandwidth on an HDMI icable is larger than any other digital cable. With a BRDP like the 95 elite or the panny, you won't be able to use all the audio options (DTS MA etc.). It will depend on what the original disc BR has available most newer are at least 6.1 DTS HD, and Master Audio being the better of the audio availabilities. Of course the AV deck needs to be able to decode the DTS options (all "lossless" digital does not sound the same). |
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Posted on: 2008/1/30 1:12
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| jsup | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Elite Guru
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Quote:
Quote: The AUDIO bandwidth is higher on HDMI? I get DTS and the rest on fiber on both my Denons. even 6.1. If I were buying a receiver I'd definitely get the HDMI 1.3 switching. However, in his case MONEY was the issue, in which case I would have gone to MONOPRICE and for $5 got fiber cables. |
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Posted on: 2008/1/30 1:21
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| mseven | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Senior Guru
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Quote:
The AUDIO bandwidth is higher on HDMI? I get DTS and the rest on fiber on both my Denons. even 6.1. There are many DTS sources, DTS HD, DTS DIGI, DTS DIGITAL H.RES., DTS MA which need the HDMI from source to processor (all with BRD). Normal DTS ES/ MATRIX, 96/24, neo, will work fine w/opti.from source to processor. The opti on these decks won't process the lossless type HD audio available. YES, the DTS MA i(master audio) uses more bandwidth, the bandwidth available on an HDMI supports audio and video. HDMI cables have a bandwidth available beyond what is currently availble for both audio and video, the total video bandwidth is 1440p and I don't remember the audio currently. The problem with all of this stuff is what mfg.s print in their spec. can be mis- leading, product upgrading , and the mfgs to have new product release bi-yearly (legally). Much that is being released is in need of firmware upgrades, and have glitches etc. Yes I agree money becomes an issue, and the poster is working within a budget. The latest and greatest gets the big tag. It is worse if you spend 500. now and realise that later you would have liked the additonal options, because you have upgraded other areas of your home system. The DTS MA tracks really rock on BRD's. When I bought mine there were only a couple that had this , but pioneer already had the decoders, now most BRD have MA tracks. However, overall at least the prices have gone down since the first panny 40" at 10K. |
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Posted on: 2008/1/30 1:38
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| jsup | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Elite Guru
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Quote: Cool. Is there a point to 1440P outside of huge screens? doesn't seem practical at home. I'm in no position to upgrade at this point, as it makes no sense, but it's nice to know. |
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Posted on: 2008/1/30 1:46
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| mseven | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Senior Guru
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Quote:
Cool. Is there a point to 1440P outside of huge screens? doesn't seem practical at home. I hear you, upgrading at this point should wait if you have a good system. Currently 1440P is in theory as the potential is there, and maybe a option in the future in flatpanels. I believe this may already exist in the lab, but since sony through its, motion pic. co. and players , panels etc (and the co. that makes them for sony and samsung). won't release something like that until they make back the money from BR compatible 1080p products. 1080P will be around for awhile there are many areas in the hardware that can't quite keep up perfectly yet (smearing, pixualation, line distortion in very fast scenes) not to mention that all the LCD flatties don't use the highest grade panel available ,(mura effect, bad pixels etc.). Resolution can improve , Pioneers newest elite shown at CES, has a resolution of infinity, 9mm screen, and produces 80%more black at idle. Now that is a nice flattie.....so is the ticket lol. But again, setting all of these up is where it's at and ambient light kills any thing set up to 6500 kalvin, room needs to be dedicated at that point , which is why so many like LCD screens. |
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Posted on: 2008/1/30 2:05
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| jsup | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Elite Guru
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Anything on laser TV? How far out is it.
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Posted on: 2008/1/30 2:10
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| mseven | RE:Home audio Gurus? | ||
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Senior Guru
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Quote:
Anything on laser TV? How far out is it. http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/006226.html mitsubischi claims 08 (above from las vegas) sony supposedly had one at the CES as well, the benifits of better resolution, bigger screen sizes should be good, and twice the color gamut are a couple of the claims Ive read. somthing I just saw: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS6wsJRGqnQ |
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Posted on: 2008/1/30 2:21
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