Powerful 5.1 Receiver (1 Viewer)

[pioneercrazed]

Hi there, I'm new to the forum but have always been intrigued with home audio. I've been out of the scene for a little while and a bit lost on all of the HD, lossless audio but am reading up currently.

Anyways I've been using a rather cheap Onkyo HTIB for the last couple of years which included an HT-R340 receiver which supposedly puts out 100 watts per channel minimum into 6 Ω.

Link: Onkyo Europe - Imaginative Sight & Sound

I recently picked up a very nice set of used 8 Ω speakers. Now for my front mains I have Infinity IL50's which have 250w powered 10's on the side. I also upgraded my center to the Infinity IL36c which is massive *to me*... For my sub I have a Harman Kardon 200W downfiring 12 which is thunderous on my tile floors.

Anyways this is in the living room that is about 15x20 ft with 12ft cathedral ceilings and is also semi open to kitchen/dining area.

Setup:
57" CRT RPTV 1080i
Directv HD-DVR HR20
XBOX 360
Future: PS3 for Blu-ray

I don't feel, nor do I really have the room or need 6.1 or 7.1. I just want the clearest and most potent 5.1 possible. I feel right now my new Infinity speakers are not being pushed at all.

I'd like some recommendations on some older 5.1 receivers that pack a punch. I've considered a Denon AVR-3300 for older power and for something new I've been eyeing the Pioneer VSX-918V-K. Do receivers still need to be ~40 lbs to be considered truly powerful? The Pioneer says it only weighs 17 lbs yet it supposedly output 120w x 5 w/ .05 THD.

Any help appreciated and sorry for all the questions.

 

[gene c]

"Supposedly" is the key word. Home Theater Mag tested a 918 in their Aug '08 issue and while it put out 149 with two channels driven, it quickly ran out of gas dropping to about 35 wpc with 5 channels driven.

Of newer receivers, the Onkyo 805 seems to be a powerhouse. For older ones, the highest measured rating I've seen was the H/K 7300 @ 143 X 5. If lots of volume is what you're after, maybe an in-expensive used receiver with pre-outs coupled with a used but high quality two channel, or multi-channel, amp might be your best bet. Used avr's are everywhere. For used amps, check Audiogon.com.

BTW Pioneercrazed

, My 59txi is the second highest rated avr I've seen @ 133 wpc. But of course, I haven't seen them all.

 

[pioneercrazed]

Thanks for your suggestions Gene. Unfortunately I have quite a strict budget and would like to stay around the $300 mark. The good thing is though I have no issues with going remanufactured. I'm setting this system up for as little as possible.

I got the center (il36c) and mains (il50) for 250 off of craigslist but they seem very power hungry. The center is rated up to 175 wrms...

Anyways I'm leaning seriously towards Harman Kardon and most likely the 247 as I think it should be enough although I'm keeping my eye on the 347 as well. Possibly the 254 if I can snag a deal.

I have kind of ruled out the Onkyo 606 as a test I found with all channels driven it dipped to 'only' 38 watts.

Anyways, thanks again.

 

[gene c]

I'm not pushing Onkyo, but the August issue of Home Theater Magazine listed the 606 at 81 x 5 and 73 x 7 so I guess it depends on which source you look at

. But I bet most receivers fall well short of their published specs with "all channels driven". The "5 channels driven @ 0.1 % thd" is the one I look at the most.


Since Refurbs are O.K. look at the Marantz 4001 and 5001 as well as the Onkyo 550, 605 and 606 from Ac4l-receivers. They are an authorized dealer. H/K also sells their refurb receivers on E-bay themselves. Looks like some real good deals can be had. But remember, H/K's quality control has been suspect over the last few years.

 

[David Willow]

Where did you see this? Link?

 

[pioneercrazed]

In doing more research it seems they may have received a dud amp or something because all other test's I've seen have been considerably more powerful.

Here's the review though.

Onkyo TX-SR606 AV receiver | Home Cinema Choice

Full Review:

Onkyo TX-SR606 review from TechRadar's expert reviews of Receivers

BTW I'm thinking of going with a Harman Kardon 247 just because I want that HK sound I keep reading about...

 

[David Willow]

I recently replaced my HK 325 with an Onkyo 705. The change was made due to the need for HDMI and Hi Def decoding. The sound out of the box is not all that much different. After running the Audyssey setup on the Onkyo, the sound is really much better.

I suggest you listen to both and decide. Reading about something is always just someone else's opinion. Once someone says it, other chime in and agree even if they didn't originally think so.