Sony DH-800 (NEW) vs. HK AVR-254 (REFURB)

[NY Yankees 23 2]

Hey everybody. I am looking for an opinion on which to buy...the Sony DH 800 ( NEW )or the Harmon Kardan AVR 254 ( REFURB from the HK ebay store ). And the AVR 254 is an auction that who knows when i will be the top bidder at a reasonable price...you know the rest of how ebay works, etc. Any thoughts would be great. Also I am looking around the $250 price range. I don't even want to go that high but I know i am gonna have to go at least that high for some descent quality. Fire away guys..Thanks in advance !!!

[progers13]

Originally Posted by chrishaney23

Hey everybody. I am looking for an opinion on which to buy...the Sony DH 800 ( NEW )or the Harmon Kardan AVR 254 ( REFURB from the HK ebay store ). And the AVR 254 is an auction that who knows when i will be the top bidder at a reasonable price...you know the rest of how ebay works, etc. Any thoughts would be great. Also I am looking around the $250 price range. I don't even want to go that high but I know i am gonna have to go at least that high for some descent quality. Fire away guys..Thanks in advance !!!

I don't know much about the HK other than their reputation for making good receivers, but I can vouch for the Sony DH-800. It has 7.1 and the ability to decode all the HD codecs. If you can get it for under $250, I think you could do a whole lot worse.

[NY Yankees 23 2]

the sony brand new is $269 ( free s/h ). and the HK on ebay i would believe around $240 MAYBE !

[NY Yankees 23 2]

progers13 you have the Sony DH-800? how is it?

[progers13]

Based on the specs, I say take your pick. The HK 254 also supports 7.1 and all the HD codecs, and lists for significantly higher than the Sony. If you can get it for $240, that may be the better way to go. Again, I have very limited experience with HK's so hopefully someone who knows them better can weigh in. I think the Sony DH800 for $269 isn't a bad deal either, but the HK 254 for $240 seems like a steal (even refurbed).

[NY Yankees 23 2]

Originally Posted by progers13

Based on the specs, I say take your pick. The HK 254 also supports 7.1 and all the HD codecs, and lists for significantly higher than the Sony. If you can get it for $240, that may be the better way to go. Again, I have very limited experience with HK's so hopefully someone who knows them better can weigh in. I think the Sony DH800 for $269 isn't a bad deal either, but the HK 254 for $240 seems like a steal (even refurbed).

Thanks for your input ! And one little thing if i may ask...probably a dumb question but how do you hook up 2 subs? Your setup is really "clean". i like it alot !

[progers13]

Originally Posted by chrishaney23

progers13 you have the Sony DH-800? how is it?

I like it. Again, it was the entry level of the 7.1 receivers, has 4 HDMI inputs, and ability to decode all the HD codecs. The only drawback I'm running into is the amp itself and the lack of pre-outs. If you're only running 8 ohm speakers and have no plans to ever add an external amp, then it would be a great receiver for you. In my case, when I plan to add the amp I will also need to upgrade to a different receiver. But, keep in mind, receivers with pre-outs tend to be substantially more expensive.

As I said in an earlier post, I think you can take your pick. Both seem like really good deals. And you won't be out a lot of money if you find you want to upgrade to something else down the road.

[progers13]

Originally Posted by chrishaney23

Thanks for your input ! And one little thing if i may ask...probably a dumb question but how do you hook up 2 subs? Your setup is really "clean". i like it alot !

Thanks!!! Hooking up 2 subs is actually pretty easy. I only have one sub line out, so I use a Y-adapter to split it into 2. One line runs from there to the sub on the left; the other line runs from there to the sub on the right.

As an alternative, a lot of subs also have lines out. So you could run the line directly into one and then use the out on that sub to run it to the other one. I've done it both ways, and I don't think there's much of a significant performance difference.

[NY Yankees 23 2]

I thought the Y adapter but i thought that was kinda prehistoric..lol

[progers13]

Originally Posted by chrishaney23

I thought the Y adapter but i thought that was kinda prehistoric..lol

There's several ways to do it, and nothing prehistoric about it! In fact, Big Daddy recommends doing it that way in his multiple subwoofers threads!

[NY Yankees 23 2]

alright then thanks alot for your input. take it easy and i am gonna try for the HK AVR 254 for a few days. if not then the Sony is it ! have a good one. LATER !

[progers13]

Originally Posted by chrishaney23

alright then thanks alot for your input. take it easy and i am gonna try for the HK AVR 254 for a few days. if not then the Sony is it ! have a good one. LATER !

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[NY Yankees 23 2]

yes i will ! then i gotta get speakers !!! oh god lol !

[progers13]

Originally Posted by chrishaney23

yes i will ! then i gotta get speakers !!! oh god lol !

What's your budget for speakers? Do you currently have a sub?

[NY Yankees 23 2]

OK I just "won" the HK AVR 254 on ebay. paid more than i wanted ($298 including s/h and after i won i saw i could of done a "buy it now" for $5 less. they musta just put that on cause i checked) but I am sure this is gonna be the right choice. I never was all that happy with Sony's sound, always seemed kinda low, i dunno. It will be here next week sometime not that it matters cause I gotta get speakers to hook up to it. My current surround sound is an HTiB so i guess i could use those speakers for a LITTLE while except the sub which connects alot different than the norm.

And as for the money i got to spend on speakers...HA !, next to nothing but i gotta get something and will upgrade down the road if I have to. I saw a Polk Audio RM6750 speaker package on amazon.com for like $240 icluding s/h. I looked earlier all over the place and that seems to be the cheapest best option for my money at the moment. I have heard buying speakers seperately can be cheaper but i looked and DO NOT see how?

Anyways I will get back here when I get everything and let ya know how it goes.

[progers13]

Originally Posted by chrishaney23

OK I just "won" the HK AVR 254 on ebay. paid more than i wanted ($298 including s/h and after i won i saw i could of done a "buy it now" for $5 less. they musta just put that on cause i checked) but I am sure this is gonna be the right choice. I never was all that happy with Sony's sound, always seemed kinda low, i dunno. It will be here next week sometime not that it matters cause I gotta get speakers to hook up to it. My current surround sound is an HTiB so i guess i could use those speakers for a LITTLE while except the sub which connects alot different than the norm.

And as for the money i got to spend on speakers...HA !, next to nothing but i gotta get something and will upgrade down the road if I have to. I saw a Polk Audio RM6750 speaker package on amazon.com for like $240 icluding s/h. I looked earlier all over the place and that seems to be the cheapest best option for my money at the moment. I have heard buying speakers seperately can be cheaper but i looked and DO NOT see how?

Anyways I will get back here when I get everything and let ya know how it goes.

Congrats on the win! Seems like you really got a good deal, despite the But It Now option. You got it for less than half the list price, including shipping.

As for speakers, I don't know about them being cheaper to buy separately. It's been my experience that they are cheaper when you buy more (in terms of unit costs). I think a more accurate assessment would be to buy the best mains you can now (maybe a real good center too) and upgrade over time when money permits. Generally speaking, there is nothing wrong with HTiB as an entry level option. However, you will likely find that they tend to be very limited in many ways. Now that you've got that nice new receiver, you're going to want to hook up better speakers to it. One piece at a time is not necessarily cheaper, but if you buy a whole set of speakers now for a lower price point, you may find yourself replacing all of them in a few months. If you start with a couple of good pieces now, you will be set with those and just add to them instead of replacing them. I guess that could be cheaper in the long run.

Anyway, just my opinion on the matter. Good luck!!!

[NY Yankees 23 2]

well here is the link to the Polk RM6750

http://store.wholesaleav.com/poaurm51chho.html

http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-Cha.../dp/B0002WTK4S

i here ya on paying more now than later but i really don't have the cash flow. It sucks but what ya gonna do. I read reviews on this package at a bunch of places and haven't seen a bad one really. See what you think.

[progers13]

Originally Posted by chrishaney23

well here is the link to the Polk RM6750

http://store.wholesaleav.com/poaurm51chho.html

i here ya on paying more now than later but i really don't have the cash flow. It sucks but what ya gonna do. I read reviews on this package at a bunch of places and haven't seen a bad one really. See what you think.

I'll jump over to the Polk owners thread and ask those guys. They know better than I do.

[progers13]

Posted on the Polk thread asking for input.

Link to that thread HERE

Hopefully someone with better knowledge of the Polk Speakers can help you out and give you an honest assessment.

[NY Yankees 23 2]

Hey thanks alot for your help. I gotta go to work now but I will check back first thing in the morning.

Nice little blu-ray collection you got. We got alot in common. Here's a question...I see you like "24" TV series as per season 7 on blu-ray and I saw the other seasons on DVD in your HT gallery pics. Don't ya think its time to kill Jack Bauer? lmao I mean i just started to watch season 8 on Hulu.com and watched the first hour and it is the SAME DAM THING year after year after year. Don't get me wrong i love the show but its time for Jack "I Am the MAN" Bauer to die ! What ya think?