Receivers that work well with Sony BDP-S350

[Red Maelstrom]

I am currently working on fixing up my home theater's setup and am working on getting a good speaker/receiver setup to go with my current situation.

TV: Sony KDS-55A3000 55-inch Bravia SXRD HDTV
DVR: Motorola HD Dual Tuner DVR DCH 3416
BDP: Sony BDP-S350
Game: Xbox 360 Elite

I have almost no experience with audio setups and have asked salesmen at various electronic stores who know as little as i do. A few of my questions include:
1) The blu-ray player I am looking at has an HDMI audio output of 7.1 (awesome), but an Analog of only 2.0; would that mean to take full advantage of my viewing experiences I would want an HDMI-enabled Receiver?
2) I am not at all knowledgeable about receivers; do receivers allow all devices (Game, Blu-Ray Player, and DVR) to have the sound go through them or is there a specific way to connect each device to the receiver?
3) Are "Theaters-In-A-Box" packages a good way to purchase the audio components for superior viewing quality?
4) Which influences the audio quality more noticeably: the Receiver or the Speakers?

I am somewhat on a budget so I do not want to spend $1300+ on the setup (audio only, blu-ray has already been figured into the plan). Any help from those with more experience than me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by Red Maelstrom

1) The blu-ray player I am looking at has an HDMI audio output of 7.1 (awesome), but an Analog of only 2.0; would that mean to take full advantage of my viewing experiences I would want an HDMI-enabled Receiver?
2) I am not at all knowledgeable about receivers; do receivers allow all devices (Game, Blu-Ray Player, and DVR) to have the sound go through them or is there a specific way to connect each device to the receiver?
3) Are "Theaters-In-A-Box" packages a good way to purchase the audio components for superior viewing quality?
4) Which influences the audio quality more noticeably: the Receiver or the Speakers?

Thanks

1) Yes,

2) You'll connect each device to the appropriate input on the back of the receiver, and then use the receiver to switch betweent them (i.e. DVD/T.V/Blu-ray/Xbox etc )

3) no, in my, and many other's opinions, it'd be in your best interest to puchase a Receiver, and speakers separately, even if your budget doesn't allow you to buy it all at once.

4) Speakers.... hands down...


I'd get an HDMI 1.3 capable receiver, like the Yamaha 663 for $300 or so, and sink the rest of your budget into speakers.

Sound is subjective so you'll want to listen to as many speakers in your price range that you can find.........

good luck!

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

I'd get an HDMI 1.3 capable receiver, like the Yamaha 663 for $300 or so, and sink the rest of your budget into speakers.

that's the route Id take.

[SatinKzo]

I have an onkyo 606 and it works just fine with my 350. Nice having the 4 HDMI inputs. Got it for $359 shipped new.

Speakers are the most important part for sure. Any quality receiver will suit your needs, but the speakers can make a world of difference.

[Dirk504]

I have the Onkyo 606 and I'm very pleased with it. It outputs audio through hdmi. Some receivers don't do that. Also, since your on a budget, have you thought about purchasing a PS3 as a Blu Ray player? It's the best one you can get for $399.

[bkbluray]

Originally Posted by Dirk504

I have the Onkyo 606 and I'm very pleased with it. It outputs audio through hdmi. Some receivers don't do that. Also, since your on a budget, have you thought about purchasing a PS3 as a Blu Ray player? It's the best one you can get for $399.

Great Blu-ray player (I own one). But expect to use a lot more power (150 watts for the PS3 versus about 25 watts for a standalone).

[Red Maelstrom]

thanks everyone for the responses, it seems that an Onkyo 606 is the route to take for my receiver as they are well priced and high quality from what i've seen. as far as speakers go i should just continually shop around for the best of each type, see if its compatible with the Onkyo 606 and slowly acquire a superior audio system.

@Dirk504: I actually considered getting a PS3 to use as a blu-ray player, but i firmly believe that gaming consoles should not be used as "dvd players" for the fact that it puts an extreme amount of stress on the system (especially in this over-heating generation), plus the gaming capabilities would be wasted as the PS3 has nothing i am interested in as of yet that i don't already have on the Elite (although the PS3 is admittedly the better system it would be too tempting to purchase Oblivion, Assassin Creed, Orange Box, etc. for the PS3 lol).

@SatinKzo: If you could PM me the site/store you ordered that from at that price I would be very grateful.

[Lucy Diamond]

Go HDMI all the way.
Analog 7.1 has its place (and it's a good place) but HDMI is so great now with the lossless codecs that it is a very hard and expensive argument to make which is immediately superior.

Home Theater in a box should be outlawed. Honestly...they shot Dimebag Darrell (God rest his soul) but they left the Home Theater in a box guy alive!?!?! No Home Theater in a box for superior quality...leave those for mother's day gifts so that Mom can watch State Fair over and over again in glorious 2.0 surround.

Yamaha is your best bet for affordable quality sound with exceptional connectivity. PLUS the build quality is unmatched in its class.

Your speakers and your receiver are a team, so that relationship is what effects your sound. There is a sliding scale however and you should be mindful of the fact that cheap speakers will degrade the sound of a REALLY good receiver and Excellent speakers will make a cheap receiver sound like hammered dog shit.

So take all that, mix it up, add some Kettle One and stir.

Happy hunting.

If you need any further advice, please feel free to pm me.

later,

[Red Maelstrom]

well after a few hours of browsing and testing, i am back with a Sony BDP-S350 and the Onkyo TX-SR606 (which i am not opening until i have more time to setup better speakers and configure it smoothly), thanks everyone for the help and i will probably be back when it comes time to install the receiver.

[jomari]

Originally Posted by Lucy Diamond

Go HDMI all the way.
Analog 7.1 has its place (and it's a good place) but HDMI is so great now with the lossless codecs that it is a very hard and expensive argument to make which is immediately superior.

great posting there lucy diamond, although id like to bring up the fact that somehow, not everyone would be willing to upgrade to a new receiver/prepro just because of the newer hdmi capabilities, thus people still need to use the multichannel analogs. albeit the sound quality may not be as good as that of the hdmi capability, its also a matter of economics.

upgradability has always been something others try to avoid, if at least, keep at minimum. thats why you see a number of amazing pre-hdmi products out there, that have better specs on paper than the newer ones.

Go HDMI all the way.
Analog 7.1 has its place (and it's a good place) but HDMI is so great now with the lossless codecs that it is a very hard and expensive argument to make which is immediately superior.

Home Theater in a box should be outlawed. Honestly...they shot Dimebag Darrell (God rest his soul) but they left the Home Theater in a box guy alive!?!?! No Home Theater in a box for superior quality...leave those for mother's day gifts so that Mom can watch State Fair over and over again in glorious 2.0 surround.

Truth be told without, these products, we wont have people try to enter surround sound. Some joe six pack guy has to start somewhere. even if it means with an el crappo piece of junk. As i normally state, its a matter of future proofing and investing in your HT gear. If you want the best products out there, and something that would last at LEAST 3 years, save that money you're going to use for your htib and use it towards those entry level fronts.

yet impatience always gets the best of most of us at times. enter: HTIB.

but thats just my 2 cents.