Help Needed for Receiver Upgrade (like everyone else) - Blu-ray Forum

Sussudio · 02-07-2009, 07:36 PM

Hey guys,

I'm a newb to this section of the forum and I have a PS3 and a 4-5 year old Yamaha Dolby Digital/DTS receiver. I'd like to upgrade to something to take advantage of the new audio formats just like a lot of people here are doing.

I did some quick research in this subforum and saw a lot of people recommend the Onkyo 606 (read through most of the 606 thread). CNET didn't seem to give it an exceptional review, but by looking at the specs and reading what everyone has said on here it looks to be a good receiver. I'd prefer not to spend more than $400, but I would consider spending more if it's well worth it. What suggestions/recommendations do you have? I'm open to all brands.

Moefiz · 02-07-2009, 07:41 PM

I can't say much about the Onkyo 606 but I can recommend the Yamaha 663.This is an excellent receiver for the price which I think you can get for less than 400 now.

Good luck.

Sussudio · 02-07-2009, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moefiz

I can't say much about the Onkyo 606 but I can recommend the Yamaha 663.This is an excellent receiver for the price which I think you can get for less than 400 now.

Good luck.

thanks man, i was looking at that one too. ive owned yamaha audio equipment for a while and haven't really experimented with other brands.

BUBBASAX420 · 02-07-2009, 07:44 PM

"the 706 is would be an awesome receiver also. It has all the features of the 606, plus pre-outs, an upgraded Audyssey auto calibration system, and is THX certified." I took this quote from fireman and as you can see the ugrade gives you more than just thx.

Sussudio · 02-07-2009, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BUBBASAX420

"the 706 is would be an awesome receiver also. It has all the features of the 606, plus pre-outs, an upgraded Audyssey auto calibration system, and is THX certified." I took this quote from fireman and as you can see the ugrade gives you more than just thx.

can you post a link to his post? i didn't do much research into the 706 as it's kind of out of my price range. all i knew (so far) was that it had THX.

BUBBASAX420 · 02-07-2009, 07:47 PM

"check this out it is from audiophile at birth"Go to HometheaterMag.com and check out published specs vs real world performance. The yamaha 663 published 90w/pchannel and only produced something like 43 watts of clean power a channel. The 806 published 130wpc while it only produces something like 76wpc. The 805 claims 130wpc and in 5.1 produces 150 something wpc and in 7.1 120wpc of clean power.

ill post the links

callas01 · 02-07-2009, 07:50 PM

Opps, I forgot to mention that I don't think the Denon 2308 decodes HD audio, so you will have to have a PS3 or BDP that can decode the audio and send it over as LPCM.

callas01 · 02-07-2009, 07:46 PM

Any of the following are great at the price points they are in,

Yammy 663
Pioneer 1018
Sony 920
Onkyo 606

If you want pre-outs then the Yammy i know has them for sure and you might check up on the Pioneer, I think I saw somewhere it has them too, if not, you will need to listen to them to decide, the Sony may be hard to find, J&R music should have them, I know one person here likes his 920 more then his onkyo 605, if that matters to you or not.

If you have $500 to spend let me recommend on Abesofmaine.com there is a Denon 2308ci and 6ave.com has had a pioneer elite for just under $500 each, that is where I would start.

bigpapy · 02-07-2009, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moefiz

I can't say much about the Onkyo 606 but I can recommend the Yamaha 663.This is an excellent receiver for the price which I think you can get for less than 400 now.

Good luck.

+1

Kai Winters · 02-07-2009, 08:01 PM

You have a nice system. I am in the same boat Sussudio. It seems the 2 most referred to receivers on this forum are the Onkyo 606 and Yamaha 663. I love my Yamaha 659 but am thinking of replacing it with the Yamaha 663 for the hdmi and audio codecs.
When I first auditioned receivers I compared Denon and Yamaha and at the price I could afford...$500...I felt the Yamaha had a better sound. But that was my preference and may not be yours.
You can get either receiver for the money you have so it becomes a matter of preference. Read the reviews on this forum for them, then go listen to them and decide.

Driver_King · 02-07-2009, 09:30 PM

I would have to say the Yamaha would be the winner vs. the 606. Unless you play at reference levels and you have power hungry speakers. Another great feature of the 663 is its ability to use a separate amplifier to power your speakers (pre-outs).

Twitch9 · 02-07-2009, 09:38 PM

all good receivers mentioned so far i just want to put Denon in the mix as well.

Twitch9 · 02-07-2009, 09:40 PM

Also just wanted to say the Yamaha is a amazing receiver but i think you can get more bang for you buck from onkyo, denon or pioneer.

Sussudio · 02-07-2009, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Driver_King

I would have to say the Yamaha would be the winner vs. the 606. Unless you play at reference levels and you have power hungry speakers. Another great feature of the 663 is its ability to use a separate amplifier to power your speakers (pre-outs).

i'm not familiar with using pre-outs (big novice when it comes to actual home theater components), what's the benefit? are the speakers better powered than they are with just the receiver?

PootieThang · 02-07-2009, 11:04 PM

If you really want to go cheap (in terms of price) go to 6th Ave, add the Yamaha RX-V663 to your cart. Once in your cart, type in "AFLAUD25" as the coupon code. And you'll be able to get it for $374.25 shipped!

Sussudio · 02-07-2009, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PootieThang

If you really want to go cheap (in terms of price) go to 6th Ave, add the Yamaha RX-V663 to your cart. Once in your cart, type in "AFLAUD25" as the coupon code. And you'll be able to get it for $374.25 shipped!

does that coupon code work for most receivers? howd you find out about it?

sorce360 · 02-07-2009, 11:14 PM

All great receivers for the price.... But,you may wanna look into the Pioneer VSX- 01txh or the 1018 .. .. I just ordered the Vsx 01txh ... It's the lowest grade in the pioneer Elite series .. I auditioned it and it's awesome ... can be had for about $460 - $600 (depends where the dealer is auth. or not)

Blu-Dog · 02-07-2009, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sorce360

All great receivers for the price.... But,you may wanna look into the Pioneer VSX- 01txh or the 1018 .. .. I just ordered the Vsx 01txh ... It's the lowest grade in the pioneer Elite series .. I auditioned it and it's awesome ... can be had for about $460 - $600 (depends where the dealer is auth. or not)

And it is extremely clean in output. That would be my choice.

Driver_King · 02-07-2009, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sussudio

i'm not familiar with using pre-outs (big novice when it comes to actual home theater components), what's the benefit? are the speakers better powered than they are with just the receiver?

The benefit is that you can purchase a separate amplifier to power your speakers and use your Yamaha to decode everything. It would be better if they were powered by a separate amplifier too as they would be a lot better off with more power at reference volumes and most other volumes.

sorce360 · 02-07-2009, 11:41 PM

hey driver king ... does polk offer an home theater package like the 5.1 you have list but 7.1 instead (for THX purposes)?.. just to hold me down while I save up for the Polk VM30's.. I was also looking at the Onkyo SKS-HT540, speaker package system for about $200'ish range and they're 8ohms (current HTiB Spkr. are 4ohms). to lighten the load on my Receiver

02-07-2009, 07:36 PM	#1
Sussudio Blu-ray Champion Member since:Sep 2008 Blu-ray collection:1 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:11	Help Needed for Receiver Upgrade (like everyone else) Hey guys, I'm a newb to this section of the forum and I have a PS3 and a 4-5 year old Yamaha Dolby Digital/DTS receiver. I'd like to upgrade to something to take advantage of the new audio formats just like a lot of people here are doing. I did some quick research in this subforum and saw a lot of people recommend the Onkyo 606 (read through most of the 606 thread). CNET didn't seem to give it an exceptional review, but by looking at the specs and reading what everyone has said on here it looks to be a good receiver. I'd prefer not to spend more than $400, but I would consider spending more if it's well worth it. What suggestions/recommendations do you have? I'm open to all brands. Last edited by Sussudio; 02-07-2009 at 10:51 PM.

Similar Threads
thread	Forum	Thread Starter	Replies	Last Post
will this non needed upgrade benefit me???	Home Theater General Discussion	avncars	4	01-10-2010 08:32 PM
receiver advice needed please	Receivers	bhoup	5	10-11-2009 06:50 PM
receiver with certain features needed...help please	Receivers	Erman_94	19	09-27-2009 02:43 PM
HT Upgrade advice needed	Home Theater General Discussion	Zeus	2	05-03-2009 05:12 PM
New Receiver needed?	Receivers	Aerodude73	3	03-04-2009 09:21 PM

02-07-2009, 07:41 PM	#2
Moefiz Blu-ray Knight Member since:Jul 2007 Blu-ray collection:288 DVD collection:20 Blu-ray reviews: 15 Trading Score:70	I can't say much about the Onkyo 606 but I can recommend the Yamaha 663.This is an excellent receiver for the price which I think you can get for less than 400 now. Good luck.

02-07-2009, 07:44 PM	#4
BUBBASAX420 Active Member Member since:Jan 2009 Location:IDAHO Home Theater Gallery:43 Blu-ray reviews:4	"the 706 is would be an awesome receiver also. It has all the features of the 606, plus pre-outs, an upgraded Audyssey auto calibration system, and is THX certified." I took this quote from fireman and as you can see the ugrade gives you more than just thx.

02-07-2009, 07:47 PM	#6
BUBBASAX420 Active Member Member since:Jan 2009 Location:IDAHO Home Theater Gallery:43 Blu-ray reviews:4	"check this out it is from audiophile at birth"Go to HometheaterMag.com and check out published specs vs real world performance. The yamaha 663 published 90w/pchannel and only produced something like 43 watts of clean power a channel. The 806 published 130wpc while it only produces something like 76wpc. The 805 claims 130wpc and in 5.1 produces 150 something wpc and in 7.1 120wpc of clean power. ill post the links

02-07-2009, 07:50 PM	#7
callas01 Blu-ray Prince Top contributor Member since:Jun 2008 Location:Riverside, CA Home Theater Gallery:42 Blu-ray collection:230 DVD collection:47	Opps, I forgot to mention that I don't think the Denon 2308 decodes HD audio, so you will have to have a PS3 or BDP that can decode the audio and send it over as LPCM.

02-07-2009, 07:46 PM	#8
callas01 Blu-ray Prince Top contributor Member since:Jun 2008 Location:Riverside, CA Home Theater Gallery:42 Blu-ray collection:230 DVD collection:47	Any of the following are great at the price points they are in, Yammy 663 Pioneer 1018 Sony 920 Onkyo 606 If you want pre-outs then the Yammy i know has them for sure and you might check up on the Pioneer, I think I saw somewhere it has them too, if not, you will need to listen to them to decide, the Sony may be hard to find, J&R music should have them, I know one person here likes his 920 more then his onkyo 605, if that matters to you or not. If you have $500 to spend let me recommend on Abesofmaine.com there is a Denon 2308ci and 6ave.com has had a pioneer elite for just under $500 each, that is where I would start.

02-07-2009, 08:01 PM	#10
Kai Winters Active Member Member since:Dec 2008 Location:Northern NY...Brownville Home Theater Gallery:4	You have a nice system. I am in the same boat Sussudio. It seems the 2 most referred to receivers on this forum are the Onkyo 606 and Yamaha 663. I love my Yamaha 659 but am thinking of replacing it with the Yamaha 663 for the hdmi and audio codecs. When I first auditioned receivers I compared Denon and Yamaha and at the price I could afford...$500...I felt the Yamaha had a better sound. But that was my preference and may not be yours. You can get either receiver for the money you have so it becomes a matter of preference. Read the reviews on this forum for them, then go listen to them and decide.

02-07-2009, 09:30 PM	#11
Driver_King Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Tampa Bay, Florida Home Theater Gallery:96 Blu-ray collection:28 Trading Score:10	I would have to say the Yamaha would be the winner vs. the 606. Unless you play at reference levels and you have power hungry speakers. Another great feature of the 663 is its ability to use a separate amplifier to power your speakers (pre-outs).

02-07-2009, 09:38 PM	#12
Twitch9 Expert Member Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Nov 2008 Location:Canada Home Theater Gallery:83 Blu-ray collection:49 Blu-ray reviews:16 Trading Score:2	all good receivers mentioned so far i just want to put Denon in the mix as well.

02-07-2009, 09:40 PM	#13
Twitch9 Expert Member Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Nov 2008 Location:Canada Home Theater Gallery:83 Blu-ray collection:49 Blu-ray reviews:16 Trading Score:2	Also just wanted to say the Yamaha is a amazing receiver but i think you can get more bang for you buck from onkyo, denon or pioneer.

02-07-2009, 11:04 PM	#15
PootieThang Active Member Member since:Jan 2007 Blu-ray collection:102 Trading Score:11	If you really want to go cheap (in terms of price) go to 6th Ave, add the Yamaha RX-V663 to your cart. Once in your cart, type in "AFLAUD25" as the coupon code. And you'll be able to get it for $374.25 shipped!

02-07-2009, 11:14 PM	#17
sorce360 Member Member since:Feb 2009 Location:New Jersey	All great receivers for the price.... But,you may wanna look into the Pioneer VSX- 01txh or the 1018 .. .. I just ordered the Vsx 01txh ... It's the lowest grade in the pioneer Elite series .. I auditioned it and it's awesome ... can be had for about $460 - $600 (depends where the dealer is auth. or not)

02-07-2009, 11:41 PM	#20
sorce360 Member Member since:Feb 2009 Location:New Jersey	hey driver king ... does polk offer an home theater package like the 5.1 you have list but 7.1 instead (for THX purposes)?.. just to hold me down while I save up for the Polk VM30's.. I was also looking at the Onkyo SKS-HT540, speaker package system for about $200'ish range and they're 8ohms (current HTiB Spkr. are 4ohms). to lighten the load on my Receiver

Best Blu-ray Movie Deals