Sony STR-DG820 & High end speakers question

[NARMAK]

I'm looking to buy this receiver & using it with HTIB speakers first & slowly start to upgrade to better speakers as more funds become available but i want to know if these speakers could handle speakers such as the B&W 800 series because if so i can gauge wether i would need to upgrade my receiver as i upgrade to better speakers

owning the B&W 800 series is a dream as they're so expensive but knowing a receiver such as this could power them would be a great help

even if they can't, i would like to know how far up the B&W range they can power, i will eventually upgrade to the the B&W 685 theatre package after the HTIB or something similar

[callas01]

B&W 800 series speakers are going to want some power, power that an entry level receiver will not give them. Personally I would say that you want to go for something a little higher up the chain, Say a Denon 2309, Pioneer VSX 01, Sony ES 3400, Onkyo 706/805, or a Yamaha 1900 or something to that effect. I wanted to get some B&W 684's but when I thought about it, I really needed a reciever with pre-outs so I could properly power the speakers IMO. I have a Sony 920, and I think I am gonna go with Energy speakers down the line, and I am considering selling my receiver for another one with pre-outs and the speakers I want are entry level high end.


If you're going to go the route of high end speakers don't sell yourself short on a cheap-o receiver, make the proper investment. JMO

[DiverSpear]

Agreed, the 820 won't drive those speakers properly. Get a receiver with pre-outs and then when you upgrade to an amp and speakers when then the time is right.

[Twitch9]

Originally Posted by NARMAK

I'm looking to buy this receiver & using it with HTIB speakers first & slowly start to upgrade to better speakers as more funds become available but i want to know if these speakers could handle speakers such as the B&W 800 series because if so i can gauge wether i would need to upgrade my receiver as i upgrade to better speakers

owning the B&W 800 series is a dream as they're so expensive but knowing a receiver such as this could power them would be a great help

even if they can't, i would like to know how far up the B&W range they can power, i will eventually upgrade to the the B&W 685 theatre package after the HTIB or something similar

Yes it will power the 800 series, if you really considering those speakers don't get a entry level receiver. It will work for the speakers and you could always get a good power amp with your receiver to properly power the speakers.

[Jordahn]

Originally Posted by NARMAK

I'm looking to buy this receiver & using it with HTIB speakers first & slowly start to upgrade to better speakers as more funds become available but i want to know if these speakers could handle speakers such as the B&W 800 series because if so i can gauge wether i would need to upgrade my receiver as i upgrade to better speakers

owning the B&W 800 series is a dream as they're so expensive but knowing a receiver such as this could power them would be a great help

even if they can't, i would like to know how far up the B&W range they can power, i will eventually upgrade to the the B&W 685 theatre package after the HTIB or something similar

Everyone here has made a valid point. You need to look at short term vs long term. I myself have the STR-DG820, and I'm more than satified with it because I want to enjoy HD audio now at an affordable price. Presently, I'm using the receiver with my six year old satellite HTiB speakers. The difference is very noticable even with those. And I see myself hanging on to this receiver for another six to seven years while upgrading to bookshelf speaker within that time period. So I'll be ready to buy something more powerful and expansive when we move into a bigger house, hopefully with a dedicated home theather room. For now most anything more expensive will be a waste of money for me.

In my opinion if you see yourself buying the B&W 800 series speakers within a couple of years and wanting to take full advantage of it, I probably would go with a higher end receiver. I was without HD audio for a year and a half. In my situation, I have a 13ft x 18ft living area that doubles as my home theather so the STR-DG820 was more that sufficent for me. We don't see ourselves moving to a bigger house until at least five years from now, and I want to enjoy HD audio during that time. So if I bought something more higher end now, those extras would have been wasted until we buy a bigger house. So I might as well take advantage of the STR-DG820 now and then buy some thing bigger and more expansive much later. And if I do buy bookshelf speaker as an upgrade to my satellite speaker, those can be used for my future receiver until I upgrade those. I just face the fact that like all technology, it's all constanly upgrading itself, and you have to realisticly and comfortably pace yourself to enjoy what you can.

[fsavoie]

Its a bit off subject, but I'm looking to buy a STR-DG820 as well, and I wonder that since I'm using my ps3, will it be the same to have the 720 instead?

[Jordahn]

Originally Posted by fsavoie

Its a bit off subject, but I'm looking to buy a STR-DG820 as well, and I wonder that since I'm using my ps3, will it be the same to have the 720 instead?

Since the PS3 decodes HD audio, buying the 720 would be sufficent. The 720 does NOT decode HD audio, but it allows for the audio passthrough via HDMI. The 820 decodes HD audio, is slightly more powerful, has screw binding posts instead of spring levers to make higher speaker gauge wires easier to attach, and it has four HDMI ins instead of three. Your call.

[JJ]

I'd have to recommend separates - processor and amplifier for the B&W 800 series. But why spend $300 on the receiver and $20,000 on a pair of speakers?!

[callas01]

Originally Posted by Jordahn

Since the PS3 decodes HD audio, buying the 720 would be sufficent. The 720 does NOT decode HD audio, but it allows for the audio passthrough via HDMI. The 820 decodes HD audio, is slightly more powerful, has screw binding posts instead of spring levers to make higher speaker gauge wires easier to attach, and it has four HDMI ins instead of three. Your call.

They use the same power supply in both units, I highly doubt that either is "more powerful." What you really get is component inputs (3) and outputs (1), screw binding posts, and an extra HDMI input. I bet if you open up your manual it will say that they 820 is 100 watts per channel not 110, just like the 920, and the 720 is prolly 95, although it could be 105, but I doubt it. Don't believe their marketing specs on sonystyle.com, they never match what the manual actually says.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

I'd have to recommend separates - processor and amplifier for the B&W 800 series. But why spend $300 on the receiver and $20,000 on a pair of speakers?!

exactly my point.

[NARMAK]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

I'd have to recommend separates - processor and amplifier for the B&W 800 series. But why spend $300 on the receiver and $20,000 on a pair of speakers?!

I understand your points, i doubt i'll be getting the B&W 800 series anytime soon, but knowing that what the limits for that type of receiver are to powering speaker's is useful so i know when i would have to upgrade

short of winning the lottery, i won't get the 800 series till i'm like 30+ (19 atm)

Thanks for all the advice & it's well appreciated

I guess i could start with a entry level receiver & upgrade it as & when necessary for the speaker's

I'm also interested in learning more on your point of using a receiver & amp to power speaker's & how that works & connects together

[Jordahn]

Originally Posted by callas01

They use the same power supply in both units, I highly doubt that either is "more powerful." What you really get is component inputs (3) and outputs (1), screw binding posts, and an extra HDMI input. I bet if you open up your manual it will say that they 820 is 100 watts per channel not 110, just like the 920, and the 720 is prolly 95, although it could be 105, but I doubt it. Don't believe their marketing specs on sonystyle.com, they never match what the manual actually says.

Whatever made you think that I was believing marketing specs on SonyStyle? Maybe you should take your own advice because BOTH the 720 AND 820 offer 3 component in and one component out, not just the 820 as compared with the 720 on SonyStyle. Also, the 720 manual states that the minimum RMS output power is 95 W + 95 W and the stereo mode output power is 105 W + 105 W (both 5 W lower than the 820). Also, the surround mode output power is 140 W (10 W lower than the 820).

[callas01]

I wasn't looking at sony style for the component ins & outs, I have a 710, I think it has only 2 ins, 1 out, although, its been a while since I looked at it, its in my closet collecting dust now-a-days, so don't quote me on that. I was right about the 95 watts though, thought I remembered that.... and I said don't believe sonys marketing specs, cause everyone on here uses them to belittle sony, and I am not even sure where they come up with these marketing specs, its like they take it from everywhere, as I am sure you've noticed. And, the power supply is the same, its really the programing that sony does that makes the 2 units different, adding HD decoding. Then they try and add a few options to differentiate them.