Upgrading my reciever

[walmat]

Oh oh. I've got that damn upgrade bug again and this time I'm looking at my 3 year old HK 254. It sounds great but unfortunately won't do 3D passthrough.
I'm thinking about replacing it with a Denon 1912. It has 90W instead of 50W per channel along with 3D passthrough and that Audyssey that I'm real curious in trying out.
Right now the Denon is on sale for $550 and for Canada that's cheap.
Any thoughts?

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by walmat

Oh oh. I've got that damn upgrade bug again and this time I'm looking at my 3 year old HK 254. It sounds great but unfortunately won't do 3D passthrough.
I'm thinking about replacing it with a Denon 1912. It has 90W instead of 50W per channel along with 3D passthrough and that Audyssey that I'm real curious in trying out.
Right now the Denon is on sale for $550 and for Canada that's cheap.
Any thoughts?

Seriously the Denon is not any more powerful than your HK, Never judge a unit on power ratings as many are not true to their specs. I think you should save up a get something significantly better than your hk-254.

Again if you are just looking for the extra bells and whistles maybe it is a good deal but I recommend you to audition and maybe open your horizons a little more. You could look into NAD would pair very good with your PSB speakers, Entry level Anthem receiver MRX300, yes more expensive also than the Denon but a lot better to tell you the truth.


Just my 2 cents

[Steve]

What is your budget?

[walmat]

My budget is around $700 Canadian

[BigAl87]

Originally Posted by walmat

My budget is around $700 Canadian

Here the 2112 for 599$ and they have the 1912 for 499$

if you go to FS they will give you 10% of the price diff so for 585$ you can have the 2112.

That deal is off now but I am sure you could negotiate a price, FS is usually working something out for you.

[walmat]

Originally Posted by BigAl87

Here the 2112 for 599$ and they have the 1912 for 499$

if you go to FS they will give you 10% of the price diff so for 585$ you can have the 2112.

That deal is off now but I am sure you could negotiate a price, FS is usually working something out for you.

Are you quoting FS prices? Right now only the 1912 is reduced and I don't recall the 2112 ever being that low.

[walmat]

OK I've got some ideas and I ask your opinions.
Which would you choose between a Denon 2112 and a Marantz 5006.
I'll be using it for 90% HT and with the speakers listed in my sig.

Also do you think this would be a significant upgrade of my current HK? is it worth it?

Thanks

[lojack1976]

I would personally take the SR5006 over the AVR-2112, but may I suggest that you consider the Pioneer VSX-1126 instead? The Denon doesn't have pre-outs, and for some reason Marantz dropped the pre-outs on the SR5006 this year when previous models had them. It is my opinion that you should never buy a receiver without pre-outs if at all possible. The VSX-1126 is the most feature rich of these receivers and pre-outs are included. Future Shop has it listed at the same price point on the website, so if you can get it I think you will be better served.

[walmat]

Originally Posted by lojack1976

I would personally take the SR5006 over the AVR-2112, but may I suggest that you consider the Pioneer VSX-1126 instead? The Denon doesn't have pre-outs, and for some reason Marantz dropped the pre-outs on the SR5006 this year when previous models had them. It is my opinion that you should never buy a receiver without pre-outs if at all possible. The VSX-1126 is the most feature rich of these receivers and pre-outs are included. Future Shop has it listed at the same price point on the website, so if you can get it I think you will be better served.

Preouts are not an issue. A must is 3D passthru and more power than my current 50W per channel. I'd also like Audyssey.

[Bodhi_Dan]

I am also looking into picking up a VSX-1126-K. Why is it that no information can be found on the model other then the FS website or is it simply a VSX1121 rebranded specially for FS?

[walmat]

Any Audyssey users? Is Audyssey worth it? Does it make a significant difference?
Just wondering as some have mentioned that upgrading for Audyssey and 3D pass through isn't worth it.
I'm hoping to try out the Audyssey for myself at some time but until then... any thoughts?

[Skulltap]

Originally Posted by walmat

Preouts are not an issue. A must is 3D passthru and more power than my current 50W per channel. I'd also like Audyssey.

Yes, however pre-outs are one way to "future proof" your receiver. Of course, it would not be all-inclusive (the future proofing) but it would allow you flexibility.

[Skulltap]

Originally Posted by walmat

Any Audyssey users? Is Audyssey worth it? Does it make a significant difference?
Just wondering as some have mentioned that upgrading for Audyssey and 3D pass through isn't worth it.
I'm hoping to try out the Audyssey for myself at some time but until then... any thoughts?

I had the Audyssey mic for my Onkyo 606, and I had better results going through normal settings than using the automatic equalization.

[Skulltap]

What about exploring this option:


http://www.amazon.com/Marantz-SR5005...6957207&sr=8-3


This would be an upgrade over your HK, and appears to fit very nicely in your budget. If you want a bit more of an upgrade, then perhaps:

http://www.amazon.com/Marantz-SR6005...6957207&sr=8-1


Or, if you have your heart set on the Denon, then I suggest you have a listen to it and get it if you like it. If you cannot audition it, then do as much research as possible and then pull the trigger. Just ensure that you can return it after you open it if you don't like it.

This is all just my opinion. Good luck in getting your new receiver!

[lojack1976]

Originally Posted by Bodhi_Dan

I am also looking into picking up a VSX-1126-K. Why is it that no information can be found on the model other then the FS website or is it simply a VSX1121 rebranded specially for FS?

Yes, it is the same as the VSX-1121. Last year's VSX-1120 was the VSX-1125 in Canada. Why they have different model numbers there is beyond me, but they are indeed the same receiver.

[lojack1976]

Originally Posted by walmat

Any Audyssey users? Is Audyssey worth it? Does it make a significant difference?
Just wondering as some have mentioned that upgrading for Audyssey and 3D pass through isn't worth it.
I'm hoping to try out the Audyssey for myself at some time but until then... any thoughts?

I had an HK AVR-247 and the one thing that I really disliked was the auto calibration tool. It just didn't work worth a damn for me, and I ran it numerous times. I couldn't get it to sound right at all. In the end I just manually adjusted things by ear to get it to my liking. I don't know if HK's solution is any better on the AVR-254, but in my opinion Audyssey is leagues better. Pioneer's MCACC solution is also much better.

Aside from that I find HK receivers to be a little lacking in detail. They do sound good, but I think that they are better suited for music and should be matched to brighter speakers. I think other brands have better flexibility overall. HK's are just way too warm for me as I prefer a more neutral sound. Since I've never listened to PSB's I can't really say whether or not I would mate them to an HK myself though. However, I do prefer other brands of receivers in general.

I personally think the jump to Audyssey or MCACC and 3D support are worthy reasons to upgrade, but other features are welcomed as well. There are things like height speakers support, better video scaling, more DSP options, more HDMI ports, and so on that make upgrading worthwhile. Again, I can't stress it enough...pre-outs are a very important feature to have as well. I myself never thought I would have need of them until I upgraded my speakers. The receiver that I bought just eight months earlier didn't have pre-outs and lacked the power needed to drive these speakers.

So...it was back to square one. I bought another receiver which was decent enough for my mains, but still not quite powerful enough to push both mains and my center channel. My center channel upgrade pretty much tanked my performance, but I was smart enough to get a receiver with pre-outs this time, so I just added an amp. Problem solved. If I did things right the first time I could have saved a lot of time and money. Do yourself a favor and get a receiver with pre-outs, so you don't go through receivers the way I have.

[lojack1976]

Originally Posted by Skulltap

What about exploring this option:


http://www.amazon.com/Marantz-SR5005...6957207&sr=8-3


This would be an upgrade over your HK, and appears to fit very nicely in your budget. If you want a bit more of an upgrade, then perhaps:

http://www.amazon.com/Marantz-SR6005...6957207&sr=8-1


Or, if you have your heart set on the Denon, then I suggest you have a listen to it and get it if you like it. If you cannot audition it, then do as much research as possible and then pull the trigger. Just ensure that you can return it after you open it if you don't like it.

This is all just my opinion. Good luck in getting your new receiver!

Good prices, but he's in Canada so even if he could get one shipped there the costs would go up considerably.

[Yeha-Noha]

I second the suggestion on getting an AVR with pre-outs. It's one of the best deals out there. That makes Denon a deal breaker for me. I still haven't upgraded my Yamaha V663 AVR because of that. I get all the power I'll ever need from external power amplifiers. I may one day upgrade my V663 to a 3D compatible AVR. However, it won't be any time soon. I will never go 3D as long as I have to wear those funky glasses.

As far as AVR EQ goes, my older version of YPAO (V663) is worthless for my HT setup. I would never buy an AVR just so I could get Audyssey, YPAO, or MCCAP EQ. I have used all three in previous versions with older AVRs: Onkyo 805, Pioneer VSX 1018, Yamaha V663. The sound from my V663 connected to external power amps with the EQ off beats anything I've owned so far.

[walmat]

I've never considered preouts before. Definitely something to think about. Someone mentioned Marantz and yes I've thought of them and they do have Audyssey.
I tried my built in EQ a couple more times and still sounded better manually.
It looks like I'll have to put this upgrade itch on hold for now unless some wicked deal comes around like a Marantz 5005/6 for $500 Canadian...when donkeys fly

[MovieFanatic2010]

Ok so i bought a HTIB (Insignia™ - 570W 5.1-Ch. Home Theater System ) about 8 months ago and i have slowly replaced all the speakers with the following .....


Polk Audio CS10 Center-Channel Speaker -
Polk Audio Monitor 40'S Front Speakers
Polk Audio Monitor 30'S Rear Speakers
Polk Audio PSW110- 10" 200 Watt Powered Subwoofer
Sony SA-WM250 100 Watt Powered Rear Subwoofer

Question i still have the receiver that came with the HTIB. Here some facts about it.


Enhance your entertainment area with this 570W home theater system that features multiple surround sound decoders and 11 soundfields for cinematic audio. The Audyssey dynamic volume control allows for optimal listening levels and dynamic range.
What's Included

Product Features

Built-in surround sound decoders
Include Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Pro Logic II, DSD, DTS, DTS-HD master audio, DTS-HD high resolution audio, DTS Neo:6, DTS 96/24 and multichannel PCM.
2 front speakers, 1 center-channel speaker and 2 surround sound speakers
Feature two 1" balanced dome tweeters, 4" woofer and two 3-1/4" woofers.
Active subwoofer
Features a 10" driver.
3 HDMI inputs, 1 HDMI output
HDMI cable not included. High-speed HDMI cable is the only connection that can deliver a full high-definition experience with a full 1080p picture and digital surround sound. Also has 3D Ready & Audio Return Channel
Easy Setup
Includes speaker setup microphone and Audyssey Auto Setup, so it?s easy to set up right out of the box.
Audyssey dynamic volume control
Maintains optimal listening levels and dynamic range. Audyssey dynamic EQ for loudness correction.
Direct audio mode
For enhanced sound quality from analog sources.


The system sounds awesome now that i have replaces all the speakers and the receiver has not given me any problems and decodes everything... If i upgraded to a better receiver would there really be that much of a difference in the sound quality ? My theater is small and i really do not to have to blow the roof off the place......Any thoughts