Helping a friend pick a receiver

[bajor27]

Hi folks. Recently a friend asked me for advice on picking up a new home theatre. They wanted to keep it on the cheaper side though (around $500 CAD + tax).

I was able to convince them to stay out of the HTiaB territory, but am having a bit of trouble nailing down which receiver they should pickup.

I've narrowed it down to the Pioneer VSX-519 or the Yahama
HTR-6150

Yamaha is 7.1, Pioneer is 5.1 - The friend will probably stick with 5.1 for a long while so this seems like no big deal

Yahama is 90W x 7, Pioneer is 110W x 5 - Guessing both are overstated, and thus fairly close and pretty inconsequentially different in the end

Neither will decode HD audio, but it's my understanding that they'll both accept it via PCM over HDMI (and the friend should be picking up a PS3 in the near future - one step at a time right)

Both have 2 HDMI in, but I think the Yamaha is only 1.2a vs 1.3a in the Pioneer

Both are $299 CAD currently.

Yamaha originally started at a higher MSRP and it uses Burr-Brown DACs which has me leaning towards it providing better sound on paper. Are these 2 similar enough that's it's really just going to come down to personal preference on Yamaha vs Pioneer? They live near a Futureshop (which doesn't stock either model), so they'd have to be listening to similar models. Are there any other receivers that should be considered in the price range?

Oh, and they'll be running 4 Energy C-50 Surrounds with the Energy C-C50 Center. Haven't decided on a sub yet.

Thanks for the input, and yes, I do realize asking if it just comes down to personal preference is always the case really. I guess what I'm really just trying to make sure is that I haven't overlooked anything before giving my final reccomendation.

[Johnny Vinyl]

I have a Yamaha HTR-6190B, their top of the line AVR 2 years ago (now replaced by the HTR-6290B). It handles all of the codecs, but only has HDMI 1.2, although I don't know how much of a concern that is.

The Yammy has served me well. I've not had any issues with it and it doesn't run overly hot either, which I really like. Their customer service (via email) is excellent as I recently had an inquiry and they responded within 24 hours. This was confirmed to be normal by some other members as well. It's nice to have a product knowing you can depend on assistance.

I don't have any experience with the Pioneer AVR's (although I still have a more than 30yr old Pioneer SA-9500II Integrated Amplifier). I have always liked their products. How is their customer service?

I know it's not much, but I hope it helped out a bit.

John

[MookDaddy333]

I have an Onkyo HTiB and couldn't be happier. I know the speakers aren't the best but they aren't that bad either. Definitely get the job done. And the receiver I have is pretty much a 606 just with a different model number because it comes with the package, but that gives you the freedom to upgrade the speakers at a later time when you have the $$$ which is something most HTiB receivers don't usually let you do due to the fact that they're usually so basic or have proprietary connections. So don't be too hard on the HTiB idea as Onkyo has some good options that are fairly priced.

[dolphinc]

The Yamaha 465 sells for $329US and it decodes TrueHD & DTSHD, it also pushes 5.1 105w x 5 and it has 4 HDMI 1.3 outs. Best reciever under $350 by a long shot. Check it out at either Best Buy or Amazon.com. I have the 565 and love it.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by dolphinc

The Yamaha 465 sells for $329US and it decodes TrueHD & DTSHD, it also pushes 5.1 105w x 5 and it has 4 HDMI 1.3 outs. Best reciever under $350 by a long shot. Check it out at either Best Buy or Amazon.com. I have the 565 and love it.

Will they ship a Yamaha to Canada though? The price is certainly good! Also, remember this...an out of country purchase means NO WARRANTY.

John

[dolphinc]

Originally Posted by John72953

Will they ship a Yamaha to Canada though? The price is certainly good! Also, remember this...an out of country purchase means NO WARRANTY.

John

I would check with a Canadian best buy, the trade policy between the 2 countries isn't that strick but you may be correct on the warranty if it were purchased here in the states.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by dolphinc

I would check with a Canadian best buy, the trade policy between the 2 countries isn't that strick but you may be correct on the warranty if it were purchased here in the states.

I certainly think it's worth looking into by the OP or his friend....nothing to lose!

John

[bajor27]

Originally Posted by John72953

Will they ship a Yamaha to Canada though? The price is certainly good! Also, remember this...an out of country purchase means NO WARRANTY.

John

I think I accidentally deleted it from my original post when I was revising it, but yes, I'd pretty much only buy the receiver from within Canada unless the company honored the Warranty in Canada on purchases made outside of Canada (which most don't as far as I know, though I do know Sony does)

And thanks for the input on the HTiB MookDaddy333. I wasn't really trying to knock them. I ran one for quite a while and was super happy with it. I've also personally never even seen an Onkyo product in Canada (although I do know Visions Electronics carries them). Onkyo's aren't nearly as well-priced up here either. If they would have gone the HTiB route, I probably would have looked to Onkyo.

As for the Yamaha 465, even at $330 USD, were talking $400 CAD + tax + duty. I would love to consider it, but it would eat up too much of their budget. I don't even think it's been released in Canada yet, but will likely debut here at a $499 MSRP (It's $380 MSRP down there I think)