Looking at maybe upgrading??

[bighouse]

I have a KLH R5100 receiver. It is a 5.1 channel 500 watt surround receiver. It is about 10 years old and has no HDMI ports. I currently have my blue ray player hooked up to it through RCA cables.

My question is: is it time to upgrade and if so, to what?

I'm on a bit of a budget, I'm looking to get the best possible receiver for around $300 or under.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[jaydoc24]

Originally Posted by bighouse

I have a KLH R5100 receiver. It is a 5.1 channel 500 watt surround receiver. It is about 10 years old and has no HDMI ports. I currently have my blue ray player hooked up to it through RCA cables.

My question is: is it time to upgrade and if so, to what?

I'm on a bit of a budget, I'm looking to get the best possible receiver for around $300 or under.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

For that budget, Onkyo will probably be your best bet. Check out this 507. You can get it for $323. Gives you 4 HDMI inputs and 1 out (use Monoprice.com to get your HDMI cables if you don't already know about them). It is set up for a 5.1 system. It also decodes all HD audio codecs out now.

It does only push 80 W/ch but I bet you won't notice a difference with the receiver you have now. Receivers notoriously overstate their power outputs when in reality, the power they list is more like a peak power...something they attain for a small fraction of the time.

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-SR507...9955262&sr=8-2

What speakers are you working with?

[bighouse]

They are KLH 3 way floorstanding speakers with a 12 inch driver that are rated at 250 watts. I am looking at upgrading the complete system in time but slowly and piece by piece.

[jaydoc24]

Originally Posted by bighouse

They are KLH 3 way floorstanding speakers with a 12 inch driver that are rated at 250 watts. I am looking at upgrading the complete system in time but slowly and piece by piece.

I understand, been there. Take a look at the 507 and see what you think. I've owned two Onkyo products and loved them both.

[callas01]

You could try this also, I have last years model and it powers my speakers very well. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=sony%20dn1000

It would be more comparable to the Onkyo 607 and Yamaha 665

[un4gvn94538]

if i read the specs on your receiver right it has 5.1 analog ins. so why not just get a player with internal decoding and analog outs when you bought a player? just curious

[Steve]

Just my opinion but I might hold off on buying anything until I could put another $200-$300 with the $300 you already have. That way you could get a fully-featured receiver that also has pre-outs, so that if you ever decide you want 'more' you could add a separate amp without having to start all over again.

[bighouse]

I've had the player for probably 7 or 8 years. At the time, it was very cheap and all I wanted was something that would play music, I wasn't looking for a home theater. Now I am looking at building a budget home theater. I'm not looking at putting say the klipsch palladium speakers in my room, I just want something that I could have enough thump to enjoy my movies.

[bighouse]

I believe the sony BDP-S360 has internal decoding so if I were to hook it up to my current receiver it would dolby true HD or dts master audio through the receiver?

Forgive me for my ignorance, I'm new to the whole home theater thing and want to get it right the first try.

[Kryptonic]

Originally Posted by bighouse

I believe the sony BDP-S360 has internal decoding so if I were to hook it up to my current receiver it would dolby true HD or dts master audio through the receiver?

Forgive me for my ignorance, I'm new to the whole home theater thing and want to get it right the first try.

You would only receiver internal decoding sending PCM to the receiver if you hooked up your Blu-Ray player to a receiver that is HDMI capable, but doesn't decode TrueHD or DTS-HD. You're only getting analog stereo by hooking up the player to receiver via stereo cables. Does your receiver have optical or coaxial in? If so, you could purchase an optical or coaxial cable and receive the "core" digital 5.1 tracks on TrueHD and DTS-HD audio.

Personally, I would go with the Denon AVR590 or the 1610 over the Onkyo. I find Onkyo has more problems a lot of the time and are less reliable. I own the 590 myself and find it to be a wonderful machine. No problems whatsoever.

[bighouse]

How does the Pioneer VSX-819H compare to the receivers mentioned above?

[Blu-Dog]

Originally Posted by bighouse

How does the Pioneer VSX-819H compare to the receivers mentioned above?

It's a terrific performer - my son just got one, and it's clean and powerful.

It's my preference over Onkyo by a large margin (it's more efficient, with far less waste heat) though the Yamaha is an excellent receiver, too.