Need major help picking Receiver!!!

[blueblood]

Hello to all. Ive been a member of this site for a while now, just never had the guts to ask these Qs before. Hope I dont sound completely ignorant.
Im in the market to buy a new sorround sound, my B-day is coming up and my girl is getting me a receiver(of my choice) for my new setup. I currently watch all my BDs through my PS3. Now I know about the issue that PS3s cant decode DTS MA and stuff but I really wanted to buy a future-proof receiver just in case Sony hooks us up, but I dont have to have a FP rec. I just want to hear suggestions before jumping into a $500 purchase. Here are my questions.
How do I know what receiver will let me send audio to my speakers and video to my TV using only the HDMI and not a seperate source(like the optical I have to use now). I dont like the fact that I may need to use two cables one for audio and one for video. Next Q is, what about HK receivers. I really dont hear them mentioned here and on other threads I hear people suggest to saty away from them. I only ask because my girl wants to buy me one of these, she says they look "pretty". I know stupid reason to buy one but I have to admit, it does look a little more nice than the 605 I hear a lot about.
Anyone want to help a fellow Blu member, please do so,thanks

[MacDaddyOJack]

HK generally have less power output than the competition. Besides, you are watching your tv during a movie, not the reciever! The 605 is so popular becuase of all the featuers you get for such a small price. Personally, I prefer the 805. Looks better and has more sound options as well. But for $500 you can swing the 705, which is still a mighty reciever.

Don't worry about the two cable thing. If you get a new reciever that has HDMI, then you will not need to do the two cable thing. The reciever has an input and an output. The reciever takes the audio signal and processes it, but at the same time, it will 'repeat' the video signal on to your tv untouched.

[Bourne1]

Harmon Kardon's are very nice looking, but lately I haven't been impressed by them. They don't offer a lot as far as 1080p HDMI video passthrough and audio passthrough. Everyone has been talkign about the new Onkyo's 605/705/&805. I am going with the 705 when it comes time to upgrade. After reading the specs on these receivers and reading what everyone on hear says about them, they seem like they are pretty much furture proof. I was also looking at Denon's but for an equivalent for an Onkyo 605/705 are at least a couple hundred more.

[bda4life]

Okay, I'll bite......

Since you are looking to spend roughly $500, your decisions are limited. I believe the only receiver that can handle the new audio codecs in this price range is the Onkyo 605. It looks like many members to this site have the 605, so I would expect comments from them.

I have the Yamaha V3800, which set me back $1200. I love my receiver and am very happy with the decision. I am a big supporter of Yamaha products.

As far as Harmon Kardon goes, I am not familiar with their products. Since they are rarely mentioned on this site, I would stay away.

Lastly, the new receiver will allow for you to use one HDMI cable from the PS3 to the receiver and another HDMI cable to the monitor. That is what I have set up at my home. I would invest in a new receiver that has at least three to four HDMI inputs. You really only need one HDMI output.

[MacDaddyOJack]

My choices for a reciever upgrade came down to the Onkyo 805 or the Yamaha RX-V1800. I beat this subject to death as I'm more concerned with my HT audio instead of video. Both can be found for less than $850 (even cheaper for the Onkyo). The new Denon's are nice, but not worth the extra money IMO. I don't know your budget, but I ultimately went with the 805 and can't say enough good things about it.

[Memnoch]

Onkyo 605 for around $400 is your best bet in my opinion. Everyone knows it works. I have one and have had no issues with it. I have my PS3 hooked up to my receiver, then my receiver hooked up to my TV, all via HDMI. The 7.1 surround is amazing on it.

When I first started looking at receivers, I learned very fast that going to Best Buy or Circuit City to check out the "latest and greatest" stuff was not going to work. Many items were labeled incorrectly and would have resulted in me purchasing the wrong thing. In store staff was also not as informed about their products as they should have been.

Asking questions in forums like this will get you many options to choose from. Watching what receivers are revealed during CES each year can also give you an idea of what to look for over the next few months. You can try to do research on your own, but most of the time, people on these forums pick up on the "latest and greatest" stuff, well before actual companies release info on their sites or send out official press releases.

Best of luck to you.

[mr peepers]

i also would steer away from harmon kardon. they may have a nice exterior, but the guts are nothing to brag about.

i'll admit, money was tight for me when i really wanted to upgrade my receiver. so i started looking at the onkyos because they are your best bet when it comes to features, future proofing (if you can really say anything is "future proof" now days), and price. They are though, ugly as a toad. I couldnt stand the face of them. I know, not something that should be taken into consideration as much as features. but still, come on

i decided to hold off for a month or so and picked up a denon 3808. and, well, i love it. its sexy, powerful, and full of connections and options. it is pushing 1,600$ retail. but you can find one online for close to 1,100$

if i was in your shoes, i'd pick up an onkyo 705. it doesnt have a whole lot of different features between the 605, but the volume knob on the 705 has a blue backlight around it, thus taking away from its horrid overall face of the machine.

[blueblood]

Thanks for all the help you guys.

Lastly, the new receiver will allow for you to use one HDMI cable from the PS3 to the receiver and another HDMI cable to the monitor. That is what I have set up at my home. I would invest in a new receiver that has at least three to four HDMI inputs. You really only need one HDMI output.[/QUOTE]


My bro got a HTIB from Onkyo (belive its a srh800 or something like that) and he has to run an HDMI from his PS3 to the rec. and then output HDMI to TV, but has to run another cable for his audio, the manual says, passthough only, so he cannot get audio with this setup. This is what Im trying to avoid. I want the HDMI running from my PS3 to the receiver, then I want my receiver to send the audio to my sorround speakers and the video to TV via HDMI output. Does this make sense. My bros TV get audio but to send it to the sorround speakers, he has to run seperate back to the receiver. Just want to make sure I dont run into this

[gearyt]

If you get any of the newer receivers onkyo or denon, you will only connect the HDMI from your PS3 to the Receiver to the Display...

I suspect that the reason he has to run seperate audio, is that he is last years 5.1 crowd... Only the new audio formats require HDMI, last years was optical ( TosLink )

I am still looking for a reason to have 3 or 4 HDMI inputs... maybe in the future, new toys
I use one for DirecTV, and the other for Blu

[Codywan24]

Onkyo makes pretty good receivers considering their price and feature list, but Denons are truly amazing! I have a Denon 2808ci hooked up exactly the way you're describing, and it is absolutely perfect! The sound, the setup, and even the look imho. They are a little pricey, so the choice is yours, but damn they're nice! Good luck with your decision!

[burdenbrother]

I purchased a Harmon Kardmon receiver last year and had to return it as I believe all of their models do not support linear pcm audio via hdmi. You can go with the onkyo's or Denon if you want a poerful high current receiver that will pass multichannel audio thru the hdmi cable. If you want to save a bit of money, sony makes a lowerpriced receiver (str - dg910). This thing won't have the best sound quality but it will do exactly what you need it to do. As far as getting a receiver that supports the new audio codecs such as truehd and dts-hdma, that is unnecessary as your ps3 will do all the decoding. If there is a compusa in your area, they are closing down and they happen to carry the sony receiver str-dg1000 for 400.00. It does everything you need plus has 2 hdmi inputs, upconverts to 1080i and pumps it all out at 120 watts per channel. I love this receiver for the price. However I stress that if you are an audiophile, go for the denon or onkyo as they will future the best sound quality.

[bda4life]

Originally Posted by gearyt

If you get any of the newer receivers onkyo or denon, you will only connect the HDMI from your PS3 to the Receiver to the Display...

I suspect that the reason he has to run seperate audio, is that he is last years 5.1 crowd... Only the new audio formats require HDMI, last years was optical ( TosLink )

I am still looking for a reason to have 3 or 4 HDMI inputs... maybe in the future, new toys
I use one for DirecTV, and the other for Blu

Here is the reason why I suggested at least three to four HDMI inputs. My receiver has four inputs and this is what is connected:
1. Directv
2. PS3
3. HD DVD (I know, I know.......)
4. Computer

[bda4life]

Originally Posted by blueblood

Thanks for all the help you guys.

Lastly, the new receiver will allow for you to use one HDMI cable from the PS3 to the receiver and another HDMI cable to the monitor. That is what I have set up at my home. I would invest in a new receiver that has at least three to four HDMI inputs. You really only need one HDMI output.

My bro got a HTIB from Onkyo (belive its a srh800 or something like that) and he has to run an HDMI from his PS3 to the rec. and then output HDMI to TV, but has to run another cable for his audio, the manual says, passthough only, so he cannot get audio with this setup. This is what Im trying to avoid. I want the HDMI running from my PS3 to the receiver, then I want my receiver to send the audio to my sorround speakers and the video to TV via HDMI output. Does this make sense. My bros TV get audio but to send it to the sorround speakers, he has to run seperate back to the receiver. Just want to make sure I dont run into this[/QUOTE]


I am not going to make any guarantees here, but I believe that your brother's system cannot handle audio via HDMI, hence the second cable.

I am telling you that most (if not all) of the newer receivers will allow both the video and audio to be handled via one HDMI cable. That is one of the reasons why HDMI is more advantageous than component and optical cables.

I would highly suggest the Yamaha V1800 if you cannot afford the V3800. I also believe that you cannot go wrong with the Denon or Pioneer receivers.

[blueblood]

Alright, thanks again. Talk about beating an issue to the death, but how can I know for sure which ones handle A/V with just one hdmi cable. I cant just say, hey give me the new one since the new ones do this! Is there a feature It needs to have, like "switching" or "HDMI audio and video processing" that tells me they do this. Im not too familiar with which ones are new or not.

I have about 4 Compusa's round here and they have the 605 for 389, is that a good deal?

[red_5ive]

Originally Posted by blueblood

I have about 4 Compusa's round here and they have the 605 for 389, is that a good deal?

I wouldn't hesitate on the 605 for that price at a brick & mortar shop.

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by blueblood

I have about 4 Compusa's round here and they have the 605 for 389, is that a good deal?

Thats a real good price...how much after tax? because amazon.com has it for $400 +free shipping.


so $389 is pretty good.

[Vman7772000]

hey guys, if I can jump on this and ask my own question about the Onkyo 705 or 805, will it play uncompressed audio? I, myself, need a new receiver and need to have uncompressed.

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by Vman7772000

hey guys, if I can jump on this and ask my own question about the Onkyo 705 or 805, will it play uncompressed audio? I, myself, need a new receiver and need to have uncompressed.

7.1 Uncompressed PCM in all its glory.

[Vman7772000]

great, thank you.

[Layd Dly]

I love my Harmon/Kardon AVR 247, it takes in Multi-Channel PCM, which at the bare minimumis a must, I feel that the H/K also has much better sound quality than the Yamahas and Onkyo's, I myself wouldve probably picked up the 605 for the codec support but since i had so much money in best buy cards which does not carry the Onkyo brand i was limited, and Denon was outta my price range for similar features.