7.1 Receiver

[Neutron]

Well, I thought my audio receiver was fixed, but it's still doing it, and all of the dust is out of it.

Is Denon a good brand?

I was looking at this one from Best Buy:
Denon - 525W 7.1-Ch. XM Satellite Radio-Ready A/V Home Theater Receiver - AVR-1508


I'm on a tight budget so I have to go as inexpensive as possible and would rather get a 7.1 with HDMI since I have 7 speakers and I would like my Blu-Ray movies to sound as best as possible.

 

[RandallA]

From what I've been reading Denon is above Yamaha and Onkyo but the 605 Onkyo receiver is getting very good reviews.

Onkyo TX-SR605 Home theater receiver with HDMI switching and video conversion at Crutchfield.com

Here is the step down version for the Onkyo:

Onkyo TX-SR505 Home theater receiver with HDMI switching at Crutchfield.com

 

[Neutron]

The 505 requires optical audio for digital audio.

Would I really be missing out if I had to go this route vs audio through HDMI?

 

[RandallA]

It would just be an extra cable. The 605 passes video and audio through HDMI, the 505 passes video only through HDMI so you'll need the optical audio for DD.

I'm about to pull the trigger on the 505 at Circuit City for $258.49. I don't really need audio through HDMI since I can use the optical inputs.

 

[Neutron]

Will my Blu-ray play Dolby HD through optical?

Would I be missing out on anything if I go with a 75w x 7 vs 110w x 7?

 

[diogen]

Will my Blu-ray play Dolby HD through optical?

No.
The digital out - optical or coax - has the same limitations as it had on regular DVD players: 1.5Mbps DTS and 640kbps DD.
It is not because of the bandwidth limitation - optical can do orders of magnitude more - but because this is the standard.

You can most probably get the downsampled version of the soundtrack over digital out (depends on the player).

Would I be missing out on anything if I go with a 75w x 7 vs 110w x 7?

Unless you want your neighbours to know what you're playing - no. ;-)

Diogen.

 

[peterson40]

Dolby TrueHD does not pass through an optical or coax connection. You need a AMP that can use that audio through HDMI. There is no way around this.

No.
The digital out - optical or coax - has the same limitations as it had on regular DVD players: 1.5Mbps DTS and 640kbps DD.
It is not because of the bandwidth limitation - optical can do orders of magnitude more - but because this is the standard.

You can most probably get the downsampled version of the soundtrack over digital out (depends on the player).
Unless you want your neighbours to know what you're playing - no. ;-)

Diogen.

 

[diogen]

You need a AMP that can use that audio through HDMI.

...or you can use analog outs (if you player is capable of decoding it).

Diogen.

 

[Neutron]

The PS3 doesn't have analog out.

So I guess I need to find me an inexpensive 7.1 HDMI 1.3 receiver.

 

[RandallA]

After reading your question about the Blue-Ray player, the Onkyo 505 doesn't work for me either. I just bought the HD-A3 and that's the main reason why I want to upgrade.

Have you considered the Sony STR-DG810?

 

[Neutron]

I've been looking at the 710 myself.

Not sure how much different a 6.1 receiver would be vs a 7.1 receiver.

I have my living room speaker configuration as follows:

L C R



LR RR


LRC RRC


I could always combine the LRC and RRC into the Surround Back speaker port of the 710.


Which is better though? The Sony 710 or the Denon 588?

 

[boydjp420]

I have the Denon AVR 2808, which handels HDMI 1.3 w/ deep color and handels Dolby True Hd and DTS HD MASTER. This is one of the best ones I believe. The true hd symbol pops up when watching a movie with it. It's sound is wonderful!!!! It also upconverts my 1080i Directv to 1080p which looks great. This receiver cost a little more than some others (1,200-1,300) but will be a great decision. This is going to be my reciver for a long time!!! Great invesment!!!!!!

 

[DJ Rob]

I have the Denon AVR 2807 which is last year's AVR 2808 and if you have the funds, go with the 2808. It is a great receiver!

 

[Neutron]

I ended up getting the Onkyo 505.

The wife and I compromised. She eventually wants to put surround sound in our bedroom (surprised me when she said that) within the next couple of years, and said I could get a new receiver for the living room that does Dolby-HD then.


The sound quality still blows away my 7 year old Sony 5.1

 

[Walker1]

I have heard good things about Denon amps. I personally have a Yamaha 7.1 amp- model # HTR-5890, 120 watts/ch.. I have been told that for sound optical is the best way to hook up. I'm not sure about HDMI as that's the 1 feature my amp doesn't have.

You can't go wrong with a Denon or Yamaha amp. Good luck.

 

[GaryPen]

What happened to my posts in this thread? Where did they go?

 

[GaryPen]

I'm serious. I posted 2, maybe more, informative posts about AV receivers, and they're gone. No explanation. Just not here anymore.

WTH? Is James Long moderating on SatGuys now?

 

[RandallA]

Gary,

There was a similar thread in the Pub Members area so maybe your posts are there.

 

[GaryPen]

Ahhhh. I'll check. Thanks. It seemed awfully weird that someone woulda deleted such harmless, informative posts.

 

[Ilya]

Here is a similar thread in the PUB with your posts. That's probably what you were referring to:

http://www.satelliteguys.us/pub-members-bar-grill/113006-home-theater-receiver-question.html

If you are looking for something else, then you can check your user profile: there is an option there to find all your posts.