How do I pick a reciever? Tips?

[TWG1572]

Several years ago, I sold my home audio equipment. I was never happy with the sound, and we lived in a tiny house with toddlers. We needed the space where the stands/speakers were, and I didn't fight much because I really didn't like the system anyway. After the fact, a few people on here clued me in to the fact that it was probably an issue with my center speaker placement more than anything. Live and learn I guess.

So, we have a larger house now and are in the process of setting up a basement living room. I've decided I'm going to try again on the stereo front, and am looking for suggestions on how I should go about setting this up. The room is long and rectangular, probably 600 sqft, and we’ll have the tv/couches set up in ½ the room. The TV will be against one of the short walls of the rectangle. I’d assumed I’d go with a couple towers in the front and rear surrounds, type and brand TBD. I’m not an audiophile, but I spent enough time in music during school that my ears can tell the difference between “good” and “bad” sound systems. But I don’t pretend to understand when people talk about crossover, highs/lows, etc.

My assumption is that I should purchase a receiver first (and if that is wrong I guess you can stop reading right now....) I hear good things about Yamaha, Onkyo, Harmon Kardon, and Denon. I think 5.1 is more than adequate, unless conventional wisdom says buy the 7.1. I’ve seen some 7.2 and have no clue what that is. I do like the concept of HDMI in and out, since I will be hooking a Blu Ray and Satellite box to this. It just seems like a way to get rid of some wire clutter.

I’ve reached the point where I’m overwhelmed by the details between receivers. Almost to the point where a system in a box is appealing. But I get satisfaction by learning and building things (built my first computer this year) so I’m going to tackle this.

Does anyone have any suggestions on the “must haves” for a good receiver? Or good, solid, receivers? I don’t care if it’s the latest and greatest, just that it sounds good and will have a reasonable lifespan (5-10 years I guess).

 

[Quattro Pete]

Before you even start thinking of a receiver... one of the most challenging things in setting up good sounding HT in large open rooms such as basements is acoustics. Unless you invest in some good sound proofing, sound deadening, it is typically hard to get a good HT experience in such environments. That is partly why I gave up on setting it up in my basement as it is unfinished and would require significant acoustics treatment to sound half decent.

That aside, a large open area will require more power, so you should look at a receiver that delivers a lot of it. And don't just look at the power claims - these are often times a marketing game. Look at how much juice the power supply can handle. The other thing is auto setup. Most receivers nowadays come with mics and features to automatically analyze your room environment and properly set channel volume levels and crossover points. From what I've read, the system that Denon and Onkyo use is superior to what Yamaha uses. I have a Yamaha receiver, and honestly its YPAO auto room calibration is junk, IMO. I was able to do a better job myself with an AVIA disc and a plain old SPL meter.

 

[AandPDan]

/\ Good advice.

You don't necessarily need towers either. Things have changed considerably with the smaller speakers and satellites. Remember, the subwoofer handles the LFE. With the correct crossover frequency set it'll blend nicely.

5.1 is more than adequate. There is very little out there that's a true 7.1 - and very little music is in either format, most is stereo.

I do prefer Yamaha. I have used the auto calibration and it will get you by but spend the time to do it manually.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: AandPDan

I do prefer Yamaha. I have used the auto calibration and it will get you by but spend the time to do it manually.

Yeah, to be fair to Yamaha, I do love the receiver, despite its YPAO deficiencies.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: TWG1572
Several years ago, I sold my home audio equipment. I was never happy with the sound, and we lived in a tiny house with toddlers. We needed the space where the stands/speakers were, and I didn't fight much because I really didn't like the system anyway. After the fact, a few people on here clued me in to the fact that it was probably an issue with my center speaker placement more than anything. Live and learn I guess.

So, we have a larger house now and are in the process of setting up a basement living room. I've decided I'm going to try again on the stereo front, and am looking for suggestions on how I should go about setting this up. The room is long and rectangular, probably 600 sqft, and we’ll have the tv/couches set up in ½ the room. The TV will be against one of the short walls of the rectangle. I’d assumed I’d go with a couple towers in the front and rear surrounds, type and brand TBD. I’m not an audiophile, but I spent enough time in music during school that my ears can tell the difference between “good” and “bad” sound systems. But I don’t pretend to understand when people talk about crossover, highs/lows, etc.

My assumption is that I should purchase a receiver first (and if that is wrong I guess you can stop reading right now....) I hear good things about Yamaha, Onkyo, Harmon Kardon, and Denon. I think 5.1 is more than adequate, unless conventional wisdom says buy the 7.1. I’ve seen some 7.2 and have no clue what that is. I do like the concept of HDMI in and out, since I will be hooking a Blu Ray and Satellite box to this. It just seems like a way to get rid of some wire clutter.

I’ve reached the point where I’m overwhelmed by the details between receivers. Almost to the point where a system in a box is appealing. But I get satisfaction by learning and building things (built my first computer this year) so I’m going to tackle this.

Does anyone have any suggestions on the “must haves” for a good receiver? Or good, solid, receivers? I don’t care if it’s the latest and greatest, just that it sounds good and will have a reasonable lifespan (5-10 years I guess).




Get an old Mac. (Not the one from Apple).

Depending upon your age, you probably cannot hear the high freq. very well.

 

[aquariuscsm]

McIntosh is definitely the best of the best. Avoid mass-fi Best Buy type garbage. Speakers,I prefer Electro Voice horns/horn loaded enclosures. Mine are an Electro Voice/Frazier combo.

 

[mattwithcats]

Go down to your local Library and look in the back of a current Consumer Reports magazine.
There is an index in every magazine that lists when items were reviewed.
Use this to find a review of Stereo Receivers.
Also look in the yearly book of reviews.

This works for almost any big purchase...

 

[stockrex]

simple,
buy the cheapest refurb, onsale item with the features you need NOW from a good manufacturer.
I bought onkyo refurb from onkyo store, good luck.

 

[nitehawk55]

Don't know on the room but some of the best audio gear was the made in Japan era of the late 70's into the late 80's . Some great gear can still be bought quite reasonable . Do some research .

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: nitehawk55
Don't know on the room but some of the best audio gear was the made in Japan era of the late 70's into the late 80's . Some great gear can still be bought quite reasonable . Do some research .


^^This. The old Realistic,Pioneer,Marantz,etc *monster* receivers from that era have crazy high power and they're built like tanks,and it's *true* power,not overrated listed wattage so may of the current mass-fi receivers have.

 

[chestand]

The problem with buying old gear that was built like a tank is that it's all 2 channel. Not 5.1. I have several old Yamaha receivers and love them. But, they're 2.0, not 5.1.

I also have a Harmon Kardon 5.1 receiver I bought at best buy probably 6 years ago. Performs beautifully. I vote for HK equipment.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: chestand
The problem with buying old gear that was built like a tank is that it's all 2 channel.

Not to mention lack of HDMI, which the OP specifically asked for.

 

[95busa]

I have a Sony two channel that can drive four speakers. IMO, about 2/3 of your sound quality depends on speakers.

 

[dparm]

My two cents, which many of you may disagree with...


Until you start spending big bucks, the differences between all the big names (Denon, Sony, Yamaha, Onkyo, HK, etc) are slim. Some may boast slightly higher RMS output, have another HDMI input, have cleaner aesthetics, and so on. In that case, buy the one that has all the features you need. Don't get too wrapped up in the name.

Just be sure to properly size the amp based on your room's dimensions and the type of speaker: bookshelf, satellite, and floorstanding/tower. The best way to damage a speaker and/or shorten an amp's life is to be running it near full-power all the time. You need to over-provision the amp, so-to-speak.

I have owned Pioneer, Onkyo, and Marantz, and still have no particular brand preference, for what it's worth. My current one is a Marantz merely because I got an excellent deal on it.



Spend your money on a good center channel speaker and ensure it is timbre-matched to the two front channels. If you can, get some Sorbothane isolation pads under it to cancel out any strange reverb your TV cabinet has. Buy what sounds good, and ignore the name. Everyone's ears are different.

 

[71Chevyguy]

I can try to give you some advice and I can also give you an idea of what I have and how I feel about it. When setting up a system you really need to think long and hard about what it is you are looking for and what you want out of it. It really does all go together and has to all be picked out for a specific purpose. There is a big difference in "system in a box" and separate components that are hand picked and well matched in both sound quality and more than anything ,price.
I would say your best starting point is deciding what kind of speakers you want and how much you are willing to spend. There are actually many small speaker / subwoofer combinations that would satisfy most people. On the other hand if you want some serious volume you will probably need to go with some tower speakers that can handle high power. Depending on which speakers you choose then you can start looking for a receiver. You don't want to pick out a super high power receiver and end up with tiny speakers that can't handle it. It really all has to be balanced and somewhat matching.
I have a Denon receiver, it was the top of the line unit at Crutchfield ($6,000) I believe it is 140 watts by 9 channels. It is 7.1 which I don't even use and has the capability of adding either two more channels or having sound in another room. While I do admit the sound is amazing from it, the setup and interface is horrible at best. I did finally figure it all out and I am not new to these things but it really isn't user friendly. For something that costs that much you would think they could do better than that. It does have the microphone included for the automatic setup and does a pretty good job with that.
If you don't need these features don't waste your money on them. It sounds like you would be happy with 5.1 with HDMI switching so it can select your sources for you so that is probably what you should get. In my opinion you are better off adding the money you save on the receiver to the speakers.
As far as the speakers are concerned if you go with a small set then you need a good subwoofer, higher power is usually better since it does take a ton of power to give good clean bass. Problem with the smaller speakers is that they can not handle much bass on their own and will distort if you crank it up. A good fix for that is you can get a used Bose Acoustimass passive subwoofer ( The larger non-powered one) on Ebay that you can hide anywhere and it will filter out the deepest bass tones and keep them from getting to your small speakers that were never meant to handle them in the first place. Some receivers will allow a small speaker setting like mine does but the less expensive units do not and will blast the poor speakers with bass they can not reproduce.
Center channel speaker should be a decent size or make sure your choice of receiver will support a small speaker and not send it bass. Otherwise it will ruin the whole experience if the center speaker is distorting.
Brand choice really does not matter as much, most of the big brand receivers will be pretty good. What is best to do is research online on any you have narrowed yourself down to and see what others DON'T like about them and see if you can live with that. I personally hate the settings on my Denon and don't know if the newer ones are just as bad. It is about 5 years old now so I hope they have changed for the better. Best buy and places like that really do not carry QUALITY stuff and is more entry level. If the receiver is made in China and weighs 6 pounds it isn't a good unit. Mine weighs 70 some pounds and is made in Japan and is bending the shelf it is sitting on. Also has two internal cooling fans. Very different unit than something for 199.99 at Best Buy. I also have an older (Mid 90's) Yamaha receiver which was one of the first 5.1's and it is a very good unit. Since then they have introduced a value line and have many low priced receivers that just really aren't that great. You really just need to determine what it is you want out of it, how much volume you want and probably sit in front of the Crutchfield website and decide what it is you are looking for. Even if you don't buy from them their website has tons of valuable information to help you with you decisions.
If you are just looking for a basic system that sounds decent you can sometimes get a "system in a box" that isn't too bad. I got a set of Martin Logan speakers including a powered sub from NewEgg on sale for my mother for Christmas for $299.99 marked down from 999.99. While made in China they actually sound pretty good and have a very impressive powered sub included. She is picky about sound but likes them hooked to her Onkyo Receiver that is 5.1 and gets the job done very well.
I know this is a lot to take in and sorry for the long post but there really is so much more to say about this stuff. It all really starts with you deciding what you are looking for and go from there. I have that Denon receiver I mentioned with some older Infinity Studio Monitor series speakers with 15" woofers, two midranges and their famous Polycell tweeter that I bought in the Early 90's that Crutchfield was selling for about 5 grand at the time. While the sound from this setup is totally amazing and really like being at a live concert it may be too much for many and simply not necessary. The volume can get deafening and is not necessary for most people. Shopping for good deals can also net good results because you can end up with stuff you may not think you can afford for low prices. Worth checking around before buying. If you have any questions feel free to message me directly and I can try my best to answer them for you.
Once again sorry for the long post.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Buy what sounds good, and ignore the name. Everyone's ears are different.

Good advice right there.

Although, when it comes to speakers, sometimes the way they sound in the store may be fairly different from the way they'll sound at home due to varying room acoustics. So, make sure that you can easily return whatever you buy. It's trial and error sometimes.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: nitehawk55
Don't know on the room but some of the best audio gear was the made in Japan era of the late 70's into the late 80's . Some great gear can still be bought quite reasonable . Do some research .


Does Teac fit into that category? My parents always bought Teac stuff, and I still have a Teac receiver in our entertainment system that I bought back in about 1993. I had the whole system, the receiver, the 5-disc CD changer, and the dual cassette deck. I know I sold the CD changer...can't remember if I still have the cassette deck.

 

[chestand]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: nitehawk55
Don't know on the room but some of the best audio gear was the made in Japan era of the late 70's into the late 80's . Some great gear can still be bought quite reasonable . Do some research .


Does Teac fit into that category? My parents always bought Teac stuff, and I still have a Teac receiver in our entertainment system that I bought back in about 1993. I had the whole system, the receiver, the 5-disc CD changer, and the dual cassette deck. I know I sold the CD changer...can't remember if I still have the cassette deck.


The Japanese stuff from the '70's that is valued today is Marantz, Yamaha, Sansui, Nakamichi just off the top of my head. I have a Marantz receiver but I have several of the Yamaha CR servies receivers from the '70's.

 

[oily boyd]

My advice is take one of two routes:

1) Buy a Marantz receiver from either Crutchfield or Music Direct. 30-day return if not satisfied and easy to sell if you want to upgrade somewhere down the road. It will drive any speakers you choose and no agonizing over which brand of receiver to buy.

2) Find a local shop and let them help you. They might even have some good used stuff. If they're good, they'll let you try in your home before you commit. There are a couple in Madison that you should visit to get a feel for "what you like" and "what you hate" before you buy anything. For instance, I personally will not buy overly complicated gear or gear from certain companies. Wife acceptance factor is usually important, even if she says "it's up to you".

Either way, you should consider buying the 3 front speakers and see how you like it. You may find that you do not need/want the surround speakers.

I do not have a surround system, I am a tube and LP guy but I have heard/enjoyed many home theaters. The reason I recommended Marantz is their stuff is powerful, adjustable, easy-to-use and is not too bright sounding which you will appreciate down the road. Also have found that people in "your situation" like definitive recommendations (sorry if I'm wrong on that

)

 

[sleddriver]

Since you mentioned receivers, look at Sherbourn.. I don't own one, but they're worth a look while you're comparing.

Second, don't skimp on loudspeakers. You're lucky you live in Madison because you can actually visit Madisound and seek their guidance. If you're handy with power tools, you can build your own and finish them however you like.

Third, acoustics is very important. Most of what you hear is reflected sound, not direct. You can verify this by using headphones with your receiver and then listen through your speakers.

We don't have basements in Tx, but we do have plenty of homes turned into acoustical nightmares by interior decorators with hard floors, glass walls, too tall ceilings and everything at a 90° to each other. In such an environment, you really are better off with headphones...or better yet, earplugs.

Earl Geddes has done some interesting research and written a book about it. You can read some chapters here. I concur with his recommendation on multiple subs to even out the bass response and 'share the load'. It just makes sense. I use four 10" drivers, two per cabinet. "Massive/ton's of power" isn't the key to quality, deep base. A quality, low-distorsion driver, with an excellent motor, in the right alignment, with lots of cone area is.

Finally, given the state of technology and the rapid and widespread use of portable content delivery systems these days and multiple loudspeaker surround systems, the residential paradigm needs to shift to what the studios have used for decades now: Self-powered, very accurate monitors. They're very high quality, amplifiers and crossovers are built in, built to a much higher standard than the vast majority of 'junk' marketed to consumers and they're designed with SOA (safe operating area) limiters built in.

You can plug your iphone,ipad, ixxx, lap/desk-top, mp3 player, android, etc. straight into them with a single cable and get great sound.

Mackie, JBL, Genelec and other pro-sound companies have made studio speakers for decades like this. You just won't find them mentioned in 'consumer' audio. The LSR6325 from JBL is but one example of many.

Since you're starting over, you're in a good place to think different about this. Good luck!