picking a new receiver

[idahophil63]

Lets not forget the Harmon/Kardon's. Which takes things the next sonic level.
For me, Im on a limited budget also and would like to upgrade from my old Yamy and am looking into the slow burn, I think Im gonna go Emotiva and buy the UPA-7 for around $600 then save for the new A/V pre when it comes out next year. Just my 2cents

[Dave]

Originally Posted by profchaos71

Well,actually i was thinking Marantz 7002.possibly 6003 due to cost.Everything i have heard say's Marantz sound is superior to onkyo,denon,or any of the other best buy available brands.What is your opinion??

I have a Marantz 7002 and sound wise it is exceptional. I really like the 2 HDMI outputs because we watch TV on a 42' plazma and movies and football on the projector and it works flawlessly. When I was shopping around I listened to a bunch of systems, Yamaha, Denon, HK and Onkyo, and soundwise I thought the Marantz was superior.

[gstarr]

To be honest, I've never heard a difference between equally powered receivers--and I've owned plenty of them in my lifetime. Most of the differences are in ease of use and features.

I currently have three systems in my house--In the upstairs media room I have an Integra 9.8 A/V surround pre-amp(Onkyo's upscale brand) connected to an Emotiva XPA-5 amp. For a combination of great looks and great power, you can't do better than Emotiva. I will be buying the new Emotiva UMC-1 A/Vsurround pre-amp for my living room system when it is released next month. At $699 it is a great buy. I have an 8 year old Aragon 2007 7-channel 200 watt/channel amp in the living room which I will connect it to.

It is amazing how Emotiva has made great amps for realitively little money. I can't wait until their new subwoofer comes out too.

For getting a separate 5-channel amp with an AV surround Preamp, one can't do better than the Emotiva XPS-5 at $699 and the upcoming Emotiva UMC-1 AV surround preamp at $699. But for those that don't want to spend $1,400, I still think the Onkyo TX-SR806 @ $620 with free shipping from Amazon is a great deal. Even better is the Onkyo TX-SR876 which has the excellent REON HQV video chipset @ $999 from Amazon (REON chipset is particularly useful if you have a 50" or more HDTV).

Greg

[profchaos71]

well, if i'm not mistaken,seperates are the way to go versus an a/v receiver.I think i am just uninformed about them as far as how they hook up/connect.Honestly i dont know how they produce 5.1 surround or better.Dont know what a preamp actually does.I could use some education on the subject.

[profchaos71]

well, i actually went to Emotiva website.I seew how the amps are set up.I like the price and the stats!! How the heck do you run a subwoofer though.Also where does the preamp come into play,or is it not necessary??Also i see each channel has a seperate input.how the heck does that work.Not to mention no HDMI connections so whats the deal with watching blue ray movies and running the sound through the home theatre??

[gstarr]

ProfChaos,

Pre-Amps are the "brains" of the system. They are totally necessary to listen to a speaker system and for any other video or audio signal processing. They also minimally boost the incoming signal (be it from cable, satellite, dvd, cd, Lp, tuner, etc.) so the amplifier can boost the signal for the loudspeakers. The Pre-amp (whether as a separate or as part of a receiver) also has all the decoding and the featuresets. Even your HDTV has a modest pre-amp in it so it can play without a full-blown audio system. But lets face it, it is pretty lame in comparison to a good surround sound loudspeaker system. Your enjoyment definitely increases many-fold when using a surround system with loudspeakers and a subwoofer.

If price isn't a huge obstacle, separates are often better. In these days of HDMI interconnects, connecting separates is hardly more difficult then on a receiver. On the pre-amp section of a receiver (or on the separate AV pre-amp) there are outputs for your speakers and a self-powered subwoofer.

As far as playing Blu Ray discs, you need a Blu Ray player (I recommend either the Panasonic DMP-BD35K, the Panasonic DMP-BD55K, or if you also want to play games--the Sony PS3 system).

You connect the Blu Ray player to either the pre-amp, the receiver, or directly to to HDTV with an HDMI interconnect. You can connect the Blu Ray player directly to the HDTV if you don't have your separates, your receiver, and your loudspeakers yet. This way you can at least watch movies before you get the rest of your system.

When you get the rest of your system it is then advisable to connect the Blu Ray player to the separate pre-amp or the pre-amp section of the receiver.

Your most difficult decision will be the type of loudspeakers and subwoofer and where you will place them in your room. For most people, a 5.1 speaker system is plenty adequate--even though most pre-amps and receivers have inputs and outputs for up to a 7.1 system.

In a 5.1 system, the .1 stands for the self-powered subwoofer, while the 5 part stands for the left and right front speakers, the center speaker (important, as it contains most of the dialog information), and the left and right rear surrounds. In a 7.1 syatem there are an additional left and right rear surrounds that are employed, but for most people are totally unneccessary. I have two 5.1 systems in my house and they are both great and provide much enjoyment for me and for the rest of my family and guests.

If you have other questions, don't hesitate to ask. I realize that it can seem imposing to a "newbie" that is just getting started.

Greg