AV Receiver
 

I am looking into upgrading my current speaker setup for my TV as I am less than happy with it right now.

Currently, I have an "all-in-one" 5.1 system with Blu-Ray system that I bought 4-5 years ago. I want to upgrade this, but to something that will last longer and be a more permanent fixture of my entertainment system with upgrading the other features as necessary.

Primary uses of my system is the typical: DirecTV, BluRay (need a new one), FM/AM, PS3, 5.1 System, Streaming Media, MP3 playback.

So first question, do I need an AV receiver for this? Or can I get away with a compact integrated amplifier?

Secondly, if I should get an AV receiver, which should I get or should I stay away from?

How much you want to spend is a pretty important thing to know.

I won't go high end, but I would say $600 or less should still get a solid "value" packed product.

My personal preference is Onkyo, but I think there are probably 4-5 brands you go with that are quality, and then it's simply about which functions and specs look most desirous for your setup.

Just a little comparison chart for AV receivers at around the $500 pricepoint. By now, these should be reduced, so you can either save some $$$, or jump up to a the next level or 2 in their model line, or get the newest model year.

http://www.audioholics.com/how-to-sh...-receiver-2013

By the way, I think your budget of $600, is a smart level of investment. You'll get some added features and integration, without overspending for some top of the line stuff that's probably going to be negligible
in your satisfaction with the avr.

Unless you're committed to really shelling out many many thousands for some insanely pricey speakers and the rest of the components- which most people are not audiophiles and the the cost to value is really either to stroke your ego and namesake and just a waste unless you're One that doesn't give a 2nd thought to discretionary spending.

Not to mention, if you wanna build up your system, invest it in a quality speaker. Even if it's done in phases by channel in order of importance

(C, FR, FL, MR, ML, RR, RL, S1, S2, RW, LW, LD, LD2, RC, RD, RD2, LH, RH ) - depending on your setup and processing / # of channels.

You can add to that over time and the item most likely that is going to need updating to handle new technology and types of of connections will be your avr.

My thought currently was a Onkyo TX-NR626, Sony STR-DN840 or Pioneer VSX-1023-K.

Any thoughts on any of these?

I don't think you can go wrong with the Onkyo or the Pioneer. If you can, go and play around with them, see which you prefer from a layout standpoint. That includes the front interface, as well as working with the remote and UI with all the On screen menus. It's a toss up depending on if you look to configure it and be done or if you like to tweak your settings a lot based on your current source. You're going to be splitting hairs in terms of capabilities, so get a feel for which is laid out in a manner you prefer. If need be, hit up YouTube to familiarize yourself with how they work and the on screen menus.

As I said, I'm an Onkyo guy, but Pioneer is top notch also, and it's my preferred aftermarket choice for any of my Car audio upgrades. At least for headunits.

Off topic, but I'm a huge fan of Klipsch speakers when you're talking about a fabulous budget minded speaker line.

Myself, I'm a Yamaha guy, though admittedly I'm paying for a bunch of DSP programs that I could care less about. I'm just comfortable with their receivers since I've been using them for years. Honestly, at that price point you probably can't go wrong with Pioneer, Onkyo, Yamaha, Denon or HK.

As far as speakers go, I've been thrilled with these:

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PU...kers/SP-PK52FS

Absolutely fantastic speakers for the price, roughly $500. The sub is somewhat of an underperformer, but again, for the price it will do.

Another vote for yamaha. I own a lot of these receivers. Mostly because they all still work perfectly, so I can't bring myself to ditch them when I want to upgrade.

I'm also selling a great pair of Klipsch towers that will make your system sing.

Onkyo's build quality was superior before they began outsourcing everything to Malaysia.

Consider if you want a plethora of HDMI inputs or HDMI 1.4, or if you want superior sound quality.

I ask for this reason:

The Onkyo TX-SR805 was probably the best pound for pound receiver the company ever made. It's a 60+ lb beast, with excellent internals and DACs. It only has 3 HDMI 1.3 inputs, though. If you can get by with that, I would give it the highest recommendation. I've had mine for over five years now.

It's also THX Ultra 2 certified. The only Onkyo receiver w/ a similar certification now is their $3000 flagship model.

In comparison, the NR 626 weighs 21 pounds, puts out far fewer watts/channel, and lacks THX certification.

When shopping for receivers, I'd highly recommend buying refurbished from Accessories4Less.

Anyone like Marantz?

Not a bad recommendation, more bang for your buck.

Also with the 805 and limited HDMI- I wouldn't let that dissuade you. Pick up a good Hub with wireless remote. I have so many hookups, I picked One up, and then taught my Universal Remote all the remote commands. I can control my entire system, lighting in 3 rooms, fireplace, and pretty much anything that has a RF/IR wireless control.

The Hub I got will automatically switch to the source input you're wanting to use by itself about 90% of the time, so it's really not a chore dealing with piggybacking 4 HDMI into one source. So, if you did get one like the 870, you should still be able to feed in 12 HDMI...

which sources will it not work with perfectly? i've seen some strange compatibility issues with some hdmi-cec device combos.

None that I've come across. It typically picks up source activity and will switch to that source- like if I power on the Xbox 360 or One, for example. Sometimes it just won't switch the device feed and you just have to use the remote to change it to Input 1, 2, 3, 4, that's all. As you know HDMI can be fickle sometimes and not maintain digital handshake, but like I said, this is the rare exception, not the typical experience.