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View Full Version : What's the best receiver for me?



clbigbear
07-15-2005, 06:50 AM
I plan on having CBM 170's for the left and right, CMT 340c for center, and HSU VTF-2 MK2 for my sub. I have no plans for surround sound in the near future. Receivers in the $500-$800 only. I want it to have all of the following:
a. clean sound
b. plenty of power
c. all connections needed for the next few years. I don't have HDTV right now, but plan to within 2 years.
Also, what speaker wire should I get, and how much of it just to be safe. Oh, one last thing. What moderately priced surge protector should I get?
Thanks in advance!!!

Lee Bailey
07-15-2005, 10:37 AM
I like my Denon 3803, but for your price range, a Denon 2105 would fit your bill nicely(retails for $649, but you should be able to find one for less). As for wire, the wire that Ascend sells right here is perfectly suited for your system. You'll want to combine the wires into pairs, and probably use banana plugs for attachment to your receiver and speakers. Now, why would you not want to have surrounds? Is it just a cash flow thing? You will have to use a DSP mode of some sort on your receiver to simulate the surrounds to get the best effect for movies.

clbigbear
07-15-2005, 12:41 PM
Thanks for the reply Lee. The Denon sounds good. The thing is, I'm having second thoughts on what to get. Now I'm leaning towards 340's for left & right. 340c for center. And 170's for left and right. Same sub as before. Now here are all of my questions:

a. what stands should I get for the surrounds that are extremely stable?
b. how would the HK AVR-335 be for this setup?
c. when playing a regular cd, is it just the left, right, and sub that are playing? what about with dvd-audio?
d. I am 100% NOT going to install it myself. I don't have the patience or the expertise. Any suggestions on who I should contact for this? I would want someone who is reputable, does all of the proper calibrations, and would walk me through it at the end. (I live in Boise, ID)
I know this is a lot of info that I'm asking for, but I really don't know much about any of this.

Thanks a lot!!!

BGHD
07-15-2005, 01:55 PM
Thanks for the reply Lee. The Denon sounds good. The thing is, I'm having second thoughts on what to get. Now I'm leaning towards 340's for left & right. 340c for center. And 170's for left and right. Same sub as before. Now here are all of my questions:

a. what stands should I get for the surrounds that are extremely stable?
b. how would the HK AVR-335 be for this setup?
c. when playing a regular cd, is it just the left, right, and sub that are playing? what about with dvd-audio?
d. I am 100% NOT going to install it myself. I don't have the patience or the expertise. Any suggestions on who I should contact for this? I would want someone who is reputable, does all of the proper calibrations, and would walk me through it at the end. (I live in Boise, ID)
I know this is a lot of info that I'm asking for, but I really don't know much about any of this.

Thanks a lot!!!
a. dunno

b. HKs really do sound good w/ Ascends. I have the HK DPR1005, which has a very low rated power (<40wpc in tests apparently) and I think it still sounds very good. If you're up to the $700 range, I'd recommend 435 or 635 instead. Many like the auto room EQ function on these, that other HKs currently don't. The plain ol' EZSet (that my 1005 has) is basically useless. The full EZSet EQ is what you want. FYI, costco.com has a couple decent Denons available. Of the 3 available today, I'd get the Denon 985.

c. You can have it play on however many speakers you want, depending on the surround mode you select. If DVD-audio is like SACDs, it depends on the disc. For SACDs, there's 2ch, 3ch and up to 5ch mixes available. I learned the hard way that they're not all 5.1 surround sound mixes. Also, you can apply PLIIx to a 5ch disc to make it play out of an entire 7.1 setup.

d. dunno

GoDeacs94
07-15-2005, 02:08 PM
In your price range, the HK435 would sound great. HK's have great amplifier sections and produce a very smooth open sound. I have the HK635 and am very impressed by the auto callibration feature (including low frequency adjustment!), it tamed my room and my in-your-face Klipsch setup (Ascends on order!).

Denon's also sound great, but for the price, the 435 and 635 hit a sweet spot, and I am sure Dave F. and the gang can make you a sweet offer :D .

bt

gr1m
07-15-2005, 02:09 PM
also try auditioning pio elite 54TX or for an even better bargain the pio 1015 for under 500

BGHD
07-15-2005, 02:36 PM
Could probably flip a multi-sided coin and not go terribly wrong with any of the above mentioned with your Ascends. All seem highly regarded in AVSforum too. The only thing about the 1015, is that it doesn't have A/V sync delay, which all the others do, I believe. At this point, probably just check to see which one matches your video switching needs, if at all applicable, and go with it.

Eddie
07-24-2005, 09:18 AM
clbigbear,

Look at Harman Audio on eBay, these are refurb HKs but with full original HK warranty---have heard only good things about them. For $500-800 you should be able to get the 635, pure-digital 2005, or if you're lucky maybe even the flagship 7300 which is a true beast. You should have better luck with auctions that don't end on a weekend since those usually have the most bidders.

As for stands, my 340s are sitting on a pair of Wood Technology stands which I often think of as the Ascend of speaker stands, amazing value for the money:

http://www.wood-tech.com/product.php?cat=ss&series=mu

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=90114871&SearchEngine=Froogle&SearchTerm=90114871&Type=PE&Category=Elec&Gad=0&dcaid=17379

That Pioneer 1015 would be fine if you can find it for $300-400 and aren't too demanding about music performance.