Home Theater Receiver ?'s

First thanks to everyone who has posted on this discussion forum, I found it extremely useful. I am looking to put together my first HT system, so your patience and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Buying speakers without having heard them first is a new experience for me, and I am curious about what type of HT receiver people feel pairs well with the CBM-170's. We have a small den and I am looking at setting up a "budget" 5.1 system with 2 pr of CBM-170's, a CMT-340c and a Klipsch KSW-12 that I presently own. I am going to set up an additional pair of CBM-170's in the neighboring living room as zone 2. As I have not previously had a HT setup, I am going to guess the music / movies split will be 60 / 40. As always, I am looking at getting the most performance for the least $. The HT receivers that I'm considering are as follows:

HK AVR 630 ($620)/ HK AVR 635 ($730)
Onkyo TX-SR702 ($590)
Denon 2805 ($550 - refurb)
Pioneer VSX-1014TX-K ($400)

Is the EQ on the HK 635 worth an extra $100 over the HK 630?

I have read that Onkyo is good for movies, any comments on how it handles music?

Denon receivers are fairly reputable, anybody have any experiece with Denon refurbs?

Pioneer had gotten great reviews, but can a receiver that on weighs 19 lbs really deliver the goods?

Thanks very much for your help.

John

"I have read that Onkyo is good for movies, any comments on how it handles music?"

My Onkyo 8011 handles only music. I'm listening to internet radio (Radio Free Phoenix) through the Onkyo as I type this. It does a very good job.

"Pioneer had gotten great reviews, but can a receiver that on weighs 19 lbs really deliver the goods? "

Yes.

David

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Originally Posted by johnnylongwood

HK AVR 630 ($620)/ HK AVR 635 ($730)
Onkyo TX-SR702 ($590)
Denon 2805 ($550 - refurb)
Pioneer VSX-1014TX-K ($400)

Is the EQ on the HK 635 worth an extra $100 over the HK 630?

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For me, the EQ in the HK wouldn't be worth the extra $100. I don't have direct experience with the HK EQ, but from what I've read on AVS, the auto setup and EQ in the HK is somewhat behind the Denon and Pioneer offerings. HK excels in delivering their specs to the real world. Their specs aren't bloated by marketing hype. Both the 630 and 635 are great receivers.

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Denon receivers are fairly reputable, anybody have any experiece with Denon refurbs?

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The 2805 is feature rich but it's power supply is lacking. The Denon line hasn't seen an appreciable power supply upgrade since the 00 series. I would personally take the HK or Pioneer over the 2805 because I don't need many of the bells and whistles the Denon offers and I'd rather put my money into amplifier guts. That said, I don't think you'd feel cheated with a 2805. It's hard to buy a bad receiver for $500-700, but there's tradeoffs of some sort in that price range.

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Pioneer had gotten great reviews, but can a receiver that on weighs 19 lbs really deliver the goods?

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The 1014tx doesn't weigh 19 lbs. There's a bunch of 1014 weight threads on AVS. The Pioneer literature is wrong... it weighs around 40 lbs. It's essentially a Pioneer Elite 52tx with a few bells and whistles stripped out. I demoed the 1014 before deciding on my 54tx. It's hard to beat the 1014 at $400... and it should be going on clearance for $300-350 from authorized retailers in a month or two since the 1015 is coming out in April.

If price was the bottom line and I was making the decision, I'd choose the Pioneer 1014tx. If you can wait a month or so, the deal gets sweeter since it'll probably be on clearance. Then, I'd probably go for the 2805 since it's a good value as a refurb at $550. If you were to consider the HK 630/635, I'd also suggest the Pioneer Elite 54tx which can be had for $760 shipped from an authorized dealer.

I don't have an opinion on the Onkyo receiver, but their equipment has always been solid for me. I have owned a stereo receiver by Onkyo for 15 years and it's worked flawlessly from day one.

johnnylongwood,
i second jimsiff's advice on the 1014. i have one and i absolutely love mine, with PLIIx and MCACC (it's a snap) 115w x 5-ch driven and it is ~34lbs you'll be hard pressed to find anything remotely similar in features/performance at that price. give it a listen, it's a wonderful mate for my ascends :D

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Originally Posted by johnnylongwood

The HT receivers that I'm considering are as follows:

HK AVR 630 ($620)/ HK AVR 635 ($730)

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I would splurge for the AVR635 if you are going the H/K route. The 635 has video upconverting to component sources that the 630 does not. There is a firmware upgrade to the 630 to add the room EQ. Most of the newer Denon receivers do have video upconverting.

I just got my AVR635 a couple weeks ago. Just gotta save up enought money for a set of Ascend 340s and 170s! :D