Home audio & video forum: Which reveiver would be best for my system?

As it stands right now I am looking at a complete Polk RTI Series with a Polk Micro Pro sub. I am using RTI A9 for the two fronts, RTI A3 and FXI 4 for the surrounds. I really haven't decided on the center channel yet but most likely the RTI series center. That should at least give you an idea of speakers. As for how much I can get the 3808 for right now $1400.00 but I can probably catch a sale on it around February which is when I will be getting the speakers and receiver. I am thinking when it is all said and done that I will be able to snag the 3808 for about $1200.00.

Hopefully this information helps in the decision process.

Thanks
Mike Brothman

and apply that to a real sub, and room treatments. speaking from experience.

I already have a polk micro pro sub so that is not needed. I am comfortable with the speaker set up I have picked as I have a polk monitor series in my living room and that sounds great. I know that the RTI series is better but at the time when I got my first system it was a little out of my price range. All in all the only thing that I really need assistance on is choosing the correct reciever. My current receiver is the sony str-dg1000. It's ok but I know there is way better and I am turning my upstairs bedroom into a movie/game entertainment area. All the help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Mike Brothman

Jostenmeat I appreciate your assistance in this matter. I know it sounds as if I am really on worrying about upscaling, but in reality I am looking for an overall good package that does decent upscaling and comes with good sound. I will not after second thought be upscaling my TV signal through the receiver as I beleive my tv will do a better job of that anyway. I am really new to the upscaling part of the equation. What kind of upscaling can I expect to see from my wii which comes standard at 480p and my 360 which comes in mostly at 720p. As for my TV, PS3, and Bluray Player they will be only passing sound to the receiver as there will be no need to upscale the bluray and PS3. With this information I am hoping I can be swayed to make a decision on one of the receivers I have listed.

Thanks for the help
Mike Brothman

I have been reviewing and researching for the entire weekend and I think I have settled on a Denon. They seem to have the edge on video upscaling for what I had to choose from and they sound great to boot. Now the hard part which one is worth while for the system I have.

Denon AVR3808CI
Denon AVR2809CI

From my understanding both have the same upscaling abilities. They also both contain 4 HDMI inputs. The 3808CI has a GUI which I'm not sure I really need. Bottom line I can get the 2809CI for somewhere around $800.00 and the 3808CI for about $1,300.00. Is the 3808CI worth the additional $500.00?

Thanks for the help
Mike Brothman

I see that you are ging to get the denon, thats great.. but trust me I spent 3,000 dollars on th top of the line reciver 13 years ago.. The thing you want to keep in mind about spending so much money is that it will be obsolete in a couple of years..With the radical changes in electronics.. Just a little info from someone that has spent over 20,000 on stereo equipment..

okay I'm going to be be straight up and honest with you.. The best system out there for home theater are only THX certified systems. That to me is the must for home stereo.. with the ones that you have pointed out dont have it. to me you are buying a low end stero for the money.. you are so conserned that it says HD next to it.. who cares.. thats just a way for people that dont have a clue to get you to buy the product.. for stereo THX system.. it will have all that other stuff you askingfor.. it just doesnt need to tell you that.. the Onkyo TX-SR876S is the best system for your money hands down.. it has every thing ou will want pluss much more.. it will do more then you would ever imagine.. they just dont write down all the complete details of what you your thinking.. The THX package is more then you are asking and it is the only certified system for theaters... actually going to the movies.. if thats the sound you are after then dont waste your money on anything less..

Being THX certified isn't the end-all feature that you should be worried about. Sure 99% of the high quality receivers (as discussed) are some sort of THX certified, but there are other things to consider such as: auto-calibration software, amp construction, transformer type, distortion rating, watt/channel, etc.

With that being said, I still think the Onkyo TX-SR876 or TX-SR875 is the best receiver for you.

No. No. No.

The Onkyos at the same price points will leave those Denons in the dust for video processing. GUI is graphical user interface. Its basically your display to fiddle with settings. Who cares how pretty it looks, sheesh.

Denon is a very fine name brand. To repeat myself yet again, you will not obtain Reon/Realta until the 5xxx series. We are talking a few thousand dollar, at least.

Faroudja is simply a weaker technology. It will suffer more macroblocking and mosquito noise. I do not even care for it at all.

Now while there is a difference between VP performance b/w Faroudja, Reon, Realta, Anchor Bay, the implementation is important as well. This is partly why the Denon 5308 outperforms the Onkyo 875/876. But, you are paying 2.5k more for that. The Onkyo's Reon is still much superior than Denon's 2xxx and 3xxx series for video.

The 3xxx series is really more comparable to the Onkyo 805, which I what use as my processor.

Now, don't get me wrong. The 3808 is a very fine receiver. I would be more than happy to have that as my processor. Though, I didn't want to spend for it.

But, again, repeatedly, I am blue in the face, if video is this important to you, at this rough budget. Tell me if your budget gets to $3,000 or so, and then you some other serious possibilities.

get the Onkyo 876

or

DVDO Edge

this is your best choice for VP in a receiver at the price point.

However, just so you know, Onkyo CS is known to be pretty bad. I do not expect QC to be as good as Denon's.

But you just can't beat the price. After all, you can buy 3x 876 for the Denon 5308.

This unit runs pretty hot, and its very big. I would be most absolutely sure your racks can support its weight, with enough ventilation. OTOH, there are many affordable fan solutions. The Reon chip makes a lot of heat just by itself. The THX Ultra rated amp is a very beefy AB class amp, and beefy AB amps simply make a lot of heat, period.

This thing is so packed with Video features, Im not sure if you will even figure out how to use its potential even in the first year of ownership.

seriously, ISF calibration settings not just for every source input. You can have sources assigned to multiple inputs so that you can choose what you depending on what the source is feeding. Its pretty loaded Id say. Im not sure if it can handle vertical stretch for anamorphic setups such as the 906 can. But that doesn't really apply to you.

It's a very capable HDTV.

-P

If you are looking to find a great deal on a system I would wait a little bit, when they bring out the new recivers for this year and buy the older version for a steal.. that way yo can get the best one that has networking capibilities.. these are the top of the line when you take that into consideration.. but the diffrence I see is if you want to be able to have an HD fm tuner? and are you going to use this system in a diffrent room? I have that capability but never used it to be honest with you.. also the Hdmi ports there are only 1 with the pioneer and 2 with the onkyo.. my persoanl opion, the Onkyo is better, for a single room stereo..

The Panasonic is superior in numerous ways. Whether due to pure and simple BD PQ, to ease of audio output selection (fiddling with menu is not necessary as with S350/PS3), and it can recode mch PCM to DD/DTS which should've been part of the BD spec if only for SPDIF users.

The only negatives on the Pana are the less pretty faceplate, and it cannot be forced to output DVD at 480i for those who want to deinterlace in scale with outboard devices.

Of course, the PS3 is in its own category as its a gaming machine.

You're looking at nice receivers, and I do not know enough to tell you what to do. However, if it was me, I don't need what you do... well I'll tell you what I already did at that price point. Mid level receiver acting as pre/pro, with outboard amp. I have a dynamic HT.

Not that the receivers you are looking at are wimps. But I have a large space to fill at volumes not too far from reference.

I believe another possibility for networking could be the Yammy 3900. It won't touch the video cal flexibility of the Onkyos.

BY FAR, the biggest thing, FOR ME, that I like about Onkyo vs Pio/Yam is the Audyssey XT. To get that, you most likely have to narrow down choices to Denon or Onkyo.

It can apply hundreds of filters; very good resolution. It will find your ringing tones, and dial them down, which will positively affect all listening positions. This is unlike Eqing from one seated position, very much so.

While its not a replacement for such things like treating the first reflections, it is some serious icing on the cake, and a lot of it to boot, IMO.

watch or go to vanns.com...they outstanding sales and they are cheap too..