# Need to replace an old Denon receiver



## kwatson703 (Jan 22, 2012)

I've been in the gradual upgrade mode, and with the latest addition (Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player) I now need to upgrade my receiver. Looking for recommendations for around $1000. Our home theater is in the basement den, set up with a 60-inch LG plasma TV, 5.1 speaker system, and dual HD TiVo DVR. My cable source is Verizon FIOS, and I also have a home media library served up on a home-built NAS server running VortexBox.

I like the Oppo. It works beautifully, playing Blu-Ray discs and pulling up movies and music from my NAS server over the wireless network. However, the Denon receiver is so old it has no HDMI in or out, but it does have 5.1 RCA-style inputs in an "EXT IN" section. The problem is that when I plugged the outpus from the BDP-93 to the Denon's EXT IN, my speakers started a hum they never had before. I tried everything to get rid of that, including unplugging the BDP-93 to ensure there was no signal coming from it. But the hum persisted. If I unplugged the TiVo, the humming quit, but I need that as my primary source of TV. I finally discovered that unplugging the BDP-93 from the Denon 5.1 inputs stopped the humming, and I have no noise if I only use stereo outputs from the BDP (currently in the VCR-2 inputs in the Denon). But I lose all the advantage of original content 5.1 encoding, having to downconvert that to stereo and then have the Denon simulate surround to drive the speakers.

That tells me that there's probably a short somewhere between the EXT IN and VCR IN sections of the Denon. Since it's not HDMI-capable anyway, I'd rather replace it than repair it. I think having a receiver that can take HDMI inputs from both the TiVo and the Oppo, and serve that up to the TV, would be perfect. I don't need one that can stream from my network (I already have that in the Oppo), but it would be fine if that is part of the package. The main thing I want is full fidelity 5.1 audio and 1080p video from as many sources as possible.

Here is what I have now:
- LG 60PK750 60-inch plasma TV
- Atlantic "System 250" 5.1 speaker system
-- Left, Right, and Surround speakers: 4" woofers, 0.75" dome tweeters, 50Hz-20kHz, 8 ohm, 90dB sensitivity
-- Center speaker: 4" woofers, 0.75" dome tweeter, 80hZ-20kHz, 8 ohm, 90dB sensitivity
-- Sub(Atlantic 352 PBM THX): 12" bass driver, 200W, 35Hz-125Hz, 10kohm speaker, 1kohm line, 108dB peak SPL
- TiVo TCD649180 Series2 dual HD tuner/recorder
- Oppo BDP-93 Blu-Ray player/streamer
- Denon AVR-1804/884 receiver (vintage 2003) (to be replaced)

The room is much wider (30 feet) than deep (12 feet), such that my surround speakers are on the wall opposite the TV, connected wirelessly. We effectively only use the central 12' x 18' for media. I'm not looking to upgrade speakers at this point, since the Atlantics work fine and they are unobtrusive, blending with our decor (front left/right are black and on stands; surrounds are white and mounted on the wall).

Looking forward to any recommendations!


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

If you don't mind refurbed equipment (still comes with warrenty) then i'd check out Accesories4less.:T


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
My favorite around $1000 AVR is the TX-NR1009. Here are the Bench Tests for it: 
"Five channels driven continuously into 8-ohm loads: 
0.1% distortion at 116.5 watts 
1% distortion at 131.2 watts

Seven channels driven continuously into 8-ohm loads: 
0.1% distortion at 86.1 watts 
1% distortion at 100.6 wat

This graph shows that the TX-NR1009’s left channel, from CD input to speaker output with two channels driving 8-ohm loads, reaches 0.1 percent distortion at 145.7 watts and 1 percent distortion at 179.5 watts. Into 4 ohms, the amplifier reaches 0.1 percent distortion at 218.1 watts and 1 percent distortion at 250.4 watts.

It offers top notch Video Processing in the tandem of HQV Vida and Marvell Qdeo, Audyssey MultEQ XT, 9 Channels of Amplification, Networked Capability, THX Post Processing, an excellent Remote Control, and much, much more. In addition, the x09 Series is Onkyo's first redesign in about 6 years and the Quality Control reports have been excellent and they also seem to run cooler than past Series.

If your budget can accommodate just a bit more, the TX-NR3009 has an even stronger Amplifier Stage that is THX Ultra2 Plus Certified and most importantly Audyssey MultEQ XT32 with SubEQ HT. Just a fantastic AVR.
Cheers,
JJ


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## kwatson703 (Jan 22, 2012)

Thanks for the recommendations. I looked both of those up, and ran into another consideration. They are probably too big for my space. My cabinet is only 15 1/2 inches deep, so the max space I have for the receiver is 17.1 inches wide x 15.3 inches deep x 7.25 inches high.

W x D x H:
TX-NR3009: 18.2 x 17.1 x 7.8 inches
TX-NR1009: 17.1 x 17.1 x 7.8 inches

I looked at a few more on the Onkyo US site. Here are the ones that will fit.

W x H x D:
TX-NR709: 17 1/8" x 6 7/8" x 14 15/16"
TX-NR609: 17 1/8" x 6 13/16" x 12 15/16"
TX-NR509: 17 1/8" x 6 13/16" x 12 15/16"
TX-SR309: 17 1/8" x 5 7/8" x 12 15/16" 
HT-RC360: 17 1/8" x 6 13/16" x 12 15/16"
HT-RC370: 17 1/8" x 6 7/8" x 14 15/16"

The best of these, the NR709, has the following specs: Front L/R, Center, Surround L/R, Surround Back L/R all 110W driving 2 channels into 8 ohm loads with 0.08% THD over 20-20,000 Hz at half power. They also list: HDMI Support for 3D Video and Audio Return Channel
Marvell Qdeo™ Video Chip for 4K Upscaling and Processing
Network Capability Delivers Internet Radio and Network Streaming
THX® Select2 Plus™ Certified
Direct Digital Connection of iPod/iPhone via Front-Panel USB Port
Audyssey MultEQ® XT Advanced Room-correction and Speaker Calibration
Audyssey DSX™ and Dolby® Pro Logic® IIz Add New Dimensions to Surround Sound.

This seems to exceed the specs of my speakers, and I can get it for $535. Any show-stoppers here, or are there other recommendations that might do better within the same physical space limitations?


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