# Choosing a AVR and the matching speakers.



## rentangz (Jan 24, 2008)

I need some help on choosing AVR for my HT and the matching speakers that will go well with the AVR. I am considering the brands Denon,Onkyo,Harman Kardon, Yamaha since these are the brands available here.The speakers brand are B&W,JBL,Dynaudio,Atlantic Techonoly..Other suggested AVR and Speaker brands will also be welcome.Thanks


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## recruit (May 9, 2009)

Hi, It's all about preference as your ears will be the judge in this decision you are trying to make, all the makes you have named will go well together in some way or another but ultimately a demo really needs to be considered, it's good that you have an idea of the makes that interest you as that is a good starting point and then try and book some demo's with dealers, for example I prefer a brighter sound with lots of detail whereas someone else may prefer a smoother sound, the 2 makes that come to mind with these 2 differences are Onkyo (Brighter) sounding and Denon (Smoother) sound that others prefer.

So the best advice is Demo and you already have a shortlist


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

A good receiver will do very little, if anything, to color the sound, and I've never heard the brighter/smoother differentiations that some people claim to hear with different receivers. As for matching speaker brands with the receiver, there is no need. Choose an AVR that has the feature you want at a price you want to pay, and then try out some speakers. If you aren't in a position to try out speakers, read a lot of reviews and ask a lot of question and try to go with a manufacturer that has good support and a liberal return policy.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

eugovector said:


> A good receiver will do very little, if anything, to color the sound, and I've never heard the brighter/smoother differentiations that some people claim to hear with different receivers. As for matching speaker brands with the receiver, there is no need. Choose an AVR that has the feature you want at a price you want to pay, and then try out some speakers. If you aren't in a position to try out speakers, read a lot of reviews and ask a lot of question and try to go with a manufacturer that has good support and a liberal return policy.


I agree with marshall, all quality AVR's will do you justice it's just a matter of features. As for speakers thats a different ballgame, you definatley want to do your home work on this one as you do not want to b e dissapointed. Some brands that come to my mind are Paradigm, PSB, Energy, Monitor audio, and Martin logan, and all the speaker brands i listed will very depending on your budget and how much work you actually want the speakers to do.:T


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

Just from personal experience here -- and Marshall and Bambino both have their excellent points and feelings on the matter -- I have always found Onkyo and Polk to be a good "sonic" match; they seem to be a popular combination on all forums as well. 

Absolutely just my two cents. :T


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

rentangz said:


> I need some help on choosing AVR for my HT and the matching speakers that will go well with the AVR. I am considering the brands Denon,Onkyo,Harman Kardon, Yamaha since these are the brands available here.The speakers brand are B&W,JBL,Dynaudio,Atlantic Techonoly..Other suggested AVR and Speaker brands will also be welcome.Thanks


Hello,
Speakers are very much a personal thing. I highly recommend auditioning as many Speakers as possible. Of the Speaker Lines listed, B&W and Dynaudio would definitely be where I start. Both of these Companies make their own Drivers (Woofers, Tweeters, etc) and custom Design each Driver for the particular Speaker. Dynaudio makes some of the finest Soft Dome Tweeters in the World.

Once you have decided on Speakers, then I would decide on AVR. Depending on Speaker chosen, the Amplifier Section of the AVR might have huge implications on performance. Less efficient Speakers require more powerful AVR's to sound their best.
Cheers,
JJ


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

:T


Osage_Winter said:


> Just from personal experience here -- and Marshall and Bambino both have their excellent points and feelings on the matter -- I have always found Onkyo and Polk to be a good "sonic" match; they seem to be a popular combination on all forums as well.
> 
> Absolutely just my two cents. :T


I forgot to mention polk as well, they have many products at all price ranges to suit any budget.


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

bambino said:


> :T
> 
> I forgot to mention polk as well, they have many products at all price ranges to suit any budget.


Indeed, Bambino; thank you for your backup thoughts there, sir. :T

I only mentioned Polk out of my own experience; I don't have vast amounts of experience with many other brands, but I've been witness to the Polk/Onkyo combo sounding pretty good. :bigsmile:


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

Osage_Winter said:


> Indeed, Bambino; thank you for your backup thoughts there, sir. :T
> 
> I only mentioned Polk out of my own experience; I don't have vast amounts of experience with many other brands, but I've been witness to the Polk/Onkyo combo sounding pretty good. :bigsmile:


I've pretty much been with Paradigm since i was a kid so same story as you with experiance but i have heard a few that i mentiond and they do give a good bang for the buck. And pretty much all of those have speaker lines to fit any budget.:clap:


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

bambino said:


> I've pretty much been with Paradigm since i was a kid so same story as you with experiance but i have heard a few that i mentiond and they do give a good bang for the buck. And pretty much all of those have speaker lines to fit any budget.:clap:


Indeed...

It's funny how we just gravitate to certain brands after just sticking with them for years, huh? For me it started with Kenwood products (remember them?) and JBL speakers, and along the way I picked up Onkyo and Polk...seems that's what I gravitate to now. Like you with Paradigm...:wave:


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

Osage_Winter said:


> Indeed...
> 
> It's funny how we just gravitate to certain brands after just sticking with them for years, huh? For me it started with Kenwood products (remember them?) and JBL speakers, and along the way I picked up Onkyo and Polk...seems that's what I gravitate to now. Like you with Paradigm...:wave:


Yeah i don't know what it is with that either, somthing to do with loyalty or kinda like once chevy fan always one or ford or whatever the case may be. When i was into car audio i was the same way had to be Eclipse, MB Quart, earthquake, rockford, etc. etc. :dontknow::T


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

I prefer to think that when you find one company whose products represent a good value, you tend to stick with them rather than risk wasting time and money on inferior products.


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

bambino said:


> Yeah i don't know what it is with that either, somthing to do with loyalty or kinda like once chevy fan always one or ford or whatever the case may be. When i was into car audio i was the same way had to be Eclipse, MB Quart, earthquake, rockford, etc. etc. :dontknow::T


I know exactly what you mean -- when I was into car audio heavily myself (and worked for _Car Sound & Performance_ and _AutoMedia_ magazines in my career) I always leaned towards Kenwood, Alpine and Kicker -- then I got into Rockford and installed a sealed box in my last car, a '99 Accord Coupe, containing two 15" XLC Punch subs and a Punch amp. From there, it was like I only wanted Rockford Fosgate's stuff; I was friendly with one of their PR guys as I worked with him in a PR job previously before he moved to Rockford's Arizona headquarters, and he used to hook me up with deals galore -- it's how I got my amp and sub box back then.

But you know what I noticed about Rockford's stuff? They used to be a big deal -- remember when if someone had "Fosgate" in their car, they were like worshipped and people couldn't believe they could afford the stuff? Rockford at one point was the Conrad Johnson of car audio. Then suddenly, one day, I noticed that Crutchfield was selling their amps and subs. Somehow, their gear just wasn't the same anymore. Good -- but not the same....know what I mean?

It's like they suddenly went mass market and something......happened. :huh: :rolleyesno:


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

eugovector said:


> I prefer to think that when you find one company whose products represent a good value, you tend to stick with them rather than risk wasting time and money on inferior products.


Very well-put, and most likely what it is.

You know what's bad about this approach, though? Sometimes we don't know that we may be missing out on brands that could be _better_ than what we have...:hissyfit: :crying: :spend: :rolleyesno:


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

Osage_Winter said:


> I know exactly what you mean -- when I was into car audio heavily myself (and worked for _Car Sound & Performance_ and _AutoMedia_ magazines in my career) I always leaned towards Kenwood, Alpine and Kicker -- then I got into Rockford and installed a sealed box in my last car, a '99 Accord Coupe, containing two 15" XLC Punch subs and a Punch amp. From there, it was like I only wanted Rockford Fosgate's stuff; I was friendly with one of their PR guys as I worked with him in a PR job previously before he moved to Rockford's Arizona headquarters, and he used to hook me up with deals galore -- it's how I got my amp and sub box back then.
> 
> But you know what I noticed about Rockford's stuff? They used to be a big deal -- remember when if someone had "Fosgate" in their car, they were like worshipped and people couldn't believe they could afford the stuff? Rockford at one point was the Conrad Johnson of car audio. Then suddenly, one day, I noticed that Crutchfield was selling their amps and subs. Somehow, their gear just wasn't the same anymore. Good -- but not the same....know what I mean?
> 
> It's like they suddenly went mass market and something......happened. :huh: :rolleyesno:


Seems to be that alot of companys head that way, kinda like the underground bands that never got radio play then all of the sudden they are on.'' it's all about the benjamins baby''.


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## Osage_Winter (Apr 8, 2010)

Unfortunately, you're most likely right.

It actually happened to the company I am so fond of, Onkyo; in their heyday, back when their product was stamped with the "ONKYO INTEGRA" badges and a bit beyond that period, this company was more than well-respected for their rock-solid tuners and amps, with the analog-style VU meters and such. Suddenly, years later, their receivers were being sold during Fourth of July stock-busting sales at Circuit City and in the aforementioned Crutchfield catalog, and the brand was suddenly relegated to people's first thoughts when considering a HTiB...and as much as I love this brand, it's a painful truth.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

eugovector said:


> I prefer to think that when you find one company whose products represent a good value, you tend to stick with them rather than risk wasting time and money on inferior products.


That has an aweful lot to do with it, allthough the mass marketing thing can sometimes kill the product you once loved.


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