# AV receiver recommendation needed



## treepmeyer (Dec 30, 2013)

I am trying to put together my first home theater system and am stuck on selecting an AV receiver. I am coming from the stereo world of 20 years ago and spend the last couple of weeks learning new terms - and getting myself quite confused trying to sort out what I need.

I am not an audiophile, but do enjoy good music and decent video. As a point of reference, my old stereo system is composed of Harmon Kardon Signature Series components with Celestion speakers. Good, but by no means great. I have an LG 47LG50 HDTV (no ARC), an older Samsung DVD (no HDMI) and just bought a set of Martin Logan MHL-1 home theater speaker set. ML tells me that they are made for them by Paradigm. I expect they will be just fine for me. Incidentally, the receiver will be placed about 6 feet from my router so I won't need WiFi capability. I have no interest in 3D, but using a second zone to drive speakers on the deck would be nice.

I use broadcast TV (no cable), frequently stream Netflix content (using a netboook connected to the TV via RGB and an audio cord), and DVDs. I have Roko on another TV and may want to use one for this TV at some point. I want to play Pandora on the MLs and to play music from my iPod classic (or from my desktop iTunes folder). I've been looking at the Sony STR DN1040, Onkyo TX-NR626 and Yamaha RX-V673. The Onkyo looks like a good value but there appear to be reports of problems with the HDMI boards. Any suggestions or comments would be most helpful. Thanks.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Hi, yes the new era of receivers has changed the landscape forever. Many many new features like auto room correction being one of the biggest. 
I'm a big fan of Onkyo despite the small amount of issues with the HDMI boards as I truly think it is much less common than som lead you to believe given I myself have never had one issue with mine and neither have many other members on here.
Have you looked at accessories4less? They sell refurbished receivers and you save a huge amount so you get much more for your money.
http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...iver/Home-Audio/Home-Theater-Receivers/1.html


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## treepmeyer (Dec 30, 2013)

Yes, Accessories4less looks great. I noticed the Onkyo 717 with THX. Can you tell me what THX is?


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

THX is a company that certifies audio and video to meet certain quality benchmarks
http://www.thx.com/consumer/thx-technology/
This gives you some very useful processing modes that I do recommend having.


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## Andre (Feb 15, 2010)

I agree with Tony's assessment of the Onkyo, another option especially if you are ever looking at using Apple TV and Airplay are the Denon receivers. I will recommend an upgrade to a Bluray player, there are very inexpensive now a days (Sony S5100 can be had for less then $100, I bought two in Canada at Christmas for $85ea). Your TV is capable of handling the increased resolution and you will be amazed at the difference. The 5100 also has a myriad of online streaming services which include Pandora and Netflix so you don't have to wire your laptop to your system constantly.


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## treepmeyer (Dec 30, 2013)

Seems my best choice is either the Onkyo 626 or the 717 on Accessories4less. Great prices. As far as I can tell the main difference is the THX, so I will go with the 717. Thanks very much for the help.


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## BamaDave (Dec 28, 2013)

If you have yet to make a purchase I would consider the Yamaha line if it were me and depending on your budget, look at the RX-A3020/30 as it has all of the whistles & bells you could need. Also Sonnie did a comprehensive review of the 3020 providing his experiences that you could check out. I have the Pre/Pro version in my HT and like it a lot in fact we are planning on adding the 3030 to our living room to take advantage of the 2nd zone to play on the patio just like you are wanting. 

Good luck with your selection!


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## rdcollns (Oct 13, 2013)

I second Yamaha, I have the RX-A2000 and I couldn't be happier. The sound is crystal clear, making my speakers sound significantly better than my old Onkyo which sounded okay, but was missing a certain punch and clarity in the sound. It has three zones, which can easily be controlled over the network through your phone. Pandora and internet radio works perfectly, it can also be controlled through your phone so you don't have to turn on your TV to pick stations. One of the best features is the digital music "Enhancer" which makes a substantial impact improving the quality of playback for digital music, it sounds richer has more depth - hard to explain but the improvement is clear as day. It is also fully customizable, so your inputs don't all say, "satellite" or "cable" or something else you don't own. I have been fully satisfied with Yamaha's automatic sound correction (YPAO). It also has HD radio, two subwoofer outputs, it looks nice, comes with a good remote and a second remote for your second zone. I got mine on ebay for much less than the cost of lower quality receivers. I don't know how many of these features come on the other Yamaha models, but I am not easily pleased, and definitely recommend Yamaha. I can't remember where it is manufactured, but one of the reasons I picked it over Denon was reports I heard that Denon was made in Chine and Yamaha was made somewhere where the quality control is traditionally better, you might want to double check that though.


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## asere (Dec 7, 2011)

Depending on your budget I would consider an avr with Audyssey xt and up like xt 32. I went from just multeq to xt and the difference is night and day. The Onkyo 818 is a great receiver from what I've read and hear and it's around $699. The 717 has only 2eq and it's $499. If you can stretch your budget the 818 is a better option.


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## bcoddy (Jan 13, 2014)

I am also looking for a recommendation. Pioneer eliterSC-75 or denon AVR-X4000.


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## GusGus748s (Jul 22, 2013)

Everyone is recommending some good AVR's, but you haven't stated what's your budget. If you can afford an AVR with XT32 + Sub EQ it would be nice due to the flexibility.

I'm currently using a Pioneer SC-1522-K, which I bought at CostCo for $600 dollars, and I love it more than the Onkyo's I used to have, which had XT.


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## SteveMA (Jan 14, 2009)

treepmeyer said:


> Seems my best choice is either the Onkyo 626 or the 717 on Accessories4less. Great prices. As far as I can tell the main difference is the THX, so I will go with the 717. Thanks very much for the help.


Decent choice. I, too, bought the 717 from accessories4less. I also have the 3007 in another location. I've have three Onkyo receivers and haven't had an issue with any of them. You'll like the tx-nr717.:T


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