# newbie from USA



## gms1981 (May 27, 2011)

Hi guys,
I am a newbie to the world of A/V equipment. Also I've never had a stable home(studies and work keep me moving every couple of years) of my own, so never got the chance to setup a System for myself (atleast since I've had my own money for a system).

I certainly can't afford Aerial Accoustics nor any Marantz stuff but neither do I want to get by with any Logitech/Creative desktop speakers either anymore.
As far as my knowledge goes, you basically need 3 pieces of equipment for an A/V system:

1. A/V Receiver (correct me if I am wrong, but AVR's have an inbuilt Amp. and you don't need to buy one separately.)
2. Set of speakers (2 to 7)
3. Sub-woofer

In my situation I am going to buy this piece by piece and not the complete system in one go.
I know the receiver is the most important in all of this as it acts as you hub for the display as well as the audio, however I already purchased a subwoofer for a (possibly?)good deal a couple of months ago.

I have the Polk Audio PSW 505 12" (got it for $199)
I know it is an old model but I read a lot of reviews and everything seemed good performance wise. 
What is you opinion on this? Is it good with today's receivers? and Is its performance as good as I've read up so far?

Now I am ready to buy a receiver.

I have tried to read up on stuff as much as possible and the technical details associated with AVR's too.
While reading about each AVR I did not research all those detailed tech specs (4ohm impedance, all channel simultaneous output power, THD, +-dB, etc) but went with the reviews on the forums and cnet and other sites.

I have found these models to be the most recommended or latest in the mid range with maximum chances of being future proof (upto a certain extent) in term of features & performance

Denon AVR 1911 (best value for money by CNEt ---if i recall correctly)
Denon AVR 1912
Yamaha RX-V667
Pioneer VSX-1021K
Onkyo TX-NR509 
Onkyo TX-NR609 (509, 609 new models with network ready and loaded with features)


Can you tell me if I am on the right track? which should i go for OR would you recommend something else?


Thanks for the help guys

Read more: newbie from USA - Home Theater Forum and Systems - HomeTheaterShack.com


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Hi, 
The Polk Audio sub will do the job for now. It really depends on the size of the room your going to be using it in.

I disagree the the Denon is the best value for the money. Although a decent receiver I think for the money you can get this Onkyo 708 for $499 and it gives you the ability to add an external amplifier down the road if you ever upgrade your speakers without having to replace the receiver.

What is your budget for speakers


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## engtaz (Jul 9, 2010)

Welcome


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

Welcome to the Shack.
Yes, I think you are basically on the right track. I'd also agree with Tony, the Denon is a good receiver but probably not the best value for the money. A few years ago maybe, but lately the Onkyo's seem to be the best value per dollar.
One thing I would disagree with is that a receiver is the most important. My opinion, the speakers are the most important! Receivers come and go as does the need to upgrade them to get the latest and greatest features that you may or may not need or want. But a good pair of speakers can last many many years. They are also the most important factor in the way your systems sounds, does not matter how great your electronics are as they cannot compensate for bad speakers.


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## gms1981 (May 27, 2011)

@tony - for now the approx room size will be 9Hx12Wx16L

external amplifier is required when the per channel power output is not enough to drive all the connected speakers to optimal performance, right?

@engtaz - thanks

@nova - thanks, Yes I too have seen some really good Onkyo's recently. I am reading up on some models along with the features and price. I will post the details in a couple of days to get some pros/cons feedback on it. I agree with your points on AVR-speaker importance.
However as of right now I am only buying a receiver, the speakers will be purchased 4-6 months down the line. (till then i will make-do with some standard book shelf speakers) 

My thinking was that I would like to get a feature loaded receiver (within decent price limits) according to today's standard, such that it would be somewhat future-proof and won't become completely obsolete 3-4 years down the line. this is my 1st so want to get something really good, the next time I am making changes even if i don't get all the bells and whistles it will not be an issue

when i do go in for speakers, i was thinking about getting a Left/Right/Center 3 piece set (initially)
What would be a decent budget for that?

thanks


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

gms1981 said:


> As far as my knowledge goes, you basically need 3 pieces of equipment for an A/V system:
> 
> 1. A/V Receiver (correct me if I am wrong, but AVR's have an inbuilt Amp. and you don't need to buy one separately.)
> 2. Set of speakers (2 to 7)
> 3. Sub-woofer


AVRs do have built in amps, but their power ratings are generally stated into 2-speaker 8 ohm loads. A full 5.0 or 7.0 system will normally have three front speakers carrying much of the load and surrounds, while not extremely demanding, still prefer some extra power dedicated to them. It's not completely vital, but an outbound 3-channel amplifier is never a bad idea. Further, most speakers are NOT resistive 8-ohm loads - they may have dips as low as 2 or 3 ohms. They are complex, varying loads often with high current demands - electical phase angles between current and voltage are a particular killer when it comes to amplifiers. AV Receivers - especially at the entry level - often try to pack too many features into one box. There's no free lunch, and the tradeoff with cheap receivers being they often skimp where it really matters - the amp section! If an amp section is weak, it will reduce fidelity with some speakers. So I would get an AV receiver with a powerful measured amp section (around 185wpc into _4 ohms_ at least, preferably more.) and high voltage pre-amp outputs should I find a need for more power. Companies know features sell, but the difference between a $300 AVR and a $900 AVR and a $2500 AVR is going to be in that oh-so-important amp section.



> I know the receiver is the most important in all of this as it acts as you hub for the display as well as the audio, however I already purchased a subwoofer for a (possibly?)good deal a couple of months ago.
> 
> I have the Polk Audio PSW 505 12" (got it for $199)


The receiver is not the most important at all, the speakers and display are - that's what's making the sound and picture and that's what you're there fore. Besides that though, honestly, I don't consider that Polk sub to be a good deal. You can do a lot better in performance-wise at that price point. The EMP Tek, Emotiva, Epik, Elemental Designs, and Infinity subs are IMO going to be notably superior choices near that price point.



> I have tried to read up on stuff as much as possible and the technical details associated with AVR's too.
> While reading about each AVR I did not research all those detailed tech specs (4ohm impedance, all channel simultaneous output power, THD, +-dB, etc) but went with the reviews on the forums and cnet and other sites.


The ability to deliver high power into 4 ohm impedances is a very important one - far more important than how good a reviewer thinks (read: imagines) it sounds or how easy to setup (read: you might do this once.. or twice and then forget) it is.

The other useful feature is Auto-setup as it does time alignment really well. Beyond that, a lot of what you pay for in receivers is fluff - DSP processing, EQ modes, 5+ HDMI inputs which mess with your speakers' sound, and video upscaling. It sells products, but is otherwise pointless for me. One actually useful feature is Audyssey subEQ - only available on the higher end denon receiver as far as I can tell. unless i'm mistaken, it allows you to tame bass peaks and nulls from the subwoofer without messing with your speakers' sound. I would however confirm this.



> I have found these models to be the most recommended or latest in the mid range with maximum chances of being future proof (upto a certain extent) in term of features & performance
> 
> Denon AVR 1911 (best value for money by CNEt ---if i recall correctly)
> Denon AVR 1912
> ...


My choice for future-proof reciever (assuming 3D and networking are actually important to you - they aren't to me) would be either the Denon 4311CI or the Yamaha Aventage RX-A2000. 

If you must step down, then consider the the Marantz SR6005.

If 3D is not important, I'd go a generation old and get a Marantz SR6004 or 5004 from the same website as linked above. I don't personally care about 3D and most good 3D blu ray players let you bypass the video on the receiver anyways. Receiver video processing is a waste of money IMHO. All you need is something that can play 7.1 Lossless DTS-MA and Dolby TrueHD Audio and drive speakers well.. everything else is for marketing departments, and people who would rather have a poor 11.4 system with upscaled DVDs than an excellent 5.1 system with real 1080P blu-rays.. just my opinion :T

I really think future proofing yourself is unnecessary. There are people with mostly obsolete, but well-chosen and setup fully analog 5.1 electronics anchoring systems which will look and sound better than what you can get with a feature driven, but otherwise weak "modern" 7.1 system.

DTS-MA and Dolby TrueHD are the most important "modern" features and they're definitely here to stay!. 3D and networking might be valuable to you but they have not made older receivers obsolete by any means! 

The most future proof you want to be is whenever you may choose to upgrade your speakers - will your receiver be able to play future choices on those? What if you went with active loudspeakers or a separate amplifier eventually? Can it drive an outbound amp in that case?


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## robbo266317 (Sep 22, 2008)

welcome to HTS

Cheers,
Bill


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Hi gms1981 and welcome..


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## gms1981 (May 27, 2011)

sorry guys, I do not have a net connection at the moment and I am also looking for a new place therefore haven't got the time to research info and post. Will do so in a couple of days. 
Thank you everyone so far


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