# AVR search - need recommendations!



## theshummer (Jan 15, 2011)

Hi everyone,
I know there's probably a post on here about this, so if you need to redirect me, please do. Also, I wanted to throw in my specifics, since everyone's setup is a bit different. I'm game for any suggestion, so let 'em fly!

I had a Harman Kardon 235 that got fried by lightening. I'm looking for the best quality AVR preferably for $500-700, but can stray outside that range if the quality/features justify it. I have 4 Polk Audio RM2350 series, 1 Polk center RM2650, and an SVS 25-31 PCI sub. I'm looking for the AVR to also work with HD TV and DVD/blue-ray with capability to possibly expand in the future (i.e. 3D, 7.1, etc). I've heard good things about Onkyo, Yamaha, and Panasonic. What do you suggest as best bang for the buck?

Thanks for everything!
Bryan


----------



## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Bryan,
Welcome to Home Theater Shack. I believe the best available AVR in your price range is the Onkyo TX-NR1007 from Accessories4less. This is a B-Stock Model, but it originally retailed for 1600 Dollars and AC4L is an Authorized Dealer so there is a 1 Year Factory Warranty.

The 1007 offers THX Ultra2 Plus Certification, Audyssey MultEQ XT, Internet Radio/Firmware Updates, 6 HDMI Inputs, 9 Channels of Amplification, weighs over 50 Pounds, and much more.
It seems the site is showing it sold out, but I think they have some left as someone purchased one from them yesterday.

If by chance it is sold out, AC4L does have the TX-NR3007 for 859 on Ebay and is even better. I purchased one from AC4L and could not be happier, but I do think they still have a few 1007's left. I would call them on Monday. 

Also, some Best Buy's are blowing out 3007's for around 750 Dollars. However, these are few and far between and most are Display Models. Certainly worth a phone call to see if there are any in your area.
Cheers,
JJ


----------



## LAB3 (Dec 19, 2010)

I too like Onkyo I have the TX-SR805 that has all the HD audio decoders. Really happy with it one year later. I see them new on that auction site new A stock for less what your budget is. 7.1 130 watts a channel, Audyssey mic, 4 HDMI inputs. THX Ultra II. Also look at the Yamaha RX-V1065 has the same specs. Which ever unit you go with, do HDMI from Blu-ray to A/V Receiver then HDMI to you flat screen for best A/V.

EDIT 3 input HDMI 1 output


----------



## theshummer (Jan 15, 2011)

Gentlemen,
Thanks for your suggestions! The 805 was tempting at that price and there were no more 1007s, so I went with the 3007. The 3007 has great specs all the way through and, whatever this is worth, will fit my future plans a lot better. The main drawback I saw on the 805 was only 3 HDMI inputs. I already have 3 pieces of equipment to fill that bill, so I'd be immediately behind the 8-ball on that. 

Now, onto another very important question. My Harman Kardon was fried by lightening. Is there any secret to protecting my new 3007 other than a standard surge protector?
Thanks!!
Bryan


----------



## LAB3 (Dec 19, 2010)

theshummer said:


> Gentlemen,
> Thanks for your suggestions! The 805 was tempting at that price and there were no more 1007s, so I went with the 3007. The 3007 has great specs all the way through and, whatever this is worth, will fit my future plans a lot better. The main drawback I saw on the 805 was only 3 HDMI inputs. I already have 3 pieces of equipment to fill that bill, so I'd be immediately behind the 8-ball on that.
> 
> Now, onto another very important question. My Harman Kardon was fried by lightening. Is there any secret to protecting my new 3007 other than a standard surge protector?
> ...


WOW Brian you found a new TX-NR3007 for $700.00 your posted budget. Smokin deal. I would buy one now for that if it has factory warranty.I just looked on that auction site all were in the $1,200.00 range. Do purchase a small fan and make sure you have some room above the top of the unit as you will find out with all those amps there will be a lot of heat. My Onkyo runs a lot warmer then my Yamaha 7.1 I had (no HD) so I cut out the back side of my cabinet and installed 2 small fans blowing from the rear. My Bad the 805 has 3 HDMI inputs and one HDMI output (version 1.3a) but you can get around this buy getting a Programmable 3 in/1out HDMI Switcher that maintains 1080P resolutions. I have one on the back of my older 46" flat screen(bedroom) with just one HDMI input. Enjoy.
Louis


----------



## theshummer (Jan 15, 2011)

Oops, sorry if I mislead anyone. The 3007 was for $850, but still a sweet deal in my book and comes with a 1 year manufacturer's warranty.

Louis, thanks for the tip on the fans!:T


----------



## LAB3 (Dec 19, 2010)

theshummer said:


> Oops, sorry if I mislead anyone. The 3007 was for $850, but still a sweet deal in my book and comes with a 1 year manufacturer's warranty.
> 
> Louis, thanks for the tip on the fans!:T


Brian you must have purchased the last one for $859.00 as I looked again for one. I will use my 805 in Bedroom. I wanted this model last year but $$ was a issue. Was the warranty from Ebay or was this a Onkyo online Dealer? As my Onkyo has a factory 2 year warranty. I doubt you will need it unless lighting hits the house.

Good Buy on a Great Receiver

Louis


----------



## Tufelhundin (Jan 25, 2010)

LAB3 said:


> Brian you must have purchased the last one for $859.00 as I looked again for one. I will use my 805 in Bedroom. I wanted this model last year but $$ was a issue. Was the warranty from Ebay or was this a Onkyo online Dealer? As my Onkyo has a factory 2 year warranty. *I doubt you will need it unless lighting hits the house.*
> 
> Good Buy on a Great Receiver
> 
> Louis



ouch:rofl2:




sorry, but I wasn't sure if LAB read why you were needing a new avr.:scratch::rofl2:


Brian I had an Onk 600 get hit by lightning and everything still seems to work as long as I use rca's. I must say you got a SWEET deal and you should love all the bells & whistles that come with the 3007, the amps are very beefy and MultEQ-XT is powerful and it should make your SVS PC play sweet :hsd:...along with your other speakers as well.:T

I have 1007 and absolutely love it!


----------



## LAB3 (Dec 19, 2010)

Tufelhundin said:


> ouch:rofl2:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes I read it .. I had the same thing happen to me several years ago............... Home Owners insurance paid about 1/2 the cost:hissyfit:.used equipment to them . I was not being mean just sayin the Onkyo is good unit and lasts a long time.


----------



## theshummer (Jan 15, 2011)

Answering Louis,
I looked at accessories4less's website and they were offering the 3007 for $899. But on ebay they were offering it for $859. Don't know why... Either way, they're an Onkyo Cert'd dealer and it only has a 1 year warranty because it's a factory refurb. I've had great results with many other factory refurb items, so my expectations are high for this too.

My Harman Kardon still "worked" after the lightening strike too. But only in "surround off" mode. So, pretty much a pointless piece of equipment. After a while operating with surround off, random parts of the onscreen menu just started showing up while I was watching tv. I took it to an authorized repair shop and he told me the repairs would cost more than what I just paid for the Onkyo.


----------



## LAB3 (Dec 19, 2010)

theshummer said:


> Answering Louis,
> I looked at accessories4less's website and they were offering the 3007 for $899. But on ebay they were offering it for $859. Don't know why... Either way, they're an Onkyo Cert'd dealer and it only has a 1 year warranty because it's a factory refurb. I've had great results with many other factory refurb items, so my expectations are high for this too.
> 
> My Harman Kardon still "worked" after the lightening strike too. But only in "surround off" mode. So, pretty much a pointless piece of equipment. After a while operating with surround off, random parts of the onscreen menu just started showing up while I was watching tv. I took it to an authorized repair shop and he told me the repairs would cost more than what I just paid for the Onkyo.


I purchased a Sony refurb Blu-ray player a few years ago and it still works perfect. Sometimes they are just units that people return (buyers remorse) and the factory has to check it and repackage it. My wife use to work at COMP USA and we got some somkin deals on camera's etc. The Sony rep is one that told her her about repackaging new items that have been returned. Our other Blu-ray player.

I am looking for a better spike protector for my A/V equipment. I purchased two Monster cable units but later I was told they will not help.onder: I did make a lightening rod out of a 1" copper stake 3' long I sunk in the ground and used large auto batery cable attached to it and connected to the ground on my electric meter box and another cable on the main metal water line going under our foundation.
I also removed the old TV antenna from the roof and the Direct TV Dish we don't use now. Verizon FIOS Fiber Optic buried in the yard for our PC and HD TV now. We lost all of our TV and A/V receiver. Wife unplugged the her PC and I said don't worry were Ok the storm is not close..........1 hour later Crack. :gulp:


----------



## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
On Ebay, AC4L charges higher Shipping than they do from their Website. If Purchased from them on Ebay or from their site, the same 1 Year Manufacturers Warranty applies. If it is an A-Stock, the Warranty is 2 Years for Onkyo AVR's.
Cheers,
JJ


----------



## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

theshummer said:


> Now, onto another very important question. My Harman Kardon was fried by lightening. Is there any secret to protecting my new 3007 other than a standard surge protector?
> Thanks!!
> Bryan


First, be sure the electrical circuits serving your system are properly grounded (probably the case if new construction but may not be with older homes or DIY renovations). This is critical.

Second, start with a high quality surge protector power strip(s) at your AV rack to protect all the wired services (power, CATV, tel and network). It is critical that everything be protected. Be sure any remote equipment that is connected to the system is given the same protection to ward off any surges coming down signal lines (think powered subs, projectors, game consoles, any anything else that might be connected to the AV system but is not plugged in at the rack). 

Third, you can add whole-home surge protection. This involves installing surge protection devices at the main service feeds for power (usu. at meter or main panel board), CATV, and Tel. The equipment can cost up to ~$400-500 for three quality surge protectors (one for each service) but provides protection for the entire house. You can probably double that cost to have it professionally installed. Alternatively, you may be able to get this provided by your power company (mine does, but not in all areas) for no install cost but ~$20-30/month service fee. 

Keep in mind, however, that there is no way to provide 100% protection against a direct hit except to unplug _everything_. Thanksfully, direct hits are very rare and surge protectors do a good job mitigating damage from far more common indirect hits (strike at power pole, tree in your yard, nearby structure, etc.).

Regards,
sga2


----------



## LAB3 (Dec 19, 2010)

sga2 said:


> First, be sure the electrical circuits serving your system are properly grounded (probably the case if new construction but may not be with older homes or DIY renovations). This is critical.
> 
> Second, start with a high quality surge protector power strip(s) at your AV rack to protect all the wired services (power, CATV, tel and network). It is critical that everything be protected. Be sure any remote equipment that is connected to the system is given the same protection to ward off any surges coming down signal lines (think powered subs, projectors, game consoles, any anything else that might be connected to the AV system but is not plugged in at the rack).
> 
> ...


What brand surge protector and what rating??? I purchased several Monster Cable power strips/ surg protectors that help with lighting strikes and was told I wated my $$. I did install a copper rod in the ground 3 feet and used large dia. auto battery cables from it to electric meter box and also to my metal water line going into the house. Removed everyting off roof... Tv dish etc. we don't use now. Verizon Fiber Optic buried in ground for HD TV and PC.


----------



## theshummer (Jan 15, 2011)

sga2 said:


> First, be sure the electrical circuits serving your system are properly grounded (probably the case if new construction but may not be with older homes or DIY renovations). This is critical.
> 
> Regards,
> sga2


sga2,
thanks for the advice! Everything registers except how to check my grounds. Is a standard multimeter sufficient? What setting should I use? I'm still kinda novice at checking electrical stuff. My house is about 9 years old, but the contractor in this area was sued for cutting other corners in his construction, so it wouldn't surprise me if I find something.

Thanks!
Bryan


----------



## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

theshummer said:


> sga2,
> thanks for the advice! Everything registers except how to check my grounds. Is a standard multimeter sufficient? What setting should I use? I'm still kinda novice at checking electrical stuff. My house is about 9 years old, but the contractor in this area was sued for cutting other corners in his construction, so it wouldn't surprise me if I find something.
> 
> Thanks!
> Bryan


You'd need to hire an electrician to be sure your grounding system meets current Code and local requirements. However, given the age of the house you almost certainly at least have a grounded system -which is a good start - and it probably is fine. Here are the basic things I'd check for myself based on current NEC requirements:

DISCLAIMER - IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH ELECTRICAL WORK AND BASIC ELECTRICAL SAFETY PROCEDURES, PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO CHECK THESE YOURSELF. AND ALWAYS TURN OFF ANY CIRCUIT BREAKERS (AND VERIFY POWER HAS BEEN TURNED OFF) SERVING ANY ELECTRICAL DEVICE BEFORE YOU OPEN IT.

1. All outlets and switches should be grounded. The ground wire (either bare copper wire or green jacketed wire) should terminate at the ground screw. These wires need to be electrically continuous back to the panel. 

2. Any metal junction boxes or switch boxes should be bonded (ground wire connected via a ground screw to the box boxes) to panel. 

3. Circuit ground wires should terminate within the distribution panel at the ground bar. Note that the ground bar and neutral bar are electrically the same in the main panel and may even be the same bar, or might be separate bars connected together with a metal bonding bar. However, in any sub panel the ground bar and neutral bar must be electrically isolated. NOTE: DO NOT OPEN THE PANEL UNLESS YOU ARE VERY COMFORTABLE WITH ELECTRICAL WORK. TURN OFF YOUR MAIN BREAKER BEFORE OPENING BUT KNOW THAT THE MAIN WIRES ON PRIMARY SIDE OF BREAKER ARE STILL CHARGED. IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW THIS, PLEASE CALL AN ELECTRICIAN.

4. Main service neutral wire (either bare wire or jacketed with black & white cover) needs to be bonded to the neutral bar in the main panel.

5. Neutral bar in main panel needs to be bonded to neutral in sub-panels.

6. Ground in main panel needs to be bonded to ground bars in sub-panels.

7. The electrical service needs to be grounded, usually at the meter or service entrance, via some combination of the following (local jurisdiction may require all and more): bare copper wire bonded to copper stake in ground; bare copper wire bonded to foundation rebar; bare copper wire bonded to copper water piping. This will be thick cable, probably #6 or heavier.

If all of the above are good, it is probably safe to assume you have a properly grounded system (at least, per NEC) which would allow any surge protectors to work properly. However, your local juriusdiction may have additional requirements.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
sga2


----------



## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

LAB3 said:


> What brand surge protector and what rating??? I purchased several Monster Cable power strips/ surg protectors that help with lighting strikes and was told I wated my $$. I did install a copper rod in the ground 3 feet and used large dia. auto battery cables from it to electric meter box and also to my metal water line going into the house. Removed everyting off roof... Tv dish etc. we don't use now. Verizon Fiber Optic buried in ground for HD TV and PC.


For power strips, I suggest:

UL Listing as a "Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor".
Protection for power, CATV, Tel and Network.
Maximum clamping voltage of 330V. 
Minimum 2160 joule rating.
Minimum 72kA surge current rating.
3 mode protection - Line-Neutral, Line-Ground, Neutral-Ground.
Line noise filtration.
.

For whole home protection, I suggest:

UL Listing as a "Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor".
Maximum clamping voltage of 600V L-N. 
Minimum 72kA surge current rating.
3 mode protection - Line-Neutral, Line-Ground, Neutral-Ground.
.
I used Eaton CHSP2ULTRA for power, CHSPTEL for telephone, and CHSPCABLE for cable TV.

Regards,
sga2


----------



## LAB3 (Dec 19, 2010)

sga2 said:


> For power strips, I suggest:
> 
> UL Listing as a "Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor".
> Protection for power, CATV, Tel and Network.
> ...


Thanks
My neighbor had a lightening strike in the yard and it caused a water leak in the house. The reason I installed a copper rod in the ground and attached to the water line and the meter box. From now on I WILL un plug ALL my expensive equipment. I saw on Ebay a commercial 110volt 3 prong outlet that is used in a Hospital that has a 20 amp fuse in it too. :scratch: 2 different brands one was red the other orange, they look like a regualr white wall outlet from the front but a strip and other devices on back side.????
many years ago on a older home we had, every time the AC turned on the lights dimmed for a second. My Dad came over and tightened up all the ground wires in the breaker box in the garage ( he pulled the meter first) and looked to make sure all the wires were copper, not aluminum. After that the lights did not dim when AC turned on. Time to look for better Surge Suppresor.

Thanks
Louis


----------



## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

LAB3 said:


> Thanks
> I saw on Ebay a commercial 110volt 3 prong outlet that is used in a Hospital that has a 20 amp fuse in it too. :scratch: 2 different brands one was red the other orange, they look like a regualr white wall outlet from the front but a strip and other devices on back side.????


There are hospital-grade receptacles, and standard receptacles, available with and without a surge protection built in. Hospital grade receptacles have features that are of little value in home theater applications, like isolated ground and minimum pull-out resistance (to keep critical equipment from accidentally being unplugged). I would save my money and go with standard receptacles (just get good stuff, not the "builder grade" junk) instead of hospital-grade. 

As far as surge protected outlets... I might consider those where where a power strip is not feasible (e.g., at the projector). However I've had a hard time finding spec's on those products (to verify type and level of protection) and I'm fairly certain they do not offer the level of protection provided by a quality power strip. 

Regards,
sga2

PS - I unplug my stuff whenever a lightning storm approaches. My wife thinks I'm crazy, but lightning does bad things and I don't want to be without my home theater for 4 months while I fight my insurance company or whatever protection policy comes with my surge protector.


----------



## theshummer (Jan 15, 2011)

This is awesome stuff....thanks sga2!


----------



## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

theshummer said:


> This is awesome stuff....thanks sga2!


No problem at all!


----------

