# Best A/V Receiver for under $1000?



## Oleson M.D.

As we are looking to upgrade the family room audio, who makes the best A/V receiver for less than a grand?

HDMI with state of the art video processing, Dolby HD and DTS HD is what we need. The room is limited to a 5.1 setup, so we'll never use 7.1 capability.

I would think 100 watts continuous power would be adequate.


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## tonyvdb

That would be the Onkyo 876, Hands down it offers the most bang for buck as you still would need to spend well over $1600 to get anything close in features.


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## lsiberian

http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...-110w-X-7ch-Hdmi-Home-Theater-Surround/1.html

is another option. 

http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...Certified-9.2-Channel-Network-Receiver/1.html

is the Onkyo I suggest.


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## lsiberian

tonyvdb said:


> That would be the Onkyo 876, Hands down it offers the most bang for buck as you still would need to spend well over $1600 to get anything close in features.


You ever check out the 1007. It's going for 1000 at A4less. Looks like a great deal.


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## tonyvdb

some people dont like refurbished units and they were out of the 876 in black. The 1007 is also a good deal.


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## lsiberian

tonyvdb said:


> some people dont like refurbished units and they were out of the 876 in black. The 1007 is also a good deal.


Yeah I know that and I'd love for them to buy it from us since it helps keep the light on. It was my first suggestion until I saw the 1007. Though Onkyo in Silver reminds me of my first Onkyo amp.


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## tonyvdb

I cant stand silver equipment, it makes it look cheep.


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## Jungle Jack

Hello,
The TX-SR876 is such a great value and performer, I would look past the only color available being Silver. The TX-NR1007 is quite good as well, but lacks the fantastic Reon Processing that the 876, 3007, and 5007 have. If you watch many DVD's or non HD material, I really would go with a Reon equipped unit.
Cheers,
JJ


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## lsiberian

Jungle Jack said:


> Hello,
> The TX-SR876 is such a great value and performer, I would look past the only color available being Silver. The TX-NR1007 is quite good as well, but lacks the fantastic Reon Processing that the 876, 3007, and 5007 have. If you watch many DVD's or non HD material, I really would go with a Reon equipped unit.
> Cheers,
> JJ


I'd be interested in checking out the ISF video calibration. And most displays do a better job of upscaling than a receiver.


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## Jungle Jack

Hello,
Some Displays like Pioneer's Kuro do an excellent job of upscaling. However, many do not.
I agree that some AVR's do a terrible job of Upscaling. Surprisingly even some high dollar ones like Yamaha RX-Z11.

The Reon has received consistent praise for being one of the best Upscaling Solutions out there.
Here is a test of the Reon implemented in the TX-SR875: http://www.hometheatermag.com/receivers/608recfeat/index4.html

Only the 5000 Dollar Denon, which shares a similar Solution, passed all of the tests. The 5308 uses the Realta chip on which Silicon Optix based the Reon on.
Cheers,
JJ


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## tonyvdb

I agree, the Reon will do a far superior job of handling video than any display. The 875/876 are a fantastic deal and should not be passed up. I dont think there are many of these left so i would not wait too long.


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## lsiberian

tonyvdb said:


> I agree, the Reon will do a far superior job of handling video than any display. The 875/876 are a fantastic deal and should not be passed up. I dont think there are many of these left so i would not wait too long.


why in the world did they drop it on the 1007?


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## tonyvdb

cost, Just like my 805 I did not need the reon and did not want to spend the extra on the 875.


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## palette

tonyvdb said:


> That would be the Onkyo 876, Hands down it offers the most bang for buck as you still would need to spend well over $1600 to get anything close in features.


I am just about to pull the trigger on the 876 I have been torn between that one and the SC-27 but for a Difference of $700.00 i will just do the 876 i think.


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## Jungle Jack

Hello,
You would get better Video Processing, a much more powerful amplifier section, and in my opinion a much better Room EQ in Audyssey MultEQ XT. Besides appearance, I cannot think of one advantage to the SC-27. Some might prefer the ICE Amplification, but the Onkyo does have more power.
Cheers,
JJ


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## lsiberian

Jungle Jack said:


> Hello,
> You would get better Video Processing, a much more powerful amplifier section, and in my opinion a much better Room EQ in Audyssey MultEQ XT. Besides appearance, I cannot think of one advantage to the SC-27. Some might prefer the ICE Amplification, but the Onkyo does have more power.
> Cheers,
> JJ


Onkyo receivers are very good and that deal is crazy. You can always spray paint a silver case black.


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## palette

JJ you still had me thinking of the 5005 all night!


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## HokieJoe

Jungle Jack said:


> Hello,
> The TX-SR876 is such a great value and performer, I would look past the only color available being Silver. The TX-NR1007 is quite good as well, but lacks the fantastic Reon Processing that the 876, 3007, and 5007 have. If you watch many DVD's or non HD material, I really would go with a Reon equipped unit.
> Cheers,
> JJ



I guess it's what you prioritize. I think what sets the 1007 apart is the 9.2 channel/Audyssey DSX/Dolby IIz processing. Audyssey DSX in particular has gotten pretty good reviews from what I've seen on the AVS Forum. EDIT: For me, the REON is of lesser marginal value because all of my content is HD. Not that the Reon wouldn't benefit that, but I'm fairly satisfied with PQ, and a more immersive sound interests me more.


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## Jungle Jack

Hello,
Hokie Joe, if you are planning on using a 9.2 setup then the 1007 would indeed make sense. As I have written in multiple other Threads here, my favorite feature of the 007 Series is having dual Audyssey Subwoofer calibration. However, the OP stated he is using a 5.1 Setup which gives further credence to our recommendation of the TX-SR876.

Not many people use more than a 5.1 setup. However, many with 5.1 setups do use dual Subwoofers.
If you have 9 Speakers, 2 Subwoofers and a large enough Room to make it work, then the 1007 seems like the one for you.

All I can say is the 1007 weighs the same amount as the 7 channel TX-SR876 and beyond the inclusion of Reon, I am pretty sure the Amplifier section is stronger in the 876.
Cheers,
JJ


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## HokieJoe

Jungle Jack said:


> Hello,
> Hokie Joe, if you are planning on using a 9.2 setup then the 1007 would indeed make sense. As I have written in multiple other Threads here, my favorite feature of the 007 Series is having dual Audyssey Subwoofer calibration. However, the OP stated he is using a 5.1 Setup which gives further credence to our recommendation of the TX-SR876.
> 
> Not many people use more than a 5.1 setup. However, many with 5.1 setups do use dual Subwoofers.
> If you have 9 Speakers, 2 Subwoofers and a large enough Room to make it work, then the 1007 seems like the one for you.
> 
> All I can say is the 1007 weighs the same amount as the 7 channel TX-SR876 and beyond the inclusion of Reon, I am pretty sure the Amplifier section is stronger in the 876.
> Cheers,
> JJ



Yeah, some say toe-may-toe, some say toe-mah-toe. :T

The 876 is definitely a nice unit. Currently, I have a 7.1 AVR (Denon 789), but I only run a 5.1 setup. Seeing this 9.2 stuff has me itching to buy a new AVR though.


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## Jungle Jack

Hello,
Are you planning on adding the necessary Speakers? With the kind of Speakers I use, it is almost impossible to add Front Height Channels unless I used Speakers that were totally different in Design to the ones I am using.

About the only thing I could do is add another Martin Logan Stage as a Rear Center Channel and run a 6.1 Setup. However, this really has not interested me.
Cheers,
JJ


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## HokieJoe

Jungle Jack said:


> Hello,
> Are you planning on adding the necessary Speakers? With the kind of Speakers I use, it is almost impossible to add Front Height Channels unless I used Speakers that were totally different in Design to the ones I am using.
> 
> About the only thing I could do is add another Martin Logan Stage as a Rear Center Channel and run a 6.1 Setup. However, this really has not interested me.
> Cheers,
> JJ



Oh yes, I plan on adding the appropriate speakers. I've actually been looking at several DIY versions for the front five speakers.


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## Jungle Jack

Hello,
Very cool. I look forward to reading your findings once you do so.
Cheers,
JJ


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## Beta

The TX-SR876's are hard to find brand new. Onecall, JR, Crutch, say they are "old" models.

The best deal I can find online, is the 807 for $665.

I think for the money, you cannot go wrong. I just hope this unit is as good or better than the Denon 3310. That unit, is a over-rated, and a real lackluster.


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## bakerandshaker

I guess I will be the first to say that my experience with Onkyo was less than top notch. The HDMI board went out of mine in less than a year. When I sent it back they put the same type of HDMI board in it, and once again it won't do HDMI in less than 3 months. I can feel fairly comfortable stating that the above was not an isolated instance, from the thousands of posts all over forums and the internet with persons having the same experience. I finally got fed up, and bought a brand new Denon, and really prefer the options it has better. If I had endless money there would be only one choice for me, ANTHEM, those things are sick. They have endless audio and video options, even gamma correction. Just my thoughts, maybe others think different.


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## Jungle Jack

bakerandshaker said:


> I guess I will be the first to say that my experience with Onkyo was less than top notch. The HDMI board went out of mine in less than a year. When I sent it back they put the same type of HDMI board in it, and once again it won't do HDMI in less than 3 months. I can feel fairly comfortable stating that the above was not an isolated instance, from the thousands of posts all over forums and the internet with persons having the same experience. I finally got fed up, and bought a brand new Denon, and really prefer the options it has better. If I had endless money there would be only one choice for me, ANTHEM, those things are sick. They have endless audio and video options, even gamma correction. Just my thoughts, maybe others think different.


Hello,
I am not doubting that some have had issues with their HDMI Boards, but I am not so sure about thousands of people having this kind of failure. Many of the Staff here, including the Owner, use Onkyo AVR's and none of us have experienced anything like that. Moreover, I follow several other Onkyo Owners Threads and I have never read that the HDMI Board failure was at such levels.

Truly sorry that your experience was like that. I am glad you have found an AVR that suits your needs and has been trouble free.
Cheers,
JJ


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## recruit

Onkyo IMO has the market sown up for AVR's under the 1k mark, they make excellent receivers and the newer range has every feature under the sun, a friend had just bought a 3007 and loves it.


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## JBL Fan

_As we are looking to upgrade the family room audio, who makes the best A/V receiver for less than a grand?

HDMI with state of the art video processing, Dolby HD and DTS HD is what we need. The room is limited to a 5.1 setup, so we'll never use 7.1 capability.

I would think 100 watts continuous power would be adequate._

1) how big is the room?
2) What size are the speakers
3) 4 or 8 ohm speakers?
4) How high is the ceiling?
5) What are your listening levels normally?
6) Do you want PC connectivity?
7) What are your music souces? Mainly CD or PC based?
8) Do you want this receiver to control other devices in other rooms (2nd and 3rd zone)?
9) Do you have an Ipod?

Forget about wattage. A good surround sound receiver will play ear bleeding loud with normal speakers. 50 watts of quality power is more than enough (unless you've got electrostats - that's another subject)


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## tonyvdb

JBL Fan said:


> _
> Forget about wattage. A good surround sound receiver will play ear bleeding loud with normal speakers. 50 watts of quality power is more than enough (unless you've got electrostats - that's another subject)_


_

I will disagree with this, even 50watts undistorted would barely drive most good speakers to even near reference levels with full 80-20,000Hz. Anything over 85watts clean would be more like it and even that would be a struggle on 4ohm speakers._


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## jroc

Any Marantz lovers here? I've heard great things about the SR7002 and SR8002 units.


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## tonyvdb

Marantz makes a great receiver the only complaint is that they are always way behind the eight ball when it comes to advancements in features and by the time they come out with a receiver with all the latest options its already 6 months or more behind the rest of the companies.


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