Big problem is it has to be less than 5 7/8" in height. Was hoping to keep it 300-400, and it needs to have HDMI switching with audio. I've seen a few nice ones on slickdeals, but they're all too tall. is there any hope?

1/31/2009 10:51:47 PM

http://reviews.cnet.com/av-receivers/jvc-rx-d702b/4505-6466_7-31473551.html?tag=mncol;lst

It's a couple years old, and it's not perfect, but it seems to fit all your requirements.

1/31/2009 11:25:30 PM

looks decent, id just have to buy it from some no-name amazon marketplace seller.

any other ideas?

2/2/2009 8:32:56 AM

bump

2/13/2009 9:32:02 AM

get better furniture?
electronics take priority

2/13/2009 9:33:53 AM

eh not changing the furniture, it's pretty much brand new...though I wish I had of considered a receiver when I bought it..

2/13/2009 9:42:07 AM

how much space do you need?

you could always shorten the feet a bit

2/13/2009 9:58:44 AM

Sony makes one that has the same profile and look & feel as their Blu-ray player. Can't remember the model, but it has HDMI switching with audio stream decoding.

2/13/2009 10:10:42 AM

^I know what you are talking about, but I've only seen them as part of a HTiB:

Sony HT-SS2000
Sony HT-SS2300

The receivers are only 3-4 inches tall, the 2300 has 3 hdmi inputs, and it's in the price range (with speakers). You may be able to find somebody on ebay or something that just wants to sell the receiver, or maybe some store also sells just the receiver.

2/13/2009 11:09:04 AM

My group designs the HDMI chip that your looking for

2/13/2009 7:24:28 PM

^^ i wouldn't consider those receivers they weigh in at a whopping 9lbs and output around 25w per channel

[Edited on February 13, 2009 at 9:54 PM. Reason : .]

2/13/2009 9:53:44 PM

z

[Edited on February 13, 2009 at 10:29 PM. Reason : z]

2/13/2009 10:27:32 PM

^^ the amps are generally housed in the subwoofer on those things.

2/13/2009 11:09:52 PM

that one has no amp in the sub woofer and even still those amps will typically output 1/5 the power of a traditional receiver.

2/13/2009 11:34:17 PM

It's looking like these JVCs are the best/only option as of now

2/14/2009 12:05:15 AM

A) Do you have space elsewhere in the entertainment center/furniture for the receiver, perhaps behind doors?

B) Do you own the place, have another room/garage/closet you can put the receiver in, and have the ability to run wires from that spot to the tv and speakers?

If so, just get a programmable RF remote, an RF-to-IR relay + any receiver you want:
http://www.amazon.com/RFS200-PowerPak-Bundle-MasterControl-PowerBlaster/dp/B000FL9E6U

2/14/2009 11:44:37 PM

Except for don't buy that remote unless you hate yourself. Either buy a Harmony 890 or any Harmony( I can highly recommend the One) with a set of these.

2/15/2009 12:03:02 AM

Any particular reason you say that? The only bad thing i've read about them is that you can't change the radio frequency. So you can possibly get someone else on the same frequency. If you live in an apartment, that MAY be a problem. But considering the signal strength, you probably won't have much trouble with interference if you live in a house.

my dad has the remote i listed. I've used it a lot, it works great. I would go buy one tomorrow if I had a need for one. That being said, I've read really good things about the Harmony remotes. But there's a huge price difference between them.

2/15/2009 12:19:17 AM

That remote (or pretty much any remote under $500) just isn't in the same league as a Harmony remote. Once you try one you'll never want to use anything else again. You don't have to mess with programming codes, and setting up complicated macros. It's just not even the same.

As far as price, you can pick up a Harmony 520 for under $50 if you shop around. Closer to $35 if you buy a refurb. That plus the leapfrog is still in the same ballpark, pricewise, as the one you listed. And I promise you it's worlds better.

2/15/2009 1:12:25 AM

Bob on Bob and the Showgram recommended the Harmony remote. It must be good.

2/16/2009 5:40:34 PM

I got this set from Best Buy
http://www.6ave.com/SHOP/product.aspx?sku=PANSCPT960

I'm very satisfied with it (other than sending it in for repairs within 4 months). You look at it and think "how the hell is that going to push 1200w RMS?" I'm sure it doesn't, but it sure blew the similarly-priced Yamaha setup right next to it out of the water. I was trying to prove a point to my wife about Yamaha's superiority at the time too

Go play with it at the store. The lack of inputs on the back was weird to me at first, but modern TV's are responsible for taking care of that now

2/16/2009 10:46:38 PM

^^ I own a Harmony 880. Absolutely love it.

2/16/2009 11:05:52 PM

the yamaha's are 5 15/16". I'm not sure if that includes the feet or not. If so, you may be able to take them off or put something smaller on them. I would just look into how hot they get, especially if it's going to be a tight fit.

http://www.yamaha.com/yec/avreceivers.html?CTID=5000200

FYI: there is no significant difference between the rx and htr series.

onkyo's are 5 7/8". Again, not sure if that includes the feet or not.

http://www.onkyousa.com/prod_class.cfm?class=Receiver

[Edited on February 17, 2009 at 11:11 AM. Reason : k]

2/17/2009 11:06:19 AM

still a touch too big...even if it includes the feet

it's looking like the jvcs are my only option

and i don't think they'll deliver 1080p to my tv so that kinda sucks too

3/17/2009 9:44:58 AM

some great deals here: http://accessories4less.com/

Thats where i got my Marantz refurb. It was flawless and working like a champ.

3/17/2009 10:20:06 AM

doesn't look like they have anything small enough for me (they have 5 7/8" but I need some breathing room too) but it's a good site all the same, thanks

3/17/2009 12:46:44 PM

you could always bypass the receiver for video. If you're not planning to process/upscale video with the receiver then it's just passing it through at best anyway. It is more of a hassle when it comes to switching inputs though, and requires you to have x amount of inputs on your tv. But, not the end of the world if the purpose of the receiver is mostly audio. And w/ a programmable remote, you should be able to set it to do multiple things by holding a single button... so that should make switching the inputs on multiple things easier.

Have you considered the relay? That would solve the size problem altogether.

3/17/2009 1:58:04 PM

yeah i'm thinking i'll be piping my video straight into the tv...especially considering i have a PS3 and all these low profile receivers don't even output 1080p (at least i haven't found one)...so then i'll be running audio into the receiver via optical or digital coax from the PS3 and cable box. from what i understand the only negative of that is optical/coax don't support the latest codecs like DTS-MA or Dolby TrueHD. Am I really losing anything there? Any other negatives to not running audio through HDMI?

3/19/2009 11:46:31 PM

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CSBEKE/ref=s9_simz_gw_s0_p23_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0EMFWT4EYY0XAAAA8RP1&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

I am debating picking this up convince me yes or no oh TWW tech gods, ready set go

While I dont probably need the massive amount of connections this thing has I dont see anything feature wise it cant do that I may one day wish it could. I would drop to a lower model but then I drop my power/channel and Id rather keep that nice and high. Once I get a receiver then Ill start looking for speakers to go with it. Already got a 52" Samsung 120Hz LCD and will be using my PS3 for bluray/games. Other than that Ill be running my HD cable box through it as well as my computer audio through optical.

6/3/2009 5:31:17 PM

good clean power is better than a lot of power. Something to keep in mind if you really want good power.

But there's nothing wrong with that receiver for most users. you could probably get away with something less expensive though.


I know this is a receiver thread, but what are you thinking about speaker wise? Speakers are where it's really at. And if you're willing to drop almost 1k on a receiver, i'd imagine you're willing to drop some cash on speakers. Have you been out listening to anything or heard much in the past as far as entry-level high-end speakers go? I can give you some suggestions if you want.

6/3/2009 6:41:12 PM

Ive been browsing around looking at like klipsch and polk and a few things, Im thinking Ill most likely wanna drop a decent amount on a good center channel and then havent decided if i wanna go bookshelf or full floor speakers for the fronts, sides and rears Ill likely just go with some decent satellite speakers for now. Its hard for me to judge because right now all this is fitting in my bedroom at my apartment whereas in the future I plan to have a full room dedicated just to this stuff so Im trying to buy based on taht in the future even if it means Ill be overpowered in my current room haha

Also I understand that good clean power is better than more power which is why in general I have been looking at brands like Denon, onkyo, etc which should hopefully not only provide lots of power but clean as well

[Edited on June 3, 2009 at 7:00 PM. Reason : .]

6/3/2009 6:56:41 PM

The most similar onkyo I came across at least price wise was http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-SR806-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B001AMSOYG seems to also have all the features I am looking for.

The Denon lists for 1200 but on sale for 850 so Im trying to figure out what is causing the difference in price between those 2.

6/3/2009 7:38:09 PM

^ in those price ranges, you may want to consider Marantz as well.

If that's your plan, I'd recommend a good set of bookshelves. You could get some cheap rears for now, once you have more space/money get rid of them, bump your bookshelves to the back and get something better for the fronts. Speakers last a long time unless you break them. So just keep that in mind and plan on using your fronts as rears in your system later. At least, that's my suggestion considering your situation.

You definitely want your front 3 channels to match as best as possible though for consistency in voices and what not. Rears are mostly for effects so it doesn't matter as much.

More for movies or music? You may even want to consider di-poles if you're looking for something movie oriented. You can switch a lot of them to single or di, use them as singles as fronts for now. then move them to the back and use them as di-poles for effects when you have room for something else up front. They won't make for the best up front, but will do the trick and then you'll already be set with di-poles later on.

I'd recommend listening to as much stuff as possible. Once you get to a certain price point, pretty much everything sounds "good." You just have to decide what you prefer. And don't shy away from online companies. And you can find reviews on all the big online manufactures on both online magazines and print. And like I said, speakers last a long time if you don't screw them up. So nothing wrong usually with buying a floor model from a reputable dealer. It's pretty much the only time you'll get a break on price since speaker prices are controlled pretty well.

Check out:
http://www.aperionaudio.com/home.aspx
http://www.axiomaudio.com/
http://www.av123.com/

Revel
nht - store in cary near outback carries NHT and Revel, they'll set them up for you to listen.

monitor - Audio Video Excellence on glennwood carries these, but the staff isn't the most helpful. Waited and waited for them to call me to say the got their Monitor 6's back in. Never happened.
Thiel audio - pretty expensive but sound good. Same store carries them.


aerials - I'm saving for a pair of Aerial 6's right now.
ERA - i think they use the same drivers as aerials but in a chinese made box. Still very good, I think the floor standing are rear-ported, so you'd want them away from the way some.
Logan Martin - electro-stats

Audio advice on glennwood carries all 3 of those. Best Buy Magnolia also carries lower-end Logan Martin electrostats. I think they have the Source, which is part electro-stat with a woofer. Electrostats are pretty nice looking, definitely different than what most are used to. But they can't go very low. And the logan martin rears are very expensive or what they are imo.

With the online manufactures, it's a little tough because you can't hear them unless you find someone int he area with them. But you can typically keep them for a 1-3 months and send them back for free if you don't want them. I think Aperion even pays shipping both ways. Also, a lot of places, both dealers and online, have a system where you can buy a set of speakers and trade them in (for what you paid) in-order to upgrade to something better within the year to 18months of buying them. So you can think about that too if you want something smaller now but bigger once you move.

[Edited on June 3, 2009 at 7:45 PM. Reason : .]

6/3/2009 7:41:40 PM

I would lean more towards the movie side of things than music although my current setup does double as my computer speakers as well and its quite possible in the future the PC will be in the same room as the home theater setup. If not then Ill likely just continue to use my 10 year old phillips HTIAB 5.1 system which is what I am currently using. The receiver is the main piece I want to go ahead and replace simply because I have gone to bluray and would like to take advantage of the truehd dolby and master dts audio... hell my current receiver doesnt even do DTS period lol. So what may end up happening for now is like you said I may pickup some decent center/front bookshelves to hold me over for now until I get into a bigger space and can really look into setting up a sweet system. The good thing about that plan is I can always pick up a lower end receiver later and attach the mid range set to it for another room such as a bedroom or something of that nature.

I was looking at something like http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-RC-10-Center-Channel-Speaker/dp/B00096ZSYI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1244073136&sr=8-2 for a center channel

http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-4-Inch-Two-Way-Bookshelf-Loudspeaker/dp/B000782SIC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1244073233&sr=8-4 for the front bookshelves

then maybe something like http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-RSX-4-Reference-Satellite-Individually/dp/B000782SMS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1244073291&sr=1-1 for the satellites

[Edited on June 3, 2009 at 7:57 PM. Reason : .]

6/3/2009 7:51:56 PM

i like the klipch horn tweeters. I'm fairly certain Magnolia at Best Buy carries those too. So you should be able to go hear them if you haven't already.

You may want to read up on what video processors the different receiver models are using as well. Upscaling is a big sell, but not all of the processors are equal.

Yeah, getting a lower-end receiver and moving them to another room later would be a good plan too.

6/3/2009 8:13:26 PM

I just got the Onkyo 607+Polk Audio M60s,50s and a CS2. You can come check it out if you'd like a reference. Although it sounds like you're able to spend a bit more than I was.

I also have my Onkyo 505 in the classifieds, if anyone is interested.

6/3/2009 8:33:25 PM

do you have the m60's bi-amped? Or have you listened to them bi-amped?

6/3/2009 9:04:47 PM

I didn't think that it would really make that much of a difference considering the speaker/receiver combo. But then again, I rarely know what I'm talking about

6/3/2009 9:28:26 PM

it may not. I've never done it, so i was curious if you'd given a shot and what your thoughts were.

6/3/2009 9:53:47 PM

What in the heck do you people use 1200W RMS for?

6/4/2009 3:12:06 AM

speakers that need a lot of power to drive. I don't think anybody here is using anything like that though.

6/4/2009 12:20:12 PM

Yeah the one I was looking at was like 850 but that was a 7.1 channel system so you are looking at only 115 per speaker

6/4/2009 3:46:29 PM