any recomendations for a 5.1 reciever

Ive been sitting on the fence for a long time with my audio equipment but now that some of the 5.1 titles are getting interesting (like Dark Side of the Moon) Im thinking it may be time to take the plunge.

I'll will be filling out my profile soon it is a modest system. an old Sansui 5000x reciever that was given to me and a sony sacd dvd player with altec lancing speakers

 

I'm partial to Denon because I've owned three of them.They do have a reputation for sound quality at each price point.You can find a lot of user reviews at Audioreview.com.Good luck.

 

Thanks for pointing me in a direction. I was really hoping to get a tube amp and some day I will the high end stores around here just seem to laugh if you dont want to pay $5,000 on a tube system.

 

If you seriously plan to go to tube amps at some point, I say you should NOT buy a receiver. Buy a seperate pre-amp/tuner/processor now rather than throw money into a piece of gear (receiver) destined for upgrade or replacement at a $$$ loss.
You can buy seperate mono tube amps for as little as $100 a channel ( Antique Sound Labs ) if your speakers are efficient enough.
If you are not able to spend at least $1000+ on the seperates however, better forget about the tubes/ seperates idea and go with a receiver.

 

I have to agree with Patrick, although buying discreet amps are expensive, albeit fun. That's what I have for 5.1. A great Pre that kicks ass (Rotel 954 I believe, as I'm not at home) and several amps.

Onkyo makes a great 5.1, and so does Dennon. Depends on what you want, but a good HT Pre, per pound, will make you a lot happier.

 

that is good advice. Pardon my ignorance on the subject. The $1,000 + on seperates dosen't sound too bad it was the $5,000 or so number that scared me heck my car was only $8,000 and Im still paying for that.
let me get this straight with the $100 a channel mono tube amps I could buy 5 or 6 (does the sub need an extra amp )
How do I know how efficient my speakers are

 

Hi Floyd,

We have a Denon 3300 that is now our preamp. Denon's come with outputs to run into a Power Amp.

If I was building a new system, I would probably go the tube amp route
with separates.

I still love my Denon though!

 

Thanks Gary,
I have a lot of learning to do. Dave aka Muddbone and I have been pm-ing. I like the idea of seperates being more flexable.

 

More Flexible and cleaner power too!

 

Denon or Onkyo isn't a bad place to start. I own a midrange priced Kenwood that I really like. I might make a case for a mail-order company called Outlaw. I've heard good things about their receivers.

 

I have a Denon AVR-2802 that I use for the 5.1/DTS/DPL-II. Great Little unit with a lot a features. I have a set of Klipsch for the fronts in my system that I use with the Denon AND my 2 channel TUBE setup. I made a custom switchbox to change between the 2. So @ the flick of a switch, Bruce Willis or good ole NAT King Cole (courtesy of our friend S.H.)! The best of both worlds at ease!

 

Another Denon fan here, great sounding and a great price for the "home theater" room. As a bonus, they're built like a tank (at least, the stuff in the $500 up range is, I can't speak for their $250 gear).

HZ

 

Denon also boasts a true 5 channel stereo mode. Most of the other receivers in the same price range have a DSP surround mode that doesn't hold a candle to the Denon.

The 5 channel mode really adds another dimension to my stereo two channel collection. I really enjoy the 5 channel mode.

Five identical speakers and Denon 5 channel stereo does wonders for
my music collection.

 

wait I'm getting lost again. Lets say I would like to have 5.1 and the possibility to add tube amps at some point.

It looks like to me I have to get a reciever to get the 5.1 I'm looking at the Denon site and I see the ARV models. now with one of those lets say the 2802 or the 1603 I can add the above mentioned mono tube amps for about $100 a shot. and if that is right do I then need 5 mono blocks?

 

Add me to the Denon fan club. I've owned 3 of them and I always recommend them to friends (like Bill above!) who ask. Never had a complaint. Denon's sound tends to lean toward the warm side which is just fine for me because I'm a tube guy anyway.

 

I love my Denon 3300. Great sound and value!

 

Floyd, You are correct. You CAN add tube monoblocks the the AVR series. There is an out for every channel. I used to run my Dyna 70 off the avr till I resurrected my pas3. I don't know what the guys here think about running a tube amp off a s.s. pre. It was ok for me. for the A.S.L. mono blocks (http://www.divertech.com) they're only 8 watts. you NEED efficient speakers (I use Klipsch, 98db).

 

Hey Bill,

Nice Link!

 

Hi,

I will make a second on Outlaw. May be the best bang for the buck out there at this time.

-Jeffrey

 

I am also looking into the Outlaw 950 pre amp for $899 I can add the 5 $100 antique sound labs mono blocks and come out under $1500.
The Denon 3803 reciever (used like a preamp) for around the same money as the Outlaw preamp will give me power now and I can add the mono blocks later which might be easier on the pocketbook.
Is the sound going to be significantly better with seperates?
Also with the mono blocks being only 8 watts am I getting nice loud sound when I want it? Then there is the whole issue of speakers....
I guess main thing is a system I can grow with. At the same time I cant get everything at once ( of course I could just hold back on everything till I have enough money but little steps seem to work best for me as the money will always go somewhere else)

 

Hi Floyd,

The Outlaw offers legendary sound performance and separates are
definitely the way to go if you have the bucks.

Ask around if there is a dealer in your area or if you have a friend that owns
the equipment you are looking to buy.

It takes time to do the research but it will be worth it in the long run.

You'll feel much more comfortable with your purchase.

More important than watts are the amperes The higher the amperage the cleaner the sound.

 

So If I go this way with a pre amp what would you recomend for the amp. The 5 mono blocks from antique soundlabs. There is also Sophia which Steve mentioned from the show he was just at they make something called a baby tube amp but it is $800 and I'd need three is there a good middle way with tubes?

 

What do you guys think of the Onkyo TXSR600? This spring/summer I plan on making my own system. I work a Curcuit City so I can get audio equipment for about 40%-50% off. I listened to it for a bit and it sounded pretty good imo.

 

Hi Floyd,

You might want to take a look at Cary Audio. They have an excellent reputation. Also Sonic Frontiers is another good company. They are
based in Canada. The exchange rate permits you to get much more for
your dollar. Sonic Frontiers is an industry leader of High End equipment.
Their Anthem line is more afordable and uses the same basic parts
and design philisophy.

http://www.caryaudio.com/

http://www.anthemav.com/NewSitev2.0/News2.html

 

Not sure what range your looking to spend.....

I agree with Gary, been plenty happy with my Anthem. You can probably find the pre for around $2,500 +or-. You will still need the amp(s) though.

It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that you find on the top-o-the line intergrateds like auto level and delay matching like on the Pioneer Elite. But I think it offer's much more in sonics over the Denon 4802 that I had.

There are a lot of options out there which can cause just as much confusion. Really the only options that I use are tone control by-pass, analog pass through, Dolby Digital, DTS, rarely Pro-Logic. I haven't found a use in 10 years of owning surround systems for "Hall", "Church", "Stadium", etc. so you really have to decide which options interest you, how much you are willing to pay, and what sounds the best in that range.

Let us know of your progress.