Behind the times...

[Mark Jones]

Hi all,

Just signed up after a bit of loitering and searching through a few threads about home AV / HC... so guess I'm a newbie seeking help

I would really like a nice AV set up at home, I've done a few years with an old all in one system (Panasonic SC-BTT350 review - Surround Sound System - Trusted Reviews) which has been great but the time has now come where I am decorating my living room and am currently chasing wires into the walls so at the same time I wouldnt mind upgrading my AV system.

So I have a few questions and hopefully some helpful advice / reccomendations wouldnt go amiss.

My requirements are as below:

* Would like a nice AV reciever so that I can connect the X-Box, Wii, Blu-Ray, PVR
* Will potentially keep the Panasonic for now and upgrade at a later date (if this will work with the AV reciever)
* Also have a set of Bose Atmospehric (outdoor) speakers that i'd like to connect in and have the ability to play music in the garden from various sources (iPod, fm, etc)

With that in mind I've been looking at this Onkyo TXNR626 Black | AV Receiver | Richer Sounds would that be a good buy? would it do everything I need?

Can anyone also reccomend a decent set of 5.1 speakers?

Thanks in advance.

Mark

 

[dante01]

The Onkyo would do as you wish, but I'd suggest you look at alternatives to it. Onkyo have a bad rep as far as reliability goes, especially in regards to HDMI board failures. The TXNR626 suffers from such issues and isn't often recommended. Similar products would be the Yamaha RXV675, the Denon AVRX2000 or Sony's STRDN1040.Many of these receivers are in the process of being replaced by newer models so should be discounted and relatively cheap to purchase. All will facilitate you with 5.1 in the main room while also power a second set of stereo speakers in an additional zone. Note that sources for the second zone are restricted to non HDMI and S/PDIF inputs, but you should be okay as far as an iPod is concerned if using a USB input on the receiver. Analogue sources such as the radio will also be okay and there's even the option of using internet radio as opposed to AM or FM radio.

The Panasonic system you already have would not wor in conjunction with an AV receiver. The only aspect lacking from the AV receiver that you'd find with the all-in-one is its Blu-ray player and all other features or abilities are surplus to requirements. It is inadvisable to use speakers taken from all in one systems for use with AV receivers, such speakers often have a very low impedance that can cause an AV receiver to overheat. The Panasonic system also lacks an active subwoofer and only uses a passive sub. You need an active sub for use with an AV receiver.

I'd suggest the following speaker package (inc. active sub) for use with either the DEnon AVRX2000 or Yamaha RXV675 receiver's:
Monitor Audio Vector AV Black 5.1 Speaker Package - Monitor Audio - AudioVisual Online - Home Cinema and Hifi Specialists

The Vector package offers excellent value for money and will surpass any similarly priced package.

 

[Mark Jones]

Thank you Dante, some good advice there.

Could I use the all in one system for the purposes of playing Blu-ray only?

 

[dante01]

Theoretically yes, but I'd just bite the bullet and go buy a BD player. They are quite cheap these days.

Some retailers may even give you a discount if you buy the player and the receiver from them at the same time?

 

[Mark Jones]

If pushed, which of the 3 recievers (Yam, Denon or Sony) would you go for?

 

[dante01]

My personal choice would be the Yamaha.

 

[Mark Jones]

for funtionality reasons, looks or just a yamaha fan?

 

[dante01]

I own a Sony, a Denon and a Yamaha receiver and find I prefer how the Yamaha sounds. I've had various issues with the Denon receiver, especially relating to its networking capabilities and no real issue at all with the Yamaha even though the Yamaha receiver is an older model. The Denon also seems less well built than the Yamaha even though they were of a similar price bracket when new. Yamaha implement DSP which is the only implementation of DSP I'd actually suggest anyone use. Yamaha basically invented DSP and are still king of the hill when it comes to its implementation within AV receivers. Yamaha receivers are very tweakable because of this.

I was sort of hoodwinked into believing that having Audyssey as used by the Denon would be better than using Yamaha's YPAO, but this was unfortunately not the case. The Yamaha receiver simply sounds better irrespective of the room correction.