What is the best mid range 3d av receiver I can get for about £350 to £500

hype_male

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Hi,

There are so many 3d av receivers out there but as I have not long enter the world of home cinema am unsure as to the best mid range 3d av receiver to upgrade to. I had the sony str dh800 but sold it to fund the upragde,

My mind is on pinoeer receiver for some reason but what do i know.

My current hdmi devices:

1. ps3
2. optoma hd67
3. tv

Hdmi devices am waiting to arrive / will be ordering

1. sky hd / 3d box
2. optoma 3d
3. 3D Bluray
4. Laptop

All the about devices will be connect via hdmi

I will be upgrading my current speakers in a year or so time but for now am using this:

Surround: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acoustic-Solutions-AV-20-Speakers/dp/B0000YW6Y4

Center: Acoustic solution av centre

Front: http://www.ebay.co.uk/ctg/Acoustic-Solutions-AV-120-Main-Stereo-Speakers-/78061390

One of my concern is that whether a mid range receiver will be able to handle this speaker until am able to upgrade.

Hope you guys can advice me.
 
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The demon 1912 would also be worth a look. The same level ad the 609/671 above but only 350.
 
dante 01 and PSM1, I notice you guys didnt put the likes of pinoeer 921, 1021 in your recommendation. Is the because pinoeer receivers are not as good as onkyo 609, Yamaha RXV671 that dante 01 mentioned.

I have seen the pinoeer 921 receiver plus pinoeer 3d blu ray player for £480. Price wish this seem a bargin but dont know the quality of the pinoeer 921 compare to you guys recommendation.

I have also come across yamaha 1067, the 771 but again dont know the quality of this compared to the onkyo 609 or yamaha 671 that i've seen for £499 and a free panasonic 3 d blu ray player for £499.


Cant really decide which one to got for.
 
I'm actually in the same situation as you, although i only want to spend £350, so my choice is the Denon 1912 or the Pioneer 921. There are pros and cons to each one, but i am starting to favour the Pioneer.

Denon Pros - 6 HDMI, Audyssey Multi EQ XT, Standby Passthrough, 2 year warranty

Denon Cons - lower wattage(90w per channel), only 1 component, no video processing/upscaling

Pioneer Pros - 2 component connections, can setup amp from a pc/apple app, higher wattage (110w per channel), upscaling and tons of both audio and video processing features, very comprehensive option menus

Pioneer cons - only 4 HDMI, uses different auto setup which i haven't heard of (MCACC), seen a few mentions of them breaking down, standby passthrough doesnt only works for hdmi-cec devices, component can't accept 1080p signal. Only 1 year warranty

considering that i'm a tinkerer, the almost bewildering amount of options in pioneer menus intrigue me, even if they aren't things i'll use on a regular basis, and i like the idea of being able to control it from an application on the PC.

A couple of the cons of the Pioneer (standby passthrough and component 1080p) might also be a problem on the denon as well, i don't know, but i think having a single component connection that can support 1080p, as per the Denon will still be a problem since i have 2 component devices. Having only 4 HDMI could eventually be an issue i suppose, but i only have 3 devices at the moment. Also any warranty length issues can be negated by buying from Petertyson.co.uk who provide a 3 year warranty, or buying a cheap 5 year warranty at richersounds.com
 
dante 01 and PSM1, I notice you guys didnt put the likes of pinoeer 921, 1021 in your recommendation. Is the because pinoeer receivers are not as good as onkyo 609, Yamaha RXV671 that dante 01 mentioned.

I have seen the pinoeer 921 receiver plus pinoeer 3d blu ray player for £480. Price wish this seem a bargin but dont know the quality of the pinoeer 921 compare to you guys recommendation.

I have also come across yamaha 1067, the 771 but again dont know the quality of this compared to the onkyo 609 or yamaha 671 that i've seen for £499 and a free panasonic 3 d blu ray player for £499.


Cant really decide which one to got for.

Pioneer amps are not to everyones taste and I'd seriously suggest you audition prior to any purchase. Lots of features, but not a lot else at the lower levels. You also have to ask yourself why they need to include a free BD player in order to sell them? The Pioneer VSX921 belongs more in the group of amps slightly below where the RXV661 and NRTX609 are.

The RXV771 is the next amp up from the 671 and the 1067 is from the year that preceded the 71s. The 1067 roughly equates to the RXV771, but with slightly better (although older) components.

Not sure where you've seen the RXV771, but it is currently selling for somewhere in the region of £650.

The RXV1067 can be had for £500 and is probably the better deal when compared to the RXV671 or the RXV771:
http://www.hyperfi.co.uk/yamaha-rxv1067-network-receiver-yamaha-rxv1067-p-970.html
 
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Denon Cons - lower wattage(90w per channel), only 1 component, no video processing/upscaling

I believe the Denon has video upscaling and conversion - S-Video, composite video and component video to HDMI with 1080p upscaling. Also note that the Pioneer is rated at just 80 watts at an impedance of 8 ohm. The better output figures you've seen are due to the figures being in relation to an impedance of 6ohm. You have to watch out for this and ensure you are comparing like for like ;)
 
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quite a step down coming from an onkyo 806 doing 130w at 8ohm then.. how do i know what power my speakers need? The spec for them (model in my sig) says 120w but the rep i spoke to in sevenoaks said these would easily run a set of floorstanders and that my speakers wouldn't need more than about 50w
 
I've come from an mid to high end pioneer I bought a few year back - lx52

I had to replace it for 3d and chose the onkyo 609 and have been hugely impressed.

Matches my monitor audio hd speaker setup much better
 
quite a step down coming from an onkyo 806 doing 130w at 8ohm then.. how do i know what power my speakers need? The spec for them (model in my sig) says 120w but the rep i spoke to in sevenoaks said these would easily run a set of floorstanders and that my speakers wouldn't need more than about 50w

Need?

The spec will give a wattage your speakers can continually take as opposed to require. 120 watts @ 8 ohm is the max you can continually supply the speakers with before blowing them ;)

If looking for a bargain and a step up from your current amp then you may be interested in the Yamaha RXV3067. You can't get one for £350, but you can get one for £700 ex demo or £750 unopened box if you don't mind the titanium finish? This is half price.
 
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Hi just thought I'd contribute my thoughts as I was in the same place as you recently. Just upgraded from an old sony system and went for the Yamaha RXV671 (got it for £409 using the price beat system with Richer Sounds). I am very pleased with the performance compared to the old system. It has all the features I need and the sound is amazing to me either watching films or listening to music. Very easy to use and setup for a novice like myself and makes my Kefs sing when the neighbours are out !!!
 
Hi just thought I'd contribute my thoughts as I was in the same place as you recently. Just upgraded from an old sony system and went for the Yamaha RXV671 (got it for £409 using the price beat system with Richer Sounds). I am very pleased with the performance compared to the old system. It has all the features I need and the sound is amazing to me either watching films or listening to music. Very easy to use and setup for a novice like myself and makes my Kefs sing when the neighbours are out !!!

Alang, Can i just ask the wattage (per channel) of your yamaha 671. The review i read said 95 watts per channel but dont know if this is correct as for a mid range receiver i wou,ld have thought that the wattage per channel of the 671 would be higher than 95.

Can you also confirm how many hdmi input / hdmi output on the 671.
 
Pioneer amps are not to everyones taste and I'd seriously suggest you audition prior to any purchase. Lots of features, but not a lot else at the lower levels. You also have to ask yourself why they need to include a free BD player in order to sell them? The Pioneer VSX921 belongs more in the group of amps slightly below where the RXV661 and NRTX609 are.

The RXV771 is the next amp up from the 671 and the 1067 is from the year that preceded the 71s. The 1067 roughly equates to the RXV771, but with slightly better (although older) components.

Not sure where you've seen the RXV771, but it is currently selling for somewhere in the region of £650.

The RXV1067 can be had for £500 and is probably the better deal when compared to the RXV671 or the RXV771:
http://www.hyperfi.co.uk/yamaha-rxv1067-network-receiver-yamaha-rxv1067-p-970.html

The yamaha 671 is the one that comes with free 3d panasonic 3d blu ray player.

The pinoeer with the 3d blu ray player is a matching set for £449. http://www.petertyson.co.uk/ebuttonz/ebz_product_pages/pioneer_htb-921.shtml

Is was in richer sound i saw the yamaha 771. As i asked the guy what he would recommend out of onkyo 609 and yamaha and he said personally he would go for the yamaha and pointed to the 771.
 
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Well, as with any thing in life there are always going to be pros and cons.

Maybe am just to picky but although the onkyo 609 is highly rated for movie and music but for some reason i just dont like the design and like wise denon as well.

Have never had a pinoeer receiver or tested any but for some reason i like the design of the pinoeer receivers. gloss black, the blue light and stuff.
 
I picked up the Onkyo TX NR609 a couple of weeks ago for £449 from richer sounds, Best Buy also have a good price for it but its the silver one. i have to say that i've been hugely impressed with it and it is well worth the money, i had a choice between the Onkyo and Yamaha RXV671 after a lot of research and all the good reviews i opted for the former
 
I picked up the Onkyo TX NR609 a couple of weeks ago for £449 from richer sounds, Best Buy also have a good price for it but its the silver one. i have to say that i've been hugely impressed with it and it is well worth the money, i had a choice between the Onkyo and Yamaha RXV671 after a lot of research and all the good reviews i opted for the former

Although i dont like the design of the onkyo 609 it would be one of my choice. but can't decide as i've got yamaha and pinoeer range at the back of my head as well.

The onkyo only have 1 hdmi out which is a let down as i would prefer two for projector and tv.

I know the onkyo volum knob lights up blue but correct me if am wrong the display pannel on the 609 light up green init.
 
Hi Hype the reciever has 5 rear HDMI inputs and 1 output also has a HDMI input under a panel on the front. I think the wattage is actually 90 watts x 7 channels, which twinned with some decent speakers should be more than enough to fill the room unless your room is very large. My viewing area is pretty square around 10ft x 12ft. I have Kef IQ7SE's at the front, Kef IQ1's at the rear with a Kef IQ6C and a Monitor Audio RSW12 sub and I am more than happy with its performance. Sky Hd box, Xbox 360 and a Sony Bluray going in and the one out to the Sony tv still leaves 2 rear hdmi to play with and the front panel for Laptop, Vid cam etc occaisional hookups. Richer sounds currently selling at £399.95 Good buy at that price and good luck with your final decision.
 
Hi Hype the reciever has 5 rear HDMI inputs and 1 output also has a HDMI input under a panel on the front. I think the wattage is actually 90 watts x 7 channels, which twinned with some decent speakers should be more than enough to fill the room unless your room is very large. My viewing area is pretty square around 10ft x 12ft. I have Kef IQ7SE's at the front, Kef IQ1's at the rear with a Kef IQ6C and a Monitor Audio RSW12 sub and I am more than happy with its performance. Sky Hd box, Xbox 360 and a Sony Bluray going in and the one out to the Sony tv still leaves 2 rear hdmi to play with and the front panel for Laptop, Vid cam etc occaisional hookups. Richer sounds currently selling at £399.95 Good buy at that price and good luck with your final decision.


Might give yamaha a try over the likes of onkyo 607 or the pinoeer range. I have also come across yamaha 767 but how good is this receiver compare to the receiver already mentioned in this thread.
 
The 767 is last years version of the 771 so will be of comparable quality.
 
Ok is the yamaha 671 this year or last year model.

Say i go for either yamaha 1067, 671 or the 767 over the onkyo 609, would I be missing out on any thing important that the onkyo has but the yamaha receiver doesnt.

Am sort of liking the idea of two hdmi out which is why am sort of thinking of getting the yamaha.
 
The 671 is this years model. all the yamaha amps you mention are the same level or above the onkyo so you will midd nothing quality wise. It may have a feature you particularly like which the others may not do just check the specs.
 
The 671 is this years model. all the yamaha amps you mention are the same level or above the onkyo so you will midd nothing quality wise. It may have a feature you particularly like which the others may not do just check the specs.

Ok. Not sure if the yamaha receivers in question have features such as (THX select 2 plus, Audyssey dsx and audyssey room correction) that the onkyo 609 those have. My question is that are features like (THX select 2 plus, Audyssey dsx and audyssey room correction) a necessity to have in a receiver. Sorry if the question sound stupid but aint got a clue what they are.
 
I would not worry about the THX bit, as more of a gimmick than anything I find particularly useful. The Yamaha does not have Audyssey but it does have its own Yamaha room correction system called YPAO. This will be equivalent to Audyssey so again not missing anything from the Onkyo
 
I would not worry about the THX bit, as more of a gimmick than anything I find particularly useful. The Yamaha does not have Audyssey but it does have its own Yamaha room correction system called YPAO. This will be equivalent to Audyssey so again not missing anything from the Onkyo

Would the yamaha receivers decode hd audio on thier own as well as accept Lpcm from p3s. The reason for asking is that for a little while till i order my 3d blu ray player, my phat ps3 is gonna be used as the 3d player which i believe can't bitstream but when I do order my 3d blu ray player I would like the receiver to decode hd audio bitstream from the 3d blu ray player.

Not sure if av receivers can accept Lpcm from a source that cant bitstream as awell as decode hd audio when using a source that can bitstream.
 
Yes the Yamaha recievers (and the Onkyo) will be able to decode HD audio or accept it as LPCM. So they will work with your PS3 and any bluray player you get.
There is no difference in sound quality whether the player or the reciever decodes the HD audio anyway. Also I think there are benefits with the player decoding interms of secondary audio etc.
 

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