Request for advice on a good AV Receiver + Speaker Package

[net4hack]

I am looking for my first Home theater system. My budget is around 450. My living room is 6' x 8' in which 42 " TV is placed at the corner. Some of the systems I saw which would stay within my budget were Pioneer VSX-921, Onkyo SKS528, Onkyo HTS 6405, Jamo A 102 HCS 6, Boston SOUNDWARE XS etc


What is the cheapest AV Receiver + Speaker system with the following features:
1. Standby Pass through
2. 3D pass-through
3. 1080p Video Up-scaling
3. ARC (Audio return channel)
4. Deep Color
5. Audyssey’s MultEQ / Any other Auto Calibration

6. >= 4 HDMI inputs
7. FM capability

Is there any website where I could search / Filter AV Receivers by feature?

Also any good UK retailer who would deliver to Ireland other than Amazon?

 

[Burnham Beech]

richersοunds has a useful specifications section.

 

[rolfw]

Was in Richer Sounds yesterday pricing up TVs for a job and looked at the surround systems, Onkyo are the main player at the moment.

PS. Is your living room really only 6' by 8', or do you mean metres?

 

[Vipersan]

fwiw ..I'm still using an old Denon AV amp ..
Its never let me down ..and is excellent quality ..
Am using Jamo speakers on it mind you ..
Having said that ..
If I ever decided to replace the Denon ..I'd probably opt for Onkyo
Good quality gear ..and you get a lot bang for your buck as they say..
My only gripe is that most equipment these days is hdmi connected..
Nothing wrong with that ..but mid range amps tend not to have enough inputs ..and rarely backwards compatible with older av connections in abundance..
If youre starting from scratch this isn't an issue ...but if like me ..you have a lot of established gear in your collection..then you want to accomodate all input types ..without replacing all your gear ..along with the amp.
good hunting ..
You should do well with your fairly big buget.
rgds
VS

 

[net4hack]

Was in Richer Sounds yesterday pricing up TVs for a job and looked at the surround systems, Onkyo are the main player at the moment. PS. Is your living room really only 6' by 8', or do you mean metres?

No, it is in feet.

 

[AlphaOm]

No, it is in feet.

With a room that size, I'm not sure I'd bother with surround sound as the speakers are literally going to be shouting at each other (no offence intended!). I believe you'd be better off with a fairly high quality stereo system, which would undoubtedly sound a lot more pleasing to the ear and lot more detailed that the surround cacophony you'll end up with if you stick six speakers in such a small room. But if you do have to go for a surround system, make sure you go for the subtle rather than the powerful, or I predict a big acoustic mess...
Good luck with your project.

 

[net4hack]

I have decided to go for Denon AVR 1912 AV receiver - _http://www.denon.co.uk/uk/Product/Pages/Product-Detail.aspx?Catid=HomeTheatre&SubId=AVReceivers&ProductId=AVR1912 . I also had plans for buying an All in One system, but I have lots of HDMI devices like BluRay, Freesat HD Receiver, STB Cable TV, Android Tablet, Future Game Console etc which I would like to use with the AV system. Now my next question. Could you please suggest me the best speaker < 200 that would fit this receiver?

 

[net4hack]

Again rethinking. Would the Denon AVR 1912 be more than I ever need! I now doubt whether I would ever be able to leverage its full power. Also it is 7.1.


What about the pioneer HTP-SL100 slim Av receiver with Speaker Package?
HTP-SL100 5.1 Home Cinema Receiver System with HD Audio and Slim Satellite Speakers - Pioneer


Cant find reviews of it any where? Around £450. Any slim feature rich 5.1 systems like this within the same price range?

 

[Chris_Lucid]

Just because an AV receiver has 7.1 it doesn't mean you have to use it as 7.1 It's one of those features that has been deemed to be "necessary" from a marketing point of view, but in most homes 7.1 is overkill.

Power: I'd take most AV Receiver power claims with a large pinch of salt. Few amps can actually meet their power claims with a real world load. Anyway, there's this thing called the volume control, if you know what I mean ;).

Buying a proper AV receiver of the quality of the Denon means getting something home where the emphasis is on quality, flexibility and performance. That's never a bad thing in my book.

The Pioneer is an interesting attempt by the brand to reclaim some of the territory lost to Onkyo and Yamaha, and it's certainly nice to see a slimline receiver which is sure to keep wives and significant others relatively happy. However, Onkyo offers the same features at almost half the price in their HTS3405. Is the slimness of the Pioneer really worth an extra £200?

If it was my money I'd steer well clear of the typical DVD/Blu-ray all-in-one cinema kits. They're for people who just want bells & whistles rather than performance. Even then, the added extras such as streaming YouTube etc often leave a lot to be desired. They're just too clunky in operation to be regarded as anything more than a gimmick.

There are plenty of "Spec me" threads, and the recommendation list usually ends up looking like this:


Best value/lowest cost 5.1 audio systems with HD audio decoding

• Onkyo HTS3405 av receiver & speaker package kit - £249 - Perfect if you want a one-stop solution and you aren't likely to upgrade
• Sony STRDH520 av receiver & Yamaha NSP285 speaker kit - £149 + £100 = £249 - Great entry-level system and a perfect starting point for the budding AV enthusiast

Step-up AV Receivers - 1080p scaling or network features

• Sony STRDH820 Scaling AV receiver - £249 - features video upscaling to 1080p and improved audio circuitry
• Onkyo TXNR509 Network AV Receiver - £289 - features ethernet port and DLNA compatibility - play music files from your Home PC/NAS drive and also stream music from internet radio and online music services such as Napster

Step-up AV speaker packages - better audio performance - sweeter treble, deeper and more solid bass

• Yamaha NSP40 - £120 - bigger and beefier version of the NSP285
• Boston Soundware XS/Harman Kardon HKTS9/Tannoy SFK5.1 - all pitched at £199 in the discounters. Choose whether you want small form factor or more conventional looks
• Kef KHT1005.2 "Eggs" - £229 - beefier sub and higher performance satellites

Step-up AV Receivers - 1080p scaling and network features

• Pioneer VSX921 Scaling Network AV receiver - £399
• Onkyo TXNR609 Scaling Network AV Receiver - £449

 

[Channel Hopper]

Now my next question. Could you please suggest me the best speaker < 200 that would fit this receiver?

I'm currently playing with the Eltax Spectrum system (5.1). You could buy some decent speaker cable as well in your budgetry amount.

_http://forums.thedigitalfix.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=3239868&postcount=6

With the kit you mentioned in your first couple of posts do you have enough room for the sofa ?

 

[net4hack]

Just because an AV receiver has 7.1 it doesn't mean you have to use it as 7.1 It's one of those features that has been deemed to be "necessary" from a marketing point of view, but in most homes 7.1 is overkill.

-----------------------------------------------

Best value/lowest cost 5.1 audio systems with HD audio decoding

• Onkyo HTS3405 av receiver & speaker package kit - £249 - Perfect if you want a one-stop solution and you aren't likely to upgrade
• Sony STRDH520 av receiver & Yamaha NSP285 speaker kit - £149 + £100 = £249 - Great entry-level system and a perfect starting point for the budding AV enthusiast

Step-up AV Receivers - 1080p scaling or network features

• Sony STRDH820 Scaling AV receiver - £249 - features video upscaling to 1080p and improved audio circuitry
• Onkyo TXNR509 Network AV Receiver - £289 - features ethernet port and DLNA compatibility - play music files from your Home PC/NAS drive and also stream music from internet radio and online music services such as Napster

Step-up AV speaker packages - better audio performance - sweeter treble, deeper and more solid bass

• Yamaha NSP40 - £120 - bigger and beefier version of the NSP285
• Boston Soundware XS/Harman Kardon HKTS9/Tannoy SFK5.1 - all pitched at £199 in the discounters. Choose whether you want small form factor or more conventional looks
• Kef KHT1005.2 "Eggs" - £229 - beefier sub and higher performance satellites

Step-up AV Receivers - 1080p scaling and network features

• Pioneer VSX921 Scaling Network AV receiver - £399
• Onkyo TXNR609 Scaling Network AV Receiver - £449

This is really nice advice. Many thanks Chris_Lucid

There is no space between the sofa and wall at the moment for saving space. I might be able to give a ft max to accommodate rear speakers.

 

[fragileone]

There is a very nice new speaker package in your price range, it is called the _http://www.hifigear.co.uk/wharfedale-dx-1-hcp-moviestar-5-1-surround-speaker-package.html - I have it in gloss black and it looks the business and sounds amazing, even my wife thinks it was a good buy!