Shopping for a reciever, need some advice please.

[j3bus2k3 5,000+ posts]

There is no "real" differences between the two. the 1909 is denon's "pro" line sold by higher end store's and the 789 is Denon's "consumer" line sold by stores like Circuit City. They are identical in specs and performance. The only difference between the two is the 1909 has a small second remote for zone 2 purposes.

Thats what I figured. And its funny you mention the remote. The 789's remote has a flip-open door on the back that if you open reveals the 2nd zone controls...

Oh, and the 789 and its brethren typically have a higher resell margin, //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

 

[letchcore 10+ year member]

I am super happy with my Yamaha 663. It has higher output then the Denon 789 and also plays the new Blue-Ray HD formats. I got the 663 price matched at BB for $399. Great price I thought. Plus I got 6mo. no interest on my BB card.

Mike

 

[Enellz 10+ year member]

I got a Yamaha Rx-V463, and I could'nt be happier with it. A lot of options, and pretty easy to set up. retailed for 399.99, got it for 210, I know people who know people. Alot of mistakes people mislead on I noticed, is that people buy one because x as many outputs, while x doesnt it. Read extensively, it'll pay off.

 

[acubsfan 10+ year member]

I have a Harmon kardon AVR135. It is one of the lower tier models they make, but it sounds great in my opinion. They can be had really cheap via the the HarmanAudio seller on Ebay. They are refurbs mostly, but mine was a refurb and I am using it still 2+ years never had a problem. Only knocks I have for it are the speaker terminals are a pain in the *** to use, really close together and at a wierd angle and that it is pretty big, but that doesn't really bother me much.

 

[Rich B 5,000+ posts]

If I was buying right now I would look at Onkyo's THX receivers.

They actually designed them as a joint effort with THX and the reviews have all given them top marks for amp power, THX processing, and video performance.

 

[96MaxGLE 10+ year member]

Do most of you guys do 7.1 or still do 5.1 surround? I was looking at the Harman Kardon AVR 154, also...

 

[96MaxGLE 10+ year member]

NVRMIND...it only was HDMI switching...

 

[kpozr2 10+ year member]

go with the HK-254 or Onkyo-606, both will do everything you want. both have 5.1/7.1 or 5.1 in your HT room and 2 other speakers somewhere else around you house, patio, garage, workshop, etc.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Do most of you guys do 7.1 or still do 5.1 surround? I was looking at the Harman Kardon AVR 154, also...

7.1 is highly overrated in anything but the largest rooms.

 

[adam71 5,000+ posts]

7.1 is highly overrated in anything but the largest rooms.

\
I don't even think it's overrated. MOST people don't have room for or a desire for 7 speakers in their living rooms. It's basically a marketing scheme, kinda like "24bit resolution" is.One good thing though, at least they're not trying to charge a bunch extra for the extra surround channels. They're basically putting it into ALL receivers (cheap and expensive) these days.

 

[96MaxGLE 10+ year member]

Sorry to the OP again, but since you guys are actually involved in this thread...I've got a speaker question.

One of my dad's friends is getting rid of his Infinity setup...not exactly what I wanted, but its a pretty good deal.

(2) Infinity Primus 360...front R&L

(2) Infinity Primus 160...surrounds

(1) Infinity Entra Center Two...Center

(1) Infinity Entra Sub Two...Subwoofer...its a 12" CMMD w/ a 250w amp

I'm thinking I may be able to get them for around $550 for everything...

Pair all of this with the HK-254, and I can have a complete setup for around $1000

 

[Enellz 10+ year member]

Sorry to the OP again, but since you guys are actually involved in this thread...I've got a speaker question.
One of my dad's friends is getting rid of his Infinity setup...not exactly what I wanted, but its a pretty good deal.

(2) Infinity Primus 360...front R&L

(2) Infinity Primus 160...surrounds

(1) Infinity Entra Center Two...Center

(1) Infinity Entra Sub Two...Subwoofer...its a 12" CMMD w/ a 250w amp

I'm thinking I may be able to get them for around $550 for everything...

Pair all of this with the HK-254, and I can have a complete setup for around $1000

Sounds over priced to me. It's infinity, not nothing else. My advice would be google the a/v reciever is decent and what it runs for. I haven't seen it, so I couldn't tell you nothing exact. But it sounds way over priced.

 

[96MaxGLE 10+ year member]

He had it on craigslist for $675...my dad told me about it. I may be able to get a better deal, but don't want to lowball him. He got it from Crutchfield, and paid $1400 for it 2yrs ago. I'm pretty set on the receiver (I'll be purchasing that seperatly)...at I think...but not at all sure about speaker setup. I would LOVE to build some myself, but spare time is hard to come by.

 

[Enellz 10+ year member]

if their really nice, then go for it. But if it was me I would talk him down some. But if your set it on it then go for it.

 

[aturcotte127317 10+ year member]

i have a kenwood that i can get u for cheap, pm me if interested