Request: Anyone see any killer deals on a new Audio Receiver?

That is $319 shipped at J&R +7% cash back with LiveSearch -$5 for google checkout :) thanx for looking though, but i think i'm going with the Sony STR-DG820 for about $50 bucks less, but i'm still looking.

*EDIT* Hell the Onkyo is on Ebay for $350 shipped with 30% cashback... But the Sony is $300 shipped with 30% back... damn these choices!
 
Yeah, I sold home audio at Circuit City for three years and I can say that the Onkyo would blow the crappy little amps in the Sony away. In general they use discrete power meaning that they have individual amps for each channel for a cleaner overall sound and better quality in general. The Sony stuff usually uses an integrated amplifier. Put it this way, you're fixing up your house...would you prefer one painter, one carpenter, one roofer, etc. or would you prefer one overall handyman? Pay the extra few bucks to get a better quality. The Sony is going to end up crapping out on you anyway.

That's just my experience anyway. I didn't bother to look at specs on either receiver, just telling you my perspective as a former audio geek. That said, I own an H/K receiver that I'm also looking to upgrade, which is why I stopped in on this thread, but I'm looking to potentially spend a little more, or at least get more for my money.
 
[quote name='Redeema']Yeah, I sold home audio at Circuit City for three years and I can say that the Onkyo would blow the crappy little amps in the Sony away. In general they use discrete power meaning that they have individual amps for each channel for a cleaner overall sound and better quality in general. The Sony stuff usually uses an integrated amplifier. Put it this way, you're fixing up your house...would you prefer one painter, one carpenter, one roofer, etc. or would you prefer one overall handyman? Pay the extra few bucks to get a better quality. The Sony is going to end up crapping out on you anyway.

That's just my experience anyway. I didn't bother to look at specs on either receiver, just telling you my perspective as a former audio geek. That said, I own an H/K receiver that I'm also looking to upgrade, which is why I stopped in on this thread, but I'm looking to potentially spend a little more, or at least get more for my money.[/QUOTE]

I agree. Look towards getting a Onkyo or a Denon. Don't bother with that Sony crap.
 
Denon 888 for $350 from Amazon (free shipping.) Only 2 HDMI inputs, but that's easily remedied with a switch. No DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD, but that's irrelevant if you're using a PS3 (Sony doesn't allow bitstreaming.) I don't know how that compares to the SR5002.

They also have a 988 for $540 but that's still only 2 HDMI, and again if you're using a PS3 the HD codecs don't do anything on your receiver.
 
Though they're understandably sold out, I placed a back order for the Onkyo HT-S7100 HTIB from J&R for $499. Even with their outrageous shipping charge ($88 for UPS Ground, srsly?), they still came in about $30 less than Amazon or Newegg. And that doesn't take into account the 7% cash back from Live search. Hopefully they'll get stock in soon, though I'm not in a tremendous hurry.
 
[quote name='mmnno'] No DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD, but that's irrelevant if you're using a PS3 (Sony doesn't allow bitstreaming.) [/QUOTE]

Well supposedly down the road there will be a fix to that, but who knows. I do have a stand alone anyways as my primary.

Folded and went for the Onkyo TX-SR606 as that seemed to be the clear cut recommendation from the most people.

*fingers crossed*:pray:
 
i almost pulled the trigger on the onkyo tx-706 but......im just not set on which model i want.
truthfully i want everything the 706 has but i really dislike its aesthetic.
 
I did a lot of research, and for the money, the HT-S7100 appeared to be the best value. I'm sure the speakers aren't the greatest, but the receiver is well regarded, and that system includes a pair of speaker stands, which are over $100 MSRP on their own. But for someone who hasn't owned any sort of surround sound, I'm sure that setup will be more than adequate.

As I said in my post above, I got the same system brand new from J&R for $499 + shipping. Even at $80 for ground, it was still cheaper than anywhere else, plus you'll get 7% cash back by getting to J&R's Web site through Live search. The store is out of stock at the moment, but you can place a back order. Your CC won't get charged until it ships. I'm not in a big hurry. For the amount of money saved over buying from Amazon plus the larger cash back, it's worth the wait.
 
[quote name='lolwut?']How are Shop Onkyo's refurbs? They have a 10% off deal going right now[/quote]

I generally don't trust refurbs of anything. Though getting it directly from the manufacturer is preferable to ordering a refurb from anywhere else.
 
I don't either, but I've seen a lot of people suggest their refurbs to others, so I thought it might be good as new.

I read some reviews on the set and heard the speakers are crap. I guess that's understandable though; you're getting a whole 7.1 setup for $450...
 
[quote name='mmnno']Denon 888 for $350 from Amazon (free shipping.) Only 2 HDMI inputs, but that's easily remedied with a switch. No DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD, but that's irrelevant if you're using a PS3 (Sony doesn't allow bitstreaming.) I don't know how that compares to the SR5002.

They also have a 988 for $540 but that's still only 2 HDMI, and again if you're using a PS3 the HD codecs don't do anything on your receiver.[/quote]

PS3 HD Codecs work just fine over Linear PCM if your receiver supports it. There maybe some insignificant loss by the way the PS3 does the decoding, but it definitely works.
 
[quote name='lolwut?']I'm also looking for a setup as I'm buying a new HDTV soon and need a new audio setup (the all in one Regent brand one doesn't cut it, lol).

Is something like this good? http://www.shoponkyo.com/detail.cfm?productid=HT-S7100&modelid=164&group_id=1&detail=1&ext_war=1

I'm not quite sure what to look for in receivers, but I have a 360, a PS3 and I'm going to be playing BluRays, so I'd like a receiver that will be up to date for a while and some decent speakers.[/QUOTE]

Yeah i would definetly pick up the receiver as a stand alone and look for deals on speakers.
 
[quote name='FadeToOne']PS3 HD Codecs work just fine over Linear PCM if your receiver supports it. There maybe some insignificant loss by the way the PS3 does the decoding, but it definitely works.[/quote]

Yes, that's why I said the feature is irrelevant on a receiver if you're using a PS3, as the PS3 sends it as multichannel PCM which any receiver can use. Even if the PS3 did allow receivers to do the decoding, what would be the point? There shouldn't be any loss because of the PS3, that's impossible. That's like saying decompressing an archive with Winzip gives you higher quality files than if you use WinRAR. It's all digital, there's no difference at all.

Let us know how the 606 is Deadpool. Shopping for a receiver is such a pain, all the good user reviews are for $1000+ units :(
 
[quote name='mmnno']

Let us know how the 606 is Deadpool. Shopping for a receiver is such a pain, all the good user reviews are for $1000+ units :([/QUOTE]

Shall do. It's en route. I'll have it either saturday or monday. I took the cheap(free) shipping option.
 
Got the notice from J&R that my HT-S7100 HTIB shipped. It should arrive on Wednesday. Looks like I'll have a project on my hands next weekend.
 
[quote name='Deadpool']Well supposedly down the road there will be a fix to that, but who knows. I do have a stand alone anyways as my primary.

Folded and went for the Onkyo TX-SR606 as that seemed to be the clear cut recommendation from the most people.

*fingers crossed*:pray:[/quote]

I got a 606 a few months ago and I like it; no complaints.
 
[quote name='paz9x']can one of you cats with the 606 let me know how the upscaling is?[/quote]

Upscaling a Wii from component in to HDMI out wasn't that great. To be honest, my TV (Toshiba 42HL167) does a better job, IMHO. So I have some audio cables en route to run video to the TV and audio through the receiver.

The receiver is great for audio. Nice, rich highs and mids, with deep bass, even from the what I assume to be cheap-o speakers that came in the HT-S7100 system. But take what I say with a grain of salt, as this is my first receiver. It was super easy to set up and tweak. The Audyssey mic did a pretty respectable job of auto-configuring everything.

Now I just have to wait for the speaker stand screws that Onkyo forgot to put in the box so I can actually get surround sound.
 
[quote name='paz9x']can one of you cats with the 606 let me know how the upscaling is?[/quote]

Upscaling the Wii works fine for me, but I don't use it for much else. As with any upscaler, the benefit is highly dependant on how well your TV displays 480 content.
 
[quote name='paz9x']can one of you cats with the 606 let me know how the upscaling is?[/QUOTE]

I use my players to upscale not the receiver, sorry.
 
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