5.1 or 7.1 home audio receiver

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kyouteki

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I'm looking for a new receiver for my Home Theatre setup. I want one with HDMI high resolution audio decoding, hopefully one that can do DSD as well. Trying to stay around $200, if that's possible. Anyone have any hot tips?
 
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$200? Good luck.

My Denon 3808 does DSD. I'd recommend them over anyone else. You won't find much DSD support for your price range.
 
DSD is more of a wish than a requirement. I've been looking at the Sony STRDG720, but wanted to know if there was anything else worth looking at around that price.
 
[quote name='kyouteki']DSD is more of a wish than a requirement. I've been looking at the Sony STRDG720, but wanted to know if there was anything else worth looking at around that price.[/quote]

That's actually a pretty decent receiver for the price. I used to run a lot of Sony stuff back when they were a little bit better than what they are now.

Edit: You're only looking for a receiver right? If not, good luck finding anything for $200 that isn't junk.
 
The Onkyo TXSR506B would fit the bill. It's only $220 at Newegg, with free shipping, plus you'd get an additional 2.75% cash back through Live search.
 
[quote name='saturnotaku']The Onkyo TXSR506B would fit the bill. It's only $220 at Newegg, with free shipping, plus you'd get an additional 2.75% cash back through Live search.[/QUOTE]

Except it doesn't decode HDMI audio, it just passes the HDMI on to the TV.
 
[quote name='kyouteki']Except it doesn't decode HDMI audio, it just passes the HDMI on to the TV.[/quote]
Nor does the STR-DG720 you mentioned earlier. It will handle multi-channel PCM though, which is fine if you're blu-ray player has onboard decoding (like the PS3). The 820 is the cheapest model with TrueHD, DTS-HDMA decoding built-in.

I've haven't seen a receiver with built-in decoders for less than about $400, excluding sale prices. $200 is a real stretch.
 
I think the onkyo 506 that saturn mentioned is a pretty good deal. And like Allnatural said, you'll be hard-pressed to find a receiver that will decode HDMI audio that fits within your budget. If you are using a PS3, you'll have to to use an optical cable. Of course, you won't get HD audio.

If you don't mind refurbs, shoponkyo.com has the 506 for $199.00. For first time buyers, it'll be 189.00 and then there's a 10% discount on all refurbs until 12/26. So, you could pick up a refurb 506 for around 170.00.

If you are wanting HD audio, you'll have to look at receivers like the 576 or 606, which both seem to be out of your budget unless you can find a cheap refurb or used.
 
If the OP can stretch his budget a bit, the Onkyo TXSR606 is a great receiver for the money. The included Audyssey microphone does a good job of automatically calibrating the speakers, it's easy to hook up and configure, and it integrates pretty seamlessly with a Logitech Harmony remote. My one criticism is that the built-in video processor is not great. If you have a Wii or any device that only ouputs to 480p, you'd be better off letting your TV handle that scaling and running only the audio through the receiver. Again, it's a simple process that's made easier if you have a Harmony.
 
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