Amp hunt

Hi,

First post on this forum, let me start by saying i am a complete newbie when it comes to buying Audio products. So please bear if i end up asking too many simple queries.

So here goes the first, I recently bought a set of Jamo D6 (5.1) speakers, the dealer offered to pair it up with a unit from Denon (AVR-2807), now i believe (from the internet) this unit doesnt have THX, neither it is capable of processing the next gen audio streams such as True HD, DTS HD etc. What i am looking for is an ideal companion for my speakers within my budget. I have onkyo TX-SR705 in mind which is quoted to be for 44,000/ INR, i am sure i can haggle a bit on it, all in all i wouldnt want to spend more than that on an supporting amp. Any ideas on it OR reccomendations ?

I am going to use the setup in my home theater which will be used for gaming as well as movies (duh!) .....


Thanking you guys in advance.

Cheers

If you are keen on next-gen formats for Blu-ray like TrueHD, etc. then the Onkyo is one of the few options available right now at a good price. With Denon you have to go much higher up like AVR-988 to find that feature. The other option is Sherwood's AVRs but not sure if they are available here.

However as you know BluRay discs must feature 7.1 LPCM soundtracks as well. If this is good enough for you then your options open up a bit more. You can look at Marantz AVRs as well, e.g. starting with SR-4002.

Hi,

Well let me say you already own the 2807 right ? if so then just hang on it !
The THX is just an certification and an sound enhancement (THX Movie,Music being the modes available) there's nothing more to it then that !

As with Dolby True-HD,Dts Master HD Blah Blah Blah,they are the future surround formats which is not relevant, atleast not in India as these formats are exclusive for Blue-ray and now deceased HD-DVD ! so untill you don't buy the Blue-ray player,the receiver which you are planning to buy will be utter waste ! Even if you manage to buy a Blue-ray(official india pricing starts from 40K upwards that too not many options) where are going to buy Blue-ray discs as none is officially available in india the only exception is Eros Videos Heyy Babyy ( in that True-Hd,Dts Master Hd ? forget it !) ! so just use the dennon for atleast a year untill High-deff scene in India matures !

Hope you make a wise decision my friend !


Regards

Hey, Thanks for prompt replies....i guess i didnt made it clear that i dont yet own the Denon unit and am still pondering over the issue.

@soundsgreat - I do understand the price range for the blu-ray players and i apologise for not mentioning that i already own a PS3 which has an excellent blu-ray drive plus there are regular updates to kep the firmware upto mark. I also understand that the formats of the future are here to stay as the pricing of the bluray discs has dropped and will sure keep on dropping. I dont think procuring the actual discs is a problem considering sony is marketing the HD media and accessories really well with very competetive pricing etc. Plus i keep on travelling abroad so the perks are there .

As for THX being just a certification. i guess you havent really had a chance to experience its true magic. In short its much more than a mere certificate.


@particleman - The LPCM format in blu-ray, yeah i am aware of that but the problem is the ps3 doesnt supports it or thats what i think. I am not it a state where i would invest in a brand new blu-ray player so gotta stick with what i got.


Could someone please tell me if the D6 are well compatible with the onkyo TX-SR705 ?


Thanks again

Hi,

you don't have apologise its ok ! if you have not bought it yet then its a different story ! as with the price dropping and the Blueray disc being available in the coming months freely is out of the question as the format is old enough elsewere but here we are yet a commercial release of 1 international disc though there are more then 3000 titles available in the international market.

If you travel abroad frequently then its great bonus for you so nothing to worry about !

with the above scene I think you can look into an next gen receiver !

As with your comment of experiencing the So called Magic of THX !

Not to be rude but Please give me a break ! the magic you refer to is a mere marketing gimmick now

As far as me experiencing the Magic well here's what I've heard for starters

1) Onkyo Integra Research pre-power ( THX Certified ) with kimbre top of the line Cable's drivng B&W 800 Signature Series for fronts and 700 Series for the Surround and Surround Back !
2) Yamaha DSP AZ1 ( THX again) driving JM LAB Electra series
3) Pioneer THX stuff with celestial speakers .

Need I say more coz I've heard more and can go on and on !

My friend please wake-up and don't be fooled, THX in todays date has lost its charm ( I used admire it my self some time back),after George Lucas letting go of the THX to a group of Investers, Its just a cash cow for them which they are cashing on !

If I have offended any 1 or you by commenting then Am sorry ! but the truth is truth !

Regards

Hey, thnx againg for the valuable feedback. Please dont worry about offending me as i made it clear i am a newbie and i am here to learn and debate. I personally have heard THX and non-THX variants too, my little interests in the said field wont let me remember the actual names of the products though...all in all i was impressed with the results. I am not questioning your senses here, merely pointing out that it could have been a untuned setup which u experienced...I don't know whether THX actively tests and specifically certifies each receiver, dvd player, speaker, etc that they certify. But I just went to their site to see what the certification process entails. The following two paragraphs seem to indicate that to get your product certified, your engineers and the THX engineers go over and test your design prototypes to ensure it meets any of the THX specs.

"Please provide us with a description of the product you are proposing for THX Certification. If you plan to SUBMIT multiple products within a 12 month time period, please list them all. "


Product Category (check all that apply):
Speakers Receivers
DVD Players Amplifiers
Controllers Sub-Woofers
Multimedia Speakers Other:


There is no doubt that Dr. Tomlinson that headed the THX group for George Lucas is a brilliant engineer and the various types of THX certs did a lot for guaranteeing various types of performance in surround audio processing and video processing into a reliable, predicatble, and competent surround playback format that would make George Lucas, other directors, and music conductors happy.

THX did an huge amount in bass management and vastly improving the center channel dialogue speaker specs and the steering mechanisms for audio clarity in center channel usage in pre-amps and receivers.

There are differences between THX Select and THX Ultra 2. The Select is mostly for small to medium rooms--hence in a THX Select receiver the spec doesn't require the rear surround amplification to be anywhere near as powerful as the front. That can be why a Kenwood 6070 may pass a THX Select spec and not a THX Ultra spec. You have to know what you are using your receiver for and whether your room is acoustically active or rather dead.

Of course there are non-THX receivers that meet or exceed THX specs in all areas or in some areas--and there are plenty that don't in any areas. Many of the non THX receivers often fail in performance in the area of bad bass management. Unless you have full range speakers all around, this can be a rather important issue.

In sum, I am rather confident that there is a lot more to THX certification than just paying a fishing license fee. I think it is more akin to UL Laboratories--meaning they actually test the prototypes and the represenative production models to make sure they adhere to one or more of the different THX standards to which the manufacturer is applying.

Not here fighting for lucas's cause...just want to buy a solid amp ASAP and get on with my viewings


Thanks again

THX Certification is nothing more than a marketing gimmick.

There are lot of manufacturers making high end audio equipment that exceeds THX requirements, but they do not want to pay for the testing by THX so they do not have THX badge on them.{www.emotiva.com}.

But that in "NO REGARD" does that mean it is in any way inferior to any of the THX badged equipment.

Hi,
I just said it coz you never know by trying to help you might offend them ! as with the receiver you have targeted currently there's no other option but that in that price range as yamaha and denon's HD stuff is way expensive as with other companies either they don't have a HD product or its well beyond 1lac mark,this to my knowledge.

So looks like not many options(which should make it easy for you to choose)
But if you can stretch a bit then denon 3803 is the one with abundant power for normal usage and high quality sound, suits both for music and movies. next is yamaha 863 new model cheaper then denon 3803 but costlier then the onkyo !


Regards,

so are u saying onkyo TX-SR705 isn't a good choice for my cause ?

Hello Mukund ,

Jamo D6 deserves much more then onkyo 705 , You can also check out SR 7002 from Marantz and RXV 1800 from yamaha , even though these two are costlier then the onkyo , D6 deserves atleast these kind of receivers.

regards