Amp hunt

[Mukundsv]

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

 

[particleman]

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.

 

[soundsgreat]

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

 

[Mukundsv]

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

 

[soundsgreat]

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

 

[Mukundsv]

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

 

[audiodelic]

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.

 

[soundsgreat]

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,

 

[Mukundsv]

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

 

[soundofmusic]

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

 

[square_wave]

If you are new to this field and the market, going for a THX certified equipment is a ? safe choice?. You will be sure that you?ll get something that meet some minimum benchmark and you can sleep in peace. Of course you will need to pay through your nose for this.
The truth is like this :
If you know the market well and what goes on, then there is equipment available out there which do not have the THX badge but clearly exceeds the quality benchmark laid down by THX. There is also budget priced gear out there designed and build by capable designers which do not go for any of these certifications to keep the costs down. These kind of brands are for the experienced and give fantastic value. You can get separates from these manufacturers for the price you pay for one-box solutions for mass-market brands like onkyo, denon etc? I do not know if these are available in India though.

 

[soundsgreat]

Hi,
Yes I do feel that the 705 is not a right match for the speakers you are choosing ! So please look into the models that I've short listed.

Regards.

 

[Mukundsv]

Hey....SR 7002 from Marantz is like 90 big ones :O...damn i dont have that kind of money...how do you think the TX-SR805 ranks ??

Really appreciate the help from your side guys. Thanks

 

[soundsgreat]

Hi,
Yes Sir it does cost you ! why bent on onkyo any other reason then cost ? As I said try yamaha 863 should be in the range of Onkyo 805 ! Yamaha has come a long way in their AVR's,there was time when I wouldn't recommend if that was last brand available ! but now I can just recommend without any issue ! If its too much then As I said earlier please stick to basic AVR with good sound and ditch the HD stuff for now ! as and when compitation increases the prices are set for a free fall then you can buy a good one !


Regards.

 

[Mukundsv]

Hey man....its not that i have a sweet spot for onkyo, just that its available easily and the manual/broucher is easier to comprehend unlike the others....


Why are you against its inclusion, i wouldnt mind hearing the cons of buying it. i have been reading the reviews and the 805 does sounds like a sweet system. Its just that i am not too sure if its a right purchase (read : which can extract the juice out of the D6) for the speaker setup i have. Besides its kinda light on the pocket too (70k), supports all the next gen formats ( well i am kinda hooked onto those )......

Do you have a contact in Delhi from where i could get some pricing info for the yamaha ?


On another note : Please comment on the D6 performance...issues etc. too

Are you by any chance associated with audio equipments professionally ?

Thanks

 

[soundsgreat]

Hi,
Are you from (might sound silly ) ? The reason is Am not able to digest the new age Onkyo AVR's as they tend to steer of the clean musicality that it once had ! they sound good for movies but music Am not very happy to be frank !

And I already told the Yamaha's 863 should in the same range as 805 (I've also mentioned the for choosing Yamaha over Onkyo)

As with the delhi address I don't have any particular,but try AVMAX you should be able to find some.
The main importers and distributers address is Savoy Electronics Pvt Ltd, Tel:022-26407317 E-Mail:[email protected], try mailing them for the delhi dealers list.

As with the D6 not heard them enough to comment on the same ! The only thing I can tell you is, they are mainly for movies not music and require some powerful Amp to drive them properly !

Regards

 

[ranjeetrain]

I agree with above posts from soundsgreat and audiodelic. THX is more of marketing gimmick than real stuff these days. I am saying this based on listening to a number of THX certified equipments and a big number of great sounding uncertified gear.

D6 deserves much higher quality amplification. Give it clean power with great precision to do justice with them. Onkyos these days just don't sound right. A Marantz may be a lot better option.

 

[smedhavi]

Hi,

I just sold off my 'basic' Denon amp today. I am considering Onkyo TX-SR 875. I don't see any other viable option. Denon 3808 is more expensive and has lower specs. Any suggestions?

I don't want an AVR that would be mediocre at both movies and music. I have separate amp for music. This is for movies only, and the next generation specs (HDMI 1.3a, etc.) are important for me. I am not sure if Yamaha has any confirmed release plans for joining the race.

Thanks,
Sharad

 

[ranjeetrain]

Hi Sharad,

This particular Onkyo is drawaing a lot of attention these days. I understand there must be a reason to it. But I haven't had a chance to audition it yet. Without auditioning I wonder, Onkyo as company, which has never been known for making budget components, how come have they produced a market beater product, laden with features. There must be a reason. What is that reason. Probably I'll keep wondering until I have auditioned it or someone here does a full review.

 

[Mukundsv]

Hey...

The reason is Am not able to digest the new age Onkyo AVR's as they tend to steer of the clean musicality that it once had ! they sound good for movies but music Am not very happy to be frank !

I want this thing to work for movies/games only. Yeah a occasional loud music session is maximum i can think of..but nothing big...just plain movies. Do you thing 805 is up for that or should i upgrade to 875 ?

Help !!! Help !!

damn i am confused now. Yamaha doesnt have anything (within my budget)....neither does Denon/marantz.....which as much as you guys hate, leaves me with Onkyo. I am taking a trip to the stores again tommorow, hoping i would get something decent, ....decent enough to power up the speakers. Am shocked nobody in delhi (nobody i know) is knowledgable enough to guide me.





thanx for everything.