Good Recommendations for an AVR

dillihifi

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Hi all,

I am on the lookout for a AVR that will perform 100% for movies only no music. I have another stereo setup for music. Budget is around 50K give or take. Further I am not going to buy any speakers now they are for the future. I have two onkyo bookshelves which I will use presently as the fronts. I like the sonodyne pre power combi since it looks good but sadly does not have any hd audio deceoding ano obviously no video upscaling.

I had bought a HTIB sony DAV S700 in the 90's and now after using it almost a decade I have decided to upgrade. This upgrade is being done in stages first i went for a stereo setup since music is my first love (it consists of Lyrita pre + poweramps (all valve setup) coupled with a sony cassette deck and onkyo cd player(CR505)). Now the upgrade bug has bitten me again and I think i will at last go for either a dedicated CDP or an AVR.

Nowdays the onkyo cd player which in fact has a amp section to it doubles up as the amp (2.0) whenever i am watching movies.

Guys any thoughts on these

How are the HD audio codecs. I do not yet have a Blue ray. Is SD video upscaling any good?

Further do all the BD players have 7.1 pre outs. As Venkat (one of the Gurus of HIFIvision) in one of his posts has pointed out that the mid priced receivers do not generally satisfy the audiophile. The ones that do cost upto a lakh plus. Guys can we share notes regarding the same.

I have airtel IPTV connection at home and a samsung 1080pk dvd player; WDTV which are used as sources.

Waiting for some good responses so as discuss these issues threadbare

I had previosly posted a similar post in a mega AVR thread which I think will avoid

Thanks
 
I am on the lookout for a AVR that will perform 100% for movies only no music.
Denon 1910, Onkyo 606 (last year model), Yamaha 863 (probably will get at this price in greay market) are some of the models to consider. Yamaha and Onkyo are the best for movies and will give you years of entertainment. All are equipped with the latest HD Audio codecs. Denon 1910 also incorporates the new PLIIZ (height channels). I my opinion Yamaha 863 is the best among these. Even a 663 is good.
How are the HD audio codecs. I do not yet have a Blue ray. Is SD video upscaling any good?
HD-Audio codecs are extremely good. But in india we still have a shortage of movies available on Blu Ray. And if available it is quite expensive. And to extract the HD-Audio out of discs to need a Blu Ray disc player (BDP).
SD Video scaling though cannot be compared to the HD Quality video. Of course it still is better than no upscaling. But then the upscaler hardware needs to be good.
Further do all the BD players have 7.1 pre outs. As Venkat (one of the Gurus of HIFIvision) in one of his posts has pointed out that the mid priced receivers do not generally satisfy the audiophile. The ones that do cost upto a lakh plus. Guys can we share notes regarding the same.
First of all "Audiophiles" are not connected anyway to receivers. For audiophiles they are mostly in music. And also in all ways there is nothing great about "Audiophiles" (my opinion only). You just need to be satisfied with whatever gear you have and enjoy it to the fullest. This bug of upgrading once bites you, leaves you penniless in the end and also is a never-ending journey. Be very careful.
Ok, now about pre-outs in BDP. If you have a HD-Audio decoding AVR then you DO NOT NEED a BDP with pre-outs. Of course you might require pre-outs on you HD capable AVR, so that in future if upgrade bug bites you then you can add power amp to the AVR, thereby using AVR as a pro/pre.

Lastly do enjoy music and movies...
 
A search on the forum will bring up Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon, Pioneer as good & popular brands. More importantly you need to finalize on the speakers and then look for AVRs that match them. So what speakers do you have?

Also do you want 5.1 or 7.1?

Re; Bluray players, not all of them have pre-outs. Panasonic BD35 is a good example.

I am a bit confused re: your question re: HD Audio when you state you are only interested in watching movies at the beginnig.
 
Further do all the BD players have 7.1 pre outs. As Venkat (one of the Gurus of HIFIvision) in one of his posts has pointed out that the mid priced receivers do not generally satisfy the audiophile. The ones that do cost upto a lakh plus. Guys can we share notes regarding the same.

And to correct a minor point. What I mentioned was that the difference between a 60 odd thousand AVR and a 100 odd thousand was only a few extra watts per channel and features such as upscaling. If you really looking at a massive difference in power, sound signature, and authority you have to look at AVRs costing upwards of a couple of lakhs. I don't remember mentioning the word 'audiophile' at all.

I did re-read my post in http://www.hifivision.com/surround-amplifiers-receivers/5166-avr-rs-100-000-price-range-2.html and confirmed what I said.

Cheers
 
Hi venkat I did not mean anything regarding audiophile i just used it in the sentence. I do recall in a post where you stated that you did a to B comparision of 1910 and the Arcam receiver and stated that this years mid fi recievers lacked a little bit something ...


Further, as I have stated that I have an onkyo liverpool minicomponent system which I plan to cannibalise and use the speakers as fronts till i get the moeny for a 5.1 speaker set. Now of course I plan to buy a reciever.

Thinking aloud do the upscaling of video for SD material give you a good output
 
A search on the forum will bring up Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon, Pioneer as good & popular brands. More importantly you need to finalize on the speakers and then look for AVRs that match them. So what speakers do you have?

Also do you want 5.1 or 7.1?

Re; Bluray players, not all of them have pre-outs. Panasonic BD35 is a good example.

I am a bit confused re: your question re: HD Audio when you state you are only interested in watching movies at the beginnig.

Hi planning to go for the speakers later will go the other way around and try to match the reciever with the speakers
 
DilliHifi,

Since your music system is based an a valve system, believe me, you will find the sound of an AVR completely different.

I would suggest you see ways of integrating your music system amplification into your movie system also. In other words, see if you could get an AVR with pre outs that you could send to the Lyrita system for amplification of the front L&R. Since 90% of move soundtrack is sent to the front centre and L&R channels, you will be assured of getting sound you are used to even from movies.

Regarding scaling, it is all a question what you have or are planning. At the least you must have a 42 inch or larger FullHD screen for any kind of scaling to make sense. As I had mentioned elsewhere transmission from most Indian DTH are not good enough to be scaled to anything more than 720P. If you are getting a Blu-ray player, that will scale all your DVD/BD material. Many people argue that the scaler inside a TV is far better than what many AVRs provide.

Of course if you are getting a HQV Reon or a similar scaling processor, that will beat the hell of everything else.

Choose you system carefully for integration.

Cheers
 
Hi Venkat

Thanks for writing in. I just wanted to chip in with my thoughts. Since I have my music setup in a different room so I will not be able to use the Lyrita system during waqtching of movies. As I intend to use this HT system (I intend to buy the speakers and sub at a later date) primarily for watching of movies and I have pair of onkyo bookshelves which I plan to use as 2.0 system along with the AVR for the time being. Further, as movies go as I do not yet have a BD player do you suggest that I go for a 5.1 or 7.1 AVR.

Will the newer avrs handle LPCM over HDMI which I think is necessary for HD audio. I do not want to spend a overwhleming amount on the AVR I think around 50k give or take something. As I compared AMPs I think the lowest model where the Reon HQV chip is present is Onkyo 875. Some say that Anchor bay chips are good (used in all Yams) but the leading brands are Faroudja and the Reon with the latter being said to perform better.

Lets see which AVRs I can pick up for around 50K

Marantz - Is it any good for only movies
Denon - Is said to be an allrounder
Onkyo - supposed to pack plenty of punch for movies.
Yamaha - Good impression though heard about poor after sales
CA - Any idea (lacks HD Audio)
NAD - could be expensive. no presence in india lacks HD audio (in my range) i think has analog input
Sonodyne Pre Power - Looks good No HD Audio but 6.1 analog input havent heard this yet
Any others ??

Keep thinking
 
I would rather plan to buy the speakers first or wait awhile and get the speakers & AVR together. Not the AVR first. Even if it means buying just the front speakers in 'phase 1' (if in a funds crunch).

The reason being - from whatever I have gathered on this forum, speaker technology does not change in leaps and bounds. However, electronics are different - 6 months down the line either the same Yamaha 863 could cost less or you could get a higher model with more features at the same price. So for max bang-for-the-buck buy the speakers first.

I am presuming a situation where the speaker and AVR purchases will be 6 months to one year apart.
 
Will the newer avrs handle LPCM over HDMI which I think is necessary for HD audio. I do not want to spend a overwhleming amount on the AVR I think around 50k give or take something.

Most modern AVRs that have specification for HR Audio will support LPCM over HDMI.

dillihifi said:
Marantz - Is it any good for only movies
Denon - Is said to be an allrounder
Onkyo - supposed to pack plenty of punch for movies.
Yamaha - Good impression though heard about poor after sales
CA - Any idea (lacks HD Audio)
NAD - could be expensive. no presence in india lacks HD audio (in my range) i think has analog input
Sonodyne Pre Power - Looks good No HD Audio but 6.1 analog input havent heard this yet
Any others ??

If it is just movies I will narrow this down to Yamaha, Onkyo and Denon. In Denon I will not look at any model less than 2310. Yamaha 663 and 863 are great models. Onkyo's new models are supposed to be good, but I have not heard them.

NAD and CA are very good for music, but lack a number of features that the other provide. Both these companies play more stress on musicality of the AVR and leave decoding and other headaches to the player or other devices.

Cheers
 
And also in all ways there is nothing great about "Audiophiles" (my opinion only).

one way there is something great about audiophiles,

- is how they keep spending money for the next upgrade, but yet manage to remain afloat (insofar as insolvency is concerned), feed their families and still hope for the next big thing (and only analyze music, but do not enjoy it?):D:D
 
one way there is something great about audiophiles,

- is how they keep spending money for the next upgrade, but yet manage to remain afloat (insofar as insolvency is concerned), feed their families and still hope for the next big thing (and only analyze music, but do not enjoy it?):D:D

Hehehe..Very true.. I was on the verge of thinking "I am an audiophile" and when I saw my bank statement all my doubts vanished. It is better to be a normal person and save some money!!:D:D
 
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