OT: amplifier/receiver for home audio

[Wattvagen]

ugh. always something.

kiddo turns on the TV this moring to watch "Blippi" and no sound. My ancient denon receiver is apparently DOA. It's really old and was not a high end model, so i think i've gotten my money's worth out of it, and it's been problematic, so time to move on.

looking for recommendations...

In the old days, i had a nice cd player hooked to the receiver and we used the FM tuner a lot to listen to music. these days, everything streams through the smart TV and my kids xbox is hooked to the TV via hdmi, so all the new receiver needs to do is amplify the signal from the TV to my stereo speakers.

the living room is re-configured long ago and the surround speakers were abandoned, so again, this needs to be a simple device that drives two tower speakers and a powered sub only.

this is living room audio for a family of non audiophiles and kids, so simple to use and decent audio quality are the goals.

is a $500 budget sufficient here?

[Dired]

500 is more than sufficient. If you're looking to power a simple two speaker setup, you can get something no frills like the Onkyo 9010 and be done. I would check Craigslist first though to see if you can grab a vintage nad or similar for a song.

[soulspinner]

500 is more than sufficient. If you're looking to power a simple two speaker setup, you can get something no frills like the Onkyo 9010 and be done. I would check Craigslist first though to see if you can grab a vintage nad or similar for a song.

I have an old Onkyo that wont quit. Good call.

[Wattvagen]

great.

i think the unit i have out in the garage is an old Onkyo that i got at a garage sale and has been powering the classic rock station in the shop for many years.

[gomango]

I'd watch FB Marketplace.

We have a neighborhood group. I picked up a decent Nakamichi SR-2a and a pair of original small Advents for a couple hundred $$$.

The Advents had been reconed and the seller graciously tossed in a roll of Monster cable.

I still have an old Sony CD player that I added to the system. I have hundreds of CDs from my music business days and this is a fun way to put them to good use.

Not too shabby for a garage system.

[grateful]

I unhooked my 7.1 channel Marantz from my TV setup and installed a Peachtree stereo integrated amp in its place. I immediately fell in love with stereo vs surround and decided that two channels would remain.

I also prefer ease of use.

I ended up switching back to the Marantz and running it in stereo for one reason, HDMI ARC (The Peachtree does not have HDMI).

HDMI ARC allows me to use the small, simple TV remote to control the basic functions (volume, source, etc.) of my system. I turn everything on, pick my source and go.

I do have a Harmony remote that I programed to work with the Peachtree. For ease of use the TV remote trumped the Harmony.

Most companies have recently introduced HDMI ARC stereo receivers. As a Marantz fan I am partial to this one

https://www.us.marantz.com/en-US/shop/avreceivers/nr1200

If you need to connect to a TV that is the way I would go.

[Spaghetti Legs]

great.

i think the unit i have out in the garage is an old Onkyo that i got at a garage sale and has been powering the classic rock station in the shop for many years.

I have an Onyko, probably a mid range unit that I used very little before I went Sonos. LMK if interested and I’ll dig it out to get you more info.

[thirdgenbird]

I support the HDMI ARC comments above,

I went from a harmony remote that worked very well to a tv and amplifier with HDMI ARC that works better. We exclusively use our LG TV remote to control our tv, amplifier and Blu-ray player. It all works seamlessly. Turning the TV on turns the amp on and adjusting the volume on the tv turns up the amp. There is also no confusion with amplifier inputs, everything is automated through the tv. Go to the blu-ray input on the TV and the amplifier and blu-ray player both power up and adjust as-needed. Watching Netflix, live tv, or a movie on disc all have the same user experience with the same remote.

[Likes2ridefar]

Usually it’s basically the more you spend the more channels and features you get. up to you to decide if you need the added extras for more $.

Modern receivers are all quite good and generally have enough power to drive anything you toss at them to ear bleeding levels..especially if you send the lows to a subwoofer.

Room correction can be a big factor on sound and some brands may offer possibly better solutions. Audyssey is quite popular and I think worth spending up to get the higher end varieties of it.

Accessories 4 less offers discounted prices on most common brands.

[C40_guy]

I'm running a couple of older Denon AV receivers. Two are the 1913 model, with network access, 7 channel + a second room/source capability, IOS app control, blah blah.

In my office I have a 1613, which is the low end version that has network access (NAS, Spotify, online radio, etc).

You can probably find one of these on CL or Marketplace for $100-$200. I control both the TiVo and the receiver with a single remote

And the HDMI ARC is nice -- receiver switches on/off with the TV...

Then I've got my Adcom separates in the living room, driving B&W speakers and subwoofer. Haven't turned them on in a long time...

[benb]

I've had 2 in the last 20 years.. don't even have one now, I got rid of everything a year or two ago.

That whole style is kind of dead in the water and has really lost popularity.

The more modern one I had was a Yamaha that had a room mic and all that fancy wizardry.

I am not sure I ever thought it sounded better than the old one. The new one had HDMI switching and all the other new stuff, but the old one always sounded better.

Right now I don't have anything, we just have the TV setup.

The inputs today are different. When I had a receiver it was all about a CD changer & DVD player, Mini-Disc/Tape/FM radio/LPs. Now it's an Amazon streaming device, video game player (with Blu-Ray, etc..).

The biggest feature I miss is a good audio compressor/compression engine for limiting dynamic range. I would not buy anything at this point without them.

To much of the content right now is mastered assuming you have a sound isolated home theater room and you're an audiophile and you can turn the volume way up. Which means if you want to listen at quieter volumes at home (kids asleep, etc..) you're screwed and you're going to be riding the volume buttons on the remote the whole time you're watching.

Hamilton on Disney+ was just INSANE with the dynamic range. If one actor was speaking quietly I had to turn the volume up 3X to hear them, then we'd have to rush to turn the volume way down when the whole stage filled with actors singing at the tops of their lungs. Great if we had a home theater room and could set up for actual theater volume levels but terrible with our kid upstairs trying to sleep.

[DHallerman]

Ugh, all these old-time amps...best for the hobbyist. For $500 or less, there are several modern amps that also have a DAC, often Bluetooth, and other digital inputs. If that doesn’t matter to you, fine. O’wise consider the functions of today’s units, and see if that fits you now and to come.

For example, the NAD D-3020 v2 Hybrid Digital Integrated Amplifier goes for $450 or so.

Dave, who probably is some kind of audio hobbyist himself with only digital sources both from server and streamer so that’s likely why he cites digital as an audio benefit

[b33]

My suggestion is to watch Craigslist and Facebook. I just picked up a Yamaha 125 Watts 5.1 with HDMI ARC for $100. Perfect for the man cave.

ARC does rock - whatever the source is those are the speakers that will play.

[josephr]

sounds like a decent soundbar/subwoofer combo might be in order...hdmi-arc and bluetooth streaming...and good ones out there for $250-300 --- JBL, yamaha, etc...

and then you can move your towers to the garage and jam while you work on bikes? I've got a mini-jack-to-RCA stereo cable running from my phone to old Yamaha AX-500 stereo amp. works great.

[Wattvagen]

Ha,

yes, my wife is pulling for the new thing from bose and i'm betting my nice old speakers do wind up with me in the garage, lol.

any input on this thingie?

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/speakers/home_theater/bose-tv-speaker.html?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI556ijLXN6gIVCY6zCh3IWgjIEAAYASAA EgLNOPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#v=bose_tv_speaker_black

[reuben]

Ha,

yes, my wife is pulling for the new thing from bose and i'm betting my nice old speakers do wind up with me in the garage, lol.

any input on this thingie?

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/speakers/home_theater/bose-tv-speaker.html?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI556ijLXN6gIVCY6zCh3IWgjIEAAYASAA EgLNOPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#v=bose_tv_speaker_black

I used to have Bose. Much prefer my current Polk.

[grateful]

If you can live with an all in one device the new Sonos Arc is supposed to be quite good. It also gains you entry into the best ecosystem currently available.

Ha,

yes, my wife is pulling for the new thing from bose and i'm betting my nice old speakers do wind up with me in the garage, lol.

any input on this thingie?

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/speakers/home_theater/bose-tv-speaker.html?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI556ijLXN6gIVCY6zCh3IWgjIEAAYASAA EgLNOPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#v=bose_tv_speaker_black

[C40_guy]

Ha,

yes, my wife is pulling for the new thing from bose and i'm betting my nice old speakers do wind up with me in the garage, lol.

any input on this thingie?

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/speakers/home_theater/bose-tv-speaker.html?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI556ijLXN6gIVCY6zCh3IWgjIEAAYASAA EgLNOPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#v=bose_tv_speaker_black

Looks like that new thingie needs a separate bass module, for another $400-$700...

In the past, people either loved Bose or hated Bose. Something about how the traditional speakers were built that worked for some people, not others. I, for one, never liked their old speakers (901s, 601s, 301s, etc...). I don't have any issues with their new electronics stuff...

But here's another approach...not sure if it works for you. Our bedroom tv is an older 40" Sony XBR flatscreen...decent sound but not great. I added a powerred subwoofer to it. No other external speakers. Now the sound is great.

[Ken Robb]

I have Marantz SR 5009 and it works great both in stereo and 5 channel surround. Depending on the program material and source I sometimes prefer one type of sound and sometimes the other. Out old DVD/CD player just died. It did not have HTMI so I had to use multiple RCA cables. When I replaced to dead player with a new Sony DVD/CD I was able to switch to HDMI from player to receiver which tidied things up nicely.
We have Vandersteen 2CE front speakers, SONUS-FABER center speaker, 2 Bose floor standing speakers for rear surround and a Vandersteen subwoofer which is mostly superfluous because the Model 2s have great bass anyway.

Before the Marantz we had an NAD receiver with similar features and we liked it fine until it died and MIGHT have been repaired for $250-300 with no guarantee due to proprietary internal components. That taught me it's not like the old days when my equipment lasted 20 years and could be repaired pretty reasonably with universally quality component parts. This discovery would make me wary of buying used
typical receivers/amplifiers that are 3-5 years old.

[charliedid]

I use this and it's half your budget.

https://www.ebay.com/i/174037891157?chn=ps

Where do you live?

PS I do not care for surround sound...

[Likes2ridefar]

I use this and it's half your budget.

https://www.ebay.com/i/174037891157?chn=ps

Where do you live?

PS I do not care for surround sound...

Most every surround system I’ve seen is not good quality or setup properly. An amazing and properly setup room (usually expensive) can be a moving experience just like a great two channel system.

My parents have b&w 8 series all around with two monster svs subs. It’s pretty awesome sounding. I’ve enjoyed camping out for the past month at their place!

[tuxbailey]

If you shop at Costco just buy the Yamaha receiver there. The TSR-7XXX series.

It does everything reasonably well at your price point.

[C40_guy]

My parents have b&w 8 series all around with two monster svs subs. It’s pretty awesome sounding. I’ve enjoyed camping out for the past month at their place!

Our son has been camping out with us since mid-April.

It's been very special being quarantined with him...but I think my wife is concerned about the overall testosterone levels in the house. :)

[kingpin75s]

Most every surround system I’ve seen is not good quality or setup properly. An amazing and properly setup room (usually expensive) can be a moving experience just like a great two channel system.

My parents have b&w 8 series all around with two monster svs subs. It’s pretty awesome sounding. I’ve enjoyed camping out for the past month at their place!

Although I know we are not talking HiFi here, I agree with the quality comment in the sense that if you only need a 2.1 system, try and buy a system that is only that. The simpler the signal path, the better generally.

Parents system sounds fun. I am a big fan of stereo subs for 2 channel listening and a fan of 2 channel listening for both music and movies.

[Wattvagen]

Thank you for the comments and thoughts.

There were days years ago where i really listened to a lot of music, drank a lot of booze and just stayed up all night binging on great audio. I was broke back then and vowed to have the best audio set-up some day, but life and priorities have changed.

someday though, i will have a great home office/den set up for the audio immersement experience...


...but for now, cartoons on the big screen and big kid movies at night that just work and are simple to operate are on the menu!

:)

[charliedid]

Most every surround system I’ve seen is not good quality or setup properly. An amazing and properly setup room (usually expensive) can be a moving experience just like a great two channel system.

My parents have b&w 8 series all around with two monster svs subs. It’s pretty awesome sounding. I’ve enjoyed camping out for the past month at their place!

I hear you. :)

[Peter P.]

My suggestion is to watch Craigslist and Facebook.

I agree. Just make sure it has an input from your TV's audio output jack, and will provide a line level output for your subwoofer.

I prefer Yamaha equipment because it's affordable and lasts forever, whatever you find on the secondary market like Craigslist will be fine.

[jamesdak]

Most every surround system I’ve seen is not good quality or setup properly. An amazing and properly setup room (usually expensive) can be a moving experience just like a great two channel system.



Exactly right, listen to some of Steven Wilson's solo work or Porcupine Tree recordings that are done in true surround sound on a good surround sound setup and you will be blown away. Or Alison Krauss New Favorite SACD or the like. Life altering! ;)

[cua90]

I’ve been happy with my recently acquired amp from Emotiva

[jamesdak]

In the Living Room I'm running an older Yamaha that works great. Needed something that could accept the 7 channel audio outputs of my OPPO 103. Harder to find nowdays so I'll keep this going as long as I can.

As others have suggested though, don't forgo checking out used sources. I picked up a great sounding Denon AVR-3300 for $12 at the DI. Utah's version of the Salvation Army Thrift Store. Lost of good AV gear winds up there sold for dirt cheap. The Denon is now rocking the setup in my garage.

[Ken Robb]

Thank you for the comments and thoughts.

There were days years ago where i really listened to a lot of music, drank a lot of booze and just stayed up all night binging on great audio. I was broke back then and vowed to have the best audio set-up some day, but life and priorities have changed.

someday though, i will have a great home office/den set up for the audio immersement experience...


...but for now, cartoons on the big screen and big kid movies at night that just work and are simple to operate are on the menu!

:)
Try to get that dream system before your hearing goes bad. :-)

[zap]

edit

I have Marantz SR 5009 and it works great both in stereo and 5 channel surround. Depending on the program material and source I sometimes prefer one type of sound and sometimes the other. Out old DVD/CD player just died. It did not have HTMI so I had to use multiple RCA cables. When I replaced to dead player with a new Sony DVD/CD I was able to switch to HDMI from player to receiver which tidied things up nicely.
We have Vandersteen 2CE front speakers, SONUS-FABER center speaker,

Which model Sonus Faber ctr? We have a full complement of Sonus Faber speakers (excl. subwoofer) but our Sonus Faber ctr speaker is not very good. Looking to replace our ctr speaker with another model from Sonus Faber or if needed another manufacturer.

[Matt92037]

You beat me to it. I recently purchased the sub $400 Yamaha from costco and it is stellar. It replaced a 10year old Pioneer Elite and gives up nothing.

Get the Yamaha and dont look back

If you shop at Costco just buy the Yamaha receiver there. The TSR-7XXX series.

It does everything reasonably well at your price point.

[Ken Robb]

edit



Which model Sonus Faber ctr? We have a full complement of Sonus Faber speakers (excl. subwoofer) but our Sonus Faber ctr speaker is not very good. Looking to replace our ctr speaker with another model from Sonus Faber or if needed another manufacturer.

I think it is a Solo Home. I don't think it's a current offering. When I went surround sound I already had the Vandersteens and Bose rears. I added a Vandersteen sub but my dealer was out of Vandersteen centers in the finish I preferred. He loaned me the Sonus to use while he ordered the V center. I thought the Sonus worked so well I just kept it.

How do you balance your surround sound? Both of my receivers have had Audissey which eliminated most guesswork from my setting up. My Marantz also offers buttons for Movie, Music, Game and "Pure" which allow various emphasis amongst the speaker channels to suit the program material. In each of those options there are additional options for Dolby Pro, Neo6 Cinema, Stereo, Multi Channel Stereo, Virtual under the "Movie" button. Under "Music" I have Stereo, Dolby PLII, DTSNEO:6 Music, Multi Channel Stereo, and Virtual.
The receiver also allows me to tweak the output from any single speaker so I did bump up center channel output in my Dolby Music setting to help me "get" more of the sometimes mumbled dialogue.

What do you find lacking in your center channel? Have you been able to try any tweaks as I have done?

[Toeclips]

With a name like Toeclips I can only go 2 channel

Primaluna Dialogue 2 tube amp
Polk Audio LSiM705
Marantz cd player

I use a 512 GB flash drive with my cd player
Marantz has a decent Dac in it so I can listen to the flash drive

I like a warm sound and the Polks with a
tube amp gets me there

I could do better but this is the best system for me to date

For streaming I bought a dedicated player called Small Green Computer

I have mix reviews about it, too many times I want to listen to streaming the unit requires a bunch of restarts

Once the unit finds the ip address and starts streaming it works great

I stream stations from across the US
WXPN
Psychedelicized Radio
Acid Flashback

That's my set up I'm happy with it for now

[josephr]

Ha,

yes, my wife is pulling for the new thing from bose and i'm betting my nice old speakers do wind up with me in the garage, lol.

any input on this thingie?

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/speakers/home_theater/bose-tv-speaker.html?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI556ijLXN6gIVCY6zCh3IWgjIEAAYASAA EgLNOPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#v=bose_tv_speaker_black

Yeah, No....i had a pair of 301s and my brother had the 901s....this was way back in the 80s and 90s. I moved on after I heard a pair of Infiniti speakers when they were cool. Since then, I find Bose to be muddy on the mid-high range. I know a lot of folks have them and like them, but I just can't. Personally I'd look at JBL, Yamaha, or Polk --- I have a JBL system that handles movies great super clear sound. A buddy just got the Polk and I can't say anything bad about it---very nice sound. What intrigues me about the Yamaha systems is they tout a "Clear Voice" processing and given my tinnitus, it has an appeal.

I think Costco carries a Yamaha that has built in subwoofers that sound decent enough for a family room. Of course, some of the soundbars have subwoofer outs, but that depends on if your current subwoofer is powered, or you find yourself back in the market for an amp. I have a Yamaha powered sub sitting in my closet that could use a good home. I saw above where a guy has a used Onkyo amp hanging around too, you should be checking in with him. :)

[9tubes]

this is living room audio for a family of non audiophiles and kids, so simple to use and decent audio quality are the goals.

is a $500 budget sufficient here?


This gave me a bit of a laugh. You know what's coming, some wiseguy like me will ask "sufficient for what"?

Everyone has an opinion and mine counts for no more than anyone's, but here goes. Think of this in three categories:

Inexpensive. For 2.1 you can get the job done for $300-400, a bit more if you need power for a large room or you like it loud. Something with decent sound correction like Denon (Audyssey sound correction) or Pioneer (MCACC). These days that price point will have all the bells and whistles (meaning wifi and bluetooth, Airplay, etc.)

Medium. At the $500-800 range you can get more power with the major brands, or go with a nicer amp (e.g. NAD 3020) for a real but small improvement in sound quality.

Higher. The key these days is the sound correction software. The difference between a Denon/Pioneer/Yamaha with Audyssey/MCACC/YPAO and an amp with Dirac sound correction (like NAD or Emotiva) is very noticeable. Very noticeable. I switched from an expensive Pioneer Elite to a NAD 758v3 and I've never heard so much difference in comparably priced amps. The price of admission to anything with Dirac software is a jump. The best value I found was that NAD 758v3 which you can find discounted from $1300 to $800-900.

My point is that if you're not willing to jump that far (and most sensible people would not) then just pick up a Marantz or Pioneer and save yourself hours of reading equipment reviews.

You might also consider a 5.1 A/V receiver because there so many more of these manufactured that the prices are very close (sometimes better) than a 2.1 receiver.


.

[el cheapo]

Pawn Shops are great for bargains. These people will negotiate to make a sale. Legit shops always test merchandise and have a return policy.

[C40_guy]

Try to get that dream system before your hearing goes bad. :-)

No kidding...

If you're already on the downslope, it's not too late to retain some of your hearing...wear protective ear plugs whenever you'll be in a loud environment...

And if you're still young, wear protective ear plugs whenever you'll be in a loud environment...

I graduated from foam plugs to a good assortment of higher quality plugs. Vibes is currently my ear candy of choice, so to speak.

Funny story... I went to a Nikon photo clinic at Lime Rock Park and had full access to the (live) track and the pits.

I had not thought of bringing ear plugs and just a few minutes in the pits was really uncomfortable. A more experienced attendee noticed my discomfort, reached into his pocket and handed me a couple of foam plugs. Much appreciated!

Now I always have a pair in a case in my pocket, whenever we go (or used to go) to organized events -- weddings, bar mitzvahs, etc. Probably should even take them to "action" movies....not that I'm going to any of these anytime soon...

[zap]

How do you balance your surround sound? Both of my receivers have had Audissey which eliminated most guesswork from my setting up.

What do you find lacking in your center channel? Have you been able to try any tweaks as I have done?

I think this (Audissey) is what my Pioneer Elite receiver has as well. Also have SF Solo ctr. Vocals are a bit muffled and it very well could be due to the AV cabinet that it sits in. I raised the cutoff to the ctr speaker a bit and that helped some. Might raise it another 100hz.

[Ken Robb]

I think this (Audissey) is what my Pioneer Elite receiver has as well. Also have SF Solo ctr. Vocals are a bit muffled and it very well could be due to the AV cabinet that it sits in. I raised the cutoff to the ctr speaker a bit and that helped some. Might raise it another 100hz.

Depending on how deep the speaker sits in the cabinet its sound distribution especially of higher frequencies can be affected to a greater or lesser degree. Did you have the speaker in this position when you used Audissey to balance your sound?

[9tubes]

Pioneer A/V receivers use Pioneer's own MCACC sound correction rather than Audyssey.

[zap]

Depending on how deep the speaker sits in the cabinet its sound distribution especially of higher frequencies can be affected to a greater or lesser degree. Did you have the speaker in this position when you used Audissey to balance your sound?

Firstly, 9tubes is correct. Pioneer has MCACC. For some reason I thought it was developed by Audissey. I ran Pioneers MCACC system with all speakers in current locations. I need to re-cable my REL sub as well....and make changes to the sub settings in my receiver. Rainy day project......