Sully Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 I have had a TEAC AG-D9100 receiver for several years. It is finally starting to die a very slow and painful (for me) death. The digital audio inputs started flaking out last week and now they are dead. So, it is time for a new receiver. I want something that will power my speakers with ease. My speaker configuration is as follows: KLH center speaker (don't know the specs, but it's pretty nice) A pair of Klipsch F-3 floorstanding speakers up front (power handling 150 w (600 w peak)) A pair of Klipsch B-2 bookshelf speakers in back (power handling75 w (300 w peak)) It would be nice if it has HDMI connectors. I would like to keep it under $400. What would you suggest I get? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Putty Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 I got a pretty nasty Pioneer from Best Buy for about that amount. It has HDMI up convert..Model # not on me now. I'm running 10 speakers and 2 subs off it. Wait...10 speakers...I got a 2nd receiver Onkyo running lows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTHER91 Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 im a very big fan of the Yamaha stuff look for it comapre its great for the price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spankis Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Harmon Kardon, my buddy has one and it is AMAZING. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sully Posted January 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Harmon Kardon, my buddy has one and it is AMAZING. My brother can get me a hookup on an AVR-350. I'm trying to locate the specs on it to see if it will be good enough for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedfocus1647545489 Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 (edited) I have always been a fan of Onkyo stuff for anyone not going with separates (processor, amp or amps). I have auditioned and owned several and they always seem to have a better sound than others in the same price range. I suspect they use a very high quality DAC. Harmon Kardon is known for using top quality DACs also, which attributes their reputation of great clarity. Onkyo (and HK for that matter) sometimes runs a little low on their claimed wattage compared to other brands, but I think alot of that is what a friend of mine calls "Sony Watts" (optimistically overrated) whereas these will typically do rated power across all channels at once (underrated basically). Edited January 14, 2009 by twistedfocus Spellin' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Putty Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Paying for the name...dont fall for it. My Pioneer gives my shit more than they can take and my house feels like it's about to rumble down...mega BASS!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedfocus1647545489 Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Paying for the name...dont fall for it. My Pioneer gives my shit more than they can take and my house feels like it's about to rumble down...mega BASS!! To clarify, the intent of my prior post is not to say Sony or others aren't of good quality, just not my personal first choice in mid-range priced units. The most important thing you can keep in mind when shopping for any home theater stuff is "how does it sound", followed by features and output. Try to audition everything you can because the sound can often vary a lot more than specs on paper would lead you to believe. It's a little harder to find stores where you can audition several receivers (most just have one setup to allow auditioning of speakers) Also, more wattage doesn't necessarily make any one receiver a better choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black00ws6 Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 I have an onkyo, harmon kardon and yamaha. They all kick ass. come over to check them out if you want... the yamaha powers 2 F-3's in the basement.. you've heard them. and the onkyo powers 2 f-3's in the theater room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sully Posted January 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 I just found the specs of the HK AVR-350. Stereo Mode Continuous Average Power (FTC) per Channel - 70 Watts per channel, 20Hz – 20kHz, @ <0.07% THD, both channels driven into 8 ohms Seven-Channel Surround Modes, Power per Individual Channel, All Channels Operating at Full Power: Front L & R Channels:55 Watts per channel @ <0.07% THD, 20Hz – 20kHz into 8 ohms Center Channel: 55 Watts @ <0.07% THD, 20Hz – 20kHz into 8 ohms Surround Channels (L & R Side, L & R Back): 55 Watts per channel @ <0.07% THD, 20Hz – 20kHz into 8 ohms These are the specs of my TEAC: Output Power (Front): F.T.C. Rating: 130 watts RMS per channels driven into 8 ohms from 20 Hz to 20 kHz RMS Power (40 Hz - 20 kHz): 130 watts/8 ohms, 0.09% Surround Output Power (0.5 % THD, 1kHz, 8ohms): 100 + 100 watts (Front) 100 watts (Center) 100 + 100 watts (Rear) The HK seems kinda weak compared to my TEAC. Am I right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sully Posted January 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Interesting...Just found this info on Klipsch's website: While Klipsch speakers are highly efficient and don't need a whole lot of power to drive them, you still need to purchase an amplifier/receiver that's relevant to the system you choose. After all, one of the most common causes of speaker damage is not having the right electronics to support it. A good rule of thumb when trying to pair your speakers up with the right amplifier is to buy at least as much power as your speakers are rated to handle. For example, if a speaker is rated at 75 watts maximum power, then you should buy an amplifier that can deliver at least 75 watts per channel. However, you don't need to limit yourself. You can buy a 100-watt per channel amplifier for a 75-watt speaker because more speaker failure occurs from being under powered rather than over powered. It is safer to go slightly higher with your amplifier wattage because you'll never be in danger of clipping. When an amplifier is expected to deliver more current to a speaker than it's capable of doing, clipping occurs. When an amplifier clips, it literally cuts off the tops and bottoms of the sound waveforms that it's trying to produce. This, in turn, sends a lot of distortion into your speakers, which is bad. Distortion puts a lot of stress on your speakers, typically the tweeter, and will eventually cause them to fail. In fact, your speakers will fail before your amplifier does. So, according to that, I need to find a receiver that delivers at least 150w per channel up front and 75w per channel to the rear. Ugh, this is gonna cost more than I expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stolen 5.0 Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Yamaha is probally my favorite receiver of all. I've sold them for over 2 years, RX-v663 or a RX-V861 would be great for you, you can find them for under $400 online I also sold Klipsch and we matched Yamaha receivers up to them all day long. let me know if you have any questions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Aquinas Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Harmon Kardon, my buddy has one and it is AMAZING. I too have a Harmon Kardon. I actually bought mine through their site on ebay. They sell their refurbished stuff with a 1 year (IIRC) warranty. I forget which model I have, but its been working great for 3 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAOLE Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 I run a pioneer unit. Sounds good for $350. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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