I need a sub-$400 HDMI reciever recommendation

I need a new reciever pronto, but I don't know much about audio equipment. I need a lot of HDMI inputs, but that's really my only requirement.

Any suggestions/recomended brands?

Honestly, there is little difference from receiver to receiver at any particular price point.It's not like home theaters in a box or headphones wherequality varies widely from product to product; most any $500 receiver from a reputable brand is going to yield similar performance.I personally prefer Yamaha, because I have liked their amplifier topology in the past, but it's been years since I've looked at such details. In general, Sony is looked poorly upon, though their Sony ES line of mid-range amplifiers have done well.

• Denon
• Harmon Kardon
• Marantz
• Onkyo
• Pioneer
• Yamaha

Note that the Denon AVR-1911 is particularly popular at your pricepoint, so I'd start there. Take a look at these receivers and review their HDMI options, then think hard about where you purchase your receiver. Personally I find the place you purchase from is as important as the product when it comes to something as complex as a receiver; there's a lot that can go wrong during shipment and you will probably want the option to return it in the first 30 days, at least, if you're not satisfied or something is not working properly.

Good luck,

Boz

Denon is receiver of choice, but NewEgg currently has a killer deal on the Yamaha vx-r867 for $430 and it is more in line with receivers that cost $200 more (somewhere between Denon AVR-2112 and AVR-2312 in terms of amps and function) . Look here: http://bfads.net/Hot-Deal/11050rastan

[QUOTE="rastan"]Denon is receiver of choice, but NewEgg currently has a killer deal on the Yamaha vx-r867 for $430 and it is more in line with receivers that cost $200 more (somewhere between Denon AVR-2112 and AVR-2312 in terms of amps and function) . Look here: http://bfads.net/Hot-Deal/11050donalbane

Dude, I've yet to hear any Sony receiver outside of their ES line sound better than a Yamaha receiver and even the ES is not as good as the equivalently priced Yamaha. If your talking HTIB, they mostly all suck anyways, but on the receiver level there is no comparison.rastan

I like Sony products but theres no way I'd recommend them now.

Might I suggest looking at Accessories4Less for some Denon, Marantz, and Onkyo receivers?

Dude, I've yet to hear any Sony receiver outside of their ES line sound better than a Yamaha receiver and even the ES is not as good as the equivalently priced Yamaha. If your talking HTIB, they mostly all suck anyways, but on the receiver level there is no comparison.rastan

To be frank, the prejudice and preferences for one brand over another is largely silly. In my experience receivers have reached a point where they're all going to sound very, very similar, since their amplifier section is going to be limited by their digital audio processors, and their digital audio processing chips are - for the most part - all licensed from one of two or three firms. Unless you're getting a bottom-of-the-barrel Coby, no worries. The relative (keyword) levels of distortion in, say,a Sherwood versus a Onkyo at the same price point is going to be inaudible. It's not like back in the day where one tube actually wasn't as good as another and you'd get amplifier hiss or a turn-on thump; most of the solid-state amp technology from receiver to receiver is interchangable. A $500 receiver from Marantz isn't going to sound a whole heck of a lot different than one from Sony so long as they both support the formats you want(Dolby 5.1/7.1 DTS ES, etc.). Every manufacturer takes their competitor's products apart and cribs.

Much more important for consumers is going to be the number of inputs and outputs, video pass-through and upscaling to 1080p, additional effects like auto-calibration, and other features of the processor having little to do with the amplifier section. By far the mostsignificant considerationis going to be broad consumer evaluation to determine if there is a pattern in problems with a specific model, just as you would a car. Particular makes and models may be prone to specific issues, such as the rear channels failing after a few months or overheating, but this is model by model and not make by make. Sound quality is not usually a concern for anything under four figures.

- = -

Really, can you tell the difference?

Yamaha has three lines of products: The HTR, RX, and Aventage lines. They are designed mostly for different distribution models, but in general the HTR is going to be a more mainstream and entry-level line, the RX is your full-line of receivers (including the amazing RX-Z11, which is over $5,000), and the Aventage line that caters more towards high-end home-theater and digital media users. Yamaha's modeling system general sees a sizable improvement in quality - meaning a change in the quality of the circuitry, such as larger capacitors - in the 1,000's lineup, meaning the RX-A1000 is a significant improvement over the RX-A800, but the RX-A800 is not as significant an improvement over the RX-A700. Yamaha's basic products sold at Best Buy and similar mainstream outlets are going to be of a lower quality, generally speaking, than what you'll find at specialty retailers and boutiques carrying their higher-end stuff.

This response was more for perspective than specific guidance, but I think it's worth thinking about. Not quite as fun as saying, "Onkyo sucks!" and "No, Yamaha sucks!" though, from an internet conversation standpoint. :P

Boz

TL/DR - Ignore brand and look for features of multiple models at your price point, and whether there are consistent reviews showing a pattern of complaints for your model.

Another great post by Boz /cheers

You're right about anything under $400 not sounding totally different. I noticed you didn't mention anything about power supplies. When I was looking for a new receiver last year Rastan was the one that helped find my Onkyo. One thing I've noticed about low-end Sonys and Pioneers, is that they're quite. Very quite. I used one of each I picked up from Best Buy to test. They each went up to 80 I believe. 40-50 was required to make them audible for basic music listening. Even 80 isn't that loud. With my Onkyo I don't even have to try. It goes to 70 and its loud enough at 20. Features are what you want to look for these days, but I'm convinced the PSU plays a big part. Also must mention its headphone port was also extremely quiet, and that was with using my HD555s.

Features are mainly the same across the board too though these days too. They all have 5.1/7.1, all have HDMI 1.4a, all do DTS-HD/Dolby TrueHD decoding, and usually have the same inputs too. EQs are what I don't like about this Onkyo I have (TX-SR508.) It turn on anything, you have to use its auto-calibration or else the sound is terrible and flat. Only good thing about the Pioneer is that it sounds decent out of the box but all of them lack proper EQs. Even with its Audyseey (sp?) EQ on, it doesn't give you anything besides bass/treble. I still think they're the best value for the money at the low-end, but I've yet to hear the Yamahas.

Chubby Guy equates this to loudness with his Onkyo, but really the truth is he can get loud with clean sound because his amps have enough juice to do so. His 508 was also a good deal for an amp with a nice 450 watt power supply. Anyways the reason I recommended the Yamaha 867 was that it was really an excellent deal for $430 (It has a 400 watt power supply with some features that are found normally in receivers costing a couple of hundred dollars more) .rastan

Thank you for clarifying that. It was the best by a long shot at a little over 300 at the time (shipping was expensive) and its dropped 100 bucks since then (Linked in case the TC wanted to see it.) Only downside is how stubborn it is when adjusting any kind of EQ. Of course there are better ones like the 509, 608,and 609.

They each went up to 80 I believe. 40-50 was required to make them audible for basic music listening. Even 80 isn't that loud. With my Onkyo I don't even have to try. It goes to 70 and its loud enough at 20. Features are what you want to look for these days, but I'm convinced the PSU plays a big part.ChubbyGuy40

• Sensitivity - Using the same stereo to power two different sets of speakers will get vastly different volume levels. Klipsch speakers, for example, and known for being "sensitive," so they'll be louder than other speakers at the same volume level in most circumstances.
• Scale - My receiver actually goes from -80db to 0db. That's right: Negative. A user at the linked site says it best, "Properly speaking, you are not turning your stereo up when you are turning it up -- you are throttling it less. At the zero point, you are not throttling it at all." The discussion is actually quite entertaining if you care to click.
• Power - This is the most obvious one, and the one you are alluding to when you mention the PSU. The capability of the PSU to provide sufficient amperage to the amplifier stage allows that section to create the power for your speakers.

If all of this sounds confusing, that's because it is, which is why I try to keep my recommendations basic and avoid discussions of power. Unless you're really into stereos and are looking to match drivers with power output or take on some heavy DIY work, 99% of consumers need to look at features and reliability rather than power and the underlying hardware.

I have no idea why I decided to write all that. :P

Boz

Typing quickly and I really couldn't put it in a better answer. :P I know the numbers are essentially worthless. I was trying to give a visual sense of how much power they had.

I did those tests with a basic set of Polk bookshelves, TSi100.

To someone who thinks all receivers are the same........I laugh.

something to keep in mind though, in order to hear the difference between them (and there is one, often sizeable) you need speakers that will let you hear it. Not some Optimus ones.

now just go ahead and try to tell me all speakers are the same....heh

To someone who thinks all receivers are the same........I laugh.

something to keep in mind though, in order to hear the difference between them (and there is one, often sizeable) you need speakers that will let you hear it. Not some Optimus ones.

now just go ahead and try to tell me all speakers are the same....heh

dxmcat

I'm going to be using Klipsch Promedia 5.1 speakers btw, for now at least. I know they are PC speakers, but they are compact and sound nice to my uneducated ears.

To someone who thinks all receivers are the same........I laugh.dxmcat

...there is little difference from receiver to receiver at any particular price point.Bozanimal

something to keep in mind though, in order to hear the difference between them (and there is one, often sizeable) you need speakers that will let you hear it. Not some Optimus ones. now just go ahead and try to tell me all speakers are the same....hehdxmcat

As an aside, Optimus, the Radio Shack brand you so off-handedly disparaged, actually carried a few decent drivers back in the '90's if you knew what to look for. I had a pair of separates that had a woofer with a bumped back plate and rubber surround and a 1" silk-dome tweeter more typical of mid- and upper-level woofers for $50 (including a decent crossover). This is why I say:

...the prejudice and preferences for one brand over another is largely silly.Bozanimal

I'm going to be using Klipsch Promedia 5.1 speakers btw, for now at least. I know they are PC speakers, but they are compact and sound nice to my uneducated ears.donalbane

Good luck,

Boz

I've looked around a bit and am liking the Yamaha RX V667for its 6 HDMI inputs. If anybody has a compelling reason why this isn't a decent receiver, let him speak now or forever hold his peace. I have a Yamaha currently and I like it quite a bit.

I was referring to the amplifier quality, sorry I didnt specify.

Yea there were a lot of good speakers back in the day, but we dont live back in the day, we live in the now.

Sorry if I came off as dismissive :/

I think the Onkyo HT-RC260 is a great receiver for the price.

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-RC260-7-2-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B003FSTAVY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308408826&sr=8-1