Rate my beginner build?

[cooper83]

When the Sony is on sale, it's a fine choice for a basic home theatre. The Yamaha HTR-6140 is very comparable to the Sony STR-DG720 in terms of features. But pair it with a decent set of speakers, not just the cheapest you can afford. Wait a bit, get a pair of L/R, then build from there.

[Dadius]

I don't think your comparision is fair at all. The low end products that Sony sells are priced accordingly. While I don't think they make the most suitable HT receivers, they still carry some that are worth spending money on. Sony is much more than just receivers. As I pointed out I don't care for BluRay but as far as I am concerned and in all honesty, Sony is th expertise when it comes to such product. Sony also always had a good name when it comes to their TV. In most instance they are the front line of technology development. Therefore, I consider your comparision with Bose is totally un-justified.

The OP is asking for positive opinions not for us to bash everything he may consider. I don't think the negativity and/or sarcasism will help in at all. The goal is to help the OP to make a sound decision for himself not to get him to think he is dealing with a bunch of fanatic fanboys. ALL the good points that are brought forth are useless when mixed with negative.

Good reasonning like you have after the comment may be helpfull but definitively not after a disrecpectfull comment. Arguying does not help but sound advices with valid points to back them up will. If anyone can bring valid serious and un-biased reviews which invalidate the Sony receiver than fine. wgauci, brought some valid and logical points to the table concerning the speakers. The same logic should be brought forth when it comes to the receiver otherwise it remains a simple matter of preference and choice and will definitely not be considered by the OP.

Cheers!
René

Woah there!

The "kind of like Bose?" question, was just that ... a question!!! I was questioning the intended meaning or hint of one by Wgauci who posted the original comment I quoted.

I agree, it seems Sony has a tendency to generate extreme reactions from people. They have their die-hard fanboys and people that hate them viscerally.

... Which is very similar to what could be said about Bose. It was not sarcasm in any way. Actually, I am very poor at sarcasm, both at detecting it, (especially in written form), and at applying it. For those reasons, I usually try to avoid sarcasm completely. I did not "bash" anything at all that the OP considered. What are you even ranting about? Actually, speaking of disrespect, I find your entire post to be extremely disrespectful to me. I was just trying to help and to clarify things so that the comment would not be taken the wrong way by the OP, and you went completely off topic into a diatribe.

The Yamaha HTR-6140 is very comparable to the Sony STR-DG720 in terms of features. But pair it with a decent set of speakers, not just the cheapest you can afford

I agree, just last month for example, a Yamaha HTR 6140 and a pair of Energy c-500 towers could have been had together new for a $600 total. Which would be a fine start indeed. There are still many comparable deals from different brands polk, Klipsh, infinity etc. and places you can look for great deals on used gear. And if that particular Sony receiver in question is comparable to the 6140 in performance and not just features and it was purchased on sale, I am sure it will be a fine av receiver for the money. Always audition, do research and look or wait for great sales. Don't rush or you may regret it later.

From the sounds of it, the OP enjoys his purchases, so that's great. (And that is not sarcasm).

[rileyparrish]

Hey guys, i realize my comments maybe sound like i am not gonna change my mind but i went into BB today and checked out those PA speakers. I flat out asked the sales rep if he thought they were anything to phone home about and he said not really(which is what i expected honestly). I listened to them in comparison with some other speakers priced within the $200-$300 range and noticed a difference(the PA's sounded airy?) I would describe the sound as not being as deep, but all the other speakers there seemed out of my price range except for Infinity(I Believe) and they were the same price for one speaker as the PA's were for a set. I was also talking about the Sony reciever to the guy who i had to convince could playback truehd/dts-ma without being able to decode it(he didn't know about lpcm). I also mentioned i was considering an Onkyo 606 and he said i should go for a better reciever first and if I wanted to get the PA speakers for now and upgrade them later. He said(what many others have here) that "Sony has a high end, and a low end...the low end stuff sounds tinny".

Long story short I still think im going with the Sony reciever but I am going to check out the Energy C-500 speakers which are at FS. Can anyone here confirm that the Onkyo will actually have better, noticeable, AUDIO quality? The Sony meets all my needs spec-wise but if its not outputting the same sound then i might as well get the high end reciever too. This is turning out to be one of the toughest purchase decisions I've ever made but like many have said a good reciever will last me many years and is one of the most worthwhile purchases in electronics. It's really hard to tell whats good and bad when im standing there in the store and everything im sure will sound different once its actually in my living room. Unfortunately NCIX doesn't have the 606 reciever on for $489 or lower this week so I'll either get the Sony on friday or just hold off.

Thanks for all the replies thus far guys and ill start being a bit more open minded.

**Also i would go with the Sony over the Yamaha HTR-6140 as the Sony is 7.1, has one more hdmi input and doesnt look like the Yamaha can process lpcm over hdmi?

[Dadius]

Ya, I see FS has some c-500s in stock again for about $300 for the pair. That really is a great deal. You are unlikely to find any towers that compare to those overall for $300 new.

The only problem I should point out, is c-series speakers are getting harder to get as they have been discontinued, so you may have trouble building an entire setup in c-series from FS, although you can still find most of the speakers available in the c series line, online.

The 6140 does do lpcm over HMDI but the 6130 does not. Which is why I reccomended the 6140 and not the 6130. The 6140 just doesn't have the newer audio decoding, but you stated before you didn't care for that on your receiver. This is from the Yamaha site regarding the HTR 6140:

"HD Audio LPCM 5.1-channel reception (up to 96kHz)"

Here is the link:

http://www.yamaha.ca/av/Receivers/HTR6140B.jsp

I didn't know you cared about 7.1, I must have missed that. Sorry. Really though 7.1 receivers are not neccessary unless you really have the room to do a 7.1 setup proplery. Also check the back of some DVDs or blue rays and you will see how many of them are in discrete 6.1, let alone 7.1. 5.1 is the standard. Saving money on the rears and putting it into a better subwoofer for a good 5.1 setup seems to be more pleasing for most people. The HTR 6140 combined with a pair of Energy c-500s for a great price really would be a good start to a great beginner setup. The Sony will probably work fine too.

If you like the Sony receiver, I'm sure it'll do just fine. Those Energy c-500s are a GREAT deal if you get them for $300 though. A matter of months ago those same speakers were $900 for the pair, which is not necessarily an indication of their quality though. I don't know how long they will be available either.

[rileyparrish]

OK! I am just going to jump in and go for the Onkyo 606...I will wait till its under $500 again at NCIX and then i will buy it, might as well start off with the absolute best bang for my buck and build my system around that. Then I may go for the Energy speakers but it will be a little bit before i can afford any since im getting the better reciever

[Dadius]

The 606 was actually one of my main considerations a while back. I was torn between the Onkyo 606 and the Yamaha HTR 6160. I chose the 6160. But that is only my preference. I've heard many good things about the 606.

Good luck and enjoy.

[rileyparrish]

You say the C-500's are disco? What i might do is buy a few of them this paycheck since i wont be getting the Onkyo yet(not on sale), just to be safe. I still have the Sony in the back of my mind but if im compromising any audio-out quality i should go for the best reciever for the price.

**MAN WHY ARE THEY SO CHEAP? The Reviews im reading(one from this month) has they guy who reviewed them paying $400 for a pair and an MSRP of $700!

[eljay]

I second the combination of a Yamaha HTR-6140 (from Best Buy) and a pair of Energy C-500s (from F.S., if you can find them). The best part is: You can keep what you like, and return what you don't like and replace it with something else!

[TECHNOKID]

What i might do is buy a few of them this paycheck

If so, concentrate on your fronts and acquire a center at the same time to make sure you have matched front if ever not available anymore. Not a problem with the yamaha 6140, it will still be there once you are ready since it is a model from this year.

Cheers!
René

[rileyparrish]

BB Canada is only showing the 6130 on their site...?

[eljay]

The BB site has two pages of receivers. The 6140 is the second-last receiver on the first page.

[rileyparrish]

The 6140 only has 2 HDMI inputs and 5.1, im looking for 3 hdmi(at least) and 7.1 support. It does do HDMI audio which is nice but at $20 more the Sony seems like a better choice(unless were talking audio quality, im assuming the Pioneer will be better? Or do they have a "budget" quality line as well)

Unless you have a better Suggestion than an Onkyo 606 at $499 ill likely go for that

[eljay]

Sorry, I misread an earlier post. So, never mind the receiver suggestion - just try to get your hands on a pair of those speakers.

[rileyparrish]

Is that credible about the price i posted earlier? Are they that insane of a deal because if so ill go grab a pair of those tonight after work

[eljay]

I have no idea how F.S. prices stuff, but the current price on the C-500s makes them a good deal.