[TECHNOKID]

Again this is a subjective choice and require auditionning on your part. Now that you have narrowed down your speaker choices, I would suggest the same as previously. Bring your favorite CD and DVD and try your options of receivers with the specific speakers you have selected and choose the one that sounds best with those speakers.

Quite a variety of receivers available;

* Onkyo, On average good comments on the brand by many users however, they tend to generate lots of heat compared to many brands ans some had issues in the past.

* Denon, Marrantz and Pioneer are good brands but IMHO I would select them only you had a higher budget however, this is my opinion some may say different.

* Yamaha are also have good comments. This is tricky as I might be a little biais here as I own Yamaha and am very satisfied with it. My main reason for opting for Yamaha over the other brands is that I wanted to make sure it would perform adequately for both music and Home Theater and afterall, Yamaha has been in the industry for many years in both amateur and professional sector. As I pointed out, this is a subjective choice.

* Harmon Kardon, overall good receivers however, I am not familiar with this year's line up...

* Sony, I use to be a big fan of their products but for the last few years I avoid their products like plague. IMHO, not a good bang for the buck.

In all cases, I would avoid any home brands (unless you know 100% which company is actually making the receiver for the store). As I pointed out, go to the store armed with your favorite CD and DVD and audition to find what please your ears.

On a last note, I would check for packages which includes the speakers you want along with a receiver. Stores often provide much better deals when selecting a full package from them (could be receiver + speakers and could even be Plasma + receiver + speakers. I don"t remeber if you have you bought your Plasma yet?).

Another thing, make sure you do not fall in the trap of buying any cables and insurance from them, that would really decrease your deal as they usually try to push those high profit margins items down your throath and believe me, that is a deal killer! If possible, lead them to believe you might consider but right now your main concern is the actual gear.

 

[TECHNOKID]

I haven't had a chance to look at the Yamaha site yet (that is the place to find the full info) but basically all Yamaha models ending with xx63 should be pretty close. To my knowledge, 5063 would be older than 6063 while 6263 would be older than 7063 and so on. Newer models would typically be the same with the potential additon of updated technology (IE: upgraded HDMI revisions, say 1.2 to 1.3 or 1.3 to 1.4 and so on.).

You should never pay full pricing for an older model. As an example in 2007 my Yamaha had an MSRP of 899$ I believe and I paid 600$ for it on sale (usually because the company is trying to eliminate the model to provide room for the replacement model). I believe one should pay less than 600$ for this HTR6080 since the technology is now a few years old. The same applies with the HTR5063 and 6063 you have mentioned especially that the 6063 is a slight notch below the 6080. IMHO, a good deal on the should be in the area of 250 - 300 while the 6063 would be 300 - 350 and the newer model 7063 maybe in the area of 500 - 550. Hugh normally post MSRP's for the yearly newer receivers, have you taken a look at that as it can provide you with some good pointers (BTW, IMHO MSRP are boosted prices and NO one should ever pay that kind of pricing, more likely 25 - 30% lower than MSRP is a fair deal and below that can then be a good deal).

I am at work presently but later on, I will try to provide you with some differences between your above mentioned models. Then you can discuss the benefit/uselesness of the options offered.

BTW, Boston accoustic is not a bad brand either )or at least use to be good). Personally, if I had to choose between Infinity and Boston I would probably choose Boston. But again, this is subjective... I am not as familiar with Infinity products, their construction and finish does not appeal to me so I guess the main reason I am not attracted is because it is the unknown for me???

The negative about BB is that in most cases they do not have dedicated area for auditionning thus not providing you with the most adequate auditionning conditions. However, on the plus side their return policy plays for you as if you do not like the product you can easily return it and trade for some different.

Now, you have mentioned that audio systems all sound alike to you, how about your hubbie? Have you ever asked him about his preferred brands (speakers and/or receivers)? Can you do such questionning by mean of an intermediate (family member, friend)? IE: The person would say they are in the market for speakers and receiver and would ask him his opinion on the subject, if he had any experience, preference, advices. From there, that might give you a clue what you hubbie prefers/likes and thus help you making a sound choice that is actually tailored for his/your needs and likes.

BTW, yes different receivers sound different. Some may be brighter (higher frequency predominant) while some may be warmer and so on. Different receivers will act different with different speaker brands thus the importance to audition the entire package you are looking for, with your known content (CD / DVD) and in the best condition possible.

If a buyer is serious (which you are) a serious store should be more than happy to take the time to connect your selected package together for you to audition

Hopefully, I will get back to you later on today!
TK

 

[TECHNOKID]

From the Yamaha link below, just about every HTR legacy (older) receivers you have mentioned above are listed there. Just click on the one of interest and take a look at the specs and options they offered and fire your questions away. The goal is to make sure you chose the ones that has the desired options for your specific needs and eliminate the ones that don't. The goal is to also eliminate the ones that has options you don't need as they cost you unjustified $$. That should help you understand a little more what they can do and help you choose what is best for you.

I tried to check for Hugh's receivers listing and only found ''2007 - 2008 AV receivers 1500$ and up but I know Hugh's has various listings for just about every years and for group 200 - 500, 501 - 1500, 1501 and so on (not exactly at the titles are but some of the sort).

Maybe someone (Mod maybe?) will kick in and provide clues how to search for such???

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

 

[TECHNOKID]

Oh, one last question, how do you audition receivers?

As I pointed out, the way you want to audition your receiver is connected to the speakers you have selected and see if they are a good match. As pointed out big box stores are not the best environment to audition speakers but it gives you an idea if it is of any interest to you. Once you have a feeling of confort with a certain combination the rest of your auditionning will be in your own environment as with BB's return policy it is a no brainer, you like you keep you don't, you return, simple as that

 

[TECHNOKID]

but would not enable you to compare product X to product Y, which I think most consumers want to do.

Don't forget the OP is talking about BB here. The above is simply not feasible in todays big box stores. The only way you could do that, is in a serious small high end store which has dedicated threated rooms using A/B functions for their various offering which should reflect the home environment as much as possible.

when it comes to the average consumer electronics, the available products are quite comparable and the only thing that should be of importance is to make sure you select the specific options you need no more no less and make sure the AVR is a good match with your selected speakers and this is best achieved in your own environment. Don't forget, the average consumer's gear is neither high end or audiophile grade but at best acceptable.

 

[TECHNOKID]

The OP is actually buying speakers at the same time so might as well audition to the selected receiver at the same time with the selected speakers.

Even on this site their has been complaint about such and and such receiver brands beeing too bright with such and such speaker brands and as I pointed out this is somewhat subjective so might as well get it out of the way. In store audition of the selected gear just to make sure you don't take the package home to decide you want to return it after a few listen.

Once your home in your own environment is again a different story but you at least minimise the possibility of potential return. To me, I just can't imagine buying audio gear you will be stuck with for a few years without having listened to briefly to see if it please your ears

My only beef is the big deal over "A/Bing" just about every piece of gear you buy against all brands. I can understand comparing speakers SQ but when it comes to receivers I usually prefer doing my home work through review readings and furthermore consulting with sites like DHC to get the feeling from actual owners. This is also tricky as reviewers and consumers are usually biaised. I prefer Yammy, "Joe" prefers Denon and let say you prefer HK while Hugh maybe a Marrantz fan. The only way around it is to weigh everyone's feedback and compare with your personal needs and preferences.

 

[TECHNOKID]

Those are pretty sweeping statements. In what way are low end Sony and Denon receivers worse than other receivers at the same price range, and how do you measure this difference? When I see lower-end Denon gear (like this) it is pretty comparable to Yamaha gear in the same price range (like this).

The statements comes fro the past few years issues with receivers. You can even take a look only at this site and you will notice issues with Denon were a lot more common then with the Yamaha receivers. Denon & Marrantz while decent receivers are to my opinion not the best bang for the buck since a portion of the tab is not in quality but rather in the name. That name is potentially justified in the more expensive receivers but definitely not in their low end line. Sony, well IMHO their quality standard has taken a huge drop in the last couple decennies and are not even worth while wasting time to look even at them (How do I know this? Repairing them for a living! Some brands like Yamaha you never or rarely see in shop while pretty common for Sony. Fixing that crap is what makes a shop ticking )

 

[TECHNOKID]

pg.14 of the new Best Buy flyer. There's your receiver + speaker package.

Nice find cooper83 Heh, Happy Yuppy Hubby time I wonder how low you could deal such with BB??? Don't get too focus on the inflated unit MSRP prices.

 

[TECHNOKID]

Nothing stops you from thrying to get a deal with the Yamaha versus the Pioneer. You would still bee buying afull package from them, jut work the details according to your needs.

 

[TECHNOKID]

decided to step up to the Yamaha 6063.

I've only been using it for a few hours so far, but I can safely say I'm loving it

Congratulation on your new purchase

 

[TECHNOKID]

I'll let you all know what kind of deal I can get a deal on the INfinity speakers with the Yamaha receiver...

GL with your dealings and keep us posted