After Christmas I plan on upgrading my system from the cheap theater in a box setup that I'm currently using. I'm looking to start off with a solid entry level AVR, mid-channel speaker, and sub. With 4-6 new satellites soon after. I've done a decent amount of research on AVRs and have narrowed it down to the following receivers all around the $250 price range and in this order: 1) Sony STR-DH750: 7.2 Ch. 4K A/V Receiver with Bluetooth 2a) Denon AVR-S500BT: 5.2 Ch. 4K A/V Receiver with Bluetooth 2b) Pioneer VSX-524-K: 5.1 Ch. 4k A/V Receiver 3) Yamaha RX-V377: 5.1 Ch. 4k A/V Receiver Any thoughts on what I've come up with, or experience with any of these AVRs? I don't really like Onkyo's stuff in that range, but I'm open to thoughts on their receivers as well. Also, any suggestions on subs in the $150-$200 range and mid channels <$150? If I go with the Sony or Denon (likely) I'll definitely add a second sub eventually. Open to suggestions on small satellites as well, probably in the <$75 range. I haven't done much research on any of these.
Why are you saying "entry level"? Are you planning to go professional or semi-pro with it, or something? Or are you just trying to use a friendly word for "cheaper"? Go with Yamaha. Sony is overpriced for the same sound quality or better in Yamaha. Sony is great at electronics, but not better than sound compared to Yamaha. If I may suggest, all you need is INPUTS to the TV, then optical out from the TV to the surround sound system and all you change is the output on the TV and leave the AVR to "DTV/Cbl" and never change that input. You might also want to look at a 7.1 to handle theater-style surround system that come with 4K TVs and soon with cable/satellite links.
Because that's the name of the category used to describe them. I've read several reviews that have the Sony and the Yamaha virtually equal as far as sound goes. The price is identical and the Sony offers more features, the biggest IMO being 7.2 v 5.1.
FINE. I guess "entry level" means you're going to "upgrade" later to something more extravagant or expensive. So how many inputs or how many VIDEO or SOUND separate entries will you be using attached to the AVR? Mine is about ten years old and although it does video with component (RGB), I only use the audio portion of it. It's a 7.1 Yamaha. I use it for TV, PS3, Wii, DVD/VCR, and iPod. The "video" part of it isn't used. Have you considered that you probably don't need HDMI inputs? That should help you decide.
I have the Sony you listed, though I got it last year so it may be an older model than you listed. I have been very pleased with it.
Thanks. I've already considered inputs and all the receivers that I listed fit the bill. I plan on using the AVR's video connection for TV, AppleTV, and a couple of extra unused HDMI cables for connecting other things here and there.
Cool, this is the one that I'm leaning towards. Do you mind sharing the details on the rest of your setup?
Nothing special, basic Sony 5.1 surround speakers (bookshelf style) with a non-descript Blu-ray, Xboxone, and 46" TV. Looking at the newer 4K's but not ready to pull the trigger. Prices should drop. I'm at work right now and I'll have to look at model #'s when I get home (if I remember). Edit: Oh, and when I came home Friday, my son had hooked up my original Xbox to it as well. He thinks it's a hoot to play the "ancient" games.
Connect ALL VIDEO to TV. TV can send optical to AVR. It's the easiest way. Try the other way, then try this way, and you'll see how much better everything is.
TV is wall mounted with only two HDMI cables and a speaker wire for the center channel fished through the wall. I may connect my DVR directly to the TV and connect audio to the AVR with coax. That's currently how I have it setup. But I have a Logitech Revue remote, so changing inputs is always a breeze. Whenever I get around to repainting the living room I'll take everything down and run two more HDMIs and a optical for audio.
Seems like you should be able to get a $100 receiver without 4K (**** 4K and its zero content out there bs), 3D (total waste), and Bluetooth (bah). I just want a 5.1 receiver for the bedroom with HDMI. The best line about 4K out there came from the movie "Night Shift" when that delivery dude asked "Where the f___ is 4K?". Exactly.
Look at NHT SuperZero satellites and their sub for excellent bang for the buck. Hopefully you don't have a ginormous room, though. For your receiver I would ensure you have enough HDMI inputs for all the things you want to hook up like cable/satellite box, roku, Chromcast, etc... I have always plugged everything into my receiver and just used the TV as a monitor so that I don't connect any devices directly to the TV (and then from the TV to the receiver), instead I connect all devices to the receiver and just run the video signal from the receiver TO the TV. This means all switching and routing is done from the receiver but it also means you always have to listen through the receiver. You can't just have the TV on since nothing is connected to it except the receiver. It also means you can't take advantage of apps built into your TV. This is not a problem for me as I use a Roku for things like Netflix but what all your sources are is something to consider when designing your system.
4k content is very limited, but that won't always be the case. I'm expecting content to pick up in a major way over the next year. Plus, DirecTV just launched a satellite capable of streaming 4k content directly to users. And I'm also expecting an updated Apple TV with 4k streaming ability and content on iTunes. Not to mention I have a 4k TV, so I'm kinda all in. I agree with you on 3D, but I can find uses for the Bluetooth. To each his own I guess.
There is no channel even broadcasting in 1080P right now. I doubt that we see 4K content on TV anytime soon. Just too much bandwidth required to broadcast in 4K!
That is not correct. If you have a smart TV with YouTube, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc then what you need to do is plug your receiver output into the TV's HDMI ARC port. It's usually HDMI port #2. The ARC stands for 'Audio Return Channel' and it allows audio coming from the TV to go back towards the receiver and then out the speakers. Not all receivers support ARC but the newer ones should. If your receiver does not support ARC then you'll need an optical audio cable (only about $8) that goes from your TV to your receiver. Then you just assign one of your inputs on your receiver to play audio from that cable. Usually there is a TV input on your receiver (along with your Cable/Sat, Game, Radio Tuner, erc) and it makes sense to use that. And then just switch to it when you play Netflix.
This is correct. The Sony I have allows this, and like I said, I'm pretty sure the one you listed is the same receiver I bought last year. It also has the pass-through feature mentioned above as well.
