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Pls recommend AVR for RF-82s


Steely Dan

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Brand new owner of klipsch here and first post ever.

I just purchased a pair of rf-82s and will be buying an rc-62 and rs-42s this month.

I will use my system 90% for movies and 10% music, 5.1 only. Setup is in my family room, which measures 14' x 14' with 8 ' ceiling, the room opens to kitchen and dining room area. I like the volume cranked up a bit higher than most people. I can spend up to $1000 on the new AVR, but if I can get away with something less expensive that would be better.

Can anyone recommend brand and model?

Should I bother getting a system with pre-outs, I.e. will I possibly need to buy an amp with this setup in the future?

Thanks!

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First off welcome! 1000 is a good budget for a receiver. I'd definitely buy with pre outs. I would want a 3 channel amp in the future with that setup. I am a fan of denon and marantz myself. I'm a fan of what audyssey does for a room. I'd go for a denon 3313, marantz 5007 or up. You could buy refurbished from accesories 4 less. Would save some money. Also not sure how good of a deal you got or where you bought from but you should go through acoustic sound design for your remaining speakers. Mike will smoke any deal out there. Just have to make sure you call the number on the website.

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http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/975.html - you can get a combo package for processor and amp at $1100 with 75 watts x 7 and bi amp the 7's or get the beefier 7125 model like I have but is more costly.

or

http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/amplifiers/products/upa200 for your 82's woofers

and

http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/amplifiers/products/upa500 for the 82's tweeters and all your other speakers

with a

http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/processors/products/umc200

or just get

http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/processors/products/umc200

and

http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/amplifiers/products/upa700 and bi-amp your 82's with the 6th and 7th channel

These are of course at the high end of your budget but once you start getting into the $1000 range, you are so close to being able to do separates and you may want to wait to take the plunge.

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Do you already have a sub?

If not that is where I would put most of the money. Get an AVR for around $300 and spend the rest or more on a good sub if you don't already have one.

For the AVRs the lowest end new Denon that has pre-outs is the X4000. You should be able to find it new for around $1000.

IMO you won't need external amps. Your seating position is close enough that any decent AVR will drive those speakers to very loud levels.

I run 50 watts/channel and have yet to come close to wanting or needing more power.

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Thanks to all who have responded so far.

I've created a short list with the following brands - H/K, Marantz, denon and pioneer.

Subxero - interesting suggestion, but I'm leaning more towards a 2 step process/purchase - buy an AVR now and (if needed) add an amp later on.

Kini62, I already have a sub, an old one - velodyne cts-12. I believe this is still a fairly decent sub even in today's standards.

I've been reading through this forum, it seems that a majority believe that adding an amp actually improves the sound, so I might try that and get an avr with preouts. I might just wait for boxing day specials (equivalent to US' black Friday deals) or until a higher end model of any of the above brands go on clearance sale.

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Welcome to the forum. Do you have a local best buy in your area. you can try to get them to price match a Pioneer elite SC75 on amazon, the prices have been dropping fast. A magnolia person said they would do 1200 on the sc75 for me, I bet it might drop later, and it might eliminate your need for amp, until the upgrade bug hits ya. A real good blu ray player will help out also.

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if you plan to run your 82's with a crossover of 80hz and up, a receiver will be just fine because that would mean you'd have a dedicated sub for the low end. Most of us have noticed the sluggish bass when it comes to receivers, Now, don't get me wrong, you'll get good bass and until you hear them tuned properly on a dedicated amp, you'd be none the wiser.

the pioneer sc series is good and you get very close to rated power. Marantz, denon and onkyo will do you well and i have owned all of them. My favorite though is Harmon Kardon

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I would spend more that $300 on the avr. There are nice feature that come with a little higher price tag. Connectivity options is one that come to mind and a better calibration program. The avr will be the heart and soul of the system. Sometimes you don't think you need all that but, if you stick with this hobby you will start to use those extra features.

Best Buy will also give you a 30 day return policy if you don't like the avr. A long in home demo and time to learn the calibration program is a positive thing.

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I'm running RF-7 mains and an RC-7 center in my front-projection home theater in a huge 8000 cubic foot basement room (nearly 50' at longest point), and I just went through the process of researching AVR's. I wanted something that:

  • Has plenty of power
  • Has pre-outs for later adding external amplification
  • Has the latest Audessy MultiEQ XT32 calibration
  • Has Audessy SubEQ for calibrating my dual subwoofers
  • Sounds great!

I was wanting to stay below $1000, and I was primarily shopping on Accessories4less.com since I had bought a couple refurbished AVR's in the past, and both times they had been indistinguishable from new.

I had narrowed my choices down to (prices all from Accessories4less.com):

$999 - Denon 4311ci

$799 - Denon AVR x4000

$649 - Onkyo TX-NR818

All three AVR's get rave reviews, but I was initially leaning towards one of the Denon's since I run dual subs (Velodyne DLS-5000R & SVS 20-39) and the Denon's both have MultEQ XT32 & SubEq, while the Onkyo has the XT32 but lacks the SubEq. But after researching the issue further, it seems like SubEq isn't really necessary, even for dual subs, and the XT32 is the really important thing.

I ended up picking the Onkyo since it has gotten great reviews for its powerful and refined sound and its muscular, well-designed amplifier section, and it was significantly less expensive than the other two. I also read from some Klipsch owners that the 818 has a "warmer" / less-bright sound that goes great with Klipsch horn speakers. As a bonus, the 818 also has top-notch video processing that many owners rave about, particularly for processing sub-par sources such as over-compressed cable/satellite feeds.

I would have ordered from Accessories4less, but when I called OneCall, they offered me a brand-new sealed unit with the full 2-year warranty for the same $649 w/free shipping, so I jumped on it. It should arrive today, and I can't wait to hook it up.

1s.jpg

Edited by Edgar_in_Indy
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As a follow-up to my previous post, I would stress the importance of room-calibration features in modern AVR's. Pretty much any mid-end or high-end AVR offers calibration these days, but there are different calibration systems out there with varying capabilities.

Some AVR makers such as Onkyo, Denon, and Marantz have chosen to license calibration technology from Audyssey, while other major players such as Pioneer and Yamaha have chosen to use their own in-house calibration scheme. Pioneer's system is called MCACC and Yamaha's is called YPAO. And while each system adds value to an AVR, the majority consensus is that Audyssey is head-and-shoulders above the others, particularly with the latest MultEQ XT32 system. The most apparent difference is Audyssey's superior calibration of LFE, which is often the most problematic aspect of home theater sound systems.

You will find some people who discount the importance of auto-calibration, saying that their system sounded better without any calibration or with manual calibration, but when it comes to MultEQ XT32, you will find far, far more people who say the calibration was a big improvement. Now if your room is already ideal for sound, then the calibration may not be a big deal, but most people don't have the perfect room with all the treatments, and that's where auto-calibration is most useful.

Again, opinions vary, but it's something to be aware of when shopping for a new AVR.

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Thanks again to all who have contributed to this thread.

Edgar in indy: we have the same criteria for an AVR. Harman Kardon is on top of my short list because I've read that it has a warm sound signature and matches well with klipsch speakers. I also like the design and just like how it looks :). Onkyo - I guess they've addressed their reliability issues? Audyssey is also my preferred sound calibration feature, but I've heard of good things about MCACC as well. Congrats on your new purchase! Let us know how it works out!

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I've always been a big fan of Harman Kardon paired with Klipsch. Absolutely beautiful for 2ch and superb for HT as well. I went through several receivers and even a pre-pro before I found one that was good at both.

Thats good to know. How would you compare ezset EQ with Audyssey? Thanks.

Edited by Steely Dan
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For what it is worth, If you can wait I would, see what happens to the top models as the new ones for 2014 come out, I got a great deal from a forum member on my Onkyo. I would have to agree with everything that the others have said, you would be fine with pretty much any AVR that they have suggested, but I would get one with pre-outs for sure. You never know how long before you try an extra amp.

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