Kain Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Currently, my main home theater is in the DVD ages. The A/V receiver, the DVD player (obviously), and my SD plasma TV. The Emotiva Fusion 8100 caught my eye and I was wondering if it would be a good choice for me (it will power the speakers too). I have the original RF-7, RC-7, and RS-7 with a single SubMersive. Speakers are fine but just looking to get a new Blu-ray "capable" A/V receiver, Blu-ray player, and a new HDTV. My current A/V receiver (the Harman Kardon AVR 8500 or AVR 8000 as it was named in the US) is known to have a quite beefy amplifier section. Because of this, I am a little weary of the Fusion 8100 because it seems quite slim/slender and I don't know how well it can cope driving the RF-7, RC-7, and RS-7 to reference levels. My room is quite small though (about 15 feet x 11 feet x 9 feet). So, how does this sound? Emotiva Fusion 8100 for the A/V receiver $200-$300 for the Blu-ray player $1,000 for the HDTV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panza Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Half that for a Blu ray player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelandKlipsch Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 If you like hk I'd look at a used hk avr unless you want to buy new? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panza Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 If you skip the 3D you can get more tv & Blu player for the same money. But, if both connect to the net, they can both be updated; essential for the player, nice for TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max2 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Nothing against Emo, but that sounds like a downgrade to me. Besides you don't want to roll the dice with a companies new AVR and it having handshake issues or anything like that. The last thing you want is issues with the main component of your new theater setup. IMO, check out Denon, Marantz or Onkyo. Budget an improvement for all your hardware and if you have to, save a little longer and buy better equipment. Downgrades and Lateral moves aren't worth paying for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heritage_Head Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 The umc1 I use for a pre has some of the best 2ch sound yet from an avr/pre imo. The onboard eq is the best I have seen on an avr/pre. Not sure if this unit has the same or not.I would guess this avr would work well also. With that said I would buy used (paid like 250 for the umc1). For this price you could get an amazing avr used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 You have a budget of $2,000 and you want a bluray player, an HDTV, and a 7.x receiver. I've never heard of Fusion room calibration. Yamaha and Audyssey have been doing this for a long time, and I suspect they would do it better. Even with a 3.1 system, you can benefit from YPAO or Audyssey. I'm joining with the others to say there are better receiver matches for your big speakers. HK, Denon, Pioneer, Yamaha, Onkyo, Marantz, and so forth. Here's something to consider while shopping. Bluray players, TV's, and AVR's all have premium "smart" versions. They offer such things as Netflix, Vudu, Pandora, Spotify, and on and on. You can only use 1 smart device at a time, so why have a smart TV if you already have every function available from your bluray player and AVR? Decide what you can't live without, like vudu and pandora, and make sure they exist on one device or the other. Why pay for overlapping. What this means is that you can get an older and more powerful AVR that has plenty of HDMI's but that isn't bleeding edge, and sell your old HK that doesn't have HDMI to pay for part of it. I don't think there is an HK now as powerful as what you have. Take for example the Integra DTR-8.9. You can get a manufacturer refurbished unit for under $800 right now on Ebay. It is 7X 140watts at 8 ohms. It weighs twice what the Fusion 8100 does, and IMO that means a lot when you are talking about amps. The Samsung BD-F5700 bluray player is $100 and has wifi, Netflix , Vudu, CinemaNow, Flingo, Pandora, Rhapsody, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and AccuWeather built in. It does NOT do 3D, but it really doesn't matter. As for the TV, well, just watch for sales, and remember your bluray player does about everything smart that is needed. Save the money and don't duplicate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kain Posted April 16, 2014 Author Share Posted April 16, 2014 Thanks for the replies. Any opinions/comments on the Pioneer Elite SC-79 (named SC-LX87 in Europe and the Middle East)? Is it really as powerful as its specs state or is that all "marketing drama?" I am assuming it would easily drive my speakers at very high volumes? Any other A/V receivers of this caliber that I should look at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelandKlipsch Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I haven’t heard this particular mode but I can vouche and say that the Elite receivers are excellent and pair very well with Klipsch. The D3 amps are more than enough power to run the reference line and will have you very content. I used a SC55 for a while and enjoyed it immensely I’m sure the newer ones are even better. I believe several forum members use this model. The amount of features available on these are mind boggling as well. you are definitely looking in the right direction and sound the most similar to HK in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kain Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 Thanks. What are the US equivalents of these Pioneer A/V receivers? Got this from the European/Middle East Pioneer Web site: SC-LX87 (I know this one is named SC-79 in the US)SC-LX77SC-LX57Secondly, is the only main difference between these the power ratings? Even then, the differences in power are very small. Is the SC-LX87 and SC-LX77 worth it over the SC-LX57?Link to Middle East Web site: http://www.pioneer-mea.com/en/subcategory.php?subId=39&catId=37 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kain Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 By the way, I was wondering if this is a bad time to replace my SD plasma for an HDTV and also get a Blu-ray player. Isn't all the 4K stuff around the corner or will it take time for everything to get settled-in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panza Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Blu ray players are pretty inexpensive now; might have to wait 2, or more years for 4K HDTVs to come down in price for Larger displays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kain Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 So there should not be any issue with investing in 1080p right now considering its product life cycle? It will be at least 4-5 years before I change anything again in my home theater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panza Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 I don't think so; just upgraded to a 60" Panasonic 1080p 3D Plasma last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kain Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 Thanks. I was looking about Blu-ray players and was wondering is the OPPO BDP-103D worth the extra $100 over the BDP-103? What is the Darbee processing and is it worth it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panza Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 there is a recent thread about that Oppo with the Darbee somewhere... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kain Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 So, I am thinking of this for my DVD to Blu-ray upgrade: TV: Sony KDL-42W800 (I know it is only a 42" but I don't have space for a larger TV) Blu-ray Disc Player: OPPO BDP-103 Preamplifier: Yamaha AVENTAGE CX-A5000 Amplifier: Parasound Halo A 51 Now I'll just have to wait a few months to save up for the upgrade. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panza Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Oh, yeah, with a SMALLER TV, there is less risk & cost, too!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kain Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 Less risk with a smaller TV? Not sure what you mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panza Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Less expensive to replace should it break after warranty, but before your normal replacement cycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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