moving from Promedia to HT

[cutejai]

Hi all,

My Promedia sub just died recently and I'm planning to move toward HT. Due to budget restriction, I'm planning to first buy a receiver and a sub and hook up all my satelite speakers, So the question is, would these saterlite speakers work with any receiver? I'm considering:

Pioneer vsx917vk http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/details/538398921

Denon AVR-1708 http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/details/538499894

Yamaha RX-V661BL http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/details/538499878

Any input for this new learner would be greatly appreciated.

[masterxela]

I have a denon 1906 (1907 is the same thing), and they are pretty cheap online now. $200 range i think. Always been happy with mine, no experience with the others.

[Cal Blacksmith]

I am aYamaha fan myself but at this price point, they will all be about the same. Pick one that has the features you want and looks good with your other gear.

[Guest srobak]

Be careful what you run into your promedia sats. They of course are not designed for huge amounts of power, nor for nearly as full range as even bookshelf speakers... set them to small on the receiver, and cross them high.

[cutejai]

Hi all,

Thank you so much for your input, so 1. Do all receivers have such an option as to "set them to small on the receiver, and cross them high"?

Here is the Spec for my promedia satellite speakers

Total System Frequency Response: 29Hz-20kHz

Maximum Acoustic Output: 110dB Peak

Amplifier Headroom: 4x60 Watts-satellites

Satellite Impedance: 4 ohms minimum

2. It would be even more helpful if anyone could kindly read the following spec and indicate whether it is suitable for my purpose and does it has the feature mention above?

this is the spec from:

PioneerVSX817S

Dolby Digital 5.1/EX/Pro Logic IIx, DTS 96/24/ES Discrete 6.1/NEO:6, WMA 9 Pro Decoding

770 Watts Total Output (110 W x 7 Channels (1 kHz 0.9% THD @ 8 Ohms))

3 Component Video In/1 Out

2 Coaxial, 2 Optical Digital Audio In

Discrete 5.1-Channel Input

3 S-Video In/2 Out, 3 Composite A/V In, Headphone Out

Freescale 180 MIPS Digital Signal Processor

14 Advanced Surround Modes, Including Virtual Surround Back

Dialogue Enhancement

Preset Remote Control

MCACC Auto Room Set-Up With 5-Band EQ

Sirius Satellite Radio Ready

XM Satellite Radio Ready (XM-HD With Neural Sound)

192KHz/24-Bit Audio DAC, 96 kHz/24-Bit Video DAC

Pioneer Hybrid Amplifier Design

Large Banana Speaker Terminals (L/R/C/LS/RS/SBL/SBR)

Front A/V Inputs

Sound Retriever For Enhanced Portable Audio Playback

Subwoofer Preamp Out

Speaker A/B (B Speaker Or Bi-Amp)

AM/FM Audio Tuner With 30 Random Preset Stations

SR (Smart Remote) Terminal Output

Basic Phase Control Bass Management System

7-Channel Stereo

7.1-Channel Audio Pre-Output

AC Outlet

Midnight Listening Mode

Sleep Timer

4-Step Fluorescent Display Dimmer

On-Screen Display

Dimensions: 16.56" W x 6.25" H x 13.88" D

Weight: 20.25 lbs

Greately appreciated for any input.

Cheers

[Cal Blacksmith]

Pioneer huh? OH well, no accounting for taste[]

It should work fine, just don't crank it way up. Any new model receiver should allow you to set the speakers as small and adjust the crossover.

BTW, the crossover we are refering to is where the sub takes over the Low Frequencey Effects. LFE.

[cutejai]

ahh, ok. so pioneer isnt a good brand? and what about Denon AVR-1508? a better product? because the downside is, the denon one doesn't have the "Subwoofer Preamp Out" feature like the pioneer one. would this make a big different for the sub? sorry for this kind of dumb question, because this will be my first set of HT and I'm trying to learn from it. So any input would be appreciated.

Spec for Denon:

Processing Decoding: Dolby Digital Surround EX/ DTS-ES Discrete 6.1/ DTS_ES Matrix 6.1/ DTS 96/24 5.1 For DVD Video Processing/ Neural Sound For XM-HD 5.1

Power Output: 75W x 7 Channels @ 8 Ohms, 20hz To 20kHz, Rated At .08 THD

Best Video Connections: 2 HDMI 1.3a Inputs/ 1 Output

4 Digital Audio Inputs (2 Optical, 2 Coaxial) / True 24-Bit/192kHz Digital Input Audio Capability

Assignable Digital Inputs/ Analog Audio Inputs (Including Tuner)/3 S-Video Inputs/ 4 Composite Video Inputs/ Three 30 MHz Component Video Inuts/ 8-Ch External Analog Input

DSP Effects Modes: 8/ 32-Bit Floating Point DSP

Surround Modes: Auto Surround Mode (Analog or Digital Input Type)

Remote Control: Pre-Programmed Glow Key, S-Series Simple Remote Type With Punch Through Commands

Low Inpedance Drive Capability

High-Current/Discrete Amplifiers

Independent Power Supplies

Compressed Audio Restorer For iPods/Portables

Multi-Source/Multi-Zone 2S/2Z

XM™ Satellite Radio 'Mini-Trader' Ready

Front Panel System Setup Control

System Setup/Surround Parameters Lockout

Cinema EQ

56 Station AM/FM/XM™ Preset Memory Tuning

IR Serial Remote In/Out Terminals

Weight (lbs): 24.7

Dimensions (Inches): 17.1 (Width), 16.2 (Depth), 5.8 (Height)

[Guest srobak]

Of course it has one... it's a 7.1 receiver. Here it is:

Found on page 8 of the manual, located at http://usa.denon.com/AVR-1508-OM-E_100.pdf

[cutejai]

ahh,, thanks for that, stupid me, should've check the manual.

Now that I know we australia use different voltage, so I've decided to get a denon receiver from one of the local store in australia, and the technical question is: Could I get all the speakers and the SUB from the U.S? Because all speakers and SUB are plugged straight into the receiver, so would there be any issue? because of the exchange-rate, it's much cheaper to get it from there.

[Islander]

The speakers are powered from the receiver, so no problem there. Most subs, however, have their own amplifier, which is powered from a mains electrical outlet, so that could be an issue. With the power a sub draws, a little shaver voltage adapter (for example) wouldn't do the job.

The sub connector on the receiver only supplies the signal to the sub, not the power.

On the bright side, the sub brand does not have to match the speaker brand.

[Steve_L]

The Pioneer is an excellent AVR in that price range and includes their excellent MCACC system which will do a really nice job balancing your room accoustics to the best possible results. Everyone's got their preferences and in reality there is little difference in actual sound quality. They all have good power, flat frequency response, audio and video switching, and support all of the latest formats.

You won't go wrong with any of them. I like the Pioneer. Lot's of Denon and HK fans out here too. All the brands in this price have impressive units.