Any suggestions for receiver to pair up with Paradigm studio 40/v2

I received the Paradigm speakers as a gift but only have an entry level JVC receiver that is 8 years old. I am looking to upgrade this component and have a budget of about $600 US.

I use my system mostly for movies/TV (80%) and music (20%). My musical tastes tend to run from hard rock to jazz and some hip hop. The room I'm in is 9'x15'x8'.

I've been looking at the Onkyo SR 601, HK AVR 325, Panasonic SA-HE200 and Yamaha RX-V1400. The one problem that I do have is that my local Paradigm dealer doesn't stock any of the above. The only receiver they have in my price range is the Denon 1803.

Any suggestions about which direction I should head in?

What is the matter with your present receiver? The Studio 40 is reasonably sensitive and not too difficult a load, so it will probably drive it.

Try the receivers out with your speakers and see which you prefer. For that matter, why not include the Denon in your list?

Denon is good for movies especailly matri those. I really prefer 1804 than 1803, becasue in musical performance 1804 instrumental performs less artifically than 1804.

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Originally Posted by Pat D

What is the matter with your present receiver? The Studio 40 is reasonably sensitive and not too difficult a load, so it will probably drive it.

Try the receivers out with your speakers and see which you prefer. For that matter, why not include the Denon in your list?

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The main issue is that the old receiver is only Pro Logic and I was looking to upgrade to a Dolby Digital system (probably 6.1).

If you're looking for receiver to go with the Paradigms I would definitely check out Marantz. They are a superb match with the speakers for both theater and music.

Do you plan on only using two speakers or possibly upgrading to more. If you plan on nly using two speakers I would just go with a Creek or similar quality integrated. If you want the ability to upgrade to more speakers I would look at the Yamaha RX-V1300.

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Originally Posted by Beckman

Do you plan on only using two speakers or possibly upgrading to more. If you plan on nly using two speakers I would just go with a Creek or similar quality integrated. If you want the ability to upgrade to more speakers I would look at the Yamaha RX-V1300.

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Right now I am using only the front 3 channels only. The center speaker is decidedly inferior and will be the next piece to be upgraded after the receiver. I will probably go with cc-470 when the time comes as recommended on the Paradigm website.

It is a bit tricky to put up rears right now where I am but I will eventually be going in that direction. I still haven't decided whether to use dipoles as recommended on the Paradigm site or to try and find a pair of used Studio 40's as some others have recommended.

Yamaha is the route I would go. They have probably the best repair record of any major receiver maker. They appear to replace unnecessary frills with better parts. Marantz would be my other choice but they have atrocious customer service..at least in Canada...so bad that a big dealer here told Marantz they would no longer carry the brand until they fixed the several units they had for repair.

I like the upgradeability of the 5660B and I almost bought it myself on Boxing day. If I were to get a receiver it would probably top my list.

Onkyo is worth a look too. not a fan of Denon...IMO groslly overpriced and underpowered in the tertiary channels. The following site is a little out of date because they have a magazine they want you to buy...but the newer models are typically the same for sound purposes. They change model numbers and the odd feature in hopes that people will trade in.

http://www.hifichoice.co.uk/review_l...category=MULTI

As an adendum to my last post. I should note that i have not actually heard the New Yamaha's. I have never met a receiver sound wise I would want to own. For home theater applications only and with the ability to upgrade the pre and power amp section...Yamaha is my choice simply because they tended and may still tend to have the best surround decoding and build quality.

If money is not as much a problem I would go separates here.

I would go with the RX-V1400 by virtue of the YPAO room acoustic calibration function. And compared to the other receivers on your list, the 1400 probably has the best amp section.

The sound quality differences between midlevel receivers in my listenings is minimal compared to differences between speakers and acoustic environments. I've not tried the YPAO feature for myself, but others on this board who've tried it say it's made a huge improvement, and using a parametric equalizer (the YPAO basically is a parametric EQ, only it calibrates the settings automatically) for subwoofer equalization made a critical difference with my system.

I currently use a RX-V800 with my Paradigm Studio v.2 setup and it works great. My setup is a Studio 40/Studio CC/Studio 20 5.1 configuration. Personally, I prefer using direct firing speakers for the surrounds, but unless you got a large room, another pair of Studio 40s might be too big for surround use. Just so you know, the Studio 20s timbre match very well with the 40s, and when mated together the side imaging and soundstage with surround music sounds absolutely amazing.

If you choose to use direct firing surrounds rather than dipoles, the best configuration that I've tried is to position the surrounds slightly behind the listening position (110 degrees offcenter) with the speakers pointed directly towards one another and elevated at least one foot above ear level. This imparts a little bit of diffusion for ambient cues, while maintaining the strong imaging with directional cues. It's also the configuration that Dolby recommends for systems that are used for both movies and surround music.

I would be very surprised if the 1400 costs the same as the others on your list (except for maybe the Onkyo) because its list price is higher. You might be able to find a dealer willing to bargain a 1400 down to around $600, but keep in mind that the prices you see on the internet are from unauthorized dealers. Yamaha's RX-V series is not authorized for sale through mail order, and if you buy through an unauthorized vendor, you lose the warranty support and Yamaha is very strict about enforcing this.

Thanks for all your help. I ended up going with the RX-V1300 purchased for $700 Cdn because the dealer insisted on keep his price well above the MSRP of $799 USD (actually was $1084 USD). I'm sure these guys offer top notch service but that is way too much of a mark-up from MSRP. He benefits greatly from being the only Yamaha dealer in town carrying the top of the line Yamaha products.

Interestingly enough, he is the one who sold me on the 1300 because the 1400 wasn't set up in his demo. It was still the 1300. It sounded great to me and I was sold. I searched the local ads and found a guy who was doing an upgrade to the reference line Yamaha who sold me his 1-year old Yamaha (purchased in Canada) for $700.

Any good web pages that will teach me how to do the equilibration with a SPL meter, or any good suggestions on buying a parametric equalizer?

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Originally Posted by PmR

Thanks for all your help. I ended up going with the RX-V1300 purchased for $700 Cdn because the dealer insisted on keep his price well above the MSRP of $799 USD (actually was $1084 USD). I'm sure these guys offer top notch service but that is way too much of a mark-up from MSRP. He benefits greatly from being the only Yamaha dealer in town carrying the top of the line Yamaha products.

Interestingly enough, he is the one who sold me on the 1300 because the 1400 wasn't set up in his demo. It was still the 1300. It sounded great to me and I was sold. I searched the local ads and found a guy who was doing an upgrade to the reference line Yamaha who sold me his 1-year old Yamaha (purchased in Canada) for $700.

Any good web pages that will teach me how to do the equilibration with a SPL meter, or any good suggestions on buying a parametric equalizer?

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Yamaha used to maintain similar list prices between Canada and the U.S., but it seems that they have joined their Denon/Marantz/Onkyo comrades by adding a markup on the exchange value. So, the price that you got is probably about as good as you'll get in Canada for the 1300.

I would suggest that you get the Sound & Vision Home Theater Setup DVD. It teaches you how to use the SPL meter for system calibration and has a set of test tones that you can use.

As far as parametric equalizers go, I would first suggest that you get the SPL meter and a test disc with low frequency tones, and first evaluate whether or not you even need the parametric EQ to begin with. The common usage for a parametric EQ is with self-powered subwoofers, since most AV receivers lack the tape monitor switches or premain couplers necessary to hook up an equalizer through the receiver.

If you get a subwoofer and hear overly boomy sounding bass that drowns out a lot of other sounds, then a parametric EQ would probably help. The most frequently recommended parametric EQ is the Behringer Feedback Destroyer simply because it's inexpensive, it works, and there are lots of resources out on the web that show you how to use it for subwoofer equalization. You can buy the BFD for $120USD. Here's a website that shows you how to use it.

http://www.snapbug.ws/bfd.htm

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Originally Posted by Woochifer

Yamaha used to maintain similar list prices between Canada and the U.S., but it seems that they have joined their Denon/Marantz/Onkyo comrades by adding a markup on the exchange value. So, the price that you got is probably about as good as you'll get in Canada for the 1300.

I would suggest that you get the Sound & Vision Home Theater Setup DVD. It teaches you how to use the SPL meter for system calibration and has a set of test tones that you can use.

As far as parametric equalizers go, I would first suggest that you get the SPL meter and a test disc with low frequency tones, and first evaluate whether or not you even need the parametric EQ to begin with. The common usage for a parametric EQ is with self-powered subwoofers, since most AV receivers lack the tape monitor switches or premain couplers necessary to hook up an equalizer through the receiver.

If you get a subwoofer and hear overly boomy sounding bass that drowns out a lot of other sounds, then a parametric EQ would probably help. The most frequently recommended parametric EQ is the Behringer Feedback Destroyer simply because it's inexpensive, it works, and there are lots of resources out on the web that show you how to use it for subwoofer equalization. You can buy the BFD for $120USD. Here's a website that shows you how to use it.

http://www.snapbug.ws/bfd.htm

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Well, I've finally almost got everything put together. My sound system is now:


Receiver: Yamaha RX-V1300
Mains: Paradigm studio 40/v2
Center: Paradigm cc-470/v3
Rea: Paradigm Atoms/v3
Subwoofer: Paradigm pw2200/v2
CD: Arcam Diva CD62
DVD: Hitachi DVP415

The Hitachi is about 2.5 years old and is not progressive so it needs to be upgraded. I'm leaning towards waiting for the new Panasonics that will be using the Faroudja chips to come out and will probably grab the one that will also play DVD-A. I've heard rumours of a February release. The estimate that I have been hearing is MSRP $299 USD.

I must say the system sounds great overall and I would like to thank everyone who contributed to my threads.

I have noticed that it has been hard to find the right balance between the speakers and the sub (I have the mains, rears and center set to small and the sub set to large). It seems as though on some tracks the sub is too strong and I turn down the output levels. On the next track, it will seem to be too weak.

I have been to a few Radio Shacks around town but none seem to be carrying the SPL meters that have been referred to a great deal. There was a digital SPL available in a shop in Calgary that I visited but they had no analogues. I tried the Radio Shack web page but couldn't find a listing for this device.

Are the analogs really superior to the digitals? If so, does anyone know where I might be able to get one?