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  1. #1
    PolkGuy Registered Member
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    Oct 2005
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    Gatineau, Québec, Canada
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    Question When do I stop?!?!?

    I'm up to spend big bucks for audio (almost all my money) but god damn these receivers can be hard on the bank account!

    Ok...so now, after a terribly long year of reading reviews, I finally choose Onkyo as a receiver manifacturer since I laughed at pioneer and yamaha hasn't clear enough sound. But the poblem is... when do I stop?! How am I supposed to know which model suits for me? And is there really THAT of a difference of quality and power between those? Here I'm talking about TXSR-XXX series:

    TXSR-503
    TXSR-602
    TXSR-603 or the big mofo,
    TXSR-701

    (I LOVE the look of the two last though )

    I'm planning to keep this piece of equipment for about 10 years so I'd like to spend my hard gained money on something that I'm gonna be satisfied with.

    **N.B. I LOVE crisp & clean sound (that's why I bought all 5.1 PolkAudio speakers) but I often listen to music and music is great at high volume (not meant to blow out the windows though) After all... am I best with harman kardon??

  2. #2
    Suspended topspeed's Avatar
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    Jun 2003
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    I can't tell you which to choose, but I can make a few suggestions for your decision making process:

    • Watts are overrated. Never buy a higher level reciever because it has 10 more watts. Remember, it takes twice as many watts to affect a 3dB increase in spl's. This ain't a lot, friend.
      * Are the additional features worth the cash? Auto-eq is worth it. DSP's that replicate the acoustics of the men's bathroom at Yankee Stadium are not.
      * Check the DAC's and see if they are upgraded. If they are, can you hear the difference?
      * Is video "upconversion" (their term, not mine) important to you?


    I think you get the idea. Audio is like racing. Mario Andretti once said the key to winning a race is to go as slow as possible. In audio, the key to happiness is to get what you need at the cheapest possible price. Most avr's are stuffed full of so much useless crap it's comical. Don't get sucked into the marketing hoopla. Learn to differentiate between what's important and what's not and you'll win the game.

    Hope this helps.

  3. #3
    authentic fidelity
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Edinburgh
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    8
    Firstly I have to say, i've never been a great fan of receivers, I would much rather buy a processor and poweramp(s) set. They are much more upgradeable and IMO sound a lot better in both multichannel and in stereo (far better in both actually) Your best bet is with companies such as Arcam, Rotel and Meridian who do some fantastic packages at different prices - and look aesthetically great too.

    On the side of the 'when do you stop' I would say whenever you are comfortable about what you are listening too, and just enjoy the ride. I always think if I was a millionaire over night, i'd still move up the audio ranks rather than dive straight in, its all about musical appreciation. enjoy!

  4. #4
    PolkGuy Registered Member
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    Oct 2005
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    Gatineau, Québec, Canada
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    Quote Originally Posted by topspeed
    * Check the DAC's and see if they are upgraded. If they are, can you hear the difference?
    Which DAC's are actually important?! I'm actually pretty happy with nothin'. Basic DTS processing and PLII for tv (movie+music) are great for me (neo:6 is sounds pretty awesome too). The only thing that seems to affect me is the clarity of the sound. The more I can hear nickelback's guitarist hit his guitar cords in such amazing quality that would be my best bet. My Polk speakers are doing this job great but I feel that my yamaha receiver (5740) is putting a limit to this quality. Am I good with Onkyo?? cause I think a 500$CAD for the 503 would be great for me then.

    BTW, thanks more than a lot for taking your time to give me advices on this HHAARRDD choice.

  5. #5
    Suspended topspeed's Avatar
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    If you use an optical output to your avr, and if you like DTS you must, than the processing DAC's are very important. I have no idea what Onkyo uses, but your Yammie uses proprietary DAC's. Some of the more highly regarded chips come from Burr-Brown, Wolfson, or Crystal to name a few. Note, there isn't only one design from each manufacturer. With Denon, the higher up the food chain, the better the B-B DAC's become. Onkyo is probably the same way. The real question becomes whether or not you can tell the difference. The only way to find out is to listen, listen, and listen some more.

    Hope this helps.

  6. #6
    nightflier
    Guest

    Yammy not clear enough?

    Quote Originally Posted by mouettus
    ...Yamaha hasn't clear enough sound...
    What is it that you don't like about the Yamaha sound? I auditioned some of their higher end receivers and must say that they sound very good (even with my inefficient 4 ohm speakers). I also did not find the sound very different from the Onkyos.

    I'm currently also looking to purchase a receiver, and the Onkyo 703 was on the radar. But at that price point there are several other units I would also consider (i.e Denon and Marantz). Also, if you don't care for the sound processing, and you want good quality amps, you might also want to check out the Outlaw 1070. It's on my list as well and the list has gotten a lot shorter.

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