how long have you owned you AV receiver?

[Tarheel_]

...and are you still satisifed?

In this day of throw-away hardware, do you still enjoy your receiver?

What do you like/dislike?

Me, i purchased my Harman Kardon AVR 525 in Fall 03. It was manufactored in late 02.
I still love the large display, on-screen menu, bass magmnt, and overall am still quite satisfied.

how about you?

[IRG]

...and are you still satisifed?

In this day of throw-away hardware, do you still enjoy your receiver?

What do you like/dislike?

Me, i purchased my Harman Kardon AVR 525 in Fall 03. It was manufactored in late 02.
I still love the large display, on-screen menu, bass magmnt, and overall am still quite satisfied.

how about you?

About 3 months now, a NAD T-743. I love it. I don't upgrade all that often. Before this was an Onkyo 575x I had for about 5 years. That model was flawless, and sold it for close to $200 on eBay recently. I enjoy everything about this NAD - it is only 50 watts/channel, but sounds much fuller and louder than my Onkyo. I like the simplicity of the NAD, not a lot of bells and whistles, but simple layout, very good ergonomics, thoughtful features, a really good remote, and above all, great sound. If it is reliable, I will keep it for some time.

[paul_pci]

Yamaha RX-V3300; purchased Dec. '03. Love it. Isn't really missing any features I feel I need. One reason I'm relcutant to upgrade is this model came with the kick-ass remote-a big ass marco-learning, backlit brute that they don't inlcude in the upper eschelon of their receiver line anymore.

[topspeed]

Denon 3803, Dec '02. Works great and does everything I need. I absolutely love the way it decodes two channel music in Pure Direct mode. The sound is the closest to analog I've heard and I have no plans on upgrading my receiver anytime soon.

Next projects are widescreen HDTV (just waiting for the new 52" JVC to be released this month), HD-STB w/ Tivo, and universal player (likely a Denon as well).

[Eric Z]

I bought a Yamaha 5760 in March 2004 and love it! I was in my price range and it's all I need- with power, options, and input/outputs. I was a huge upgrade from my non-HT older Sony receiver. I don't plan on upgrading anytime soon, but I am looking for another receiver for my living room system- I might go out and pick up a 5760/650 since they can be had for pretty cheap now- might also look into the new 657, but no big improvements over the 650 (at least I don't think there are many improvements) except for the XM radio option, which doesn't interest me.

[Hawkeye]

About 3 months now, a NAD T-743. I love it. I don't upgrade all that often. Before this was an Onkyo 575x I had for about 5 years. That model was flawless, and sold it for close to $200 on eBay recently. I enjoy everything about this NAD - it is only 50 watts/channel, but sounds much fuller and louder than my Onkyo. I like the simplicity of the NAD, not a lot of bells and whistles, but simple layout, very good ergonomics, thoughtful features, a really good remote, and above all, great sound. If it is reliable, I will keep it for some time.
IRG, glad to see you're enjoying the NAD. If I remember correctly you were looking into a couple different options regarding speakers. What did you end up doing?
I certainly agree with your comment about NAD's simplicity. I know it turns some folks off, just too basic for them, but its exactly what I like about mine. Evidentally you too.

[poneal]

Has everything that I need. Plenty of power at the rated 55wpc. Preouts, decent crossover settings. Warm sounding and plenty of oomph in the lower end. I usually keep a receiver for 15-20 years. My old Kenwood lasted 22 years and still works albeit not near as nice as the HK.

[hershon]

Denon 3801 coupled with my orb audio Mod 1 speakers & Harmon Kardon DVD 31 player rules when connected by fiber optic cable (interconnects for DVD-A)! I got it for $450 with shipping used in excellent condition. Best purchase I've made.

[20to20K]

I love my Denon and I have no plans or desires to replace it. It does everything I need it to do and I got it real cheap after trading in a defective 3803 floor model. I've had it for about 6 months now.

I'm glad to see so many older model Denon AVR's still satisfying its owners...that bodes well for me!

My last reciever also was a 2 channel Denon that I've used since 1992 and it still works fine and looks great.

[plextor guy]

I bought a Yamaha DSP-A3090 about 8 years ago. So far I've found no compelling reason to upgrade. It was among the first wave of mass market Dolby Digital processors. This was before the name 'Dolby Digital' was firmed up as the name for this type of 5.1. There isn't even a DD reference on the box. They reference AC-3 instead. It's built like a tank and still looks new. Very clean sounding. The downside is that it doesn't do some of the newer formats like prologic 2 and DTS. It doesn't do 6.1 and beyond but 5.1 works for me. My left and right speakers are somewhat power hungry and drive the amp into protection occasionally but other than that, no problems. I went with two Marantz monobloc's for the mains to solve the problem. I also have a Yamaha R100 stereo receiver that's 20 years old. It's been moved all over the country and dinged up a little but still works great. All I've ever had to do is tighten the nut on the volume knob. Bottom line is that at this point, there really is no reason to buy a new receiver at this point. If I was looking to replace my 3090, I'd look for a top of the line, 2-3 year old Yamaha or Denon receiver.

[IRG]

IRG, glad to see you're enjoying the NAD. If I remember correctly you were looking into a couple different options regarding speakers. What did you end up doing?
I certainly agree with your comment about NAD's simplicity. I know it turns some folks off, just too basic for them, but its exactly what I like about mine. Evidentally you too.

Hey,
Right now I have a pair of Paradigm Monitor 3s. I like them a lot. For the price, they do many things well, very good for different genres of music, like rock, classical as well as HT. A good mate for the NAD. Last night I just added a new set of speaker stands, from partsexpress http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&PartNumber=240-744&DID=7&raid=45&rak=240-744. These are great stands, and I may do a review of them in the speaker discussion section. They are even more massive in person. And I swear that already my sound has improved with these stands, as silly as that sounds. More on that once I really listen to some music on these new stands.

My next purchase to make this system sing is a good subwoofer, and I am almost sold on the SVS subs. Once I have the $, then that is next. I'm not sure how long I will keep the Monitor 3s. I would eventually like to move to some really higher end speakers, but after comparing them to Paradigm's reference 20 v4, I wasn't blown away by the difference, especially given the price. In fact I preferred the Monitor 3 on some types of music. But I won't be upgrading again for at least 1-2 years. And the NAD will stay with me for as long as it works (that is never true, I always sell my gear while it is still working good), but probably a good 5 years or so I will keep it. I may add a power amp to it at some point. And I still need to add the rear speakers - once I find a place to locate them. This hobby is getting out of control.

[Worf101]

I've been running my Onkyo 898 for about 3 plus years now. It was an "open box" demo so I don't know how many miles it's really got on it. Hey I'm only running 5.1 in a medium sized room... and it gives me all I could ever hope for. Sides, as any homeowner knows, there's more than enough things to spend money on other than stereo gear. I've no compelling reason to upgrade....

Da Worfster :cool:

[shokhead]

Panasonic from 72-2001 and a Denon 3200 from 97-04 and a Denon 2805 from dec. to now.

[JES14]

Had my Denon 3802 a few years now and still loving it! Great for HT and not bad 2-channel in Direct mode.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

I have a Onkyo TXDS 777 THX select reciever that I have been using for about 3 years now. It only power the front three channels(left, center ,right) has 105watts going to speakers that are rated 100db with one watt from one meter. All speakers are on large, but the amps in this receiver seem to have endless power. I use my former Yamaha receiver to power the surrounds, another onkyo stereo amp for the subs, and another onkyo stereo amp to power the EX channels via a circlesurround processor.

I am in the middle of a major acoustical upgrade right now, but have absolutely no plans to upgrade amps or receiver.

[topspeed]

Hey Sir T,

Don't you have Dunlavy's? I saw a IV and V on audiogon the other day if you're interested.

[J2phat4u]

I have had my H/K 7200 since November 2003 and just 1 month ago finally figured out how good this monster is. I set all the speaker channels on flat and the center at plus 1 and this thing just makes me rush home from work to listen to it. I am running all monster cable throughout the system along with a H/K DVD 25, H/K CDR 26, Pioneer MD player, Bose 701 Series II, Bose VCS10, Bose 301, Bose AM5 and JBL PB10 sub(upgrading to SVS soon). It really sounds great and if i ever replace this receiver it will be with another H/K no doubt.

[Olivertmc]

I've had my Marantz for about 5 years now. It is the first piece of "hi-fi gear" that I ever purchased. Since then, many things have changed - actually, EVERYTHING else has changed, but the Marantz remains. It's nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. When I was looking for more "umph" in my 2 channel listening, I picked up an external power amp and my problem was solved.

I hope to keep it around for a long time. Right now I have the Marantz with a Parasound power amp, Kef Q15.2 (L/R), Kef Q center, SVS pb-10, Boston Acoustic in-wall surrounds and a Sony 5 disc SACD player.

[Geoffcin]

...and are you still satisifed?

In this day of throw-away hardware, do you still enjoy your receiver?

What do you like/dislike?

Me, i purchased my Harman Kardon AVR 525 in Fall 03. It was manufactored in late 02.
I still love the large display, on-screen menu, bass magmnt, and overall am still quite satisfied.

how about you?

The Pioneer VSX-5300tx.The receiver was quite sophisticated for it's day, even having adjustable video noise reduction. It still does service in my daughters room, and is one of the few components that I've ever seen run continuously for nearly 20 years without so much as a light go out on it. I still own Pioneer recievers, and my newer one is even more sophisticated with auto room adjusting, and many advanced features like multiple video switching that I don't even use. Oh, it sounds great too!

[Woochifer]

This Memorial Day weekend, I will have had my Yamaha RX-V800 for four years. It's worked flawlessly through almost continuous operation the whole time (we leave music on all day for our dog). All of the audio, TV sound, and video inputs get routed through the receiver, so it's working pretty much the entire time that any of us are home and not asleep.

The receiver is a basic 5.1 model with DD, DTS, and a phantom 6.1 mode. IMO, it's a very well designed unit that pulls my entire system together. Sound quality and power output are very good, and even now I still tweak with the various settings (as maligned as they are, I do use the DSP modes with movies, and they are especially good at recreating the acoustical conditions of a large movie theater). I intend to keep the receiver until I'm ready to make the jump up to separates, and that won't occur until after I upgrade my video components.

The only major shortcoming with the receiver is the fixed 90 Hz crossover point for the subwoofer output.

DPLII, 6.1, "7.1", Neo:6, and some of the other decoding schemes that have come along in later models I don't have much use for. My room does not allow for back surround speakers, so the ES/EX decoding is inconsequential for my setup.

Even though you regard this as an era of throwaway hardware, I think that's more a perception than reality. In general, I think that even now, any receiver will work fine so long as it has 5.1 Dolby Digital, because that will give you the intended surround performance for over 99% of the DVDs on the market. The reality is that none of the enhancements that have come along in the past few years has any chance of displacing 5.1 DD as the defacto standard any time soon. DD is a required format with DVDs, and it is the standard for HDTV broadcasts. As much as I like DTS soundtracks, I don't regard that as a mandatory feature either because DTS soundtracks are still way in the minority among the soundtracks out there.

HD-DVD and/or Blu-ray both have provisions for higher resolution versions of DD and DTS (DD+ and DTS-HD), which allow for both higher bitrates and additional discrete channels. But, even if those high res video formats eventually supplant the DVD, DD+ and DTS-HD will both be backwards compatible with existing DD and DTS decoders.

IMO, the only time when a 5.1 DD receiver is functionally obsolete is when a more advanced format completely displaces 5.1 DD as the standard and you can no longer find material in that format.

[paul_pci]

Wooch,

I think that's fantastic that your Yamaha has been operating so consistently over the years, but I have to ask one thing: aren't you missing out on PLII? I listen to TV with Prologic II and I think it's cool because it's near the type of audio one gets with a DVD. Now, me and Hershon have been back and forth on this because he listens to TV in 5-channel stereo. I say he's nuts and he says I'm nuts. But what say you? Do you listen to any sort of programming with Prologic and do you ever wish that you had PLII?

[IRG]

I have had my H/K 7200 since November 2003 and just 1 month ago finally figured out how good this monster is. I set all the speaker channels on flat and the center at plus 1 and this thing just makes me rush home from work to listen to it. I am running all monster cable throughout the system along with a H/K DVD 25, H/K CDR 26, Pioneer MD player, Bose 701 Series II, Bose VCS10, Bose 301, Bose AM5 and JBL PB10 sub(upgrading to SVS soon). It really sounds great and if i ever replace this receiver it will be with another H/K no doubt.

I have the same sub as you (and really not a bad little sub for the $) and I am also going to be upgrading to a SVS subl. Which one are you considering? I will probably go with their smallest/least expensive model, at least at this moment. http://www.svsubwoofers.com/subs_pb10_isd.htm Looks like a great sub for the size of my room. Regards.

[shokhead]

Wooch,

I think that's fantastic that your Yamaha has been operating so consistently over the years, but I have to ask one thing: aren't you missing out on PLII? I listen to TV with Prologic II and I think it's cool because it's near the type of audio one gets with a DVD. Now, me and Hershon have been back and forth on this because he listens to TV in 5-channel stereo. I say he's nuts and he says I'm nuts. But what say you? Do you listen to any sort of programming with Prologic and do you ever wish that you had PLII?

And i'm a big,big fan of 5 channel stereo but i have to say i'm starting to enjoy Pllx with my CD's and nascar. I'm going to have to talk with him about it as soon as i'm reasted for it. LOL

[Duds]

I bought it probably 4 or 5 years ago and still love it. Not a lot of bells and whistles but i think it sounds great for 2 channel music. I dont watch a lot of movies, so I wasnt really concerned about that aspect of it, but it seems to do fine in that area too. I'll be keeping this for a long time, just maybe adding a dedicated amp.


...and are you still satisifed?

In this day of throw-away hardware, do you still enjoy your receiver?

What do you like/dislike?

Me, i purchased my Harman Kardon AVR 525 in Fall 03. It was manufactored in late 02.
I still love the large display, on-screen menu, bass magmnt, and overall am still quite satisfied.

how about you?

[Woochifer]

Wooch,

I think that's fantastic that your Yamaha has been operating so consistently over the years, but I have to ask one thing: aren't you missing out on PLII? I listen to TV with Prologic II and I think it's cool because it's near the type of audio one gets with a DVD. Now, me and Hershon have been back and forth on this because he listens to TV in 5-channel stereo. I say he's nuts and he says I'm nuts. But what say you? Do you listen to any sort of programming with Prologic and do you ever wish that you had PLII?

I never bought into DPLII for one simple reason: there are no sources out there that are encoded specifically for DPLII. This means that DPLII is no different than any other DSP mode. It might sound better than the others, but it's still another layer of processing on top of a specific decoding scheme that makes the quality of the playback a lot more random.

DPL is different in that it decodes two-channel Dolby Surround soundtracks that were specifically mixed with DPL decoding in mind. The DPL scheme entails an encoded monophonic bandwidth-restricted surround track folded into the two-channel mix, along with extracted center channel info. That's really all that gets encoded into a Dolby Surround soundtrack.

Whatever DPLII adds with the channel steering and redirecting main channel info into the surrounds is conceptually the same as what one of those room simulating DSP modes does. In my listenings, DPLII can definitely add to the immersive effect, but depending on how the Dolby Surround soundtrack was mixed, it can also create some very bizarre sounding effects as well.

In general, I prefer to stick with straight DPL for TV viewing, yet even there the quality of the surround effect and center channel redirecting will vary. But, at least it won't steer dialog or other sounds clearly intended for the front channels into the surrounds.

Five-channel stereo is too gimmicky for my long-term listening enjoyment. Dolby Surround soundtracks with a lot of ambient cues have out-of-phase signals folded into the mix, and in five-channel stereo mode, those just sound horrible. And having voices all around with no imaging coherency or directionality defeats the whole purpose of surround sound. Might as well just plug in a pair of Bose 901s if you want that same "mono everywhere" effect. Some music sounds decent in five-channel stereo, but as with DPLII, the playback quality varies too much for me to keep it on for very long.

[paul_pci]

I never bought into DPLII for one simple reason: there are no sources out there that are encoded specifically for DPLII. This means that DPLII is no different than any other DSP mode. It might sound better than the others, but it's still another layer of processing on top of a specific decoding scheme that makes the quality of the playback a lot more random.

DPL is different in that it decodes two-channel Dolby Surround soundtracks that were specifically mixed with DPL decoding in mind. The DPL scheme entails an encoded monophonic bandwidth-restricted surround track folded into the two-channel mix, along with extracted center channel info. That's really all that gets encoded into a Dolby Surround soundtrack.

Whatever DPLII adds with the channel steering and redirecting main channel info into the surrounds is conceptually the same as what one of those room simulating DSP modes does. In my listenings, DPLII can definitely add to the immersive effect, but depending on how the Dolby Surround soundtrack was mixed, it can also create some very bizarre sounding effects as well.

In general, I prefer to stick with straight DPL for TV viewing, yet even there the quality of the surround effect and center channel redirecting will vary. But, at least it won't steer dialog or other sounds clearly intended for the front channels into the surrounds.

Five-channel stereo is too gimmicky for my long-term listening enjoyment. Dolby Surround soundtracks with a lot of ambient cues have out-of-phase signals folded into the mix, and in five-channel stereo mode, those just sound horrible. And having voices all around with no imaging coherency or directionality defeats the whole purpose of surround sound. Might as well just plug in a pair of Bose 901s if you want that same "mono everywhere" effect. Some music sounds decent in five-channel stereo, but as with DPLII, the playback quality varies too much for me to keep it on for very long.

Yes, I've heard bizarre sound effects from Dolby tracks using PLII, mostly with DVD extras (voices coming from rear speakers, nothing from the center). But what is different, correct me if I'm wrong, is that with PLII, the rearr matrix is not mono, that is you can and will get different sounds from the left and right rears where in original PL you get a mono sound split to the two speakers. Again, for watching, tv, I really enjoy it. It's also of course necessary for gaming, my PS2, for instance. And those are really the only two sources I'll use PLII for.

[Woochifer]

Yes, I've heard bizarre sound effects from Dolby tracks using PLII, mostly with DVD extras (voices coming from rear speakers, nothing from the center). But what is different, correct me if I'm wrong, is that with PLII, the rearr matrix is not mono, that is you can and will get different sounds from the left and right rears where in original PL you get a mono sound split to the two speakers. Again, for watching, tv, I really enjoy it. It's also of course necessary for gaming, my PS2, for instance. And those are really the only two sources I'll use PLII for.

Yes and no. DPLII works by steering sound from the mains into the surrounds. This creates directionality in the surrounds. The rear matrix itself is encoded into the Dolby Surround soundtrack, and by definition it is bandwidth-restricted and monophonic. DPLII mixes that monophonic surround track with full bandwidth sound from the main channels to create a simulated directional effect. It can sound quite good if the soundtrack is right. But, it can also sound pretty bizarre if the conditions are somewhat off (i.e. TV broadcasts with abnormal channel separation or balance, and mixes with a lot of directional dialog).

In general, I don't like to mess around too much with two-channel sources. (I went straight from stereo to 5.1 when I made the jump to home theater) I use DPL decoding with TV viewing because that's how most TV shows and two-channel movie soundtracks are encoded. I prefer to hear things as they were intended to be played back. There's only so much that can be done with a two-channel soundtrack, and if I had DPLII in my receiver, I would probably use it. But, as such, I don't feel like I'm missing out by not having it either.

[paul_pci]

Yes and no. DPLII works by steering sound from the mains into the surrounds. This creates directionality in the surrounds. The rear matrix itself is encoded into the Dolby Surround soundtrack, and by definition it is bandwidth-restricted and monophonic. DPLII mixes that monophonic surround track with full bandwidth sound from the main channels to create a simulated directional effect. It can sound quite good if the soundtrack is right. But, it can also sound pretty bizarre if the conditions are somewhat off (i.e. TV broadcasts with abnormal channel separation or balance, and mixes with a lot of directional dialog).

In general, I don't like to mess around too much with two-channel sources. (I went straight from stereo to 5.1 when I made the jump to home theater) I use DPL decoding with TV viewing because that's how most TV shows and two-channel movie soundtracks are encoded. I prefer to hear things as they were intended to be played back. There's only so much that can be done with a two-channel soundtrack, and if I had DPLII in my receiver, I would probably use it. But, as such, I don't feel like I'm missing out by not having it either.

Cool.

[shokhead]

Yes and no. DPLII works by steering sound from the mains into the surrounds. This creates directionality in the surrounds. The rear matrix itself is encoded into the Dolby Surround soundtrack, and by definition it is bandwidth-restricted and monophonic. DPLII mixes that monophonic surround track with full bandwidth sound from the main channels to create a simulated directional effect. It can sound quite good if the soundtrack is right. But, it can also sound pretty bizarre if the conditions are somewhat off (i.e. TV broadcasts with abnormal channel separation or balance, and mixes with a lot of directional dialog).

In general, I don't like to mess around too much with two-channel sources. (I went straight from stereo to 5.1 when I made the jump to home theater) I use DPL decoding with TV viewing because that's how most TV shows and two-channel movie soundtracks are encoded. I prefer to hear things as they were intended to be played back. There's only so much that can be done with a two-channel soundtrack, and if I had DPLII in my receiver, I would probably use it. But, as such, I don't feel like I'm missing out by not having it either.

Thats what i said untill i got it and used it. ;) :)

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Hey Sir T,

Don't you have Dunlavy's? I saw a IV and V on audiogon the other day if you're interested.

I have 5 SC IV in storage awaiting their new studio home. The last thing I need right now is more speakers!!

[hershon]

I appologize if I'm mixing you up with lensman who seems to have dissapeared but you have a Denon 3805 that you needed an amp for if I'm remembering this right. Why again, if that was you did you need an amp for this system?




I have 5 SC IV in storage awaiting their new studio home. The last thing I need right now is more speakers!!

[BadAssJazz]

I have a Denon 3802 that I've had for 3 years now. Love it. It does everything that I need it to do and I've never had any problems with it at all.

...but...

I'm in the process of upgrading other components and since little brother accidently melted his Onkyo receiver, I've decided to pass the 3802 down to him. But I am struggling with that somewhat. I don't think that I will find a receiver that really blows away the performance of the 3802 for less than $1K -- no matter how many new features you tack on. I am considering the Marantz sr8500, but waiting for sticker shock to wear off. For $1500 I could be in Kauai for a week ... or home theater Nirvana for the entire year. Decisions, decisions....

[JoeE SP9]

I have never owned a receiver. I will probably never buy one. I will be buying a new processor quite soon. Surround has never been that important to me. My rig is mainly for music.

[Seanc0500]

...and are you still satisifed?



how about you?

I bought a Yamaha HTR-5150 back in '99 and I still love
it. It's got 5.1 DD and DTS.
Its clean solid power is underutilized by my current mediocre
speaker setup.
I plan on keeping this for years. For my needs right now, it
has plenty of inputs and outputs and I like the remote, as it has
the capability of controlling all my other components.

[vr6ofpain]

~8 years. A Kenwood Pro logic receiver. It works decently, sounds alright, and I love the remote (very simply by todays standards, but does all functions). KR-7080 or something like that. It is a 100x3(FCR), 30x2(surr). Going to have to upgrade at some point. I obviously want DD, but I really am interested in Pro Logic II for possible music surround (intrigues me). I have got a kick out of different DSP surround modes different receivers have had, but never though any were great. Some worked well for live recordings, or if you wanted a different feel with your music, but none were every "right". I think PL II might be what I wanted.

[hershon]

I have never owned a receiver. I will probably never buy one. I will be buying a new processor quite soon. Surround has never been that important to me. My rig is mainly for music.

Music aside, if you watch TV or DVD movies, there's a night and day difference in sound hearing it in surround sound. If you don't notice it, good for you but I'd think almost everyone does. It's also like watching HDTV and not watching HDTV. Huge difference.

[JoeE SP9]

Music aside, if you watch TV or DVD movies, there's a night and day difference in sound hearing it in surround sound. If you don't notice it, good for you but I'd think almost everyone does. It's also like watching HDTV and not watching HDTV. Huge difference. Please note: The Lexicon CP1 processor is a surrround sound processor. I have been experimenting with surround sound from the days of SQ/QS, Benchmark Delay and Dynaco Quadaptor. It is just not that important for listening to music, for me. I have a pair of Acoustat Model 1's for my rears which currently see little or no use. They are set up in my listening room. When I purchase a new surround processor I anticipate giving them a lot of use although they will be used almost exclusivly for TV or DVD movies. I do have quite a few movies on VHS. I will probably not replace them but keep them to watch. After all they do have Dolby soundtracks. VHS: I know how many of you feel about the format. I still listen to and purchase vinyl and have no intention of giving up that habit either.

[hershon]

Whatever makes you happy.


Please note: The Lexicon CP1 processor is a surrround sound processor. I have been experimenting with surround sound from the days of SQ/QS, Benchmark Delay and Dynaco Quadaptor. It is just not that important for listening to music, for me. I have a pair of Acoustat Model 1's for my rears which currently see little or no use. They are set up in my listening room. When I purchase a new surround processor I anticipate giving them a lot of use although they will be used almost exclusivly for TV or DVD movies. I do have quite a few movies on VHS. I will probably not replace them but keep them to watch. After all they do have Dolby soundtracks. VHS: I know how many of you feel about the format. I still listen to and purchase vinyl and have no intention of giving up that habit either.

[shokhead]

I know what you mean. My fricken horse still works great and gets killer mpg. :D

[Lexmark3200]

I have had my Onkyo TX-SR600 for a good three years now, and still love it; the feel of the controls, the weight of the damn thing, the solid aluminum faceplate....it has everything we pretty much need right now in terms of decoding capabilities, including DD, DD EX, DTS, DTS ES and Pro Logic II....my parents even have the same receiver here in their house in Vegas, and it fills their massive media room with 10 foot vaulted cathedral ceilings with 5.0 sound (they have no sub).

[bjornb17]

i got my HK AVR130 in july 2004 and still going strong.