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madguitar26
12-13-2005, 03:05 PM
helo there ive bin reading rewiews here forever and have the following:

mirage OM-12´s(bipolar)
mirage omc3 center
mirage m290 rear
mirage om-10 sub
realy bad pionner DD reciever 557
pionner 606 dvd player

my bad link is the old pionner dolby digital reciever,which is really lacking in the center channel(sounds cheasy and boxy) and the amp distorts alot at medium volumes.
dolby digital is fine but sound is rather compressed next to a friends onkyo sr-600,and a denon 2800.
i bought the pionner from crutchfield 6 years ago for 400 bucks.now it a similar one costs 150 bucks.it seems only fair to upgraid it for at least another $250.
Yamaha ´s are very good but not my kind of sound.im really looking for more simplicity than sound fields.
more hometheater than music listening aS WELL..
after reading alot and listening ive came down to onkyo sr-503 and denon avr1906
i live in a medium sized apartment but enjoy watching dvd´s with full blown sound.
please help a felow not so well instructed audio fan

JeffreyDurbin
12-13-2005, 03:30 PM
Check out onecall.com for a new receiver. They've got some good brands and they were closing out some Onkyos the last time I checked. Very high reviews on resellerratings.com.

madguitar26
12-14-2005, 09:50 AM
Check out onecall.com for a new receiver. They've got some good brands and they were closing out some Onkyos the last time I checked. Very high reviews on resellerratings.com.

thanks but im still with the same dilema
which of the two has the better hometheater sound quality and power:
onkyo sr-503 or denon avr1906?

L.J.
12-14-2005, 09:55 AM
Why not take advantage of that return policy and give em both a try?

Woochifer
12-14-2005, 12:05 PM
My question to you is how do you know for sure that the receiver's at issue here? Unless you brought them over and plugged them into your system, you heard your friends' Onkyo and Denon receivers in different rooms using different speakers and different calibration settings.

And if that's the case, then your conclusion about the receiver is not only premature, but probably incorrect as well. That's because the speaker, room acoustics, and calibration settings each present more variation than the differences that you would typically hear between receivers, and hearing a friend's system in their home means that you have all of those variables to account for in addition to whatever differences might exist between the receivers. Different speakers put different kinds of loads on amplifiers, but in general an uptick in rated power will not make as big a difference in the sound as the room conditions or speaker characteristics will.

With the room acoustics, you can notieably change the sound of your system by repositioning the speaker or moving them to a different room. If you have a large room, then it will put greater demands on the amp, and if you're in a small room, you need to pay a lot of attention to how the shorter room dimensions create peaks and cancellations in the low frequencies.

And with the system settings, you need to make sure that all of your delay (distance) and level settings are setup correctly. I would strongly urge you to get a SPL meter and a test disc. Your ears are not reliable enough to discern level differences for five speakers simultaneously, so you should use the SPL meter.

Your complaints about the center channel might have more to do with the level settings, the timbral characteristics of the speaker itself, and/or the positioning of the center speaker, than anything having to do with the receiver. Chances are that whatever problems you currently have with the center channel will not solve themselves by going with a different receiver.

Distortion in the mains could indeed be an issue with inadequate amplification, but Mirage speakers are not known for the demands that they put on the amplification. Distortion could also result from the source material being mastered at too high a level, in which case, a new receiver will not solve that issue.

As others have pointed out, you could just buy the receiver from a retailer that offers up a 30-day return guarantee, and hear for yourself whether the receiver itself makes any improvement.

I would add the Yamaha RX-V657/HTR-5860 and Pioneer VSX-1015i to your short list as well. Both of those receivers have garnered a lot of praise on various audio boards and in written reviews (the Pioneer is the equivalent of an Elite model that lists for $1,000). In this price range, the biggest differences that you get between receivers will mostly be with the feature set, user interface (with the remote and on-screen display), and build quality, rather than sound quality.

madguitar26
12-19-2005, 09:23 AM
i plugged a friends yamaha rxv-995 once in my same room and the diference was stelar in dolby digital for the yamaha,and quiet
the same in stereo just more neutral.
your right on the money with the center channel,it may be that its located on the top shelf of tv rack,thus setting itself apart from the hole system.
about this receiver pionner 557,my uncle has one in a total sound proof room.
while the sound has less distortion,its still the same compressed and lifesless sound on either hometheater and stereo.this compared to an old marantz 2230 receiver using just 2 channels sounded better and with impoved soundstage,imaging etc thasn with all 5.1 channels on the pionner.
This plugged in his set and my own for comparison.
he uses b&w 602´s for the front and mirage all around.
about the 30 day money back i cant go into that for there is no such thing in my country(Brazil).
your saying that in this price range(250-400 dolars) i wont have an improvment in sound quality? i did alot a research and the NAD receivers seem to be a step up from the mid priced competion,but its to far off my league$$$.
arent there any other cheaper solution than the NAD or outlaw for better dolby digital performance than my old pionner VSX-557?

madguitar26
12-19-2005, 09:35 AM
the vsx-608 is itsa equivalant in sound and features:

http://www.audioreview.com/cat/amplification/a-v-receivers/Pioneer/PRD_123985_2718crx.aspx

Eric Z
12-19-2005, 11:10 AM
i don't know much about the onkyo and denon you mention, but i know a decent amount about the yamahas- i own the 657 and the equivelant to last years 650 (5760). why would you not be looking into yamahas- they have great entry level receivers for the money- in the same ballpark as the denons and onkyos- i would throw pioneer in that category, too.

the yamahas in the same price range as the denon and onkyo you mention are:

*457 (aka 5840)- msrp is $299
*557 (aka 5850)- msrp is $399

you should be able to find them for about 20% off of those prices online through an authorized dealer. or maybe pick up a demo model for a audio/electronics shop.

if you're able to save up another $150 or so, you can get the 657/5860 which has ypao and some other options.

i'm concerned a receiver in the $250 price range may not improve the sound that much over your current receiver.

if i was in your shoes, i would head over to my local BB or CC or Frys and buy a receiver your looking at and demo it with your equipment in your home (as LJ was saying). just be sure you're aware of their return policy and restocking fees if they have any (i think the stores i mentioned have a 30 day with receipt return policy with no restocking fees for receivers- i did it with my yamaha before i bought it).

good luck and let us know what you decide.

fyi, you can't go wrong with denon, onkyo, yamaha, and pioneer- when you're talked under $500, you won't hear/notice much of a difference between them all.

madguitar26
01-05-2006, 04:19 PM
what about the HK 235 ?is it worth it for the money?
i hear lots of brazilian friends telling me bout how they dont miss there denon´s after purshasing Harman Kardon.

PDK
01-06-2006, 09:44 AM
thanks but im still with the same dilema
which of the two has the better hometheater sound quality and power:
onkyo sr-503 or denon avr1906?

I think they are pretty comparable and respectable for the price. I think that you'd be quite happy with either of them. Doesn't the Onkyo have the auto-setup feature? I've always wanted to try it and that might be a convenience for you. I have an AVR1905 but gave the Onkyo very serious consideration. Ultimately, I went with the Denon because I have a Denon DVD2200 but don't have exceptionally strong feelings about it. I have no doubt that the Onkyo would have done me fine...