Need to replace Sony Receiver

[johnalv]

I own a 5 year old Sony Receiver (STR-K502) that's gone bad and need to replace. It's a 5.1, 100w receiver. I'm trying to research which kind to replace it with and have some confusion over 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 etc. I'd like to keep the existing surround speaker system (1 middle, 2 front, 2 rear, sub woof). Does purchasing a 6 or 7 channel receiver not make sense if I'm only using 5 speakers + sub?

I'll be connecting to an upscaling DVD player, Verizon FIOS tv service, and HD LCD TV

Any help or advice would be appreciated from this audio newbie!
Thanks

[L.J.]

I own a 5 year old Sony Receiver (STR-K502) that's gone bad and need to replace. It's a 5.1, 100w receiver. I'm trying to research which kind to replace it with and have some confusion over 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 etc. I'd like to keep the existing surround speaker system (1 middle, 2 front, 2 rear, sub woof). Does purchasing a 6 or 7 channel receiver not make sense if I'm only using 5 speakers + sub?

I'll be connecting to an upscaling DVD player, Verizon FIOS tv service, and HD LCD TV

Any help or advice would be appreciated from this audio newbie!
Thanks

John, it's not a big deal. A 7.1 can be used and may add some flexibility. If anything you will have more options down the road if you decide to go with a 7.1 setup one day. My Denon is 7.1, but the 2 back channels can be assigned as a 2nd zone, which I'm going to use to run some outdoor speakers.

What kinda budget are you working with?

[Woochifer]

You're probably going to wind up with 7.1 output whether you want that capability or not, that's just the current state of the market. Since most movie soundtracks are mixed for 5.1, the 7.1 feature is more of a nicety than a necessity. And if you have your couch pushed against the back wall, you're better off staying with 5.1 anyway than trying to cram the two back surrounds into that tight a room setup.

As for what you should look out for, receivers with HDMI 1.3 capability are starting to hit the market and that's what you should focus on if your budget allows. HDMI 1.3 allows you the greatest degree of flexibility with the HD-DVD and Blu-ray formats, and it supports the next gen Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD sound formats along with 7.1 uncompressed PCM. These new sound formats are true discrete 7.1 output (currently the back surrounds are split monophonic output based on either a discrete 6.1 DTS ES or matrixed 5.1 DD EX track).

Onkyo's HDMI 1.3 models are already out (the cheapest model though is only a HDMI video pass-through, which does not take full advantage of the HDMI 1.3 sound decoding capability), and Denon is due to update their entire receiver lineup to HDMI 1.3 starting this summer. And you can count on just about everybody else following suit with their own announcements.

Good time to be in the market because you'll either wind up with a new HDMI 1.3 receiver or negotiate yourself a great closeout deal on the previous models.

[Wireworm5]

Your not kinding! I seen an Yamaha Rx-V2600 for $760 dollars. I paid like $1500 for my 2200. I wanted to snap it up, but what would I do with another av/receiver?

[johnalv]

Thanks for the replies. Not sure I can afford the HDMI 1.3 systems, as I need to stay under $500. I recently acquired an up-converting DVD player, so I don't see a Blu-Ray or HD DVD player in my immediate future, but need something that will accomodate the new DVD player in a modest HM setup.

[L.J.]

Thanks for the replies. Not sure I can afford the HDMI 1.3 systems, as I need to stay under $500. I recently acquired an up-converting DVD player, so I don't see a Blu-Ray or HD DVD player in my immediate future, but need something that will accomodate the new DVD player in a modest HM setup.

jr.com is taking phone orders for the Onkyo 605 (http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?m=TX-SR605&class=Receiver&p=i) for $399. Very nice looking unit. It doesn't have preouts though, if that's a concern.

For $500 you should be able to pick up something decent from Onkyo, Yamaha, Pioneer and so on. I'd suggest you get something with at least HDMI 1.1. This will leave you with some flexibility if you decide to get an HD player later on and will allow you to listen to the uncompressed PCM tracks on Blu-ray/HD-DVD via HDMI connection. I have the Onkyo 603 and can easily recommend the 604. You should be able to pick it up for under $500 at Circuit City (http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Onkyo-7-1-Channel-Home-Theater-Receiver-TXSR604/sem/rpsm/oid/156434/catOid/-12949/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do).

[2chAlex]

John
The Harman Kardon AVR 145 can still be found or it's replacement the 147 (147 is at BB). These are 5.1 receivers and don't be concerned with the 40 x 5 rating. HK's rates their power continuious. Another thought would be Marantz although 7.1, as other stated you just use it as 5.1. You'll see your system in a new light once that older Sony is replaced. Enjoy

[jmsweatt]

Hey Johnalv, I have a Sony STR-K502 and plan to put it on e-Bay.

The STR-K502 is really a good audio and video switching receiver. If you're interested in replacing the one you had, let me know. I'm going to sell mine at a very low price. (I was thinking about selling it for around $100).

Thanks!

Jim Sweatt (jsweatt899@charter.net)

[thekid]

Johnalv

Good luck on your search!!
I have been a big fan of the Pioneer 815/816 since I bought one a couple of year ago and you can still get them for less than $300. Like almost anything else here people have their own personal preferences. As has been said not much diff between the 5.1 and 7.1 nowdays but be sure of the features you need now and maybe in the not so distant future so you are ready for any additional upgrades. Just try as many of the recievers as you can-hopefully you might find some place that you can even demo them with your type/brand of speaker so you have a better idea how it might sound when you get it home.