Possibly time for a new receiver.

[cgibsong002]

Hey guys, just looking for opinions on a new receiver for my set up. I currently have a Sony STR-V200 powering a Pair of Energy C200's and a sony 8" subwoofer. We need a receiver for our basement, and I was thinking about donating my sony and upgrading to a newer, yet still cheap receiver.

I'm looking to play music only, so it won't need to power any more than 2 speakers and a sub. Can I get a decent receiver on ebay for around $50 or so? I know they have sony's and stuff that you can find dirt cheap for like $20... but can I find anything nicer for slightly more, or would it not be worth it?

Thanks!

[Feanor]

Hey guys, just looking for opinions on a new receiver for my set up. I currently have a Sony STR-V200 powering a Pair of Energy C200's and a sony 8" subwoofer. We need a receiver for our basement, and I was thinking about donating my sony and upgrading to a newer, yet still cheap receiver.

I'm looking to play music only, so it won't need to power any more than 2 speakers and a sub. Can I get a decent receiver on ebay for around $50 or so? I know they have sony's and stuff that you can find dirt cheap for like $20... but can I find anything nicer for slightly more, or would it not be worth it?

Thanks!
For 50 bucks? Something better than the Sony STR-V200? Very unlikely on eBay; check out Craigslist of Kijiji.

On eBay you're looking at $100+ for a half-decent older receiver, (though you might get lucky on a bid).

[cgibsong002]

For 50 bucks? Something better than the Sony STR-V200? Very unlikely on eBay; check out Craigslist of Kijiji.

On eBay you're looking at $100+ for a half-decent older receiver, (though you might get lucky on a bid).

Yeah.. are they all going to be pretty much the same in that price range? How decent is my STR-V200? It sounds great to me, but I've never really directly compared it with anything.

And I know I'm not going to just hop on ebay and find something great for $50. I'd probably just wait and find a steal somewhere, likely craigslist. What brands should I look out for? Kenwood, Onkyo?

for example.. this is local. From what I've heard Harman Kardon is very good. I know this is over my budget, but is this EQ maybe worth something that I can sell and make some of that back?
http://scranton.craigslist.org/ele/1929087346.html

[rakeford]

Hey guys, just looking for opinions on a new receiver for my set up. I currently have a Sony STR-V200 powering a Pair of Energy C200's and a sony 8" subwoofer. We need a receiver for our basement, and I was thinking about donating my sony and upgrading to a newer, yet still cheap receiver.

I'm looking to play music only, so it won't need to power any more than 2 speakers and a sub. Can I get a decent receiver on ebay for around $50 or so? I know they have sony's and stuff that you can find dirt cheap for like $20... but can I find anything nicer for slightly more, or would it not be worth it?

Thanks!
I just bought a Yamaha RX-777 receiver off of craigslist for $50. It's almost as good as my new RX-797. You can still get the RX-797 new, but it's out of your price range. If you find one of these babies for $50 to $100, snap it up in a heartbeat. I highly recommend either. <O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p

If your patient enough, you might find a 5 to 20 year old receiver for $50. The older 1970's good stuff (Yamaha, Pioneer, etc.) usually go for about $100 to $500. The 1980's stuff and later is less desirable because a) they have more integrated circuits which are hard to fix or replace, ) they generally have electronic tuning, c) have a reputation of lower quality than the 70's stuff. Even so, there's a tradeoff, a working 1980-2005 receiver may fit your need. But, if breaks, it may not be worth fixing. <O:p</O:p

Good hunting.

[Feanor]

Yeah.. are they all going to be pretty much the same in that price range? How decent is my STR-V200? It sounds great to me, but I've never really directly compared it with anything.

...
Well, I checked out the STR-V200 model for you; HERE (http://www.docs.sony.com/release/STRV200.PDF) is the instruction manual. I can't say I know how it sounds, but if you like it where's the problem? I note that it isn't that old, i.e. 1998, apparently. It is modestly powered at 50 wpc but it does have remote control. It is unlikely that you will get a better receiver for $50 or even $100 (on eBay).

[blackraven]

Here's a dedicated 2ch Onkyo- http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=onkyo+8222&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=4366779457&ref=pd_sl_992b43miy3_e

Here are some others- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AMSPQI/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=4691037857&ref=pd_sl_18t4lrngb3_b

And here's some HK gear-http://compare.ebay.com/like/110580925828

[cgibsong002]

To be honest there's really nothing inherently wrong with my receiver. It does only sound decent in one mode as most of the other modes are designed for dolby... but it does sound good. I was just curious because like I said, we need a cheap receiver for our basement. I was wondering if I should just buy another cheapo like mine, or if it was possible to just upgrade mine for a relatively cheap price and put my current one down in the basement.

Actually, I forgot I also have an old Sherwood S-9180 CP. Kind of forgot about it because I was getting some static through the one speaker when I first tested it out. Never really looked into the problem too much. Do you think the Sherwood is worth looking into to see if it's working (i.e... is it better than the sony)?

[luvtolisten]

If you are planning on using 2 channel, your Sony should be fine since it's rated at 50 watts at .09% THD across 20HZ to 20 KHz. The surround sound not so well, since it's rated at09 THD at 1 KHZ,(which usually means distortion maybe audible across the full range of 20HZ to 20KHZ). But since your only using 2 channels (or stereo) who cares what you're surround is rated at. As stated before, it's doubtful you find anything better for $100 on ebay, or new for that matter. You might get lucky on Craigslist, if you are patient, and do a little more research. Brands such as Onkyo, Harman Kardon, NAD ,Yamaha, have made good budget or entry level receivers the past 15 years which do show up on Craigslist from time to time. I'd stay away from the newer Sonys, Pioneers,Sherwoods and Kenwoods, in the budget category anyway. They aint what they used to be.
As far as your Sherwood goes, I wouldn't invest anymore into it unless you're in love with it.
If it were me, I'd wait till I saved a few more bucks before buying another receiver, new or used, otherwise I doubt if you'd hear any improvement from what you have now.

[pixelthis]

To be honest there's really nothing inherently wrong with my receiver. It does only sound decent in one mode as most of the other modes are designed for dolby... but it does sound good. I was just curious because like I said, we need a cheap receiver for our basement. I was wondering if I should just buy another cheapo like mine, or if it was possible to just upgrade mine for a relatively cheap price and put my current one down in the basement.

Actually, I forgot I also have an old Sherwood S-9180 CP. Kind of forgot about it because I was getting some static through the one speaker when I first tested it out. Never really looked into the problem too much. Do you think the Sherwood is worth looking into to see if it's working (i.e... is it better than the sony)?

Anything is better than the Sony.
But then again I am biased, having the right channel go out on a Sony, then have it go out
again after paying 125 bucks to fix. anyway, the reason your system sound so good is those Energy speakers, you wouldn't believe how they would sound with decent
amplification.
HARMON MAKES a decent two channel receiver, has a fake surround mode that aint half bad, and Sherwood has a new receiver for 125 bucks that is supposed to be pretty good.
YOUR INSTINCTS are pretty good, put the Sony on HT duty, and spend a few bucks on
a audio system with the Energy speakers, you might be surprized at the sound.:1:

[cgibsong002]

Ok... well I need some more help from you more knowledgeable guys now. A friend is offering me two different receivers, both appear to be late 80's models.
Denon DRA-35V
Sony STR-AV550

dude always keeps immaculate shape of all of his stuff, and he says the sony is practically new and with remote and all literature and everything.

Which would be better suited for me? I'm probably gonna grab one since I need a second one either way. He wants about $50 for each.

[pixelthis]

Ok... well I need some more help from you more knowledgeable guys now. A friend is offering me two different receivers, both appear to be late 80's models.
Denon DRA-35V
Sony STR-AV550

dude always keeps immaculate shape of all of his stuff, and he says the sony is practically new and with remote and all literature and everything.

Which would be better suited for me? I'm probably gonna grab one since I need a second one either way. He wants about $50 for each.

DUNNO which would be "better" suited for you, but the best by far, and I can't scream this from the rooftops loudly enough, is the DENON.
My last "audio only" piece of kit was what was then the top of the line Denon, a stereo
only model(what is this HT crap everybodies talkin about?)
The DENON is a jewel, the Sony cubic zirchonium. A new Sony comes from the factory
second rate, hate to see such an old one.:1:

[cgibsong002]

His opinion was to go with the sony, but i've heard great stuff about denon in general, not much about their older stuff. plus it's a few bucks cheaper. can't find much info on either

[pixelthis]

His opinion was to go with the sony, but i've heard great stuff about denon in general, not much about their older stuff. plus it's a few bucks cheaper. can't find much info on either

OKAY, the DENON , by comparison with the Sony, is the Startrek Enterprize, the Sony a
"garbage scow" as Scotty would say.
WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANNA KNOW?:1:

[cgibsong002]

OKAY, the DENON , by comparison with the Sony, is the Startrek Enterprize, the Sony a
"garbage scow" as Scotty would say.
WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANNA KNOW?:1:

I never watched Startrek. How about another analogy? :biggrin5:

haha, anyway, he said the sony had some type of unusual quad emulator which really made his two-channel system sound much bigger. is it possible that sony made a random nice unit, or should i definitely just give the nod to the denon?

[cgibsong002]

got the denon. just got it all hooked up and am testing it right now. listening to radiohead's the bends album.... wow! this was a serious improvement over my sony receiver! While the sony was great for some stuff, once I got my subwoofer i could tell it was meant for home theater, not music. bass was a low, low rumble regardless of the setting. it sounded like movie bass. i figured that's just what a $100 sub sounded like. but with the denon it really brought that subwoofer to life. sounds like it's supposed to, with some punch to it. it also sounds fantastic at low volumes with the use of the loudness control.

really happy with this purchase for $50, thanks for the recommendation!

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/305/1001898y.jpg

[dean_martin]

nice Marshall stack. What guitar do you play?

[cgibsong002]

guitar is my life and the reason i don't have more money invested into stereo systems, it mostly goes into guitar stuff.

these are my electrics, i also have a dean acoustic and another classical acoustic

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/8164/1001846.jpg

[dean_martin]

that's cool. I've been playing around with guitars for almost 20 yrs. My first guitar is a mid 80s Fender Japan reissue of a 62 Jazzmaster. I still have it and it's my favorite electric. Picked it up in excellent condition with a hardshell case for $250 in 91 or 92. Shortly after that I found an early 70s Princeton Reverb amp which I still use. I found a Univox Moserite copy in a pawnshop in Montgomery, AL for $75 which I eventually traded on a '66 Fender Mustang. The Mustang was sweet, but after several years it needed fret work really bad and I didn't trust anyone with the work so I sold it (plus, I needed the money to keep the lights on). Wish I could've kept it, but I was able to get good money for it before the economy tanked. My wife got me a Danelectro reissue when they first came out. I was able to add a Jaguar HH some time later and then finally an Epiphone copy of a J-45 Gibson acoustic. I've got my eyes on a couple of Gretsch hollow-bodies and a Telecaster these days.

The days of finding vintage gems at good prices in pawnshops and music stores are long over. A friend of mine used to own a vintage guitar shop. I've held some great vintage axes in my hands which I wish I could've bought at the time.

[cgibsong002]

yup, i love vintages! but they certainly aren't cheap. the LP is an '82 xr-1, the jackson is an '86 custom shop, and the Z is a '79 Dean. none were all that good of prices.