Fill In The Missing A/V Receiver

[divot]

Hello...I have purchased the following home theatre components and would like any advice or recommendation that might help me fill in the missing receiver and also allow for the proper connection for best possible audio and video...here's what I have:

*Samsung 50" DLP HD Monitor (5085W)
*Sony SA-CD/DVD Player (DVP-NS975V)
*DirecTv HD-DVR (HR10-250)
*Orb Mod1 Home Theater Speaker System in Hand Polished Steel
(orbaudio.com)
*Mod2 Center Channel Upgrade (For Polished Steel Systems)
*50 ft USA Made 16 gauge Speaker Wire
*12 Foot Premium Gold Plated, dual Shielded Subwoofer Cable
*HOSS Front and Rear Satellite Speaker Stands Stands
*Monster THX Certified Ultra Fiber Optic 1000 Digital Cable (4')
*Monster 400 for HDMI to Digital Video Interface Cable with
gas injected dielectric (8')

[PAT.P]

Your missing $ money to be spent? The budget on receiver and it is 5.1 6.1 set up your looking at ? Pat.P

[hershon]

I have the Orb Mod 1 & supereight Sub setup & you should buy what Orb actually sells at an option JVC XRX-DV31SL Audio/Video Receiver which comes with built in progressive scan DVD player. I love the sound on this system and even though it retails for $450 or so, you can get it for around $225-$250 new including shipping, if you shop around for it online (try Amazon.com sellers, Ebay, etc). I love the sound of my CD's, TV. & DVD picture & sound on this system. As I said, Orb sells it as an option for their customers but you can get the receiver cheaper online. I have monster speaker wire & component cables & Monster THX sub cable. You might want to try cheap RCA plugs for your TV sound as believe it or not, I get a richer and more natural sound from those in regards to my TV audio than good expensive cables.

Out of curiosity, do you notice much difference between the Orb Mod1 & the Mod 2 speakers and if so what's the difference?

[divot]

Your missing $ money to be spent? The budget on receiver and it is 5.1 6.1 set up your looking at ? Pat.P

Hii Pat...I originally set my sights on a 6.1 receiver in the sub $800.00 price range but I am certainly open to suggestions...this set up will be used in its 15 x 15 room for 99.9% TV/DVD viewing...specific music area is in different part of the house...I have heard, seen or reviewed the new HK AVR335, discontinued HK 1000, new Onkyo 602 and used Pioneer Elite 45TX...all are priced in the $450-500 range...thanks for your help...Dave

[divot]

I have the Orb Mod 1 & supereight Sub setup & you should buy what Orb actually sells at an option JVC XRX-DV31SL Audio/Video Receiver which comes with built in progressive scan DVD player. I love the sound on this system and even though it retails for $450 or so, you can get it for around $225-$250 new including shipping, if you shop around for it online (try Amazon.com sellers, Ebay, etc). I love the sound of my CD's, TV. & DVD picture & sound on this system. As I said, Orb sells it as an option for their customers but you can get the receiver cheaper online. I have monster speaker wire & component cables & Monster THX sub cable. You might want to try cheap RCA plugs for your TV sound as believe it or not, I get a richer and more natural sound from those in regards to my TV audio than good expensive cables.

Out of curiosity, do you notice much difference between the Orb Mod1 & the Mod 2 speakers and if so what's the difference?

Hey Hershon...Thanks for the info...my Orb System won't land in Connecticut until this Thursday so it will be a few days before I can answer your Mod 2 center channel question...I made my selection based on my multiple conversations with Ethan and Will at orbaudio.com ....I can't imagine anyone doing it any better than this company...I did get to hear a friend's Mod 2 set-up component driven and had my socks knocked off by the clarity, detail and imaging...my room dimensions and listening purposes are extremely different so I only bumped up the center channel to the Mod 2...as you know, anyone can effortless and inexpensively upgrade the Mod 1 to a Mod 2 as need and budget change...the JVC receiver just doesn't do it for me...I'll drop a note when I have everything up and running...regards...Dave

[Worf101]

I'd get the Onkyo 901 if your don't mind doing your own calibration and setup. Go with the comparable Yamaha offering if you'd prefer to hae the receiver do it for you.I've been using Onkyo for years now, great power, reliable (at least for me) and feature rich. Easy set up too if you're a noob.

Da Worfster

[hershon]

Hi,

Let me know how this sounds when you have everything in place. The reason I never even attempted to try to integrate Mod 2 with Mod 1 is I figure there will be definate differences between the 2 speakers & so you're then going to have to make adjustments to the sound of the Mod 1 and/or 2 speakers. Let me know what type of receiver you do get. I wish you heard the sound of the JVC & could tell me what the basic difference in sound quality is between the receiver you're getting.& the JVC. I'm not saying the JVC is better or you're making a mistake, just curious of how the sound quality differs in nontechnical terms, as I can't imagine, getting an even better sound from my Orb system, but if I can, I'm always up for upgrading my receiver. Why exactly are you not going with the JVC- I'm not offended at all at any criticism of it, just interested in learning more?

Hey Hershon...Thanks for the info...my Orb System won't land in Connecticut until this Thursday so it will be a few days before I can answer your Mod 2 center channel question...I made my selection based on my multiple conversations with Ethan and Will at orbaudio.com ....I can't imagine anyone doing it any better than this company...I did get to hear a friend's Mod 2 set-up component driven and had my socks knocked off by the clarity, detail and imaging...my room dimensions and listening purposes are extremely different so I only bumped up the center channel to the Mod 2...as you know, anyone can effortless and inexpensively upgrade the Mod 1 to a Mod 2 as need and budget change...the JVC receiver just doesn't do it for me...I'll drop a note when I have everything up and running...regards...Dave

[recoveryone]

I'm a Pioneer fan as you can see below, but to match in looks I would take a look at McIntosh amp. The quality is there no question about that, but they make thier systems with metal face plates also and the royal blue lights on the analog meters are a nice touch. Give you that old school look

[divot]

My first venture into HT was with a Pioneer Elite rear projection tvv and Elite electronics...high on my list right now is a gently-used VSX 45-TX, an even more gently-used -54-TX abd a brand new 52TX...any thoughts???

[divot]

I just previewed the Yamaha RX-V2500 and it seemed to have a bit more life than the Elite line...anyone have an opinion?

[recoveryone]

the yammies do have a nice line out, so you wouldn't go wrong with that choice. It sounds to me you just need to make a choice. From the models you have listed you have a good lineup and any of them will do the job VERY VERY WELL.

[divot]

Thanks for the advice...I bought homes and cars with far less effort and angst...stay tuned...DS

[poneal]

I think the Harman Kardon AVR's is the way to go. Not as much DSP as yamaha but they have a better amp section and I think sound better with lower end punch. I currently own an older HK AVR320. This has been a wonderful receiver and I have had zero problems with it. Yes folks, face it, HK is a better buy than Yamaha so get over it!

[divot]

My search is over...I had narrowed my search down to the Pioneer Elite 54, the Yamaha RX-V2500 and the Rotel RSX-1055S...the live audition choice becam real obvious over the course of an afternoon of listening to favorite CD and viewing DVD's......Barry, my local audio shop owner (Robert's Audio of New London, CT) sells lines from Tivoli to Krell and did a masterfully patient job fielding my questions and letting the receivers do the talking...the Rotel's warm and natural sound, combined with a heavily discounted price and Rotel's 5 year parts and labor warranty, made writing the check relatively painless...I also know that I can exchange receivers if real life home performance does not meet my expectations...try doing that with an internet or eBay purchase...thanks to everyone for your helpful advice...in the end, you need to put down the specs and simply trust your ears...

[divot]

Opps....Here's the link to the Rotel review:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volum...er-5-2003.html

[hershon]

A few questions for you, appologize if it sounds like I'm putting you on the defensive, not my intention at all.

1. Why did you get an Orb Mod 2 speaker for your center speaker when the rest of your speakers are Mod 1? Is there an actual difference in quality between the Mod 2 & Mod 1 speakers? If som then why didn't you just get all Mod 2's? Please base your answer under the assumption that you'd be playing your system in a normal size living/family room in an apartment.

2. Concerning your receiver which looks like it goes for over $1,000. Did you actually notice a significant difference in sound quality between that and other cheaper receivers?
If not, then what are you paying for in a receiver?

Opps....Here's the link to the Rotel review:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volum...er-5-2003.html

[divot]

I originally went with the Mod 2 center channel upgrade to enhance the amount of information that is dedicated to this channel in a home theatre system...I have just completed my order the Mod 2 upgrades for the front speakers...A/V selection and performance is so subjective that I cannot possibly capture the differences in what I heard as I auditioned the variuos A/V receivers...all that I can say is that I am very happy with the decisions that I made in selecting all of my home theatre components...simply put, this is the system that worked best for our family viewing, listening and operating needs...looks like you're working hard to build a terrific system...you're off to a great start in your decision to build around the Orb's...regards

[gpzilla]

Sounds like more bling than performance. Your DLP is a great looking set. Enjoy replacing those DLP bulbs if you can find them. DLP are notorious for blowing bulbs during a simple power flop. Most of the dealers fail to mention that little problem, but hey, finding a bulb a couple days before the big game for only a few hundred bucks (yeah they're expensive) shouldn't be a problem. Check out Monster's line of AC Line conditioners, filters, and UPS units specially designed for DLP sets. There's proof that Monster identified the problem, which cooks the bulb on a sudden power outage by not letting fans cool the bulb when turned off. Kind of like shutting the stove off and leaving an egg set in the boiling water, it still gets cooked. The other issue is blowing the bulb with a sudden power spike. Simple line conditioners don't help with power brownouts.

The HIGH end cables will not make up for the limitation of that low end Samsung at only 1280 x 720, and the max displayed resolution is only 720p because of it. So your HDTV at 1080i is going to be down-converted to 720p so it fits your screen. The Samsung HL-R5078W would have been a better choice for HDTV and also has two HDMI inputs compared to the one you currently have, but would have cost another $K for the 1080p resolution.

Your broadcast format is not up converted but only displayed at 480i so you're no better off on your broadcast input sources. The money spent on all the high-end cables could have gone into a better big screen.

Only thing you can fix is buy a receiver to go with that 7.1 speaker system you have. Look for something HDMI so you don't need a gaggle of cables to get it to work with your DLP screen, and to do the 7.1 you'll be looking for something THX surround certified so you can convert all those 5.1 signals to 7.1 THX. If you don't you'll just have 5.1 with some extra speakers. If you truly want to rock your world and thump some walls try a switching HDMI THX certified Onkyo TX-SR803 Silver (Crutchfield) with a real SUB-woofer 20 Hz - 200 Hz (SA-WX700 - 250watt - $209 @ CircuitCity.com). That Mod sub isn't going to kick the subsonic sound that you can feel with only 30 Hz for the lower end of the frequency spectrum.

You won't find a cheap HDMI switching receiver that is 7.1 THX certified. Besides with the Sony DVD player (ranked 5.6 on a scale of 1 - 10), the best you can feed into the HDMI is 1080i but your DLP is fixed pixel at 720p so you can't watch true 1080p HDTV. Your Sony DVD player has known issues of not being able to decode the colors properly, which is a big concern when putting together a true High Definition Home Theater System. The whole idea is quality of the picture right?

You will need a switching HDMI receiver since your DLP unit only has one HDMI input. You will have the pleasure of knowing that your HR10-250 will never light up the 1080i format lamp on the front indicator with your current DLP set.

I don't mean to be full of cynicism, but perhaps you should have planned your choices a little better when selecting components for HDTV and 7.1 surround sound. The best cables in the world can't help you with your decision.

Fiber cable is fiber cable - THX certified fiber is like digital ready headphones. It's sales hype. The fiber doesn't know a THX optical signal from a monaural optical signal. With fiber it either works or it doesn't. Besides - why the fiber if you are going to use HDMI ??? If your Sony don’t patch the audio with the HDMI then it isn't HDMI 1.1 certified. The whole idea behind HDMI 1.1 is to patch a digital HD video signal and up to 8 channels (7.1) of audio with only one tiny little cable.

Hello...I have purchased the following home theatre components and would like any advice or recommendation that might help me fill in the missing receiver and also allow for the proper connection for best possible audio and video...here's what I have:

*Samsung 50" DLP HD Monitor (5085W)
*Sony SA-CD/DVD Player (DVP-NS975V)
*DirecTv HD-DVR (HR10-250)
*Orb Mod1 Home Theater Speaker System in Hand Polished Steel
(orbaudio.com)
*Mod2 Center Channel Upgrade (For Polished Steel Systems)
*50 ft USA Made 16 gauge Speaker Wire
*12 Foot Premium Gold Plated, dual Shielded Subwoofer Cable
*HOSS Front and Rear Satellite Speaker Stands Stands
*Monster THX Certified Ultra Fiber Optic 1000 Digital Cable (4')
*Monster 400 for HDMI to Digital Video Interface Cable with
gas injected dielectric (8')

[GMichael]

Sounds like more bling than performance. Your DLP is a great looking set. Enjoy replacing those DLP bulbs if you can find them. DLP are notorious for blowing bulbs during a simple power flop. Most of the dealers fail to mention that little problem, but hey, finding a bulb a couple days before the big game for only a few hundred bucks (yeah they're expensive) shouldn't be a problem. Check out Monster's line of AC Line conditioners, filters, and UPS units specially designed for DLP sets. There's proof that Monster identified the problem, which cooks the bulb on a sudden power outage by not letting fans cool the bulb when turned off. Kind of like shutting the stove off and leaving an egg set in the boiling water, it still gets cooked. The other issue is blowing the bulb with a sudden power spike. Simple line conditioners don't help with power brownouts.

The HIGH end cables will not make up for the limitation of that low end Samsung at only 1280 x 720, and the max displayed resolution is only 720p because of it. So your HDTV at 1080i is going to be down-converted to 720p so it fits your screen. The Samsung HL-R5078W would have been a better choice for HDTV and also has two HDMI inputs compared to the one you currently have, but would have cost another $K for the 1080p resolution.

Your broadcast format is not up converted but only displayed at 480i so you're no better off on your broadcast input sources. The money spent on all the high-end cables could have gone into a better big screen.

Only thing you can fix is buy a receiver to go with that 7.1 speaker system you have. Look for something HDMI so you don't need a gaggle of cables to get it to work with your DLP screen, and to do the 7.1 you'll be looking for something THX surround certified so you can convert all those 5.1 signals to 7.1 THX. If you don't you'll just have 5.1 with some extra speakers. If you truly want to rock your world and thump some walls try a switching HDMI THX certified Onkyo TX-SR803 Silver (Crutchfield) with a real SUB-woofer 20 Hz - 200 Hz (SA-WX700 - 250watt - $209 @ CircuitCity.com). That Mod sub isn't going to kick the subsonic sound that you can feel with only 30 Hz for the lower end of the frequency spectrum.

You won't find a cheap HDMI switching receiver that is 7.1 THX certified. Besides with the Sony DVD player (ranked 5.6 on a scale of 1 - 10), the best you can feed into the HDMI is 1080i but your DLP is fixed pixel at 720p so you can't watch true 1080p HDTV. Your Sony DVD player has known issues of not being able to decode the colors properly, which is a big concern when putting together a true High Definition Home Theater System. The whole idea is quality of the picture right?

You will need a switching HDMI receiver since your DLP unit only has one HDMI input. You will have the pleasure of knowing that your HR10-250 will never light up the 1080i format lamp on the front indicator with your current DLP set.

I don't mean to be full of cynicism, but perhaps you should have planned your choices a little better when selecting components for HDTV and 7.1 surround sound. The best cables in the world can't help you with your decision.

Fiber cable is fiber cable - THX certified fiber is like digital ready headphones. It's sales hype. The fiber doesn't know a THX optical signal from a monaural optical signal. With fiber it either works or it doesn't. Besides - why the fiber if you are going to use HDMI ??? If your Sony don’t patch the audio with the HDMI then it isn't HDMI 1.1 certified. The whole idea behind HDMI 1.1 is to patch a digital HD video signal and up to 8 channels (7.1) of audio with only one tiny little cable.

Did you happen to notice the date of the thread you are responding to?

Welcome to AR.

[edtyct]

And where did his information come from?

[kexodusc]

This guy's first post is full of bad info, is derogatory, and even better, is 10 months too late...Why are we even bothering?

[GMichael]

My guess is that we are board. Where's all the action? Where's the classic RGA vs. Flo? Even Sir T. and RL stopped fighting. What's up with that?