Need help finding some surround sound equipment!

[SoldierForTide]

All I'm looking for is a receiver. I need it to be Dolby Digital 5.1 compatable and specifically have the optical/coaxial input in the back. Anything 500 watts or higher would be fine, but where do I start looking without spending a ton of money at say Best Buy. I've tried eBay, but they look pretty sketchy on there. Any ideas?

 

[bayoutider]

Marantz SR 4001 - has 7 discrete amplifiers rated at 80 watts (you will not likely notice much if any difference between an 80 and a 100 watt amp especially if you are using efficient speakers, if your speakers are ineffecient then you need to be looking at something above 100 watts anyway.) Should be able to find one in a store for around $500. The 100 watt Marantz model costs twice as much, is twice as big physically but has a few more features. Look to pay about $1100 for one of these.

Yamaha RX-V461 is rated at 500watts (total wattage of all amplifiers don't think for a minute this rascal can pump 500 watts into one speaker) and is 5.1. Price for the Yamaha is around $300. I like Yamaha equipment.

Denon AVR 887 may be your best bet at around $700. it puts out 100 watts and is a 7.1 receiver.

Onkyo TX-SR705 will set you back about $800 but it has that 100 watts per channel you covet but it is a 7.1 receiver.

Hope this helps a little. The only way to really make a choice is to go listen to each of them in a controlled enviorment not some big wide open space like a discount warehouse. See if you can borrow one to demo at home or get them to agree to a money back trial.

My home theater uses an Adcom 3 channel 250 watt amp for the front main and center chanel speakers with an Adcom 100 watt stereo amp for the rear chanels, subwoofers are 15" DT with built in 400 watt servo amps. Signal processor is a Lexicon DC2.

Please add enough into your budget to purchase decent speaker wire and interconnects.

 

[SoldierForTide]

Marantz SR 4001 - has 7 discrete amplifiers rated at 80 watts (you will not likely notice much if any difference between an 80 and a 100 watt amp especially if you are using efficient speakers, if your speakers are ineffecient then you need to be looking at something above 100 watts anyway.) Should be able to find one in a store for around $500. The 100 watt Marantz model costs twice as much, is twice as big physically but has a few more features. Look to pay about $1100 for one of these.

Yamaha RX-V461 is rated at 500watts (total wattage of all amplifiers don't think for a minute this rascal can pump 500 watts into one speaker) and is 5.1. Price for the Yamaha is around $300. I like Yamaha equipment.

Denon AVR 887 may be your best bet at around $700. it puts out 100 watts and is a 7.1 receiver.

Onkyo TX-SR705 will set you back about $800 but it has that 100 watts per channel you covet but it is a 7.1 receiver.

Hope this helps a little. The only way to really make a choice is to go listen to each of them in a controlled enviorment not some big wide open space like a discount warehouse. See if you can borrow one to demo at home or get them to agree to a money back trial.

My home theater uses an Adcom 3 channel 250 watt amp for the front main and center chanel speakers with an Adcom 100 watt stereo amp for the rear chanels, subwoofers are 15" DT with built in 400 watt servo amps. Signal processor is a Lexicon DC2.

Please add enough into your budget to purchase decent speaker wire and interconnects.

Thanks bayou... looks like I may have to start putting aside some cash!

 

[bayoutider]

Till you have your money saved listen, listen and listen some more. I had 3 audio stores set up a demo for me and I took the same 3 movies to each of them.
Top Gun, Jurassic Park and a Railroad video with both steam and diesel engines working.

All 3 were spectacular but one stood out and it was in the Jurassic Park video T Rex scene where it is raining. All of them had realistic sounding rain coming from where the TV screen was but the one I bought made me feel like I needed an umbrella. Look for things that don't just impress you but things that amaze you. Bring videos you are familiar with and use the same video for every demonstration.

The sound of Southern Railroad's 4-8-4 Mikado steam engine #4501 leaving Chattanooga pulling a string excursion cars out of the depot is amazing. I could almost feel the steam and smell the smoke.