OK, HN gave me the option of getting a cash refund and since their $990 Denon package was out of stock, I took the refund option.
I am now looking at buying a receiver again but it can be from any store.
As someone suggested, the Onkyo TX-SR309B seems quite good. Could anyone tell me if this will require me to plug an digital output (coax spdif) on top of the HDMI? I think some receiver just don't let you provide the sound + picture through one single HDMI cable. Not sure where to look to get the answer to that question...
So I am leaning towards the Onkyo with the hope of being able to resuse my old speakers for now, and then buy an entry level speaker pack later on. I had a look on jbhifi and their cheapest pack doesn't look too flash and is already $750... What would be the minimum cost for an entry level but decent 5.1 speaker pack?
The Onkyo is HDMI 1.4a and play all the lossless formats, so you won't need an extra optical cable. The specs do state that it's 'Continuous 6ohm rated', but not 'Certified 4ohm performance'. Your speakers are 3 or 4 ohms... And interestingly enough, JB's website stated the amp is 100W, but the US Onkyo site says it's 65W at 8ohms, or 90W at 6ohms. Either the NZ amp is more powerful, or someone's not telling the truth? Rounding up?
Dunnersfella: The Onkyo is HDMI 1.4a and play all the lossless formats, so you won't need an extra optical cable. The specs do state that it's 'Continuous 6ohm rated', but not 'Certified 4ohm performance'. Your speakers are 3 or 4 ohms... And interestingly enough, JB's website stated the amp is 100W, but the US Onkyo site says it's 65W at 8ohms, or 90W at 6ohms. Either the NZ amp is more powerful, or someone's not telling the truth? Rounding up?
It seems to handle the HD AUdio formats, be 3D ready, and have Audio Return CHannel and Passthrough. What's best is that you get the whole thing with speaker and cabling for $664, which will surely please the missus.
Will it be able to take the sound directly from HDMI or will I need an coax/optical cable?
Can anyone see anything wrong with it? Upgradeability maybe?
How would it compare with the Denon system offered by Harvey Norman for $990.
From what I have seen, the Onkyo receiver is better than the Denon (more features such as passthrough, ARC, etc) so perhaps the Denon speakers are better? They definitely look bigger (not sure if it is even an indicator of quality but I have a feeling it might be somehow related) and when I tried them at HN last night, the sound was pretty good...
Well, why do you want a home theatre system? As a feature rich toy to play with? Or something to make your content sounds as good as it possibly can? Take your pick, because at your budget - I suspect you'll only get one, not both.
Dunnersfella: Well, why do you want a home theatre system? As a feature rich toy to play with? Or something to make your content sounds as good as it possibly can? Take your pick, because at your budget - I suspect you'll only get one, not both.
I would be using the system primarily for watching movies and also a bit of music from time to time. (but by no means an audiophile). I realise that my budget could not let me buy a top of the line system but what I am after is a decent system with the following features and a reasonable sound: - HD Audio - HDMI Audio - Passthrough (if possible) I don't want to spend more than $1000. I know that is not a lot for a HT system but that is all I have to work with.
I actually came across the following system at JBHifi:http://www.jbhifi.co.nz/home-theatre/onkyo/home-theatre-system-sku-24243/ I think (I would have to check again) that it comes with a TX-SR309B receiver which is good feature-wise for what I want. The speakers sounded reasonably good last night when I tried them at the store. The only thing that freaks me out is the huge sub-woofer.
Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly
to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.
