Is There Greener Grass For Me?

yanx,

Nearly all current HT receivers support 7.1 channels of output. You simply set the unused channels to off. Some receivers will even let you reassign them to use to bi-amp you main L&R speaker.

BTW, there is a B&K AVR-307 that showed up on AgoN tonight. No relationship with the seller, but it looked like a decent deal. If it has DPL-II, it may be a winner....

Enjoy,

TIC

yanx,

I don't know anything about the TXSV515Pro, but I would guess that it is an older pro-logic unit based on age. That said, a good modern HT receiver, integrated or separates is going to be a considerable step forward. Your front-rear seperation issue will likely be solved by Dolby Digital 5.1 for DVD and digital high-def programming and by Dolby PL-II for other TV/VHS. These surround formats are much better than the old pro-logic. If you do buy a new receiver/processor, I would highly recommend adding the center channel speaker back into the system if you can accomodate it in your space.

As far as recommendations, well, I'm typically on the fringe of mainstream.

I would personally really like to try a Linar Model 10 5.1 channel integrated amp. However, it does not have processing, so it would work great with a DVD player that had 6-channel analog outputs, but would require a processor for DVD players that don't have internal processors and for TV. And it's $2000 used.

For a one box solution, I would probably recommend a B&K receiver. I've owned the AVR-202 on 3 different occassions. However, the user ergonomics are odd (IMHO) and it does not have DPL-II. Maybe the next newer B&K receiver would be the answer.

Considering the age of your current receiver, you may get a performance increase from about any current quality HT receiver. You might want to jump on a good used bargain HT receiver and see if it is an improvement. If it is, decide if investing additional money is necessary to get you to the next step. If you go with a low-mid priced unit, I would suggest looking at units that have auto-calibration. It will greatly ease setup. Some examples of good inexpensive HT receivers with auto-calibration are Pioneer VSX-1016TXVK ($369 at J&R)(which I have owned) or Onkyo TX-SR703 (which I currently own). Both are decent sounding units and are relatively easy to use. Heck, I just bought my Onkyo used for way less than 50% of MSRP and could re-sell it tomorrow here or on eBay, maybe even at a profit.

One other suggestion: If you go with a modestly priced unit, I would take your savings and invest in a sub-woofer. Dolby Digital 5.1, THX, and other discrete surround modes have a discrete LFE (low frequency effect) channel. Adding a sub will maximize your experinece (IMHO).

Enjoy,

TIC

DPL-II is very nice as it does a much better job or "steering" sound to the rear speakers when listening to a source that is not a discreet surround format. When I got my first DPL-II receiver, I noticed a much more enjoyable experience with analog TV and VHS playback.

However, if you don't think you'll care about analog TV or VHS, it might not matter. DVD will use discreet Dolby Digital or DTS and digital high-def programming typically is transmitted with the dolby digital stream intact.

TIC

4yanx,

If it's only for TV and DVD and you want to keep it at $2K new or $1K used, I personally wouldn't suggest separates. How about the Arcam AVR-300? It's a little over $1K used, but it has gotten excellent reviews for both music and HT. It should sound great with those music videos and TV concerts. It is capable of powering 7 channels, but so are almost all of the new receivers. Simply don't use the extra channels.

I'll revert back to one of my earlier choices. The B&K AVR-202 might be a good unit for you. It is a 5.1 receiver and only lacks DPL-II. This may not even be an issue unless you watch a lot of analog TV. The HD and Digital channels typically have discrete Dolby Digital tracks, so DPL-II isn't really too important. But for under $600, the B&K might really do it for you. If it doesn't, re-sell it. You couldn't really loss more than a few bucks as the previous owner(s) have already eaten the depreciation from the $2800 original price ($1800 on closeout after the 307 was introduced).

Enjoy,

TIC