Looking to upgrade my audio experience. Need help.

[willxcore]

Hello all. I'm new to this HD world but I've been learning a lot as I've been going along. I got my HDTV (Hitachi 42HDS69) less than a year ago but I got myself a PS3 and an HD DVD player. I have a small collection of BDs and HDs that is continuously growing.

Time to kick up the sound in my room for all this HD goodness.

I know NOTHING about upgraded audio. I have been looking at 2 Yamaha receivers (HTR6090BL and RXV2700) the latter is about twice as expensive and will probably go with the first. I just wanted to know if this was optional for my setup. Is there something similarly priced that is better than that Yamaha model? What things do I need to be looking for when considering an HD setup. I read reviews on this site religiously and always skip the audio section because I've never had a setup to take into consideration the audio experience but I want to change that and really kick my ears asses.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[nelll]

I have a yamaha and dude they are very good. Most of the people will say Denon better(not me).If you are getting a receiver try to get it with HDMI if you really want to hear HD audio. If you do not want to waste money for now. Get an average receiver($350- $400).New models are coming for 2008 so when you upgrade to a new receiver with HDMI 1.3 or more, it will be less painful to your pocket. That's what I did. Any receiver will give you a very clear DTS sound( you must have good speakers too).

Maybe in the future they will make a model to upgrade via firmware you never know..

[glocks out]

There is loads of information in the threads here, check them all out.

You need something that handles HDMI audio (8-channel PCM). That's about the only requirement, so find several receivers in your price range and read reviews on sound quality of each and then pick the best value.

[willxcore]

Both receivers I posted that I am looking at have HDMI input. Does that mean that they will have HD audio?

[glocks out]

Both receivers I posted that I am looking at have HDMI input. Does that mean that they will have HD audio?

This kind of information is so hard to get from manufacturers when it would be so easy to say "HDMI audio: 8-channel LPCM" or something like that.

I believe the Yamaha does this. For sure the Sony STR-DG810, STR-DG910, STR-DG1000, Onkyo 604 and 605, Pioneer Elite VSX-81, VSX-82, VSX-84 do. Others here have Yamaha so I'm sure they know.

[Cochise]

Both receivers I posted that I am looking at have HDMI input. Does that mean that they will have HD audio?

No. But you already have Dolby TrueHD decoding on your HD DVD player and the PS3. The other HD audio format is DTS HD-MA. No HD DVD or Blu-ray currently decodes it, nor can pass it on to a receiver for decoding. The first receiver which can decode TrueHD and DTS HD-MA is the Onkyo 605 via MDMI 1.3, due out late May / early June. The other source of HD audio is the uncompressed PCM use on may BD titles. It doesn't need any decoding, and be passed onto a receiver by multi-channel analog cables, or via HDMI. Since the PS3 doesn't have analog output, your would need an HDMI receiver with any version of HDMI, as longs as it can receive multi-channel PCM via HDMI. The Onkyo 604 does this just fine, and is what I am currently using for my XA1 and PS3.

[willxcore]

How would I be able to find out if the two Yamaha units I am looking at can decode HD audio? All the different recommendations I'm getting are making me think it might not be worth it to shell out the extra money for the Yamaha if something like the Onkyo or Pioneer VSX1016 (which has been used in reviews on this site) will do the same job for cheaper.

How the hell can anyone choose out a receiver out of so many to pick from?

[glocks out]

How would I be able to find out if the two Yamaha units I am looking at can decode HD audio?

You don't need a receiver that decodes the audio because your player will decode it and send it over HDMI as PCM audio or through the analog outputs on your HD DVD player. No player can currently send a advanced codec bitstream so a receiver that can decode it is pointless. What you need is a receiver that receives 8-channel PCM audio over HDMI - the Onkyo does this.

All the different recommendations I'm getting are making me think it might not be worth it to shell out the extra money for the Yamaha if something like the Onkyo or Pioneer VSX1016 (which has been used in reviews on this site) will do the same job for cheaper.

You're right, the Onkyo is about $400 and will do everything you need it to. Why you pay more? For better amplifiers, more power, and more features. That's why I said look at different reviews for audio quality, and look at which features might benefit you.

How the hell can anyone choose out a receiver out of so many to pick from?

Different receivers fit different people different ways, and different speakers would differently on different receivers. So it's a crapshoot.

[willxcore]

Thanks for the speedy responses. I guess I will start looking into an Onkyo player. I read on Amazon customer reviews that the audio loses sync with the video in certain cases. Anyone else have that issue?

I also went to the Onkyo official site. The 805 which isn't released yet states that it supports Dolby TrueHD but the 804 doesn't list that. That doesn't matter since my players will output in HD anyway?

edit: the onkyo 804 is actually 50 dollars more expensive than the cheaper yamaha I was looking at. How do I make a respectable comparison of the two players?

[glocks out]

Thanks for the speedy responses. I guess I will start looking into an Onkyo player.

Several people here also love their Yamahas. I just can't tell you if it supports PCM audio, so one of them would have to let you know.

I also went to the Onkyo official site. The 805 which isn't released yet states that it supports Dolby TrueHD but the 804 doesn't list that. That doesn't matter since my players will output in HD anyway?

You're right. All HD DVD players are required to decode TrueHD, and the PS3 does decode it.

edit: the onkyo 804 is actually 50 dollars more expensive than the cheaper yamaha I was looking at. How do I make a respectable comparison of the two players?

Try www.avguide.com

[Cochise]

How would I be able to find out if the two Yamaha units I am looking at can decode HD audio? All the different recommendations I'm getting are making me think it might not be worth it to shell out the extra money for the Yamaha if something like the Onkyo or Pioneer VSX1016 (which has been used in reviews on this site) will do the same job for cheaper.

How the hell can anyone choose out a receiver out of so many to pick from?

Look at this way: With high def disk players, the receiver is usually a glorified amplifier. Linear PCM is just uncompressed digital audio. When a receiver receives PCM input, all it does is convert to analog for the speakers and amplify it. With many BD titles having PCM audio tracks, the player just reads it and sends it to the receiver to amplify & convert to analog. With a TrueHD, the player decodes it and sends it out as PCM to the receiver to amplify. All HD DVD players are required to be able to decode TrueHD. This is not required for BD players, but the PS3 & Panasonic do have TrueHD decoders.

The one HD audio codec that throws a monkey wrench in this is DTS HD-MA. It's used on the Fox BD titles, and some European HD DVD titles. Currently no player can decode the full HD-MA. HD DVD players & the PS3 can extract the DTS "core" and send it to the receiver as PCM at 1.5mbps, which is better than "plain" DTS on DVD's. HD DVD players & the PS3 can also just read the DTS core and send it to the receiver as bitstream, which enables the receiver to decode the DTS core. That's one advantage to a "high end" receiver - it may do a better job of decoding DTS than a player. My opinion is that my XA1 & PS3 do a fine job of decoding DTS.

If you want to "future proof" yourself, the new line of receivers from Onkyo with HDMI 1.3 (the 605 due in the next few weeks & the 805 due later this summer) will have DTS-HD-MA decoding, as well as TrueHD. It's a big IF that HD DVD players & the PS3 will be able to send the full HD-MA to the receivers for decoding. With the quality of the DTS core and the relative few titles with DTS HD-MA, I'm not worried about. I recommend you not worry about if a receiver has TrueHD / DTS HD-MA decoding, and just get one that can receive multi-channel audio via HDMI. YOu have to look closely at the specs.

Alos, Best Buy & Circuit City with their 30 day return policy is a good way to try one and see if it fits your needs.

[Arkadin]

Willxcore. I've been researching this issue for a while now, as have PLENTY of other people on here. One thing I learned early on is that all HDMI receivers will NOT do what you want them to do. The ones to avoid are the one's that only meet HDMI 1.1 specs. These are usually only PASS-THRU receivers. It's a little confusing, but basically you want to look for receivers that are at least HDMI 1.2 or 1.3. This should be listed in the specifications section. These receivers are also referred to as "VIDEO SWITCHING" HDMI receivers. This is what you most likely want. Take a look at the Yamaha 661. It's brand new. Has HDMI 1.2 and is $500. This is the lowest amount of $$ to get 1.2 or 1.3. The Onkyo 605 is a bit more and also might be a good option. But it has not been released yet. The Yamaha is out already. These seem to be the main options for this amount of $$ at this time. I know of no others (at this price point) that meet the "NEW" requirements of HD. I would say looking at these will save you time unless you have more $$ to spend.

[nelll]

Like I said, be patient and wait, get the yamaha and problem solved. They do what the specs says. Call customer service and find out. Google it, look for reviews, do some research and you'll see that yamaha is a very good option.I do have one and is superb.

[willxcore]

thanks guys for the info. i have compared the yamaha 661 and the htr6090 on yamaha's website and I think I like the 6090 still. I've read to find out what HDMI connection it supports and it shows 1.2a on amazon.com

I went into J&R yesterday to talk to someone about how to set all this up when it comes time to buy and it seems that an even stickier situation is what speakers to get.

I have a small room so huge speakers are not necessary nor do I have the space for them. I was recommended a polk speaker set up + subwoofer for around 600 bucks.

Anyone have any recommendations?

[Arkadin]

recommend looking at Definitive or Paradigm. Go to websites and look at Definitive ProCinema 600, 800, 1000. Don't know how much $$ you can spend, but I'd say either spend at least $1000 or if you just want something to tide you over, You can get a Polk 5.1 for $199 at Frys.com.. That's a steal. It's listed at $599.