i have a couple questions....subwoofer replacement and quality of AV reciver

[bcharlsen]

I have a Denon AVR 1609....i was woundering if that was a good reciver or if i should sell it and upgrade to something a little more powerful?? i have everything running through it(Digital Cable, Blu-Ray Player). The down fall is....i can only do digital audio through the optical ports. I am looking for ideas on what i can do or what other options i have.


one more question....I have a Klipsch rpw10 and the sub bottoms out from time to time...i didn't know if i could buy a replacement sub and still use the same box and amp on it...here are the specs on it..

Specifications
FREQUENCY RESPONSE 35-120Hz +/-3dB
AMPLIFIER POWER FTC Rated Power: 200 watts continuous @ <2% THD / Dynamic Power*: 420 watts
MAXIMUM ACOUSTIC OUTPUT 110dB @ 30Hz 1/8 space, 1m
DRIVE COMPONENTS 10" (25.4cm) Fiber-composite cone, front-firing woofer
AMPLIFIER BASH® digital hybrid
ENCLOSURE TYPE Bass-reflex via front-firing slot port
INPUTS L/R Line-level RCA jacks, L/R High-level speaker binding posts
OUTPUTS L/R High-level speaker binding posts (passthru)
HEIGHT 15.75" (40cm)
WIDTH 11.5" (29.2cm)
DEPTH 17.75" (45.1cm)
WEIGHT 31lbs (14.1kg)
FEATURES Volume, Lowpass, Phase, Auto Power
FINISHES Black Ash woodgrain vinyl
VOLTAGE 110/120 VAC 60Hz
EXPORT VOLTAGE 220 VAC 50/60Hz
BUILT FROM 2006

[Chris D]

The receiver you have is just fine, as is most Denon products. Whether you upgrade to a higher quality component that gives you better performance and/or more features, is completely up to your personal system needs, and your budget. Yes, there certainly are lots and lots of products that are better than that receiver, but only you can say if it's worth it to you, to upgrade. My biggest advice there is not to upgrade until you're able to buy something SUBSTANTIALLY better to justify the upgrade purchase. Otherwise, you're spending a lot of money for a small improvement.

No problem running all optical digital audio, although you realize that to get high-rez audio like Dolby True HD or DTS-MA, you have to use HDMI. Yes, you could add external decoders to add this capability, or digital coax, but if you do try to do that, you might as well just spend the money and upgrade the receiver.

If I understand, you want to keep the physical box and amp of your powered sub, and just upgrade the driver? I wouldn't recommend it for that Klipsch sub. Just buy a new one. (take a look at SVS subwoofers, and they're having a sale right now)

[bcharlsen]

So your saying is that i should upgrade to a good reciver after i build my other speakers...? if so what reciver would you suggest? and i will be selling this other reciver too....i want to use audio and video throught my hdmi. right now i can only do video.

And yes to replaceing the driver. should i just buy a new driver from parts express???? i am a total novice at all this.. thanks for all the help

[Chris D]

Yeah, unless you get pretty smart about DIY, I would **NOT** try and just upgrade your subwoofer driver. I would buy a whole new subwoofer. (you can do much better than that Klipsch model, anyway) If you do want to get into DIY, we do have an entire subforum here that will teach you everything you've ever wanted to know!

As for what particular receiver you should buy, I don't think that's something that others are able to tell you. It depends on your particular needs and budget. Since you currently have a Denon, if you want to stay with that brand, Denon can take you wayyyyyyy up in quality nowadays to very, very nice stuff, and I wouldn't hesitate to buy the latest Denon model at any price point you want to get into. One of their $1500 receivers is sufficient for most of the general public. Even better, get into "separates" where you buy an A/V processor and power amplifier(s) separately. There's many worthy brands to consider, such as Denon, Onkyo/Integra, Rotel, Parasound, Sherwood Newcastle, Classe, etc. Whatever you get, make sure it's got the latest in features, such as all HDMI capabilities (3D video, network channel, audio return, etc) full audio decoding for all formats, etc.

[bcharlsen]

so what your saying is i should just DIY a sub box and buy my amp and sub.....??? plus i want to get rid of my optical cable and just run all HDMI. what is a reciver that is just about the same as mine but would be all up todate..?? i am kind of in the dark with all this.

[technodanvan]

so what your saying is i should just DIY a sub box and buy my amp and sub.....???

I think it would be a heck of a lot easier building a new box as opposed to finding the 'perfect' driver that would work with your current box, use the same amp, and somehow have better performance.

Doesn't seem too likely.

[Chris D]

Here's what I'm saying:

1. Either just buy a whole new subwoofer, OR, if you want to take the time and trouble, DIY build your own from complete scratch.

2. I recommend you do NOT use your current sub components (box or otherwise) to upgrade parts through DIY.

3. Again, I'm hesitant to recommend any one particular model, as I don't know your needs and budget. But since you're asking again, the Denon AVR-3311CI looks like a great receiver:

http://usa.denon.com/us/Product/Pages/Product-Detail.aspx?Catid=3d9614d1-8000-4106-ab91-8192242cab83&SubId=40b5820d-83c2-4e93-9909-60aae60e0bdd&ProductId=b44a517c-7e15-493c-8373-dbd2a1f57f63

[bcharlsen]

well ok thats a little out of my range....well more like twice out of my range..... i am looking for around 500 bucks or so. also what is a good 10" sub that works great for every day TV watching and Movies with some little music played through it.

[cbark]

well ok thats a little out of my range....well more like twice out of my range..... i am looking for around 500 bucks or so. also what is a good 10" sub that works great for every day TV watching and Movies with some little music played through it.

For $500, you will be looking at Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha, etc. Sonic differences in that price range will be minimal, just make sure the receiver does everything that you want it to do.

For the sub, you mentioned that you will be building speakers? and you mentioned parts express....why not build one of their kit subs? Not a lot of info to go from here, room size, capability of mains, etc. Just go bigger than what you currently have.

Good luck.

[Chris D]

well, that's exactly why I can't make a specific model recommendation for someone, since only they really know their needs and budget. Sorry about that.

[bcharlsen]

OHH HEY MAN YOUR ALRIGHT!!! I HAVE A DECENT SIZE ROOM THAT THIS IS ALL GOING IN.22x15 WITH 10FT CELLINGS. I JUST HAVE SOME OLD PIONEER SURROUNDS WITH CENTER. THEN SOME REALISTIC BOOKSHELFS FOR MY FRONTS...I AM MORE THEN LIKELY GOING TO BUILD SOME FRONTS AND THEN A CENTER.. SUGGESTIONS

[Glen B]

I have a Klipsch rpw10 and the sub bottoms out from time to time...i didn't know if i could buy a replacement sub and still use the same box and amp on it.

I suggest the Parts Express SUB-120 12" powered sub @ $160.00. I use one for HT/secondary 2-channel music. My only complaint is a loud thump when it is plugged in, but that is something you normally do only once. I covered mine in Parts Express dark cherry vinyl wood-grained veneer to match my main speakers and equipment rack, and it came out pretty good.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-635

[madmac]

500 bucks will by you a HDMI enabled receiver that will decode all the new Hi def audio formats. At that price point however, it won't perform very well on a sound and power front and it will have very little 'amperage'. As for the sub, the only thing I would recommend is to go with a 12 inch powered sub. That will get you nice deep bass and will free up a lot of amplifier power. Make sure you set all the speakers to 'small' in the speaker setup and let the sub take care of all the power hungry bass information.

[bcharlsen]

Ok Well That Sounds Great!!!! Now Only If I Knew Anyone Who Was Selling Such A Reciver That Would Do That For Cheap....like Maybe A Used One. Or One Someone Doesn't Use Bc They Up Graded....any Help?

[M.Roberts8]

Ok Well That Sounds Great!!!! Now Only If I Knew Anyone Who Was Selling Such A Reciver That Would Do That For Cheap....like Maybe A Used One. Or One Someone Doesn't Use Bc They Up Graded....any Help?

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Marantz SR5005 Factory Refurb $399.99 Free shipping , 3 free HDMI cables

Onkyo HT-RC260 $259.99

Onkyo TX-NR708 $499.99 Free shipping,surge protector & 3 HDMI cables.