SwedishChef
New Member
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2019
- Messages
- 1
- Likes
- 0
I really appreciate this site's measurement-based approach, and apparently positive community. I'm making some changes and am looking for some specific advice.
I'm lucky enough to be tweaking a secondary home theater set up in a 15' x 13' x 8' room that is unusual in that one "wall" is open to an adjoining room, so one of those dimension is somewhat arbitrary. I don't need to fill the adjoining area with sound, but obviously lacking a wall affects things, so I wanted to mention it. I will be using an existing Elac UniFi system with UF5, UB5, and UC5 speakers. (Inexpensive sub TBD, feel free to suggest.) I have tried the UniFi's out with various 2-channel amps and they seem to do much better with some decent amplification behind them. But because this is a secondary viewing area mostly using existing equipment, I'd like to keep costs low.
For a receiver I was considering the Onkyo TX-RZ820 which is currently available from a major online retailer for $399, which seems to be a 70% discount on MSRP since the new model is already out. I'd love to stay under $500 if I can get something that will do well with the Elacs. (And if I can't, I'd like to know now and what I might need to do, instead.) I'd also like to take advantage of a model closeout or November/Black Friday deal, but should mention that I am very hesitant to buy refurbished because I really don't enjoy dealing with testing/returns. (I've had too many weird problems of my own over the years like an old NAD sitting in my garage that has a channel cut out, but only after playing for about an hour... slow overheating or something.) The selection of the Onkyo brand is arbitrary - it just seems to be the biggest discount on a $1200-$1500 receiver, which seems to be where things start to get good (or should I say, "less bad," depending on your perspective).
If it helps, I like the sound of the UniFi speakers, and tend to like flat-measuring speakers in general. (I have some old Paradigm Studio Reference 20's that measure very flat over a wide frequency range which I like.) If you force me choose what side I like to err on, I prefer a neutral to slightly warm sound. I like detail, but not at the price of harsh or bright sound. I don't expect to ever take this system beyond 5.1.
I would welcome any advice or suggestions regarding the receiver (and/or cheap/deal subwoofer well under $500 - I don't plan to go SVS, etc. for this one). Thank you.
I'm lucky enough to be tweaking a secondary home theater set up in a 15' x 13' x 8' room that is unusual in that one "wall" is open to an adjoining room, so one of those dimension is somewhat arbitrary. I don't need to fill the adjoining area with sound, but obviously lacking a wall affects things, so I wanted to mention it. I will be using an existing Elac UniFi system with UF5, UB5, and UC5 speakers. (Inexpensive sub TBD, feel free to suggest.) I have tried the UniFi's out with various 2-channel amps and they seem to do much better with some decent amplification behind them. But because this is a secondary viewing area mostly using existing equipment, I'd like to keep costs low.
For a receiver I was considering the Onkyo TX-RZ820 which is currently available from a major online retailer for $399, which seems to be a 70% discount on MSRP since the new model is already out. I'd love to stay under $500 if I can get something that will do well with the Elacs. (And if I can't, I'd like to know now and what I might need to do, instead.) I'd also like to take advantage of a model closeout or November/Black Friday deal, but should mention that I am very hesitant to buy refurbished because I really don't enjoy dealing with testing/returns. (I've had too many weird problems of my own over the years like an old NAD sitting in my garage that has a channel cut out, but only after playing for about an hour... slow overheating or something.) The selection of the Onkyo brand is arbitrary - it just seems to be the biggest discount on a $1200-$1500 receiver, which seems to be where things start to get good (or should I say, "less bad," depending on your perspective).
If it helps, I like the sound of the UniFi speakers, and tend to like flat-measuring speakers in general. (I have some old Paradigm Studio Reference 20's that measure very flat over a wide frequency range which I like.) If you force me choose what side I like to err on, I prefer a neutral to slightly warm sound. I like detail, but not at the price of harsh or bright sound. I don't expect to ever take this system beyond 5.1.
I would welcome any advice or suggestions regarding the receiver (and/or cheap/deal subwoofer well under $500 - I don't plan to go SVS, etc. for this one). Thank you.
