[ArthurDent]

I want the receiver for all the bells and whistles including the video switching, and the amp to give it just a little bit more umph.

Don't see that anyone has mentioned it, other than how easy they are to drive, but remember your STs are 4 ohm. When your thinking umph be sure to check the receivers/amps rating at that load. Many units only note their watts at an 8 ohm load, which will almost double into the STs. So you will in many cases be getting more umph than you might initially think.
 

[DMurphy]

Well, the minimum impedance is 4 ohms, at 250 Hz, but the maximum is 17 ohms, at 1500 Hz.  So I'm not quite sure how all that works out.  In any event, an honestly rated 50 watt amp will drive them with ease. 

[Nuance]

This is just my opinion based on my experience, but a 2-channel preamp and amp sounds better than a receiver or a receiver and external amp combo.  Perhaps you could pick up the receiver first, and if satisfied you can stop (I think this was already recommended).  If you still crave something, get yourself an external amp and connect it to the receiver's preouts.  If that doesn't quite do the trick, pick up a 2-channel preamp with Home Theater bypass.  Then you can have the best of both words (a 2-channel preamp and amp for music listening and the receiver with all the bells and whistles for HT). 

Best regards.

[huey driver]

Now the search is on to find a receiver, it never ends!!!!

[Nuance]

Now the search is on to find a receiver, it never ends!!!!

Arcam, Marantz, Onkyo, Denon and Pioneer are the best IMO.  If you can afford the Arcam, go with it.  It's the best sounding receiver you can get IMO.  Otherwise the others are great too. 

[MichiganMike]

I second the suggestion from Nuance on the sonic advantages of a dedicated stereo preamp for music.  I recently purchased a Parasound 2100 with by-pass for home theater.  It was a factory refreshed unit with a full factory warranty for $400.   This pre-amp has dramatically improved the two-channel sound quality over the receiver that I had been using.  The digital audio processing in less expensive receivers is great for home theater, but in my experience may compromise two-channel audio performance.   

[WGH]

Wayne,

I have a blu ray player that I intended using.  Really I will be using the system for music mostly but will want some home theater capabilities to it.  I like the idea of separates but there are so many companies out there that it gets confusing.

-Keith

Sounds like you want an all-in-one solution that will also decode audio from the blu-ray player. But...

One way to save money is to recycle old equipment and use your present amp for the rear channels. If you already have a Dolby digital processor, keep it or pick up a Rotel on Audiogon. Then get an AVA Insight SL pre-amp and Insight 240/3 amp for the front speakers. A little over budget but not too much. The new system is definitely less elegant than a single box with less switching capabilities but it will have much better 2 channel sound.

All this depends if the blu-ray will output standard Dolby digital and you can live without the latest audio decoding. I always go for the best 2 channel sound first and movie sound second. I use my eyes more than my ears while watching movies anyway.

Wayne

[sanlanman]

Now the search is on to find a receiver, it never ends!!!!

Arcam, Marantz, Onkyo, Denon and Pioneer are the best IMO.  If you can afford the Arcam, go with it.  It's the best sounding receiver you can get IMO.  Otherwise the others are great too. 

I would add Cambridge Audio and Rotel to that list of upper tier recievers.

[huey driver]

OK,  heres what Im thinking and please let me know if you think this will be a bad deal.  Im looking at the onkyo PR-SC885P pre/amp which seems to have all the bonuses of the new HT systems but without an build in amplifier.  I'm going to pari this with either a 5 channel emotiva or a 2 & 3 channel emotiva.  What do you all think?  Any comments?

[Cacophonix]

Since you started this thread looking for a receiver, i'd like to throw in onkyo 875 in the mix. I read someplace that the pre-pro section is the same as the pr-sc885p, plus a decent amp section. You can have this for around $800 on audiogon. Sure looks like a killer deal to me.

[Nuance]

OK,  heres what Im thinking and please let me know if you think this will be a bad deal.  Im looking at the onkyo PR-SC885P pre/amp which seems to have all the bonuses of the new HT systems but without an build in amplifier.  I'm going to pari this with either a 5 channel emotiva or a 2 & 3 channel emotiva.  What do you all think?  Any comments?

I have no experience with the Onkyo PR-SC885P, but I think that would be a good route.  Another option would be the new preamp from Onkyo's sister company (Integra).  The 9.8 gets great reviews. 

Just out of curiosity, what is the cost of the PR-SC885P?  If it still around $1500, there are a bunch of other options in that price range.

[huey driver]

Its about 1300-1500 depending where you get it....unfortunately since its part of the professional onkyo line not that many people sell them.

[zobsky]

Maybe (Probably ?) something wrong with me , but I've rarely if ever found Home theater gear MUSICAL . Very Nice for home theater purposes but not ultimately INVOLVING . So, try not to go overboard on the $$ .  Your choice of speakers and room setup (esp. with regards to speaker channel matching and subwoofer integration) are usually much more important.

Spend the extra money on a half decent music only setup (maybe a small tubed integrated amplifier, if your speakers are halfway efficient)

Just my $0.01

[audiotom]

Arcam AVR350   I have one in my theatre setup and they are great

one on audiogon right now, steal

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?homeproc&1230576359&/Arcam-AVR-350-in-Silver

[sanlanman]

Now the search is on to find a receiver, it never ends!!!!

Arcam, Marantz, Onkyo, Denon and Pioneer are the best IMO.  If you can afford the Arcam, go with it.  It's the best sounding receiver you can get IMO.  Otherwise the others are great too. 

To this list I would add ROTEL and CAMBRIDGE AUDIO recievers or integrated amps. I agree with Nuance about Arcam. A friend has the AVR300 and the AVR 350 has been reported as being even better, but in that price range there are a substantial number of separate unit combos worth considering too.

[godawgs5]

Im so confused!!!!  Will I notice an appreciable difference by getting separates?  I don't mind spending the money if there will be a noticeable difference but Im so new at this that its kind of overwhelming. 

I think the benefit of using seperates is you can keep the amp until it dies and update the pre-pro as technology changes.  Amp technology has changed so little in the last ten years, maybe even longer than that....  You could even buy a cheaper receiver now that has most of the bells and whistles and add outboard amps later down the road and use the receiver as the pre-pro.  If you have space constraints maybe just a receiver would be best, also if you have a wife or girlfriend a receiveer again might be the better option or in some cases not...

[BrassEar]

There doesn't seem to be a lot of talk about HK products (other than speakers).  I know from my professional work that they're one of the few companies that rate power on HT equipment with all channels operating.  I"m not claiming that's the best way to rate HT amps, but it does produce very conservative numbers that can't be compared directly with most other specs.  So I hope people aren't being turned off to HK because they don't think they have enough power.  I suspect the opposite is the case. 

It doesn't hurt that Linkwitz uses an HK receiver as a preamp to drive his SOTA Orions in his vacation home. HK is rock solid in every way. They are truly one of the very few high current designed receivers out there. The boutique receiver brands are more of an exercise in marketing than engineering.

[s_cervin]

I personally find the Marantz products to have the best sound.  I had the Onkyo 885 processor and sold it to purchase the Marantz AV8003, but once the specs came out on the AV8003 I couldn't justify the $1500 over the SR7002.  I use the SR7002 as a processor (run it into Odyssey amps) for my HT since it has HDMI1.3 and all the decoding and it sounded better than the Onkyo.  The SR7002 new was only $1K and I find the sound to be great.  I actually prefer running my Duet into it than my Duet into a CIA DAC.  If it had phono pre I would be even happier, but I will probably go back to a dedicated preamp with HT bypass (Candela just had too much noise).

PS: Once Pete sells his W4S amps I will run the Marantz into those    
SC

[Atlplasma]

This is probably a bit off topic, but I'm wondering if anyone is looking at (or pre-ordering) the Emotiva UMC-1. Spec and price-wise it looks interesting.

[Nuance]

Im so confused!!!!  Will I notice an appreciable difference by getting separates?  I don't mind spending the money if there will be a noticeable difference but Im so new at this that its kind of overwhelming. 

I think the benefit of using seperates is you can keep the amp until it dies and update the pre-pro as technology changes.  Amp technology has changed so little in the last ten years, maybe even longer than that....  You could even buy a cheaper receiver now that has most of the bells and whistles and add outboard amps later down the road and use the receiver as the pre-pro.  If you have space constraints maybe just a receiver would be best, also if you have a wife or girlfriend a receiveer again might be the better option or in some cases not...

+1  That's what I am doing.