jgln

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My stereo system's amp/receiver blew out several times 20 years ago so I replaced it with a Sony digital one and even though they are impedance matched it does not put good sound out of my large speakers which are about 25 years old but in good shape. The sound is dull and bassey and plain sucks. Through headphones the sound is fine though.

I was thinking maybe try another amp/receiver or an equalizer, yeah my equipment is old and I haven't stereo shopped since then. Anyway, my fear is this will not correct my problem and would frustrate me even more. I thought of getting one of those Bose compact systems but they are like $600.

Anyone have any cheaper suggestions for a small system that sounds good? This may become my BD gift later this month.

GregR

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if you are looking for a new receiver I'm very happy with my Onkyo sr705 you could find a used on on e-bay or amazon for less than 300. Denon also makes some reasonably priced receivers that sound great. might be a place to start. . .

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That's what Jamil said.

wildwest450

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Are you looking for something to just drive your old speakers, or do you want a complete surround sound setup for tv/movies?

I've had both Onkyo And Harmon Kardon receivers, it's hard to go wrong with either.

Also how much are you willing to spend??

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truckmann

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Well you are probably going to have to give some more information about the speakers you have to get a good answer, but I'll throw this out there.

I have a Harmon/Kardon AVR 247 receiver that I got as a referb unit on ebay direct from HK. It is hooked to some old MTX towers that have dual 12's in them along with a 12" powered sub and a center channel speaker. I got it to replace my old HK AVR500 that was still working fine, it was just old. I have been really happy with the sound and options on the new one.

A friend recently saw my receiver and was asking me about it cause his Denon took crap so I told him what it was and where I got it and he ended up getting a really good deal on an AVR 347 which is the same as what I have only with a bigger amp. I paid about $250 for mine a few months ago and he only paid ~$165 although he did get lucky on one of the auctions ending late and going cheaper than what others were going for.

Take a look at one of these if your interested in something like this.
Harman Kardon HK AVR 247 7.1 Home Theater Receiver HDMI - eBay (item 390077057255 end time Aug-04-09 18:03:23 PDT)

Harman Kardon HK AVR 347 7.1 Home Theater Receiver HDMI - eBay (item 180392880269 end time Aug-04-09 18:27:11 PDT)

humann_brewing

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The sky is the limit as well as the price.

If you are using a $600 figure to get a whole package, I would consider a "Home Theater in a box" route and you can get a pretty decent one for $600.

I went the route of separate components and am sure glad I did. I got the best bang for my buck in each category. All but the suround speakers in my main room are from Elemental Designs and if you buy more than 3 speakers, you get a 15% discount at least when I ordered. I have their A5-350 sub which they redesigned, now the ports fire downward but man that thing shakes the whole house and go so low but does have a 15" woofer backed by 550 watts.



I also have their towers and center channel

I have a Yamaha VX-2700 receiver and it runs 3 rooms in my house, I love it and can't go back to a simpler receiver now.

jgln

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Just something to drive the speakers for radio, cds and yes, once in a while albums. I have a ton of old albums and a decent turntable and I have no plans to replace every album with a cd.

mmb

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I've you're looking for a Home Theater system as well as HiFi audio, I've never been burned by Pioneer Elite models.

For a moderate "money is no object" setup, I drool over the Outlaw 990 Preamp and 7700 Amplifier combo. It's only a tad under $3000.

I wouldn't go Bose. My dad has the Lifestyle system and I swear my cheapy JBL system sounds better.

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White Dog Aleworks and Drafthouse

jgln

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Well, the old system was a Fisher which at the time was the most I could afford and get big speakers and a full rack system with everything, CDs had not yet come out. The speakers are the only Fisher part left. They used to put out good sound until I went with the Sony.

truckmann

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In the end the problem might be with your speakers. They may have a different resistance built to work with the Fisher receiver or they may just not be able to handle the power output of the newer amps.

deepsouth

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in the $600 price range for a speaker set, i'd recommend Paradigms.

Paradigm Cinema 70 CT Black 5.1-Channel Home Theater Speaker System, In Stock at OneCall.com