Will the Yamaha RX-V450 receiver be sufficient enough for my home theatre setup?

[lmpronto]

My Setup: 2 front Polk Audio RTi8 towers, CSi3 centre speaker, and 2 polk fxi3 surround(rear) speakers, and a sub, prolly veoldyne 10' i will add later. also, will add 6th rear speaker after too.

will the Yamaha RX-V450 power these speakers enough and will they be used to their capacity?

im 80% going to use the HT for dvd watching

link to yamaha stat page: http://www.yamaha.ca/av/Receivers/RX_V450B.jsp

i can get this receiver for $250CDN

[Frank Z]

It depends on the actual output with all channels driven. I'd suggest looking for a receiver that has pre-outs for a seperate amp.

[McLoki]

It all depends how loud you like your sound. If you have a huge room, all your speakers set to large, and listen at reference levels (farily loud) the answer is no.

If you have small children that you don't want to wake, live in an apartment, or just like to watch movies with good clear sound (but at levels you can talk over) I am sure it will be fine and sound great.

Getting a reciever with Pre-outs gives you a better upgrade path, and is worth getting if you are not sure about any of the above statements. If you can't return anything and just have a case of buyers remorse setting in, relax and enjoy what you have. If you have any problems report back. (in the mean time just read and learn what you can - feel good in the fact that you are starting out better than many of us did..... :) )

Michael

[lmpronto]

sucks. its hard to find good prices on receivers in canada, compared to the states. id really appreciate if someone could sell me their receiver

[unc2701]

I would say go up to the rx-v650... the 10 extra watts will help a little, but mainly because that's the cheapest one with pre-outs- so you can add a power amp at a later date.

[Willow]

if you buy a sub set them to small ( I am playing around with this right now) I have the 540 and has enough power for my room though I would have and should have purchased the 650 (pre-outs) I have rti8 csi3 and rti4 as well as an engery sub. I have a post in set up that may help you. So answer the question of how big is your room and how loud do you listen to. We never or rarely go louder than -30 and thats for DVD. and it's plenty loud even too loud sometimes.

As Unc stated if you are worried go with the 650 or current model. Don't worry about 10wts you won't notice it but it has pre-outs

[lmpronto]

k, what about the onkyo 502? i see them pretty cheap everywhere. will they be enough?

room size is 16x10.5

[Willow]

Not a huge room .. I can't comment on that reicever I know nothing about it.

[unc2701]

The GF's system (ie, my old system) uses a 502. Has plenty of power, but no pre outs. My only complaint is that it crosses over the main speakers if you turn on the LFE output- so if you have large towers you have to route them through the sub. It's a pretty good buy for the price range.

[fireshoes]

Originally posted by unc2701
The GF's system (ie, my old system) uses a 502. Has plenty of power, but no pre outs. My only complaint is that it crosses over the main speakers if you turn on the LFE output- so if you have large towers you have to route them through the sub. It's a pretty good buy for the price range.

That's how you should do it anyway. :)

[lmpronto]

what does "crossovers the main speakers" mean? i read that tutorial on hooking up the sub the the front speakers, but what does that phrase in quotes mean?

[Willow]

I agree with Fire, use the LFE out all the time

[fireshoes]

The frequencies below the crossover point are redirected from the speakers to the subwoofer.

[audiobliss]

If you haven't actually bought a receiver yet, as it appears you haven't, I would consider looking at something other than a Yamaha receiver. You'll probably want to get an amp later on regardless (especially considering your speakers), which would neccessitate your receiver having pre-outs and you using it as a preamp. I'm not positive, but I get the feeling that Yamahas don't have a good preamp section. I would look at something that 1) has a good preamp section and 2) has enough watts to get you by until whenever it is you think you'll get an amp. The H/K should have a pretty good preamp section; somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

[unc2701]

At this end of the spectrum they all sound pretty close- I would say to buy on features and having a pre-out available.

I've gone through a variety of sub $1000 AVR's and there's not too much difference among them beyond power and features. I would caution against Sony since their wattage numbers are inflated, but HK, Dennon, Yamaha and Onkyo are pretty interchangable, especially below $500. I find that Dennon is a little better than the others as you get into their pricier models. You'll probably find that one has a sound you like more than the others, but everyone has their own preference. There's no substitute for going out & listening to them yourself.

General thoughts (some may disagree):
Yahama: Just about the cheapest option w/ pre-outs.
Onkyo: Always solid, bass managment frustrates me (see above)
Dennon: Can be more expensive for same features, shop around
HK: Recently plauged with QC issues, seems to be getting better (others probably have more experience than me here)
Sony: Multiply their wattage by about 60% if you want to know how it'll compare to the other models.