Receivers

is now at $499. if a good amp is necessary, this is the best value out there.

I agree with bear's POV though. For not much more than that budget, you can do the outboard amp.

it all comes to features with receivers. you are paying for features. repeat after me: you are paying for features . . . . . ad infitum

the yam 663 is prolly had for around $340 is my guess. cannot matrix hidef HT bitstreams, limited BM, clipping for HTPC users, etc, but that all being said I bet if fits 99% of cnet posters perfectly.

use the preouts, add the emotiva,

hope this helps, gl

of pre-amp capability in the affordable sector. Once, way back, it seemed half the amp or receivers had pre-out capability just by adjusting on the rear of the unit.

Once the codec progression gets worked through, more will hopefully get pre-amp availability.

Yeah, for the money, an 805 surely does shine & is an excellent step up for many. Then again, with an Emotiva going for not too much more, it should open some peoples eyes. Call them pre-amps, pre-pros or whatever - they open new avenues of more flexibility.

Thanks for everyones response to my question. This idea of separtes is new to me though, can someone explain in simple terms? Does the amplifier just provide the power (i.e. 120watts etc..) and the processor handles the surround sound and video processing (so the HD-DTS stuff, and the HDMI pass through and upscaling)? And for this to work some receivers have plugs in the back to accept the amplifier? When I went to the Emotiva website the suggested ampififer only had a 5 channel output, does that mean I couldn't get 7.1 sound out of it with a seperate receiver? If so they had a cheaper model that did 7.1, is that what I should look at? Then lastly, the reason I was leaning away from the Onkyo 805 was that the Cnet review said the video processing wasn't great. That's what made me consider the Onkyo 875 or Sony 5300, but with those models they are already rated at 120watts per channel or higher....would I still need a seperate amplifier?

because, by definition, a 5.1 receiver has only six channels of amplification, not the eight channels needed for 7.1.

I alluded to a time when it was commonly available as feature to use the pre-amp section of the receiver (or amp) independently from the basic power amp section. One could run another, supplementary amp through this combination to make decent use of an otherwise perhaps obsolete or insufficient amp. So two power amp sections would be managed by the one pre-amp section.

At this relatively high level of concern, such as the Emotiva & Onkyo 805 & stepup to 875 or Sony 5300, they are all pretty powerful & frankly, more power than most typical users need. And, if these are within your budget, you probably can't go too far wrong with any of them.

Yeah, example that I use a reference grade receiver to in effect just waste some channels because I only use four of its power amp channels to bi-amp some pretty high grade speakers. So I am actually playing games of excess & not using that piece of equipment efficiently. But, hey, it's just my game to play.

You may still be a bit confused. No, the pre-amp function is not taking on the surround sound function while the basic amp section provides power. Yes the basic amp does the providing of power by means of however many channels it has. These include all the channels; ie. front L&R, center channel, sub woofer feed, side surrounds, & rear surrounds when present. The pre-amp is the control board for making all the adjustments.

To revert to the fundamental basics, many of us do like to emphasize that, because your personal touch for the system lies mostly all in which set of speakers you do ultimately select, that many are attracted by the advertising hub-bub about receivers when they should key in on comparing several good candidates to arrive at your own individual most desirable preference of what speakers suit you the best, & therefore, maximizing the speaker part of the budget, while otherwise sacrificing some of the budget for the power source because so many get more than essential levels of receiver power. The goal might be 75% for the speakers to 25% for the receiver.

It's obviously your choice & even if it involves some dedicated & unanticipated work to make your most appropriate choices. And, heck, the purpose is to get much enjoyment from the sound. So do some educational work & wind up enjoying.

Yes, basically you run RCA cables from the pre-outs on your pre-pro to your amp so the pre-pro does all the sound processing and then sends the output on to the amp to power your speakers.

As for your question about the Emotiva XPA-5 only having 5 channels...if you use a receiver like the Onkyo 805 or Yamaha I mentioned before, you can use the amp of your receiver serving as your pre-pro to power the 2 additional channels. Just pick the 2 channels that will get the least data sent to them since you wouldn't want to power your fronts via your less powerful receiver (pre-pro).

As for video processing of the Onkyo...the video processing only is lackluster when you are upcoverting an analog video signal and outputting it via HDMI. If you have a HDMI source going to the 805 and then a HDMI cable going to your TV, then the 805 simply acts as a passthru (which means no processing done to the signal, so it would let your TV do any upconverting).

If you really need good upconversion from analog video signals (component/composite/S-Video) digital output (HDMI) then the 805 probably won't live up to what you need. But ask yourself...with everything new using HDMI as the video/audio means of transfer, do you really need good analog to digital video processing?

so, get whatever features you need. OK? Capiche?

just as long as it has pre-outs.

Dont buy the amp yet.

add it later if you like it later. ya never know, the receiver's might be plenty good for you as it is.

Jostenmeat also has good advice there. Maybe get a receiver that you think will suit your needs now (just make sure it is one with pre-outs) and down the road if you want more power/better sound then buy an amp to use with your receiver.

I think you should get the 805 instead of the 875 unless you REALLY want good analong (component/composite/S-Video) to digital (HDMI) video upconversion. If you plan on using mostly HDMI connected components, then the 805 will be fine.

Also, if you get the 805 (which has plenty of watts/channel) you will save some money and be able to buy something else cool for your setup (or maybe put it away to save for an eventual separate amp).