[MLUG - DISCUSSION] random question on audio/visual receivers...

[Jonathan King <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

Feel free not to read this unless you're an AV kind of geek who doesn't
insist on a system that costs more than I earn in a month.

Right, so it looks like next week that I'll finally have the new floor
down in the basement, which means that I get to (re)-set up our
stereo/TV/DVD-player/etc.  Since we started to tear up downstairs NINE
EMAIL:PROTECTED@$ MONTHS AGO, some changes occurred in the gear that we need to
set-up.  

We now have:

   one 5-disc DVD player (Panasonic) that has optical audio 
   and both component video and S-video outputs but is not a 
   progressive scan unit.

   one newish VCR of no special distinction

   one 1995-era Panasonic TV that has 2 sets of normal audio/visual
   jacks and one (then revolutionary) S-video input

   one 1992-era (and dying) JVC mini-system that is now minus the
   CD-player, has no video inputs, but does have a decent pair of
   8-ohm speakers

   one ancient turn-table that is our only means of playing older
   vinyl that never did come out on CD.

The TV will stick around until HDTV really arrives; we can conceive
of eventually getting a 5-speaker surround set-up, but are likely just
to re-use our current speakers and maybe spring for a cheaper sub-woofer.

So far, my guess is that the obvious thing to do here is to get a good
receiver that can connect anything we have or are likely to get to
everything else we have or are likely to get in the next 5 years at least.  
I was a bit surprised to find out that this would probably cost between
$250 and $300, but receivers these days are apparently way more 
sophisticated than when I was a youth.

Anyway, the 3 most likely candidates at the moment are:

Onkyo TX-SR500     ($300)
Panasonic SA-HE100 ($300)
Pioneer VSX D711   ($250 on sale)

I'm sure any of these would be the center of the best stereo I have ever
owned (tm), but there are trade-offs on all sides. The Onkyo unit has the
best rep for audio, gets raves all around, and has a front input for one's
portable MP3 player if one would have this, *but* it doesn't have
composite video out.  The Panasonic actually has a phono in and component
video out and can do 6.1 channel stuff (note we have only 2 speakers)  
*but* is apparently designed for 6-ohm speakers (?!) and has no radio
station pre-sets (which is annoying).  The Pioneer probably isn't as good
as the Onkyo for audio, but does have composite video in and out and is
$50 cheaper.

Now, since all of these provide S-video out, I'm going to get a pretty
good picture since I have an S-video set (this I've already witnessed).
Composite video is alleged to provide an even better picture, but I
can't use that right now; HDTV sets, however, will apparently make
this a standard.  So does anybody out there have any tips here?  Is
component (RGB) video so much better than S-video that I'll kick myself
for not having it down the line?  Is there anything else I'm missing here
or anything else I should be considering?

jking


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