Posted: 4/3/2012 8:37:09 PM EDT
|
Installed the new one tonight, thank goodness. My old Pioneer A/V receiver - and when I say old, I mean OLD. Not only did this thing not have HDMI inputs, it didn't have Component inputs. This beast was pre-HDTV, baby. But it worked with my 5.1 speaker setup and a combination of optical and coaxial digital audio inputs I had surround sound from all of my sources - PS3, HD cable and Roku. When it died, I had to revert to the TV speakers. This was not good. I have a 12YO daughter that was probably under 2YO when I got my first surround sound system - a Panasonic HTIB - so she literally cannot remember ever living in a house without surround sound. Her PS3 experience was crushed. Movies seemed lame. Even TV was hard to watch. I'm a cheap bastard sometimes, so I called my A/V distributor at work and asked if they had any sweet deals for me - open box, refurb, whatever. Sure enough, a B-Stock (refurb) Yamaha RX-V367 for under $150. Now we're talking. The Yamaha arrived today. I just finished installing it and programming my remote (a URC MX-880). Life is good. For those of you that don't have surround sound in your living rooms, I quote one Me. Ferris Beuller: "If you have the means, I highly recommend it." And today, the "means" is a few hundred bucks or less. You can get a modest HTIB (Home Theater in a Box) for almost nothing nowadays, and aside from running a few speaker wires they're pretty simple to set up. At the very least, get yourself a decent soundbar setup - preferably one with a wireless subwoofer. Audiphiles may sneer, but compared to the speakers on your TV even the cheapest HTIB is a major improvement. And for the more technically inclined, a decent PC-programmed universal remote (Logitech seems to dominate the DIY market) is a wonderful thing. Get rid of that basket of remote soup on your living room table and get everything you need in one remote control. Push a button that's labeled "Watch TV" and have your TV, set-top box, and new home theater receiver all fire up and switch to the proper inputs before your eyes. You'll never go back... |