Okay, maybe I'm not desperate but I have to throw this out to those of you who know much more about this subject than I do.

I currently have a neat set up in my basement that Scott at Outlaw helped me with. It has a Sony 55" rear projection TV, 990, 7125 amp, Linn 5140s L&R, Ruark center, Paradigm sub, and a Samsung blu-ray. No rears. This used to be my main set up.

I recently moved and now have a living room with a newly purchased 40" Sony LCD TV, Comcast HD DVR, Atlantic Technology 3200 LCRs (not connected), 6" in-ceiling AT rear speakers (not installed), a GIANT AT sub, and a fancy new Samsung Blu-ray player. In the future, I will need to power a second zone of in-ceiling speakers. Problem is that I have no receiver or pre-pro/amp to power anything. I really have no idea what I am looking for but right now I do not have the money for another 990/7125 combo.

I have been looking at receivers even though I know that it will not sound as good as separates. It really comes down to money. I have been looking at the Onkyo TX-SR806 as a possibility. It seems to have lots of neat features that the others don't have and I can pick one up for less than $500.

Mostly I listen to music and am wondering if there isn't another option that would sound great and not cost an arm and a leg.

I know I am taking a chance on posting this in the 990 forum but I am a fan and wish that I could duplicate it upstairs.

Any thoughts or advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I don't have any experience with the TX-SR806, but it's been a pretty successful receiver and I've used the processor version of the TX-SR905 (one year older and one step up the product line). It will add several bells and whistles that the 990 lacks, which you may enjoy, but it won't be able to match the sonics of a 990/7125 combo - which I doubt comes as a surprise, considering the price difference ($500 for the 806 vs. $1600 for the 990/7125 or $1300 for the 990/7075). I suspect that at $500 the 806 will give you a nice "bang for your buck" solution, though.

Depending on your budget, you could also consider a 970/7075 combo ($1000) and give it a 30-day trial. If the Samsung blu-ray player has multichannel analog output, you could use the 970's analog bass management and DVI switching for a very nice setup.

Thanks for the reply Gonk. I appreciate the feedback.

I looked at the 970/7075 combo but thought I needed more bells and whistles. Truthfully, I have no idea how to use all of those bells and whistles but they seem necessary. The price does seem good for the combo but it's still double the Onkyo.

I am not sure what multichannel analog output is but I will check the blu-ray player today. It's a fairly new model with the ability to stream internet radio. It's pretty advanced so I would guess that it has all sorts of options.

The $500 price tag of the Onkyo is so appealing that it's difficult to focus on anything else. Would it be possible to use that for awhile and then use it as a preamp-processor later with the addition of an amp? Does that make sense? Is that even possible? If so, would that come close to the 990/7125 sound?

I apologize for what are probably very rudimentary questions to you guys but I just cannot keep up with all of the technological advances. I really miss the old days of hooking up my stereo to the TV and thinking I was cool. Not so much anymore.

I can't find specs on the 806, but it should have a 7.1 analog out. If it does, you can use it as a pre/pro with a seperate amp. This would probably improve the sonic performance considerably, but still might not match your 990.

The things that the 806 will add over the 970 are HDMI audio support, transcoding analog video to HDMI/DVI, and room correction. The first is convenient but not always necessary (I'll explain why in a minute). The second is all about convenience. The last can be useful, but not the magic cure that you sometimes see it described as.
Multichannel analog output is important for folks who don't have HDMI v1.1 or higher audio support on their receiver or processor. It allows the player to decode the new Blu-ray formats and output them in the analog domain. Look for a group of six or eight analog audio jacks labeled left, right, center, subwoofer, left/right surround, and left/right back surround. If it has those, you could use a processor like the 970 or 990 and still have access to the lossless audio formats available on Blu-ray.
The 806 does have pre-amp outputs, so it can be paired with a separate power amp. That will provide some benefits, as receiver power amps (at least reasonably priced ones) have some real limitations compared to a separate amp like the 7125. The analog section of the receiver is still important, though, and the 990 is still going to be superior to the 806. I found the 990 and 885 to be comparable, even with the 885 using Audyssey MultEQ room correction, and the 885 is comparable to the TX-SR905 (one step up from the 805 that preceded the 806). Again, though, there's a very real price difference there. The 806 frankly is a pretty good choice. It won't match the 990/7125, but that particular combo packs a lot of performance into the price tag - it's tough to equal it without paying a comparable price.

Gonk,

You are awesome! I belong to lots of other forums where, if you say anything that shows ignorance, you get jumped on. I appreciate being able to just say that I don't know something and not get kicked in the teeth.

I believe that because of my finances, I am going to compromise and buy the Onkyo for the time being. After the 997 comes out, I will wait for all of you guys to sell yours and pick up a used one! Clever, right? Or maybe next year I can get afford to get the 997. It sounds really sweet.

Thanks for the advice and education. Gonk, can I have your phone number for future reference? Just kidding. Even so, you truly are an amazing resource and are extremely knowledgeable. Thanks again.

My next post will be to tell everyone how the 806 sounds.

Glad to help - I suspect that the 806 will do a nice job for you.

mkomara,
You may want to check out http://www.circuitcity.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4123451&Sku=O22-1078 for info/specs on the 806. I hope this helps.