Receiver suggestions?

Question

To all you audiophiles out there.. My old receiver, Pioneer VSK-817 has been taken away. I loved it or it suited my needs.

Just bought a Onkyo SR705, even with the new codecs, its still lacking. I cant get it to decode the DTS-HD or the Dolby TrueHD. Itll just say DTS or Dolby. Is that it? I have a PS3 hooked up with HDMI. The sound setting is bitstream, or should it be PCM? Just changed it. now it says PCM Multich HDMI. Sounds better. but am i actually getting the TrueHD decode?

Plus, i cant output video thru the HDMI to my monitor. im running a mac pro and a gateway 22" capable of 1080i. max resolution that is able to be outputted via the HDMI switch on my receiver is 1280x1024. Whats up with that?

Well.. thats the Onkyo SR705.. my other option is/was a Marantz SR5002. basically the same functions sans the HD codecs and 10w less power per channel. Should i go return the Onkyo and get the Marantz?

Answer 1

First off, I presume you're trying to output Dolby True HD or DTS Master Audio from a Blu-ray that is actually written with one or the other as a soundtrack option.  Several Blu-ray disc titles ONLY have PCM as a hi-def sound option, so you might double check the specs on the particular title you're trying to demo.  

Second, PS3 has initially had some problems with output of the hi-def audio codecs (Dolby and DTS) via HDMI.  Check to make sure that your system updates are entirely current.

Answer 2

Im assuming that the onkyo is cheaper than the marantz. Id probably go with that.  As far as the marantz being 10 watts louder. The 10 watts isn't enough to be audible, however marantz is generally more powerfull than most brands so it is probably more powerfull than the onkyo.