Recommendations for new A/V receiver?

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doitmyself

doitmyself

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It's been 12 years since I bought my last A/V receiver and I need help getting up to speed to purchase a new one.

I have the modest (but competent) Energy Take Classic 5.1 speakers with an older 10" Energy sub in a small room. My needs are minimal (no gaming, etc.). Needless to say, I am frugal and am looking for a very modest receiver, probably the 2nd. from the lowest entry level model from any mfg..

Years ago, I thought Yamaha, Denon, and Onkyo were the best (for MY needs). Comments?

Can anyone offer any help getting a solid 5.1 receiver to drive these speakers/LCD TV/DVD? I'm looking for good performance and reliability....bells and whistles don't matter. A web search results in similar answers to the "best oil" syndrome. Thanks!
 
doitmyself said:
It's been 12 years since I bought my last A/V receiver and I need help getting up to speed to purchase a new one.

I have the modest (but competent) Energy Take Classic 5.1 speakers with an older 10" Energy sub in a small room. My needs are minimal (no gaming, etc.). Needless to say, I am frugal and am looking for a very modest receiver, probably the 2nd. from the lowest entry level model from any mfg..

Years ago, I thought Yamaha, Denon, and Onkyo were the best (for MY needs). Comments?

This is for home theatre correct, or is it a car system. I can definately try to help steer you in the right diretion. First let me ask are you pretty much looking only to buy brand new and not used.that will help narrow things down. Also if you have a 5.1 speaker system, could you either post the wattage/and amp. and resistance requirements. Or just take a picture of the back of the speaker with the sticker with the info on it. Just one pic for each type of speaker, for instance in they are all the same speaker except the center and the sub, just post one pic of the sticker from the 4 speakers are the same, and one pic of the sub's sticker, and if you have a center speaker one of that as well, and then i can help direct you to something that meets the exact power and ohm/resistance rating. Before i was disabled i was manager of radioshack store and dealt lots with audio so hopefully ill be able to help. If its car audio and you cant take pics than the model numbers would help.
Click to expand...
 
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I prefer older equipment (60s and 70s vintage). It`s true power,and it`s made light years better than all the mass-fi junk that Best Buy,etc sells. I`ve got my dvr/tv/blu ray/dvd going through a late 70s Realistic STA-2300 (120Wx2),2 Pioneer dynamic processors,an Audiosource EQ1,and a pair of EV horn loaded speakers. I can rattle the windows on the next block over :^) One day I hope to have a McIntosh vacuum tube setup.
 
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You can get good deals on factory refurbished Harmon Kardon's on ebay. Think the seller is Harmon Audio(actual manufacturer)

I have a H/K 247 that I like, that model is a bit picky but I like it.
 
The Marantz SR5005 is a nice unit for the money. They're about $700-800 these days. However, if you've got a 12 year old a/v receiver, chances are that any reasonably new unit from a known manufacturer is going to provide better quality sound if you're into newer home theater formats like BluRay.

The lower end HK stuff isn't bad and quite a bit cheaper. You'll still have lots of creature comforts, but their quality/longevity leaves a lot to be desired these days. About 5 years ago, I had 2 of their flagship A/V receivers fail within months of purchase. I ultimately ended up buying an Outlaw Audio 990 which I'm still using to this day.

Best,
 
Avoid HK - they have an Ebay shop just to sell returns and refurbs- my experience was horrible with them. (except CS)

Yamaha and Onkyo (Onki slightly "higher" in level than Yamaha, I think) would give you most bang for the buck. They're VERY decent, but not really high end.

Step up from Onkyo would be Integra (Onkyo's higher level brand), Marantz and Denon. I personally like Marantz's sound signature better, but I only have 2-ch. experience.

NAD will have less features for the $$, but sound quality would be superior to the mentioned brands, and would cater to musicality as well, which a lot of A/V receivers ignore these days, favoring more power and gimmicks.
 
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All of my HiFi/surround is old-Fi separates. I can still fix it when it breaks. I suspect many of the newer receivers are using switching PS's to save weight & space, particularly at low & mid-Fi levels.

Years ago, Yamaha, Denon & Onkyo did make good stuff, along with Sherwood, NAD, & others. Don't have a clue nowadays though. So much has changed and most consumer-fi is built as cheaply as possible and as light as possible to meet a price point. Emphasis is on bells, whistles, flashy displays, etc.

If a hifi repair shop still exists in your area, you might find a good deal on used there. Or they could tell you which brands they work on most often.

Good luck!
 
second what 97tbird said.

I'm a 2 channel man for all these years, and been through most mid-fi and some tube amps all these decades. I second that NAD or Rotel (if you can find those 80s or early 90s cheaply then yeah) would be a decent bet. I tried to get hold of a couple of Carver amps (just so that I can rip them apart and see what so "special" about them)but was outbid on ePrey.

My other main solid-state amp right now is a standard class-B transistor based Rotel RA-810 which is modified to give greater depth and ambience, and also flat response up to 30kHz. It handles about 80% of the music materials right with 20% being a bit too harsh to my ears. Those 20% should be handled by tube based amps, IMHO.

NAD is another good bet.

I've also listened to many late 70s til mid 80s Marantz but my mental recollection of their sonic signatures is vague. Perhaps that's how they sound to me at the first place (most of my uncles back then used Marantz).

For long listening pleasure (without fatique) and also proper rendition, I still prefer a decently built tube amps any given day than a poorly built solid state amp.

Q.
 
While these are some honorable mentions, I think you guys are overshooting the OP's requirements:

Quote:
Needless to say, I am frugal and am looking for a very modest receiver, probably the 2nd. from the lowest entry level model from any mfg..


You're recommending a Lexus/Mercedes where there is clearly a need for a Toyota or even Hyundai.


The the OP, I'd say just pick any Onkyo/Denon/Yamaha that's within your budget. For what you're looking to do with it, any of them will do fine and I doubt you'll notice any difference.
 
Thank you all. Even "just past" my mid-life crises stage, I don't think I can justify a tube amp/receiver to drive the the small satellite/sub system I described in my OP. Thank you Quattro Pete for bringing the thread back down to earth.

I fear much of the bells/whistles vs. quality argument is probably true. I have spent an hour or three googling and agree also with Pete that I probably won't be able to tell the difference with similar priced brands.

In my search, one "idea" re-surfaced in a recent thread, a holdover from years past....that Yamaha "tends" to be "brighter" than Denon and Onkyo. This "brightness" is o.k. with great speakers, but maybe not with the speakers I have?

Any opinions about this "brightness" idea? Because I read this, I am now biased to go with the Denon or Onkyo (but this could change 100 times).

Again, I tend to agree with what Quattro Pete said in general and will probably make my decision based on emotions (hard facts are non-existent....just like "best oil".

Thanks, and any more input is welcome!
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself

In my search, one "idea" re-surfaced in a recent thread, a holdover from years past....that Yamaha "tends" to be "brighter" than Denon and Onkyo. This "brightness" is o.k. with great speakers, but maybe not with the speakers I have?

I've read this about Yamaha, too, but don't have any personal experience with Yamaha to confirm or deny. And yes, this also needs to take particular speakers into account. Bright receiver + bright speakers = eventual ear fatigue. But brightness can be tamed to some extent with proper sound insulation/treatment, although that is sometimes easier said than done when you have to deal with WAF.

Would any of your local stores allow you to exchange receivers if you don't like how the first one sounds? Or maybe buy two to do some quick back to back comparison, and then return the one you don't like?
 
Thanks, guys. Here's what I have learned over the last few days googling and studying the AVS forum to bias my choice.

First, the sound of receivers, speakers, and accessories is VERY subjective, meaning any internet advice is a wash. Some people believe that each company's stuff has a "signature" sound, "warm to bright". Some believe that Yamaha and slightly less, Onkyo tend to be "bright". Marantz and Harman Kardon tend to be "warm". Denon is somewhere in the middle.

Based on a number of threads saying that the Denon 591 is a good match for the speakers I have ($ and sound), I am leaning towards it. It retails for $300, but was on sale recently for $199 at Fry's. I will wait until is goes on sale (maybe yearend model)and see what happens. I think Marantz and Harman Kardon might still be in the running, but I am not familiar with them much. Onkyo and Yamaha are trailing, for now.

Anyway, that's where I am at for now. My AV level is not enough to do the home demo thing, etc.. And, each brand has pros and cons, so one has to meet his own needs regarding that. Supposedly, the owner's manual for Denon is so terrible that one guy has set up his own site to offer a "translation".
 
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