Best value for 9.2 avr right now

[Foxrox]

Marantz 6011 for $999.

I'm not telling, I'm asking. Is this a fair/good/great deal? Anyone up on current offerings, please let me in on your knowledge. This price blows Yamaha 2060 and Denon 4300 out of the water, although it is a less powerful unit. There seems to be widely varying opinions about how much that matters. Any other good options? Thanks!

 

[Foxrox]

Wow... Best Buy has it for $840 on clearance, but only in-store. To bad I live in the middle of nowhere!

 

[Audiosaur]

Call IQ Home Entertainment. I paid $750 for a new AVR-X4300H a couple days ago. Hopefully it's still on sale for you. Unquestionably the best deal going

 

[3rdeye]

Call IQ Home Entertainment. I paid $750 for a new AVR-X4300H a couple days ago. Hopefully it's still on sale for you. Unquestionably the best deal going

This is like the 4th time in two days that I've read about this AVR. Could you help me understand what's so good about this AVR? I'm new to this.

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[Foxrox]

Yes, that was quite a find! Congrats! They have it listed at $1500 and no one answered the phone, but it is Saturday morning. I'll try again later.

3rdeye. There's mother particularly special about the 4300. It's just a well-reviewed, mid-high end Denon which means it will almost undoubtedly be a great performer. At $750 it would be a steal. At $1500, It has some stout competition.

 

[Audiosaur]

The 4300 certainly isn't for everyone. For that price, it was exactly what I was looking for to upgrade from my pioneer elite 501. 9ch amped (11 processed); full pre-outs, allowing for future amplification; Audysey EQ; decent power output; solid components.

What really convinced me to look to the Denon was a semi-scientific listening test I did in BB Magnolia, pitting the 4300 against an equivalent AVR I was considering. I set both to Pure Direct mode and, using an SPL meter and pink noise from my Hsu test disk, adjusted the gain of both to 70db at the LP. Using the same speaker in 2-ch, I listened to the same 4 samples on each (female voices and very demanding classical pieces) and picked out the Denon three times out of the 4 for clarity. The fourth was indeterminate - a tie. The Magnolia guy randomly switched AVRs between samples so it was blind to me but not a double blind test. It was enough to convince me.

 

[3rdeye]

Yes, that was quite a find! Congrats! They have it listed at $1500 and no one answered the phone, but it is Saturday morning. I'll try again later.

3rdeye. There's mother particularly special about the 4300. It's just a well-reviewed, mid-high end Denon which means it will almost undoubtedly be a great performer. At $750 it would be a steal. At $1500, It has some stout competition.

Thanks. I have seen it touted so highly here that I'd get it for that alone. I'm new to this so chances are my purchase will be off of a referral. I saw it was reviewed at AH. Are there any other decent outlets that give good reviews or do people tend to rely solely on AH?

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[3rdeye]

The 4300 certainly isn't for everyone. For that price, it was exactly what I was looking for to upgrade from my pioneer elite 501. 9ch amped (11 processed); full pre-outs, allowing for future amplification; Audysey EQ; decent power output; solid components.

What really convinced me to look to the Denon was a semi-scientific listening test I did in BB Magnolia, pitting the 4300 against an equivalent AVR I was considering. I set both to Pure Direct mode and, using an SPL meter and pink noise from my Hsu test disk, adjusted the gain of both to 70db at the LP. Using the same speaker in 2-ch, I listened to the same 4 samples on each (female voices and very demanding classical pieces) and picked out the Denon three times out of the 4 for clarity. The fourth was indeterminate - a tie. The Magnolia guy randomly switched AVRs between samples so it was blind to me but not a double blind test. It was enough to convince me.

I don't know how to use that equipment. That's a very thorough process and I wish I was at that point. What are full preouts?

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[3rdeye]

Another question for you Audiosaur - did your test have both AVRs on the same set of speakers? Just wanted to verify how you assigned the performance difference to the AVR and not the speakers.

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[Audiosaur]

Another question for you Audiosaur - did your test have both AVRs on the same set of speakers? Just wanted to verify how you assigned the performance difference to the AVR and not the speakers.

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Same set of speakers. They were a Bowers & Wilkins... Don't remember the model.

 

[Audiosaur]

I don't know how to use that equipment. That's a very thorough process and I wish I was at that point. What are full preouts?

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

My SPL meter is nothing fancy - free app on my phone.

Pre-outs are outputs on higher end AVRs that allow you to bypass the AVR's internal amplifiers, sending the signal to an external amp you provide. Couple of benefits: potentially more power to any given channels and, because you aren't using the internal AVR amps, it's indigenous power isn't spread out so you get more available power to the remaining channels. Theoretically, offloading this power will extend the Life expectancy of the AVR.

 

[PENG]

Marantz 6011 for $999.

I'm not telling, I'm asking. Is this a fair/good/great deal? Anyone up on current offerings, please let me in on your knowledge. This price blows Yamaha 2060 and Denon 4300 out of the water, although it is a less powerful unit. There seems to be widely varying opinions about how much that matters. Any other good options? Thanks!

The X4300H fits in between the 6011 and 7011 in terms of specifications and lab measurement results of their earlier models. I like the Denon because it has the same DAC chip as the SR7011. That probably means the design/build of the unit might have been subject to a little less budget constraint than other D&M models that used a touch cheaper parts. In terms of sound quality, I will be willing to bet 2:1 in any sort of volume matched blind tests in pure direct mode.

For $999 (list price), the Denon AVR-X3400H may be a better alternative than the SR6011, based on specs and lab measurements of the X3300W.

 

[Pogre]

Thanks. I have seen it touted so highly here that I'd get it for that alone. I'm new to this so chances are my purchase will be off of a referral. I saw it was reviewed at AH. Are there any other decent outlets that give good reviews or do people tend to rely solely on AH?

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It's the flavor of the season right now. Denon just recently dropped the price and a lot of folks are running to get one. Happens every year when the new models are coming out. If I hadn't just bought a SR6011 ($899 W/3yr warranty) I'd be all over this. You asked about receivers at just the right time.

 

[Foxrox]

Okay so what price are people finding for the x4300h? Looks like there's quite a few on ebay new for $1099. Anyone find better deals? I'm not a pro shopper. I'm guessing many here know the right places to look for the best deals.

 

[Audiosaur]

Okay so what price are people finding for the x4300h? Looks like there's quite a few on ebay new for $1099. Anyone find better deals? I'm not a pro shopper. I'm guessing many here know the right places to look for the best deals.

Read this thread

 

[NINaudio]

Okay so what price are people finding for the x4300h? Looks like there's quite a few on ebay new for $1099. Anyone find better deals? I'm not a pro shopper. I'm guessing many here know the right places to look for the best deals.

IQ home entertainment is where people are finding it for $750 right now.

 

[Foxrox]

I just got a hold of IQ Home Entertainment and asked about the $750 price. The person I talked to was not aware of that. However, he did say the unit is going on a promotional sale starting tomorrow for $799. It should be on Amazon and everywhere else they sell. I am so glad I didn't pull the trigger yet!!! This is exactly the receiver I want at the price I want!

 

[GFOViedo]

Denon AVR-X4300H on sale for $799 right now. I just order one from Amazon.

 

[Pogre]

Denon AVR-X4300H on sale for $799 right now. I just order one from Amazon.

That's been spreading through the forum like a wildfire. 5 people have bought one already!

 

[Foxrox]

Yes I grabbed mine first thing when I woke up this morning. I didn't want them to run out!