Comparing 3 receivers

[Virgil]

ok folks, got a question to ask. I've been doing A LOT of reading online and have heard many different things about different receivers. Over time I've decided among three brands that I think should do nicely for the speakers I'm going to get.

NOW.....I know that this will require some generalizations and perhaps propagations of unfactual information. But I don't care. I just want to hear your opinion on these three receiver brands: what their tendencies are, what your experiences have been with them, are they reliable, etc. Not a treatise, just some opinions (ie, unabashedly tell me which you think are the best) Keep in mind specifically - will they sound good with floorstanding speakers that err on the 'bright' end and may require some good power.

MARANTZ
HARMON KARDON
PIONEER

All of these are for the models that are $500 or under.

Once again, don't be afraid to generalize or be less than scientific.

Peace

Wes

 

[chas_w]

I have the Pioneer VSX-1014tx and had it paired with the Athena AS-F2s. I found it to be a good combination for my room and ears. I did come across a thread on the AVS forum in which a couple people said they replaced their 1014's with Harman Kardons and the Athena's sounded even better with the HK.

 

[Virgil]

I am kinda leaning toward HK myself just cause people say they are mellower than others. Since I'm only gonna be getting 2 large front speakers, I would really like to get the HK-3480 (the stereo receiver), but it doesn't have S-Video, which is the only other thing I want in my receiver.

I have S-video on my DVD player and I need S-video on my receiver to get the upped picture quality (I would assume). Am I wrong?

Wes

 

[chas_w]

Does your TV not have an S-Video input?

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

MARANTZ
HARMON KARDON
PIONEER

You want generalizations? Here's what the "old school" of thought used to say about these brands.

Marantz: pancakes

Harman Kardon: butter

Pioneer: steak knife

Is this true for the newer entry level HT equipment? Probably not. But if you have a screaming set of old Cerwin Vegas or Klipsch Horns, know that the word "sibilance" or "radiant/sharp" could possibly play into your selection here.

 

[Virgil]

Yea my TV's got S-Video in, but I kind of assumed that I would have to route the S-video from my DVD through my reciever and then into my TV (if that's even possible; I don't know, I've never owned a reciever before, I'm upgrading this system from a $200 boombox purchased in 1997)

And as for the reciever models: I like pancakes, but I like butter on them too. And a steak knife is kind of necessary, especially if you can't cook very well (like me) and your meat is tough. To be honest, the culinary comparisons don't really help much.

peace

Wes

 

[Takeereasy]

Under $500 = Pioneer for features and power. You can get a 1015 or 9100 for under $500 including taxes and shipping. The marantz 4500 is their under $500 receiver and it is a pretty good receiver, it just doesn't have the feature sets of the other companies, but, with less features comes less headaches and setup hassles. If you don't mind a refurb with a full warranty then Harman has a store on ebay. You could get a 535 for around $500 if you shop around for it.

My choice in your shoes would be: if you go new a Pioneer 9100 from Vanns for $499 including tax and shipping. Others have quoted much lower prices and said that they are from an authorized dealer but I went on Pioneer's site and couldn't find anyone authorized selling it cheaper than Vanns. Doesn't mean that there isn't someone authorized selling cheaper, just that I didn't see em. If you are willing to go refurbed then go to Harman's site and wait for a receiver to become available.

Yes you can run your s-video to the receiver and then to the TV. Not a problem at all.
Good luck with your purchase.

 

[Spiffyfast]

Here's the list of Pioneer authorized internet dealers.
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/article/two/0,,2076_4121_73813286,00.html

Electronics-Expo is selling the 9100 brand new for $391 plus shipping, amazing price, I might order mine today

 

[Takeereasy]

I don't see how you can beat that price. See I told you that there still could be a better price that I just didn't see. For about $420 shipped that is phenomenal. I was reading the specs and I don't know of anything that could touch this unit at that price if the specs are accurate.

 

[WndrBr3d]

I would go with the HK AVR435 that's only $580 @ OneCall.

It's 65wpc x 7, 80wpc x 2 with S-Video, Component and Composite inputs.

This would allow you great room for upgrade at an affordable price. It also has Pre-Outs for all seven channels.

Just my $0.02 for something that you may want in your price range.

 

[Shadow_Ferret]

You want generalizations? Here's what the "old school" of thought used to say about these brands.

Marantz: pancakes

Harman Kardon: butter

Pioneer: steak knife

Is this true for the newer entry level HT equipment? Probably not. But if you have a screaming set of old Cerwin Vegas or Klipsch Horns, know that the word "sibilance" or "radiant/sharp" could possibly play into your selection here.

Could you explain that so the rest of the class gets the analogies, please?

 

[Virgil]

yea i'd also like to hear the lowdown on the food anologies.

wonderbread, you mentioned the AVR435. Is it much better than the 335, or even the 235? I mean, yea the wattage is a little different in the specs, and its got a couple more features, but is it worth the extra $100-200 bucks I'd have to slap on the counter for it?

grace & peace

Wes

 

[korgoth]

id try to spend about 50 dollars more and go with either the marantz 8400, or a refurbished HK 630 on ebay, from harman audio. Its an older hk model but its a sweet deal at around 500, with the man. warranty.

i think you can get a b-stock elite 54tx for a little more than 500 too.http://www.unitedonlineshopping.com/pielvsrefcos.html

 

[MacManNM]

I agree the Marantz 8400 is the way to go. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the pioneer, but the amp is superior. Setup is easy, the remote is really nice, and the sound is terrific. It doesn't color the sound at all. The DAC's are of good quality, and general build quality is high. You can get one for $5-600 shipped if you look.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Could you explain that so the rest of the class gets the analogies, please?

Sorry, haven't been up to date on this thread.

Pancakes mean flat. A flat response means no coloration in the sound. No extra bass, no harsh highs. Just flat. High end audiophiles like flat response curves. Nothing to hinder the original recordings. Denon's "pure direct" setting would be as close to flat as you can get.

Butter means smooth. The sound just rolls with you. One note gels with the next. Almost a passionate way of listening to music. Some classical music can be classified as buttery.

A steak knife is that hard, punchy music that really gets you going. Sibilant highs. Pounding bass. The beginning of AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Knight Long" would sound best with this type of amp. This type of sound works great with home theater. T2, The Haunting, and many DTS ES movies work well here. Think of the Klipsch RF-7 to produce this type of response.

 

[PENG]

In that case, Denon is pancake too. My 3805, while quite transparent, is unexciting compared to my Ex Sony DA4ES. Not that the Sony is totally steak knife (based on your definition) as many seem to think they are, but it did seem like more able to "get you going" as BuckeyFan1 puts it. I like my pancake, but sometimes I miss my slightly worn steak knife (yes, I mean Sony).

I also felt the Marantz are generally neutral sounding, but can be unexciting like the Denon. As for Harman Kardon, I listened to the 225, 525, 430, 630, 7200 many times, mostly with Polk Audio RTi8,10 and LSI speakers. I just don't find them all that butterly or warm. From browsing through forums, I know many reported that they are warm sounding, but to me they also sound very neutral. I don't understand why, and I know I don't have much hearing loss, yet. I have not listened to any Pioneer models lately, but I heard they use MOSFETs, and MOSFETs supposedly tend to give "warm" sounds, whatever that means.

 

[El Toro]

I think that I would try to get a Denon AVR-1905 or 1906. They both are 7.1 capable, have around 80W @ 8ohms, and both offer video upconversion and either multi room use or multisource. Both are close to your price range and can probably be had for right at or below your range. I would probably have to lean more toward the Marantz or HK when given a choice with those brands.