Long term reliability of $500 receivers

[ilnoca]

I've finally decided to take the plunge and buy my first decent AV receiver to go along with my HDTV and the speakers I'm building. It seems that all the major brands are making 7.1 receivers in my price range that have reasonable feature sets that, while not entirely future-proof, should still be adequate in five years or so (HDMI in/out, 1080p capable, Dolby EX, etc.).

I'm partial to the Yamaha RX-V 661 or HTR 6090 over similar models from other companies, but that's more for sentimental reasons than anything else. (My Dad's mid-life crisis hi-fi set had a Yamaha receiver to go along with some massive Ohm speakers, and I find myself wanting to re-create the joy of listening to music on a solid system for the first time.) While I'm pretty sure this is the start of a horribly expensive habit and that I will end up buying a more expensive receiver in a few years, I would like whatever I buy now to be usable as a secondary system five or ten years from now. Do any of the major Japanese manufacturers have reliability issues that I should be aware of or have any of you had any horrible experiences that make you shy away from some companies? Any input is greatly appreciated.

I'll make sure to search the forums before I post more questions, but I sense that I'll be pestering you all quite a bit...

Thanks, Sam

 

[gus6464]

I've finally decided to take the plunge and buy my first decent AV receiver to go along with my HDTV and the speakers I'm building. It seems that all the major brands are making 7.1 receivers in my price range that have reasonable feature sets that, while not entirely future-proof, should still be adequate in five years or so (HDMI in/out, 1080p capable, Dolby EX, etc.).

I'm partial to the Yamaha RX-V 661 or HTR 6090 over similar models from other companies, but that's more for sentimental reasons than anything else. (My Dad's mid-life crisis hi-fi set had a Yamaha receiver to go along with some massive Ohm speakers, and I find myself wanting to re-create the joy of listening to music on a solid system for the first time.) While I'm pretty sure this is the start of a horribly expensive habit and that I will end up buying a more expensive receiver in a few years, I would like whatever I buy now to be usable as a secondary system five or ten years from now. Do any of the major Japanese manufacturers have reliability issues that I should be aware of or have any of you had any horrible experiences that make you shy away from some companies? Any input is greatly appreciated.

I'll make sure to search the forums before I post more questions, but I sense that I'll be pestering you all quite a bit...

Thanks, Sam

I was using a 5 year old Sony STR-DE675 5.1 receiver until recently when my friend lend me his Yamaha HTR-6090 when he bought a new Denon. The Sony might be in a box right now but when we move in December I will definitely be setting it up in the bedroom. 5.1 is still sounds great and even though it was a lower end receiver when I got it (paid $299 at BB) it has been rock solid all these years and expect it to last many more.

 

[mike c]

granted todays receivers are all pretty hardy ... I doubt they have the same build quality as of old.

a yamaha receiver I bought august 2003 is still going strong. I also have some PC fans cooling the unit to make sure I extend the life of the "investment".

 

[skizzerflake]

I bought my first HT receiver back in the early 90's, a Pioneer, replaced it several years later with a Panasonic and with each upgrade I have moved those receivers to another purpose in another room involving daily use. Both continue to run. Unless you abuse or damage them and as long as they don't get hit by deadly voltages, they will often last a really long time.

 

[MDS]

The Onkyo TX-SV525 that I purchased in 1996 is currently in my brother-in-law's garage and still working flawlessly. If the receiver doesn't die in the first few months and you take reasonable care of it, it should continue working for a very long time.

 

[ilnoca]

Thanks everybody for the resurrance. I think I'll go ahead and buy one of the Yamahas pretty soon and make sure to put it through its paces as soon as it comes in.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

I went back to using a 15 year old, secondhand Carver integrated after my 2 month old Denon receiver started acting up. The Carver works flawlessly. Go figure.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I purchased a Yamaha AVR in 1991, abused it as much as possible then moved it to the garage in the crazy Texas heat, dust and humidity. It just wouldnt die. A few months ago I gave it to the neighbor kid and you can hear him cranking it to distortion on a daily basis (I also gave him my Klipsh speakers)

 

[zumbo]

I have an Onkyo from the early 90's. It was abused. Went into protection mode alot, but never failed. Works today. I use it in my shop.

I have a Yamaha now. Three or four years old. Loooooove it. No problems. If I were to buy today, It would be Yamaha or Denon.

I went back to using a 15 year old, secondhand Carver integrated after my 2 month old Denon receiver started acting up. The Carver works flawlessly. Go figure.

Or, I might just stick with Yamaha.

 

[gmichael]

That Yammie should last for many years.