Time for an Upgrade!

[Greg Douglas]

I have loved my Yamaha RX-V870, a Pro Logic receiver I picked up around 1994 and have thoroughly enjoyed ever since. (I haven't met anyone yet with a newer home setup that outperforms my vintage gear. -not that I have a ton of friends "into this stuff" like I am.)

Unfortunately, it can't handle all the digital output from Blu-rays and HDMI connectivity would be nice to integrate (versus running direct from Blu-ray player to my projector.)

I think I have it narrowed down to the Marantz SR7007 and the Yamaha RX-A2020. I had the Onkyo TX-NR818 on my list, but have heard of a lot of build quality problems making me worry about product longevity...

Any suggestions or experience in this sort of feature/price point would be appreciated. It will be feeding my existing 5.2 (well, what will be a 5.2 setup after the upgrade) of Polk Audio Classic Series II satellites as well as a Mirage 10" and a SS 8" sub.

Mainly used for action movies (Iron Man, Fast Five, Master & Commander, etc.) and a fair bit of concert Blu-ray content (Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Metallica - lots of rock, as well as Norah Jones and my wife's faves - Michael Buble, Jason Mraz, Adele, Elton John, Phil Collins.)

Speaker upgrades are probably on the horizon, but things sound pretty damn good right now so looking initially to change only the receiver just to see exactly what changes the digital lossless feeds bring me before making any other exchanges....

Anyway - there is a great deal on right now for the Yamaha & Marantz gear, but any other recommendations at this price & feature set points are welcomed. Thanks all!

 

[Send Margaritas]

I don't think you can go wrong with the A2020. I have two A2010(s) and I love them, so I could be biased.

 

[Omar Leon]

I have the RX-A2000 and absolutely love it. I watch a lot of movies and this thing powers my speakers effortlessly.

 

[panteragstk]

In all honesty those are two great receivers. For me it would boil down to which one has the features I had to have and, of course, price. Yamaha makes a fantastic product, but I've heard (no fist hand experience) that the YAPO isn't as good of a RC suite as Audyssey. IMHO, my trusty SPL meter has never failed me, but RC has "fixed" a few things for me. Having said all that, I've also heard the NEWER YAPO is pretty darn good. Yamaha also has a great reputation for building a rock solid product, so I'd have no problem buying any of their products.

 

[Omar Leon]

I personally like YPAO and it did an awesome job with my 7.1 system. THe Aventage is definitely a solidly built receiver. When it comes to sound quality I think the Yamaha just has a crispier and clearer sound than the Denon. All sound is subjective but my vote is Yammie(Aventage series)