Overwhelmed with choices on AV receiver.

[PDXReds1990]

I came to this forum due to my recent obsession with finally putting together a real stereo package. I thought you fine folks might be able to help me pair down choices on an av receiver. The only component I have bought so far is a pair of Polk Tsi-500's.

The most important part of this equation is I am starting on the lower end of the spectrum for now. I don't wanna jump in on a high end receiver that I don't truly understand yet and won't necessarily appreciate the same way. That said, I also don't wanna come in the total ground floor. I am looking at the $350-$400 range. I have seen a Denon AVR-E400 for $350.00. All be it, I don't plan on using this for video at all, I do want the connectivity and usb functions. Also, I was considering stepping slightly down to a Yamaha Rx-V477. I am more concerned with quality of sound than the ability of loudness.

Am I on track or are there better AV's for the $?

Thanks

 

[GIEGAR]

Hi PDX, welcome to the forum.

The primary (or only) determinate of sound quality in a modern AVR is the implementation of it's built-in auto EQ system. In my opinion the leading auto EQ system available in a consumer level AVR today is Audyssey MultEQ. So my advice is almost always: get yourself as far up the Audyssey food chain as you reasonably can within your budget. The best way to do this is usually with a refurbished Denon.

On Accessories4less, there's a cluster of Denons in your price range, but unless you really need a particular feature in a newer model, there's little to be gained by spending more than $350 on this: Denon AVR-X2000.

Good luck!

 

[PDXReds1990]

That's great advice, thanks! Makes sense that EQ would be a huge factor in the quality of sound if most of the units are pushin similar power.

Thanks for the welcome and the suggestion.

 

[MJ5ELRB]

quite behind the times with all this AV vs just a receiver/amp stuff. now i'm in the market to upgrade.


i plan on getting 2.0/2.1 speakers at first and may add another pair later.


i will use the unit mainly at first for these funcions:

--will make use of Pandora
--connect a XBox 360
--connect a sony blu-ray (its old its not 3d) but i will upgrade
--connect a old sony cd changer. (not used much as many of my cd's/dvd's have been copied over
to a synology media server)
--playing my music collection from networked synology media server: mp3, flac, wav
--will be adding a Samsung UN55HU8550 55-Inch Smart LED TV or something similar soon.
--i don't have apple products at home so is Airplay important? android phones & tablet here.


these are the AV's i'm looking at and the speaker pair:

Yamaha RX-V675 @400.00 +4K Video Upscaling
Yamaha RX-v677 @600.00 +4K Video Upscaling "many complaints on amazon with this unit"

Denon AVR-S900W @600.00 +Audyssey +4K Video Upscaling


Polk RTiA7 @500.00 ea

this forum strongly suggests the "audyssey eq system" so from that i should stick with Deno, yes?

any suggestions, pros or cons with these?


edit: @GIEGAR you linked the avr-x2000. that unit does as much as the "new" avr-s900w would, yes?

 

[GIEGAR]

edit: @GIEGAR you linked the avr-x2000. that unit does as much as the "new" avr-s900w would, yes?

I'd favour the X2000 for it's superior version of Audyssey (MultEQ XT vs regular MultEQ), unless there's a feature on the S900W you must have. The main thing missing on the X2000 would be built-in WiFi and Bluetooth, but you'd have to go through the product sheets carefully to see if there's anything else you need. 4K upscaling shouldn't be a consideration. That's generally best left to the 4K display.

Polk RTiA7 @500.00 ea

Building a system over time is a very good strategy, but I wouldn't start with a pair of floorstanding speakers. Start with a 2.1 system comprising a good quality pair of bookshelf speakers (that can be moved to surround duty later if required) and a capable sub.

Polk would not be my first choice. I and others could recommend several $900 - $1200 2.1 combos that would pull the Polks pants down... but you should start your own thread for that.

 

[MJ5ELRB]

I'd favour the X2000 for it's superior version of Audyssey (MultEQ XT vs regular MultEQ), unless there's a feature on the S900W you must have. The main thing missing on the X2000 would be built-in WiFi and Bluetooth, but you'd have to go through the product sheets carefully to see if there's anything else you need. 4K upscaling shouldn't be a consideration. That's generally best left to the 4K display.

appreciate the education regarding the 4k upscaling. i certainly didn't realize. my new tv can take care of that then.

bluetooth doesn't really interest me--it hasn't in all these years. built-in wifi, maybe, but i could add an accessory for that i guess if i found i needed it, yes?

Polk would not be my first choice. I and others could recommend several $900 - $1200 2.1 combos that would pull the Polks pants down... but you should start your own thread for that.

again, thanks for opening me mind about the speakers. then i'll start a thread on bookshelf speakers

 

[PDXReds1990]

GIegar, thanks for the advice again. I purchased the Denon AVR-X2000 today and highly looking forward to it. I had a chance to head down to Best Buy and sample the AVR-X2100 (which I assume is this years release of the same model). Exactly what I was looking for. I think it will power my Polk towers with some great sound. Cheers mate.

 

[GIEGAR]

No worries, glad I could help! That setup should give you many hours of enjoyment. The X2000 is a very good buy (and yes, the X2100 is this years version).

When the upgrade bug bites, your next move should be a good quality/high value sub. A capable sub will add an underlying fullness of tone to your music and also take some load off the X2000's amps. The Polks will also be loving life and will play louder, cleaner.

Happy listening!

 

[MJ5ELRB]

i'm gonna get the x2000 from accessories4less too. it has more than enough for me and a good entry price point.

it comes with a 1yr warranty. as general rule, is spending the extra 28.00 for 2yrs worth it on such equip?