What makes a receiver sound better than others??

[maximoiglesias]

Taking into consideration that power and THD are not what really makes a reciever sounds good, what is it that really makes a reciever sound better than others?
What "specific specification" should we look for? Latest model recievers never show real continuous power output anymore or give much information about specifications that really matters for good sound.

 

[rnatalli]

A $500 Yamaha, Onkyo, HK, and Denon will all sound 95% the same assuming all levels are matched and you conduct a DBT. A $1,500 receiver will probably sound better than a $500 receiver due to better DAC's, amp section, and generally higher-quality components. Bottom line, concentrate on speakers as they impact sound the most.

 

[AdrianMills]

I've yet to read of anyone that can tell the difference in sound between any two receivers in a blind test no matter what the price difference. This is assuming that any EQ, parameteric or otherwise is turned off, they are level matched and they aren't clipping.

People should choose receivers based on power requirements and features.

 

[Adam]

"What makes a reciever sound better than other??"

The sticker with the brand name on it, silly.

 

[chadnliz]

Every Cap, Resistor, DAC, Power supply, attention to where parts are located to reduce electrical noise and on and on and on are built to a specific standard and tolerance when better ones are used it all adds up in the end to an all around better unit. While for the most part I agree that movies can be well done on many units at a surprisingly budget amount it is music listening where the differences are not subtle maybe due to the more focused nature of music vs a movie.where there is more going on. Many times a reciever is a reciever, is a reciever so many do sound very similar but in seperates it all changes, Lexicon sound better than Rotel, but Anthem better than both but these are generally paired with higher end amps, better speakers and other gear and associated items so ofcourse its gonna be a entire different animal.

 

[Josuah]

I've yet to read of anyone that can tell the difference in sound between any two receivers in a blind test no matter what the price difference.

I've used my wife (and sometimes others) in single-blind tests and they can hear a difference in DACs. I can also measure differences in the audible band between DAC implementations on my oscilloscope.

 

[zhimbo]

I've used my wife (and sometimes others) in single-blind tests and they can hear a difference in DACs. I can also measure differences in the audible band between DAC implementations on my oscilloscope.

Are these DACs that are actually in use in commercial recievers?

 

[Bluesmoke]

There has to be some differences. HK and Marantz receivers tend to have a warner, more rounded sound than most.

 

[tn001d]

Monster cable will always make the sounds better

 

[mtrycrafts]

"What makes a reciever sound better than other??"

The sticker with the brand name on it, silly.

And, like in that recent wine DBt testing, the price does as well when that is all that is known about the product/component

 

[mtrycrafts]

... HK and Marantz receivers tend to have a warner, more rounded sound than most.

Urban audio legends, nothing more.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Monster cable will always make the sounds better

Yes, you'll get a monster of a sound out of them

 

[mtrycrafts]

I've used my wife (and sometimes others) in single-blind tests and they can hear a difference in DACs. I can also measure differences in the audible band between DAC implementations on my oscilloscope.

Next time do it DBT and levels accurately matched with some statistical analysis thrown into the mix.

 

[davo]

What "specific specification" should we look for?

I suppose if they ever figure out how to measure colouration and degredation in sound due to the recording process, digital processing, amplification quality, connectivity of components/speakers, and the speakers themselves, for your specific setup, - then that's the spec you should go for.

!

 

[AdrianMills]

Many times a reciever is a reciever, is a reciever so many do sound very similar but in seperates it all changes, Lexicon sound better than Rotel, but Anthem better than both but these are generally paired with higher end amps, better speakers and other gear and associated items so ofcourse its gonna be a entire different animal.

This has shown be be patently false so many times now I've lost track of all the DBT that have been performed.

I have one caveat; on the high end forum on AVS I've seen technical people that I respect refer to valid tests of external DACs that have shown a subtle but audible difference. Of course it's debatable how audible those differences would be during normal listening.

 

[maximoiglesias]

audio legends.....

Urban audio legends, nothing more.

I agree, a lot of people rely on brands and brand fame. In order for you to know if a reciever sounds "warmer" or better than other you got to have these recievers in your listening room for some time using the same speakers and sound source.

Even cables dont make such a great audible difference.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

What "specific specification" should we look for?

Technically speaking, you want lower THD (0.5% is better than 5%) & crosstalk (-70dB is better than -20dB), higher SNR (80dB is better than 40dB), flatter frequency response (20Hz-20kHz +/-0.5dB is better than +/-5dB), and good power output (100 watts @ 8 ohms/ 150 watts into 4 ohms is better than 50 watts @ 8 ohm/ SHUT OFF @ 4 ohms).

Probably the most important is the true power handling. If your speakers has a minium impedance of 3 ohms, you probably should get an amp that is rated for 4 ohms or lower.

As far as THD, crosstalk, SNR, & Freq. Resp., even a $300 Onkyo can have better numbers/specs than some $3,000 pre-pros! So we can usually throw these numbers out the window.

The 2 areas that separates a $300 receiver from a $3,000 receiver include 1) features 2) build quality.

Most people don't plan on keeping their receivers for more than 5 years because we have "upgraditis", so the build quality is not so important. So the primary difference is the features. Do you need a Silicon Optix Realta video chip? Do you need 6 HDMI inputs?

As mentioned already, when you compare 2 receivers or pre-pros or preamps/amps, as long as everything else is equal (source, playback modes, volume, etc.), you will most likely get very similar sounds.

Now in my experience, some preamps/amps may have "slightly" warmer or brighter sounds, and I emphasize the word "slightly". It's rather subjective, but some of us think that we can hear it.

Oh, I forgot. Some of us are just plain crazy and buy things because of factors like aesthetics and so-called "pride of ownership". It's pure personal preferences and madness.

 

[Seth=L]

There has to be some differences. HK and Marantz receivers tend to have a warner, more rounded sound than most.

No they don't.

 

[croseiv]

SQ wise, I've been hard pressed to tell any difference using Onkyo (1), Sony (1) or Pioneer(3) receivers (all with my present RT7 mains) once I got them properly set up. However, I can tell you that my current receiver will play louder than any of the previous ones I had (120 w/c vs 100 w/c or less (lowest=60 w/c) with the others)). Adding a good subwoofer, and changing my speaker placement with proper calibration has by far had the most pronounced (good) effect on SQ in my setup. Generally, any difference in similarly priced receivers is probably due to differences in the way the are set up (bass/treble settings). I run my system with bass and treble adjusted to 0 (flat).

 

[maximoiglesias]

So I am happy

with my Pioneer VSX-516 which has all the correct specifications and all the features that I need and use.
No HDMI?? I connect my DVD player HDMI direct to the TV and use my optical cable for audio.
But most important is that it sounds great in my small music room, when I upgrade my fronts to Klipsch RF-52 sound will change for the better.

Technically speaking, you want lower THD (0.5% is better than 5%) & crosstalk (-70dB is better than -20dB), higher SNR (80dB is better than 40dB), flatter frequency response (20Hz-20kHz +/-0.5dB is better than +/-5dB), and good power output (100 watts @ 8 ohms/ 150 watts into 4 ohms is better than 50 watts @ 8 ohm/ SHUT OFF @ 4 ohms).

Probably the most important is the true power handling. If your speakers has a minium impedance of 3 ohms, you probably should get an amp that is rated for 4 ohms or lower.

As far as THD, crosstalk, SNR, & Freq. Resp., even a $300 Onkyo can have better numbers/specs than some $3,000 pre-pros! So we can usually throw these numbers out the window.

The 2 areas that separates a $300 receiver from a $3,000 receiver include 1) features 2) build quality.

Most people don't plan on keeping their receivers for more than 5 years because we have "upgraditis", so the build quality is not so important. So the primary difference is the features. Do you need a Silicon Optix Realta video chip? Do you need 6 HDMI inputs?

As mentioned already, when you compare 2 receivers or pre-pros or preamps/amps, as long as everything else is equal (source, playback modes, volume, etc.), you will most likely get very similar sounds.

Now in my experience, some preamps/amps may have "slightly" warmer or brighter sounds, and I emphasize the word "slightly". It's rather subjective, but some of us think that we can hear it.

Oh, I forgot. Some of us are just plain crazy and buy things because of factors like aesthetics and so-called "pride of ownership". It's pure personal preferences and madness.