What influences your A/V receiver purchases the most?

[gene]

Hi all;

Just running a quick poll here to determine what helps you the most in your A/V purchasing decisions. Please feel free to comment including recent purchases and experiences on this site that helped to guide your decision.

I have a 3 meter Velocity Impact Acoustics HDMI cable I will give to a random member at the end of this poll when I close it down next month. You must respond to this thread to be eligible and you must be of USA residence (excluding Alaska). Thanks.

 

[Nomo]

I voted for the AH reviews. I've purchased Yamaha and Emotiva products based on them, and have yet to be disappointed.
Second would be member's comments, but as with many things; more times than not the negatives out weigh the positive simply because few people say anything unless they have a problem with something.

 

[GlocksRock]

Audioholics member feedback, since I have a feeling a lot of the member feedback stems from the audioholics reviews. I may or may not have bought my emotiva amp, and svs sub buy just the AH review, but all the positive things I read from the many members that have used the products was a bigger deciding factor, although getting the nitty gritty, and some additional specs from the AH review is always fun.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Audioholics forum member feedback -and- reviews get me started. I then take it home and decide if it works for me.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

Audioholics forum member feedback would be #1 but I base my decisions on any and all info. Which makes for a long painstaking process.

AH reviews hold varying weight for me depending on what type of product and who the reviewer is. For example, AH's receiver reviews hold a lot of weight where as speakers (being subjective of course) hold much less. I have got to know and like the reviewing styles of Clint, Tom and yourself Gene, but most of the quick short reviews from AH's other contributors that I don't know very well...well don't hold as much weight for me. Maybe in time as I get to know them better.

SBF1

 

[jamie2112]

Member feedback is my #1 influance. I also like the AH reviews,but members are my go to.

 

[audioholic212]

I am going through this process right now and my decisions are based probably 40 percent on AH reviews and 55 percent on member's suggestions and 5 percent somewhere else online.

Right now, it's a toss up between Denon 2809CI and Yamaha RX-V1900 (I know lot of people in here think it's an overkill for my budget).

 

[Hipnotic4]

Support threads/Members feed back are argublly very similiar..I would say those two hold the most value..

 

[Djizasse]

Members (useful) feedback is extremely valuable. It's my starting point.

 

[emorphien]

I said forum member feedback but my actual sources for that kind of info spread beyond audioholics.

 

[strube]

I always read professional reviews, but in the end, I prefer the AH forum feedback on the products before I make a final purchasing decision. By simply asking a specific question, I can get a wider breadth of information on a specific product feature than a professional review, and usually, if there are problems, members can also chime in on customer support.

I just today ordered an AVR based on personal experience with the brand, but moreover, the good experiences of others on the AH forum with the specific product.

 

[sawzalot]

AH forum feedback has turned my approach to HT completely around a lot of knowledge and excellent communication can contribute to one making a very informed decision My sincere thanks to all, Rob

 

[Davemcc]

I can't win the prize but I'll contribute anyway. I recognize that AH reviewers can't physically get their hands on every receiver on the market in order to do the comprehensive testing that AH does. As a rule, though, one can find a forum member that owns or has some experience with just about any product on the market. Most forum members are knowledgable enthusiasts that can provide valid opinions on the products under discussion, so I chose forum feedback as my answer.

 

[bandphan]

I can't win the prize but I'll contribute anyway. I recognize that AH reviewers can't physically get their hands on every receiver on the market in order to do the comprehensive testing that AH does. As a rule, though, one can find a forum member that owns or has some experience with just about any product on the market. Most forum members are knowledgable enthusiasts that can provide valid opinions on the products under discussion, so I chose forum feedback as my answer.

^^+1 agree whole heartedly...Most of my PK comes from mini ces's and factory reps, but if needed id rely on forum members in good standing for opinions..

 

[Lordoftherings]

Easy answer

Very easy answer. Audioholics reviews is the most determining factor, first in my decisions. Because of the expertises from your staff and yourself, Gene.

Performance vs Value (street price) and vs Features + Ergonomics.

Best example = Onkyo TX-SR 805 and also Onkyo TX-SR 876.

__________ Bob


Note: I own both. And the price that I paid, is out of this world!
----- Talk about Value, it's not only a steal, it's an absolute must buy.

 

[AndrewLyles]

Member feedback #1. If only because I know some one here has experience with what I'm looking at. There isn't always a review for every product I'm considering. Reviews are amazing for shortening the list, but a lot of times you run into folks who whittled it down to the same short list as you and it's nice to have some discussion about it.

 

[j_garcia]

Reviews have zero to do with my receiver purchases. I go and listen to them and try out the features. Then I buy the one that has the most things that I want/need. Just the way I am.

I do enjoy the AH reviews though, so that I have a good idea of what other models have and can do that mine cannot

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I pick AH Professional Review as #1 decision.

If a receiver does not get an excellent review, I won't even look at it.

 

[Alex2507]

Member feedback rules. I may not be buying up the world but all I need is a whiff of bad CS to completely dismiss a product. Bad CS isn't going to show up in a review. For instance I am aware that GG, Dave and Mike have had problems with 3 different manufacturers' CS departments. That's all I need to know.

 

[tomd51]

While I do find many of AH member's feedback to be very influential when it comes to AVR purchases, ultimately I've placed more weight on AH's professional reviews due to the technical nature that many of the reviews are able to go into.

It's close, but I'd have to give the nod to the AH reviews... -TD