Way over my head with receiver choices!

[Cygnus]

Hey all,

I'm looking at getting a new receiver, but I have no idea what to settle on.

I'm sort of steering away from the Denon's because I've heard that they aren't the most reliable right now.

With that in mind though, I've been looking at:

Denon AVR-2310 or AVR-2311
Onkyo TX-NR708 or TX-NR808
Marantz SR7002

The Denon's seem to have great feature sets, but I have heard a lot of horror stories, at least with the 3310 and 3311. I have also read of video lag over HDMI with these units. I've head that the Onkyo is not the greatest either, based off of some Amazon reviews for the 708 , and some for the 808. Then again, I wonder if those people really know what they're talking about?

As far as the Marantz goes, I'm leary of it because of new surround sound support. If I'm buying a receiver capable of decoding Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-MA etc, it should do it without flaws. I've read though that I should let the PS3 do it, which I don't see the point in myself. Reason being because apparently the SR7002 can't support Audessy, decoding, and whatever else it should do, at the same time. Plus it's an old model.

I honestly have no idea what I'm getting into here, and it's becoming a massive headache for me.

 

[jostenmeat]

As far as the Marantz goes, I'm leary of it because of new surround sound support. If I'm buying a receiver capable of decoding Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-MA etc, it should do it without flaws. I've read though that I should let the PS3 do it, which I don't see the point in myself. Reason being because apparently the SR7002 can't support Audessy, decoding, and whatever else it should do, at the same time. Plus it's an old model.

I honestly have no idea what I'm getting into here, and it's becoming a massive headache for me.

If that's how you feel, then cross Marantz off the list. Otherwise, you'd get everything except the logo as I've already explained to you before. You can't be toooo picky with your budget. Heck, I want XT32 + Audyssey DSX with minimum 9ch simultaneously, Dolby Volume, and other goodies, (like Pro capability, but I won't cross my fingers there) and I hope that one day that can be had for under $2,000. I don't even need the amps!

Because I desire the latest and greatest Audyssey suites, it pretty much narrows it down to only Denon and Onkyo for me. Onkyo seems to offer better feature sets for less money, but Denon has historically enjoyed the better reputation. But in all honesty, I would not worry about reliability issues with Denon, Onkyo, or Marantz for that matter. I'm on my second Onkyo, and the odds are extremely high that my next one will be Denon or Onkyo.

And it's not just Marantz that suffers "insufficient" processing, but perhaps other brands too, if model specific. If you only have a 5.1 system, well that matrixing processing power is not needed by you for instance. Perhaps you will despise Audyssey after trying it, like ADTG does, which again means that your needs for processing power aren't great.

Dunno what to say. I think my vote is to get the bare minimum feature set that you desire, and then see how quickly you can add something like a UPA7 for that $400 steal it's going for right now, or something . . .

 

[dapack69]

Most of the problems are user error on most models these days as you almost need a degree to operate them. The manuels don't show much for help and people ***** and don't do enough research when it does not work right, even thought its clear as day.

For example, the guy complaining about the Zone 2 on the Onkyo only working with analog, if he would have done the proper research he would have found out about that before the purchase.

The only problem I've had with Onkyo's is the heat they can produce, but I've been using an Antec Cooler and now there as cool as when they are off.

I'm not going to tell you to choose Onkyo over Denon or visa versa. The best thing to do is look at the feature sets and decide what is more important to you.

 

[GranteedEV]

I've read though that I should let the PS3 do it, which I don't see the point in myself. Reason being because apparently the SR7002 can't support Audessy, decoding, and whatever else it should do, at the same time.

Hmm? PS3 decoding advanced lossless codecs to PCM is digital.

It's basically

01101010 to 10101010101011010100111110 to Marantz to analogue + a little sign on the LED saying that it's Multi Channel 5.1 or what have you
or
01101010 to Marantz to 10101010101011010100111110 to analogue + a little sign on the LED saying that it's DTS Master Audio or what have you

Really, it's inconsequential - The ability to decode these codecs is only an issue for those people whose blu ray player can't decode these codecs. Since the PS3 can, and the PS3 isn't converting the audio signal to analogue; it's just unzipping it for the marantz to convert to analogue - there is absolutely ZERO effect on sound quality. So you can in fact get DTS Master Audio and Dolby True HD and apply Audessey to them at the cost of a little LED indication. If that's signficiant to you, I don't know what to say...

on that note, in your PS3 settings, you may have to turn off dynamic volume control but that's about it.

 

[Cygnus]

I the LED isn't really that big of a deal to me, and I am only running 5.1, and probably will be for the foreseeable future.

 

[3db]

You can always try Yamaha if you feel that stressed about the other brands. They released the new A series and seemed to have stepped back into the ball game again with solid amplifiers/power supplies similar to what they had 4 years ago. They also dp multipoint room correction in their YPAO.

 

[Cygnus]

I havent had very good luck with the Yamahas that i've used in the past, and i don't find them to be very asthetically pleasing for me anyways, but i may look into the A series anyways.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I'm sort of steering away from the Denon's because I've heard that they aren't the most reliable right now.

Who is saying this?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The fact is, any receiver can become defective regardless of brand/model/new/refurbish.

Just get a cheaper price refurbished:

http://www.ecost.com/prod/Electronics/Receivers/Denon+71+Channel+Home+Theater+Receiver+-+AVR2808CI/39372346.aspx?navid=155442295

http://www.ecost.com/prod/Electronics/Receivers/Denon+71+CH+AV+Home+Theater+Multi-SourceMulti-Zone+Receiver+-+AVR890/53205691.aspx?navid=155442295

 

[3db]

I havent had very good luck with the Yamahas that i've used in the past, and i don't find them to be very asthetically pleasing for me anyways, but i may look into the A series anyways.

Whcih models did you own in the past? What problems did you experience?

 

[rnatalli]

I personally like the Denon 23xx line, but Onkyo 7xx and up are great also.

 

[Cygnus]

Who is saying this?

Okay, it was only a one guy on Youtube. He was having an issue with his 3310 where it wouldn't save the quick select settings, and another was an issue with the picture flickering on his PS3.

I suppose that's one small case. Mind you, I got my first Denon and it wouldn't power up without immediately going into protect mode. Got it replaced with a second unit which has always been flawless, though the volume knob has gone in recent years. I'm sure I'd be just fine with the 2311 though.

 

[Cygnus]

Will the 2311 or TX-NR708 be difficult to get running after taking it out of the box? I've heard people say that newer receivers "won't give you any sound right out of the box", and that you have to go through a setup process before getting anywhere. Any truth to this? I'd just like to have the PS3 and receiver output 1080P resolution and the new surround sound formats for starters. Sorry for the stupid questions, but I'm entering a whole new ball game here.

 

[Cygnus]

I ordered a Denon AVR-3311CI

 

[swspiers]

Will the 2311 or TX-NR708 be difficult to get running after taking it out of the box? I've heard people say that newer receivers "won't give you any sound right out of the box", and that you have to go through a setup process before getting anywhere. Any truth to this? I'd just like to have the PS3 and receiver output 1080P resolution and the new surround sound formats for starters. Sorry for the stupid questions, but I'm entering a whole new ball game here.

The good news- you're going to love your new receiver.

the not-so-good-news, you're actually going to have to learn in order to make full use of it.

Honestly- you should be able to get it up and running fairly quickly. the set-up process is essential though- you have to tell it how many speakers you have, plug in your sources etc. etc. I had my Marantz sr7002 up and running in less than a half-hour. 3 weeks later and I'm still tweaking it, and probably should run Audyssey again.

So- yeah you can get sound fairly quickly. But you can get GREAT sound wilth a little bit of effort and patience...

Have fun!

 

[Cygnus]

The good news- you're going to love your new receiver.

the not-so-good-news, you're actually going to have to learn in order to make full use of it.

Honestly- you should be able to get it up and running fairly quickly. the set-up process is essential though- you have to tell it how many speakers you have, plug in your sources etc. etc. I had my Marantz sr7002 up and running in less than a half-hour. 3 weeks later and I'm still tweaking it, and probably should run Audyssey again.

So- yeah you can get sound fairly quickly. But you can get GREAT sound wilth a little bit of effort and patience...

Have fun!

I'm really excited! I think it'll be perfect for my needs, and I'm sure it'll last me a fairly long time. The setup and tweaking process is exciting for me; I'm looking forward to it!

 

[PENG]

I ordered a Denon AVR-3311CI

Excellent choice! I especially like the fact that Denon receivers tend to be very quiet, even the power supply transformer hum is minimal, quieter than many toroidal transformers.

I wasn't going to comment on your original choice between the 2311 and the 708. The 2311 would have been great but it has no preouts. The 708 is superior in terms of specs and features, but it seems Onkyo models have more owner reported issues than Denon on various forums and likely run warmer.

 

[Cygnus]

Excellent choice! I especially like the fact that Denon receivers tend to be very quiet, even the power supply transformer hum is minimal, quieter than many toroidal transformers.

I wasn't going to comment on your original choice between the 2311 and the 708. The 2311 would have been great but it has no preouts. The 708 is superior in terms of specs and features, but it seems Onkyo models have more owner reported issues than Denon on various forums and likely run warmer.

I have a question about my 1705. When I turn it on, my speakers have the faintest sort of hiss coming out of them. What's that? Is it normal? It's never really bothered me, because the output (music, movies, TV, whatever) is always louder than it, but I'm wondering what it is?

 

[tonedeaf]

I currently have the onk 807 and don't have heat issues so to speak.
Is it warm to the touch?Yes,but not egg fry temperatures
I really like the unit but like any other unit it has its little quirks.
Every 3 or 4 days it loses internet connection which an unplug and replug fixes.
Annoying but do-able.
Denon has issues with with its network cards.
Point being,ALL mass produced units will have bad batches here and there.
Hopefully,just a small percentage.Add UPS into the equation and you have raised your odds of getting a lemon.Quality training for UPS delivery men is learning the Olympic hammer throw.
Forums like these where people come for help are probably a very small cross section compared to units sold.
Folks with sweet running units don't need help and don't need to complain and therefore don't post.
Enjoy your unit,once you get it fired up let us know how you like it.
Enjoy your digital nirvana.

 

[Cygnus]

I currently have the onk 807 and don't have heat issues so to speak.
Is it warm to the touch?Yes,but not egg fry temperatures
I really like the unit but like any other unit it has its little quirks.
Every 3 or 4 days it loses internet connection which an unplug and replug fixes.
Annoying but do-able.
Denon has issues with with its network cards.
Point being,ALL mass produced units will have bad batches here and there.
Hopefully,just a small percentage.Add UPS into the equation and you have raised your odds of getting a lemon.Quality training for UPS delivery men is learning the Olympic hammer throw.
Forums like these where people come for help are probably a very small cross section compared to units sold.
Folks with sweet running units don't need help and don't need to complain and therefore don't post.
Enjoy your unit,once you get it fired up let us know how you like it.
Enjoy your digital nirvana.

I shall enjoy it! I agree that most people only write when they have something wrong with what they've bought. I'll be sure to write up a little review on the unit when I get it.