$400-800 receiver confusion....should I buy?

[mlb11]

Hello all:

Been studying your posts for sometime now and I have a question...I currently have a denon avr-2400 (now about 8 years old). It is great, but I was wondering if I would see a noticeable improvement in sound quality if I purchased a new receiver? Since my denon doesn't have onboard decoding, I use my dvd player to decode dolby digital and dts sound tracks and feed the signal through the 5-channel analog to the receiver. With a new receiver I could let it do the work of decoding and just send it a digital signal.

Receivers I have been looking at are:
denon 3805, now on sale for about $799
marantz 7500 - factory rebuilt for about $700
yamaha 2500 - $525
HK 635 - $650

Any help is more than appreciated! Thanks!

BTW, I have infinity beta speakers.

 

[j_garcia]

Is the Yammie refurb too? Out of those, I'd probably go with the Marantz 7500 first, unless the Yammie is new. You can get the 7500 for $669 at www.AC4L.com, but you can also get the 7400 NEW with the full 3 year warranty for $649 from them (though it is not THX select).

 

[mlb11]

Thanks for your advice!

Yes, the yamaha is a refurb (I think). Also, you suggested the marantz 7400 - I don't think it has the room setup feature the 7500 does (with mic), is this an important and useful feature?

Thanks!

 

[MacManNM]

I just bought the yammie, and I think it's the best deal out there. Don't be afraid of the refurb, in general the refurbs are better than new. They are thoroughly tested before leaving the repair facility, and the chances of getting a bad one are very slim. If you are worried, you can always get the additional warranty plan. But even at $508 (my total cost at ubid auction on now where I just got mine) and if you add another $50 for a warranty it’s a heck of a deal.

 

[corysmith01]

Really it just depends on your want for convenience. I don't know that you'll hear any sound difference. But, what you do gain is a receiver that can now act as your home theater "hub." Your 2800, if I saw correctly, doesn't have any component video ins/outs, is 5.1 vs. 7.1, limited pre-outs/optical outs, etc. It's only strike is that it's a little limited vs. newer receivers in terms of what it can do. It really just depends on your want/need to update to newer technology. Will your old one do it's job? Sure. But if you want to get something that handles everything out there, a new one may be the way to go. If you're not opposed to refurbs, there's a great deal on the 3805 over at ubid right now. It's $629. That's a steal. I bought my Marantz SR8400 from ubid and it's been nothing but perfect.

http://www.ubid.com/actn/opn/getpage.asp?AuctionId=10608859&refLoc=searchone

Heck, I'm half tempted to buy one myself and sell my Marantz...no real reason to change, but new toys are always fun.

 

[fergusonv]

I think all of the above are great choices. I recently picked up a Yamaha 2500 and have been very happy with it so far.

 

[j_garcia]

Yes, the yamaha is a refurb (I think). Also, you suggested the marantz 7400 - I don't think it has the room setup feature the 7500 does (with mic), is this an important and useful feature?

The 7400 does not have MRAC, you are correct. Is it important? Not sure. I always calibrate manually, but I could see it being a useful feature if you are not the kind to sit and tweak your equipment especially. So the feature is not important to me, but it may be to others. The 7500 also has an improved power supply over the 7400, and a few other things here and there.

I'd say, between the 2500, 7500 and 3805, you likely wouldn't go wrong with any of them. I'd compare specific features between the three and go with the one that suits you best.

 

[mlb11]

Thank you to everyone who has responded....I'm going to think about this a little more since currently I have everything hooked up to my 2400. If I eventually go the hd route, however, I'll need a digital audio hookup into the receiver, so an upgrade will definitely be in order.

I just thought I might still consider it now if I get an improvement in sound, and as some of you have pointed out - there are some great deals out there!

If you have any more suggestions please post.

Thanks!

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

The 7500 is a beautiful unit. Very "tall." Looks powerful, and sounded great with a full setup of Paradigms on my recent visit to Canada.

Does the 7500 have a PEQ and graphic EQ? They are handy to balance out difficult room modes. Some of the earlier Marantz units only had bass/treble controls - which isn't an issue if you're room is set up correctly.

I would have bought the 8500 or HK 7300 over the 3805 if price wasn't an issue, but the 3805 was $730 (B stock) and the 8500 and 7300 - almost twice that at the time. I can't say enough about Denon's customer service. It would be hard to purchase another brand after the backbending they've done. They are owned by D&M Holdings, which also owns Marantz.