a/v review

[topey]

<font color='#000000'>Spent countless hours reviewing a/v receivers. &nbsp;
Within my budget I have narrowed it down to a few candidates.
Denon AVR 1604
Yamaha HTR5650
Kenwood VR-7060

Need some help between these ones.
Any feedback on these models or possibly similiar models within the same price range would be greatly appreciated &nbsp;
I like these models for the high number of a/v inputs and high current amps that can drive 4, 6, 8 ohm speakers
atleast 3 digital inputs and 4 video (w/ s video switching)</font>

 

[austinbirdman]

<font color='#000000'>It would help if you can add a bit more info:

* What price-range do you want to spend?
* What size and kinds of speakers do you have now or hope to drive eventually with this receiver? If you know already whether the mains will be 4-ohm or 8-ohm, that's esp. important.
* Will you be using a powered sub?
* What size room will this be in?

There are apparently some power-clipping issues with that particular Yamaha at 4-ohms (not an issue if you're not ever going to drive 4-ohm speakers, many people don't). And it would not surprise me if the Kenwood had similar issues.

Answering the above questions -- especially the price range -- may yield some great suggestions for you.

Birdman</font>

 

[topey]

<font color='#000000'>Sorry here's some more details:

I'm looking to spend no more than $400US at the absolute most.
My current setup is as follows:
Have a Sony strde695 a/v receiver (which is going back!)
Athena Point 5 MKII speaker set (4 matched S.1 speakers and one center C.1)
In the future I'm going to buy the matching subwoofer from Athena, the ASP300. &nbsp;
for those of you that might not be familiar with these speakers or Athena.. check them out!

Athena website

My room is relatively small around 250 square feet
My intended usage is as follows:
50/50 split between home theatre and driving music via the audiotron digital mp3 player.
I'm running a B set of speakers to a living room upstairs that are rated 6ohms (very old Sony speakers)
I also would like to somehow run another pair of small outdoor 8ohm speakers outside at my deck off of the same B speaker switch. &nbsp;Haven't thought too much on how I can go about this kind of setup.. any feedback in that area would be great as well.
Hopefully this provides much more detail.. all suggestions are welcomed..
thanks all</font>

 

[austinbirdman]

<font color='#000000'>With that info, I'd look at the Denon 1804, which should easily meet your price point -- also the recent Harmon/Kardon's, either the AVRX30s or AVRX25s, which are very well liked. I own a Yamaha RV-1105, which I like, but I wouldn't recommend a Yamaha HTR line (or, today, my RV-1105, since discontinued) because of 1) the alleged power clipping issues on 4-ohms (should you decide to upgrade), 2) bass management. Not sure what it's like on the HTR series, but you will want really good bass management on your receiver, given the absence of low-end on your Athena mains. (That's kind of a silly point - even with great-bass floorstanders you'd want really good bass management.) If you wanted to purchase a Yamaha, I don't think they make sense right now until you step up to the RVX-1400 (and 2400), which have improved bass management plus some other great features making them stand-out and long-term performers. Problem is the lower-priced 1400 starts about $600 or more.

You might find this thread on the Axiom forum interesting, someone seeking advice on a similarly priced set of AV receivers: Axiom Thread: AV Receivers &lt; $400. (If for any reason that link doesn't work, just go to the forums on Axiom.com and do a search for 1804 and it'll come up.)

The link below at Etronics list some base online e-tail prices for the Harmon/Kardons and you can see the Denons there as well. Any of these receivers should meet your needs nicely -- the Denon 1604, 1804, 2803, H/K AVR 230, 330, 325, or 525. If it were me I'd spend a bit extra and get the H/K AVR 525 because it has received lots of praise from users on the Axiom forums. (Or save money at get the H/K 325.) I know the Denon 1604 indicates the bass management only goes down to 80 Hz. While this will be fine with your current speakers, it could be limiting in the future. You'd probably be better served by a receiver with more flexible bass management settings, which the H/K 525 and Denon 2803 have. Also, both of these receiver lines are said to have actual watts per channel outputs that match well with the levels advertised -- a bit of a controversy in the AV receiver world these days. (The Yamaha 1400 and 2400 score well here too.)

Bottom line: Spend more well now, regret less later.


Harmon/Kardon receivers listed on etronic.com.

Birdman</font>

 

[austinbirdman]

<font color='#000000'>PS - In that Axiom thread, I'd note in particular this post from their resident expert, Alan, where he recommends the H/K AVR 325 within your price range. Can't go wrong with Alan's advice. He's sort of a between-the-lines, audiophile kind of writer, meaning, what he's saying in this post is &quot;Get the 325.&quot;

Birdman</font>

 

[topey]

<font color='#000000'>Thanks for the great feedback.
I've been looking at the prices on etronic, but wonder how their service is? &nbsp;
Can anyone provide any feedback.
I'm in Toronto, Canada, and wonder how they deal with returns or defects on warranty items. &nbsp;Is that at our shipping cost?</font>

 

[Yamahaluver]

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austinbirdman : <font color='#000000'>recommend a Yamaha HTR line (or, today, my RV-1105, since discontinued) because of 1) the alleged power clipping issues on 4-ohms (should you decide to upgrade), 2)</font>

<font color='#0000FF'>Of all the receivers out there in the market, the Yamaha ones drive low impedance with ease and generaly come with heavier transformers than their competitors.</font>