Audiophyte Looking for an A/V Receiver

[Rip City Badger]

I'm a home theater newbie and looking to purchase my first A/V receiver. I have recently remodeled my basement and added a media room (roughly 14' x 13'). I have wired it for 5.1 sound, and will be connecting the receiver to the Harman Kardon KHTS 20 5.1 system.

I am selecting it from a rewards site through my company, so my choices are limited to what they have on hand. However, I think they have some good options available in my price range. They are (with approximate prices in parenthesis):

- Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A1000 ($645)
- Denon AVR-2311CI ($630)
- Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A800 ($495)
- Denon AVR-1911 ($420)
- Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A700 ($390)
- Yamaha RX-V667 ($375)

I'm looking for a quality receiver that will serve my needs not only today but in the future as well. I've researched reviews on all of these receivers, and all seem pretty positive. But it's hard for me to differentiate between them. I don't buy electronics all that often and don't want something I'm going to regret buying in 3 years. However, I also don't want to break the bank and buy too much more than I need. After all, I'm coming from never having owned a home theater system, so anything will be a significant upgrade.

Any help anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for the input.

 

[PHANofPHUNK]

Hands down, the Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A1000.

Thats a helluva price you can get it for. This will give you the option of upgrading your speakers if you ever wanted too.

My second choice is the denon 2311ci.

This is just my opinion.


Welcome to Audioholics too!

 

[Ban-One]

I'd say the Yamaha RXA1000 as well.

 

[AVRat]

Actually, with the HK Speakers, anything over the 667 is overkill and the Denons aren't really good deals since they can be found at simiar prices or lower.

 

[Rip City Badger]

Follow Up

Thanks, guys, for the quick responses and the insight. I'm glad to hear that if I go with the A1000, I'm getting a good bargain for the price. Part of me just wants to get the nicest receiver I can afford, as I'd like to have future functionality that I might not necessarily use today.

But I also know that receiver technology's changing pretty quickly these days and that the "next new thing" is right around the corner. AVRat's comment got me thinking about the balance between necessity vs. overkill. It sounds like the V667 would fit my current need pretty nicely. I chose the HK speaker system because it was a reputable brand, didn't break the bank, and was a big upgrade from hearing sound from my TV. I'm sure I'll want to upgrade the speakers after a few years or when I move.

So, as someone new to the game, I'd guess I'd like to ask what key functionality I'm losing out on (something that I might want to use now or down the road) by buying the V667? I've looked through the specs on both, and I'm sure it's like comparing a Ferrari and a Toyota. But I'm not well-versed enough in this game to understand most of it.

Thanks again for the help.