denon avr 1906 Vs Yamaha Dolby HTR5960B

[ltworf13]

trying to decide on which one to go with. Any help would be great.. I've slowly built up my system. All I need now is my towers and a good receiver.



next is either the Athena Floor Speakers (AS-F1.2) or the JBL Stadium 3-Way Floor Speakers

 

[Kai]

I have the Yamaha RX-V659 version of the 596. They are the same just badged for different types of stores with the 596 for big boxe stores.

When shopping I compared the 659 to the 1906 and found the 659 to sound more "open" with a broader sound range compared to the 1906 in side by side comparisons over the same speakers with my own cd of test tunes and both receivers set up the same.

But that is me and my ears doing the comparing. Like all things auditory we all have differences and should make our decision based on how it sounds to us rather than someone elses recommendation.

I liked the ease of use of the Yamaha over the Denon. I felt it was easier to navigate compared to the Denon but again that is a personal decision.
I also preferred the "features" of the Yamaha over the Denon and though both are very reputable companies I felt Yamaha had a better product overall.

Both are very good receivers for the cost but again play with both and let your senses decide.
Good luck and keep us informed.

 

[Seth=L]

Denon has a reputation of having a warm sound, where Yamaha tends to be a tad bright.

 

[ltworf13]

what about the watts. denon is only 85 while the yamaha is 100. with my fronts being 200 watts. will that make a big diff. if i go with the denon

 

[jcPanny]

Receiver power

Both those receivers should have plenty of power for 8 ohm speakers in a medium sized room. However, based on the AH review, Yamaha is conservative on the power rating of the RX-V659.

Also note, if you double the power (50 watts to 100 watts) you only get a 3dB increase in volume.

I have the HTR-5860 (last years model) and would recommend it.

 

[3db]

yamaha's rep for bright sounding receivers

Denon has a reputation of having a warm sound, where Yamaha tends to be a tad bright.

can be tossed into the garbage now. They used to be bright sounding but I would say that within the last 5 years, their sound would be considered more neutral and very similar to Denon. Yamaha has a better rep then Denon in terms of quality of manufacturing with less defects than Denon.

 

[billy p]

My 2 cents

I'd agree that Denon offering are slim on their lower end models! Unlike the Yamahas which seem to have more bang for the buck? To say that Yamaha Mfgs a more reliable product, it's not true!! Since you live in Canada and if you don't have at least 1 grand and are buying new go with either Pioneer or Yamaha.
FYI- The athenas you mentioned are fine, I heard that the previous Audition series may of been built better then the newer versions. So my best advice would be spend more on the speakers and less on the receiver like jcpanny stated 8 Ohm speakers are fairly easy to drive!

Regards, Billy p

 

[ltworf13]

thx 4 all the advice.

I'm still not sure which one yet. No one seems to have the yamaha hooked up to towers for me to check out. I am leaning more to the yamaha. I'm told for a movie buf like me it's the way to go.

FYI; i picked up my Athena f2.2 towers and I love it.

 

[Nick250]

thx 4 all the advice.

I'm still not sure which one yet. No one seems to have the yamaha hooked up to towers for me to check out.

Whether you have tower speakers or bookshelf speakers, it does not matter to your receiver, and by itself, is a non issue. My opinion is, once you hit about $350 list price, just about any of the receivers from the major players,(Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer) will do one fine. Sound quality is determined by speaker choice and room acoustics, The receiver has little to do with it.

Nick