good avr for 1000 euro pricepoint

[pete085]

Hello there. At the moment I am using my focal chorus with a onkyo tx nr5100 . I got both of them used from buddy at good price.

The onkyo is decent but it tends to shut down due overheating when running for quite some time. This is never a good sign so I want to upgrade in the 1 or 2 month.

My budget is 1000 euro.

I am using the avr only for movies and games (PS5).

I am running a mere 2.0 system at the moment but my final goal is getting a good 3.1 system and some day maybe even 5.1.2.

Which avr at the above mentioned price point would the experts here recommend?

 

[mono-bloc]

tends to shut down due overheating

The question is, Why is Onkyo shutting down. The obverses answer is lack of ventilation. As you provide zero information It's simply a guessing game

I would suggest you take the machine out of the crowed rack / cupboard, and simply set it up in the floor and see if the shut down still persists

 

[Antares]

At that price range you can have either the Denon AVR X2800 or the Yamaha RX-A2A.

 

[pete085]

@mono-bloc Yes, my apologies for providing zero information. Overheating due to bad airflow is a valid guess.
I do not mention this possibility because I consider it as unlikely.

The AVR is sitting on a table in the open. It has plenty of airflow from every direction possible. There are no other items on the table.

@Antares Thanks a lot for the reply. Both the Denon 2800 and the Yamaha RX-A2A look good. I would be well served with any of them.

Which of them has better room correction software? My watching space is a bit delicate due to the open nature of the room on one side. So having the best possible room correction software would be a big plus.

 

[Antares]

Since the Denon X2800 uses Audyssey XT and not Audyssey XT32 I'd say the Yamaha.

 

[pete085]

@Antares Thanks for sharing your opinion. I have studied some reviews of the Yamaha RX-A2A and it looks like the Yamaha would be very good avr for my needs.

I can also get it a bit cheaper at the moment. I will pull the trigger soon and get it.

 

[PENG]

@mono-bloc Yes, my apologies for providing zero information. Overheating due to bad airflow is a valid guess.
I do not mention this possibility because I consider it as unlikely.

The AVR is sitting on a table in the open. It has plenty of airflow from every direction possible. There are no other items on the table.

@Antares Thanks a lot for the reply. Both the Denon 2800 and the Yamaha RX-A2A look good. I would be well served with any of them.

Which of them has better room correction software? My watching space is a bit delicate due to the open nature of the room on one side. So having the best possible room correction software would be a big plus.

It will shutdown not just for thermal reason but could also be other conditions such as over current.

For example if your speakers have low impedance, either much less than 8 ohms nominal or 8 ohms nominal but has dips low enough in the frequency range where the contents you listen to has, then depending on how loud you listen and how far you are from the speakers, the AVR would shutdown to protect itself.

If you go with Denon, the X3800H is much more future proof than the X2800H and the room correction is much better when you use the MultEQ Editor app that costs about $20 so may be about the same in Euro dollars.

For a few hundred dollars more, I highly recommend biting the bullet do it right the first time. Since your starting point is the Focal Chorus (not sure which model) so you seem like a candidate who would upgrade the speakers, and/or might add subwoofers; and when you do the X3800H will be more likely ready for it.

 

[TLS Guy]

Hello there. At the moment I am using my focal chorus with a onkyo tx nr5100 . I got both of them used from buddy at good price.

The onkyo is decent but it tends to shut down due overheating when running for quite some time. This is never a good sign so I want to upgrade in the 1 or 2 month.

My budget is 1000 euro.

I am using the avr only for movies and games (PS5).

I am running a mere 2.0 system at the moment but my final goal is getting a good 3.1 system and some day maybe even 5.1.2.

Which avr at the above mentioned price point would the experts here recommend?

Focal chorus speakers should not be connected to any receiver. They need a power amp. Your next investment should be a robust power amp. Those speakers have a minimal impedance of 2.8 ohms and horrid phase angles. Those speakers are true receiver busters.

 

[PENG]

Focal chorus speakers should not be connected to any receiver. They need a power amp. Your next investment should be a robust power amp. Those speakers have a minimal impedance of 2.8 ohms and horrid phase angles. Those speakers are true receiver busters.

Chorus has a few models, not all of them are as bad as the 826 V and other big towers. At least a couple of them are rated 8 ohms nominal with no dips below 4 ohms. If he has those kind of Chorus, listen to only moderately loud volume, sit no further than say 3 meters, a good AVR may be fine.

Sine his unit is shutting down, you may be right that his speakers could be a little too tough for an AV receiver, but I think we need more info from the OP before we can say for sure.

 

[TLS Guy]

Chorus has a few models, not all of them are as bad as the 826 V and other big towers. At least a couple of them are rated 8 ohms nominal with no dips below 4 ohms. If he has those kind of Chorus, listen to only moderately loud volume, sit no further than say 3 meters, a good AVR may be fine.

Sine his unit is shutting down, you may be right that his speakers could be a little too tough for an AV receiver, but I think we need more info from the OP before we can say for sure.

May be he will post again. However, a speaker with measurements like the one above, should never have been brought to market, and should have been binned. I would change the design of one of my speakers for anything close to resembling that. With all the advantages in computer modelling we have now, to put that on the market is gross negligence.

 

[pete085]

@PENG Thanks a lot for your reply. I am using a pair of Focal Chorus 714 at the moment. Stretching the AVR budget a bit to be future-proof sounds like a good idea.

I am a 2.0 guy only at the moment but I want to upgrade to get a 3.1 system gradually. First 2.1 and then at some point in the future I want to get a good focal chorus cc 700 v center speaker.



Have done some research and the Denon x 3800 seems to be a good investment.

I have not considered the possibility that the speaker might be a bit too tough for the Onkyo.

I cannot rule that out but like I said I got the Onkyo and the speaker from a buddy who has used the setup for many years.

he would have kept his set up but his wife wanted to arrange the room so I gave him my Sennheiser Ambeo max and I got the speaker and the AVR.

According to him the shutting down problem never occurred...

 

[Antares]

@PENG Thanks a lot for your reply. I am using a pair of Focal Chorus 714 at the moment. Stretching the AVR budget a bit to be future-proof sounds like a good idea.

I am a 2.0 guy only at the moment but I want to upgrade to get a 3.1 system gradually. First 2.1 and then at some point in the future I want to get a good focal chorus cc 700 v center speaker.



Have done some research and the Denon x 3800 seems to be a good investment.

I have not considered the possibility that the speaker might be a bit too tough for the Onkyo.

I cannot rule that out but like I said I got the Onkyo and the speaker from a buddy who has used the setup for many years.

he would have kept his set up but his wife wanted to arrange the room so I gave him my Sennheiser Ambeo max and I got the speaker and the AVR.

According to him the shutting down problem never occurred...

Sometimes when equipment moves locations they can become what I call "seasick" and have a few new issues on arrival, happened a lot with my CRT TVs.

 

[TLS Guy]

@PENG Thanks a lot for your reply. I am using a pair of Focal Chorus 714 at the moment. Stretching the AVR budget a bit to be future-proof sounds like a good idea.

I am a 2.0 guy only at the moment but I want to upgrade to get a 3.1 system gradually. First 2.1 and then at some point in the future I want to get a good focal chorus cc 700 v center speaker.



Have done some research and the Denon x 3800 seems to be a good investment.

I have not considered the possibility that the speaker might be a bit too tough for the Onkyo.

I cannot rule that out but like I said I got the Onkyo and the speaker from a buddy who has used the setup for many years.

he would have kept his set up but his wife wanted to arrange the room so I gave him my Sennheiser Ambeo max and I got the speaker and the AVR.

According to him the shutting down problem never occurred...

That is probably because he did not play it as loud as you. I can not find a measurement on your model, but I can tell you that Focal's specification is not honest. You can not make a 2.5 way speaker with and 8 ohm impedance.

I am certain your receiver does not like those speakers. I strongly recommend that you use external amplification from a power amp with a four ohm spec, and preferably less. Blowing up receivers is expensive.

With speakers like that the optimal solution is AVPs and power amps. Second best and AVR with pre-outs and power amps.

 

[Antares]

Well, the X3800 does have pre-outs for all channels and the Yamaha RX A2A for the front channels...

 

[TLS Guy]

@PENG Thanks a lot for your reply. I am using a pair of Focal Chorus 714 at the moment. Stretching the AVR budget a bit to be future-proof sounds like a good idea.

I am a 2.0 guy only at the moment but I want to upgrade to get a 3.1 system gradually. First 2.1 and then at some point in the future I want to get a good focal chorus cc 700 v center speaker.



Have done some research and the Denon x 3800 seems to be a good investment.

I have not considered the possibility that the speaker might be a bit too tough for the Onkyo.

I cannot rule that out but like I said I got the Onkyo and the speaker from a buddy who has used the setup for many years.

he would have kept his set up but his wife wanted to arrange the room so I gave him my Sennheiser Ambeo max and I got the speaker and the AVR.
According to him the shutting down problem never occurred...

Your Onkyo does have right and left preouts. I would put your money into a decent two channel power amp and connect it to the right and left preouts. You can replace the receiver later if you need to.

There is a nice Quad 606 for sale in the Euro market. They are super reliable and service is available. Best money you could spend.

 

[lovinthehd]

Just how loud do you listen to the 2.0 setup and at what distance from the speakers? Could be a bit much for the avr. Maybe the power amp addition is a thought (and can be useful down the line in any case). Maybe adding a sub to take some of the strain off the avr another thought.

 

[pete085]

@TLS Guy Yes that might be reason. To get the best movie and gaming experience I listen rather loud to real ht experience.

Looking into a good amp is great idea. Thanks for your recommending the quaad 606.

@lovinthehd The speakers are on the left and right side of the TV. The seating distance between me and the TV Chair is about 3.5 meter. In order to get good home theater experience I listen I crank up the volume.

Getting a subwoofer to reduce the strain sounds like a good idea. The purchase of a subwoofer is planned anyway.

At some point this year I plan to get XTZ sub or the svs pb 1000pro.

@all So you think it would be good strategy to try to get good amp first before getting rid of the onkyo? In case this not working the amp would still be a valid investion.

I can use the amp as well with a denon x3800 or the Yamaha .

is the asumption correct?

 

[Antares]

I can use the amp as well with a denon x3800 or the Yamaha .

is the asumption correct?

Yes, they'll work in tandem.

 

[PENG]

I have not considered the possibility that the speaker might be a bit too tough for the Onkyo.

I cannot rule that out but like I said I got the Onkyo and the speaker from a buddy who has used the setup for many years.


According to him the shutting down problem never occurred...

You are right that you cannot rule that out, because your friend's listening habit may not be same as yours. For example, if he sits closer, say half the distance of yours, then if he needs 30 W maximum, you would need 120 W, and if he listen half as loud as you do at the maximum, then during the highest peaks of the content, you would need 4 to 10 times the power.

One quick indicator could be the volume you set to just before the AVR shutdown, and also ask your friend what is his typical volume setting when he listened to music and movies.

Regardless, the Chorus 814's impedance is 8 ohms nominal, but it likely have dips to near 4 ohms, might even go lower so it also does not rule out your Onkyo AVR may find them tough to drive. Something like the Denon I suggested would not likely be an issue. If you ever needs to use an ext. power amp, you can do that with the Denon and just for the front channels, you don't need to spend more than $700 on a power amp that can drive just about any Focal 4 ohms speakers and have excellent specs.

By the way, since you are in the EU, you will likely be able to grab a Marantz Cinema 50 that has almost identical specs to the Denon X3800H, but has a slightly (negligible) stronger power supply and better looking (to a lot of people but subjective obviously) for $200-$300. It is fun to upgrade, but is costly, and that's why I stressed the consideration of spending a little more to do it right the first time. The Denon and Marantz models I suggested has the ability to use Dirac Live room correction (it is a paid option so just consider that as an upgradability advantage) that is much more effective than Yamaha's YPAO, though for very experienced users, YPAO with manual tweaks can also do a reasonable job.

 

[PENG]

Your Onkyo does have right and left preouts. I would put your money into a decent two channel power amp and connect it to the right and left preouts. You can replace the receiver later if you need to.

There is a nice Quad 606 for sale in the Euro market. They are super reliable and service is available. Best money you could spend.

I would agree with using an ext. amp with the AVR, but I can't because the Onkyo 5100 does not appear to have front right and left pre outs, below is from the manual, unless the EU models are different, that might be possible, otherwise the pre outs are for subwoofers and zone B only.

Anyway, the OP can confirm that easily by a quick look at the rear panel.