In need of Expert Advice

[Robert Monroe]

My current system is:

Yamaha RV-1103 Receiver (100 RMS @ 1% THD) (older 5.1 receiver)
Pioneer Elite DV-C36 DVD Player (5 disk changer)
Panasonic HD Television 32" CT-32HL42
B&W 704 (s) -- Front speakers
B&W LCR60S3 -- Center speaker
B&W DM600S3 (s) -- Rear Speakers
Velodyne DLS3750R -- 10" Subwoofer
Monstercable surge protector

I am needing to upgrade my system badly. I purchased B&W speaker system and have come to realize that my older consumer level Yamaha receiver is not able to produce the quality of sound that the B&Ws are capable of. On the reciever side, my current setup suffers from very boomy base and a general lack of depth and clarity of mid ranges, particularly at low to moderate listening levels. I am leaning towards either the Denon 3806 or 4306. My dealer who carries both Denon and Marantz recommends the Marantz SR7500. The Denon has more features, but which will pair best with the B&Ws. However, I am not 100% tied to either of these reciever options.

I also need to upgrade my Pioneer Elite DVD. The current player is noisy, tempermental and unreliable. I am leaning towards the Denon DVD-2910 Universal Player. My dealer recommends the Marantz DV7600 Universal Player.

Lastly, I need to purchase a AC Power Conditioner. I am leaning towards the Panamax 5100-EX. I have a total budget for all three items of arround $2500.00.

I appreciate the advice

Robert Monroe

 

[jcPanny]

Receiver upgrade

I would recommend the Denon 3806. If you still want more power, spend the remaining $1K on a 2-5 channel amp. vs. spending all of $2k on the 4306 with comparable power to the lower model.

AH recently completed a through review of the Denon 4306, check it out.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Robert,

Welcome to the forum.

The Denon and Marantz sound very similar, with the Marantz being a step up. Now, the 7500 IMHO compares more to the Denon 2807. The Marantz SR8500 would be more equivalent to the two Denon models you are considering.

If you are looking for a big change in sound, I don't know if you are going to get that with either Denon or Marantz. There will be a bit more headroom, but both units are pretty much flat sounding out of the box. Have you demo'd Rotel? That would definitely wake up your system. It's a bit more sibilant, but not in a harsh way. Most fancy features on an AVR go unused. I've got the Denon 3805 (it's a powerhouse, with tons of features), but what it has to boil down to is sound.

If I had to choose between those three, I'd go the Denon 4306. You've got some awesome towers, and they deserve a great AVR. I'd also look at what Rotel had to offer in a similar price range.

 

[majorloser]

Non Pro Opinion

The only gains you'd get with the 4306 over the 3806 is one more HDMI input (3 vs. 2) and an iPod input. If you need the extra HDMI input it would be worth the extra cash. You can buy an external HDMI/DVI switcher, but that would just be one more remote. Otherwise the extra 10 watts isn't all that much. Both offer pre-amp output for all channels. This is a big plus for later on when you decide to buy a separate amp to drive the B&W's to their potential. I've always been a Denon fan. Especially the items manufactured in Japan (like these).

As far as a DVD player, if you are looking at an upconverting DVD player you might want to look at the OPPO. Could save a little money till the HD players get worked out. Could also give you more money to play with on power management. Both OPPO's have been reviewed by Audioholics staff.

http://www.oppodigital.com/dv970hd/dv970hd.html

 

[mytzen]

You said you were looking to purchase a power conditioner and am not sure where you are planning on buying yours or for what price, but you should check out this one.
Its from Monster (yes, I know they are hated here) but at $150 it is a really good deal.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004Y2ZF/sr=8-1/qid=1150221588/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-8896744-5083256?_encoding=UTF8

 

[mnnc]

My current system is:

Yamaha RV-1103 Receiver (100 RMS @ 1% THD) (older 5.1 receiver)
Pioneer Elite DV-C36 DVD Player (5 disk changer)
Panasonic HD Television 32" CT-32HL42
B&W 704 (s) -- Front speakers
B&W LCR60S3 -- Center speaker
B&W DM600S3 (s) -- Rear Speakers
Velodyne DLS3750R -- 10" Subwoofer
Monstercable surge protector

I am needing to upgrade my system badly. I purchased B&W speaker system and have come to realize that my older consumer level Yamaha receiver is not able to produce the quality of sound that the B&Ws are capable of. On the reciever side, my current setup suffers from very boomy base and a general lack of depth and clarity of mid ranges, particularly at low to moderate listening levels. I am leaning towards either the Denon 3806 or 4306. My dealer who carries both Denon and Marantz recommends the Marantz SR7500. The Denon has more features, but which will pair best with the B&Ws. However, I am not 100% tied to either of these reciever options.

I also need to upgrade my Pioneer Elite DVD. The current player is noisy, tempermental and unreliable. I am leaning towards the Denon DVD-2910 Universal Player. My dealer recommends the Marantz DV7600 Universal Player.

Lastly, I need to purchase a AC Power Conditioner. I am leaning towards the Panamax 5100-EX. I have a total budget for all three items of arround $2500.00.

I appreciate the advice

Robert Monroe

Recv'r...a good dealer will or should let you take home a unit and audition it. Either way, any of the mentioned recvr's should sound fantastic with your B&W's.
DVD...Oppo 971, $200 US direct from Oppo, Single disc, Genesis chip, DVI out,DVD-Audio capable, big bang for buck. Almost a no brainer. In fact, it smoked the Denon 2910 as well as several players costing $5,000!!! in areas that matter most in video reproduction. My friend recently purchased the oppo 971 and I was very impressed by the vivid picture via dvi output to his projector.

That should get the most/much more out of the system. Quick math puts you at about $1200-1400 out of pocket for recvr and dvd player respectively(3806 and 971). That leaves a bunch for pwr conditioner according to your proposed budget. Or get the 4306($2,000), Oppo($200), and a $300 protection unit. Working with a dealer you should get a discount on the recv'r.

But...when all is said and done make sure you do your dealings with someone that is going to stand behind your purchase. Customer service is worth paying for even if you are charged list price for units. Oppo are known not only for the product but equally their customer service.

 

[nova]

I'm no expert, but I'll give you my opinion. Sounds to me like your dealer/salesman makes more profit off Marantz. Around here very few places carry the Marantz line, the ones that do really like to sell them because they do not have to price match the local big box retailer like they do on the Denons. All that aside.......

In general I think Denon has a better overall line of DVD players.
As for the receivers, I would give Marantz a slight edge (all things being equal) with one caveat,.... your saleman - as Buckeyefan 1 pointed out - is recommending an apple over an orange

 

[Nick250]

I have the Denon 3806 and I am happy with it. I am now experimenting with the Audyssey(or however they spell it) Auto EQ that the 3806 has (4306 has it too) and the early returns are that it is a big improvement on sound stage and smooths our the top end (my paradigm studio 20s are a bit bright for my taste). So for that reason alone I would go the Denon 2807, 3806 or the 4603. Understand though that Audyssey doesn't work as well for some rooms and speakers as well as it does for others from what I read.

Unless you have a very, very specific power issue the Panamax is window dressing. It does have pretty good cool factor though I must admit.

Regards, Nick

 

[mazersteven]

If your receiver has the features you need and your not lacking any, I'm going to recommend keeping your receiver, and purchasing a few Outlaw Mono Block 2200's. I think doing this would bring out the best in your speakers.

www.outlawaudio.com

http://www.outlawaudio.com/promo_pages/promo_2200.html

That would leave enough cash for the purchase of a SVS subwoofer. Cut the Velodyne DLS3750R in half and use it for book ends.

 

[c210pilot]

In same situation with my RV1103

I am upgrading my speakers with Polk's Lsi9s for left/right and their LsiC. I have no intention of changing out the Yamaha RV-1103, 5.1 is fine for now and this is a good consumer level receiver. However, I wondered (not trusting the salesperson, sorry Jay, you work on commission ) if they may be underpowered using only the receiver. So I am considering using a pair of mono blocks, such as Outlaw's 2200, for the right and left and using the receiver for the center. Since I will have to up the output on the receiver for the center channel to match the left/right, will the receiver be working too hard?

 

[highfihoney]

Unless you have a very, very specific power issue the Panamax is window dressing. It does have pretty good cool factor though I must admit.
Regards, Nick

Agreed,these devices in most cases are a complete waste of cash & add nothing more than some cool looking lights, as nick said unless you have a specific issue with your incomming power that you are sure a pc will address then keep the cash & use it to buy the best sounding reciever you can get,the rotel was a great suggestion by the way.

 

[zumbo]

I would get the lowest-end Denon that would support all of your connections, and have pre-outs for an added amp.

Add a healthy 2-channel amp for the mains.

Go with the Denon dvd player you mentioned.

I use an Adcom ACE-315 power conditioner. No need to spend that much, I guess.

A better sub would wake the whole system up. More than you may think.

 

[AVRat]

C219pilot, The receiver may have an issue with the 4 ohm impedance of the center speaker, but I don’t know the specs or capability of the receiver. If the receiver has channel level capability, you can balance your speakers using the center channel as a base point. IOW, you may decrease the output of the L/R instead of increasing the center. This should alleviate over-driving the center, unless of course you crank it up.