Need a new Receiver

[DeepSeaDan]

Greetings,

My 11 yr. old Harman-Kardon AVR-3?? receiver died, so I'm looking to replace it. I have an 11 yr. old Panasonic plasma tv & 5 Infinity speakers plus a sub.

Looking for a good quality, good warranty, replacement.

Thank you in advance for your advice.

Dan

 

[Phase 2]

What's your budget?

 

[DeepSeaDan]

What's your budget?

Up to 1500.00ish

 

[Phase 2]

Up to 1500.00ish

Look at Denon, Marantz or Yamaha. You can pickup a flagship around 1500 last years fir sure on a Yamaha A3070 or near flagship A2080, Marantz units will pay more. Denon and Yamaha units you can get some good deals on last year's flagship or near flagship. But if you want to save a few bucks, Denon 3500, or Yamaha A2070 or A1080 will save you a good 500 or more and you'll still get a very nice AVR

 

[ryanosaur]

Agreed, unless there is something you feel that you have to have in the shiniest newest model... Look at the last years models. Double check what you need in feature set as that is one difference IIRC between Denon and Marantz (Mar has some additional analog inputs on back that Denon does not, but otherwise they can be surprisingly similar). Other things that come to mind is having the latest in HDMI and HDCP protocols, 4k compatibility of you choose to upgrade the TV, HiRes music compatibilty... At the end of the day, most AVRs in that range sound alike in Pure Direct mode, so you are really shopping for personal preference and ergonomics.

 

[Pogre]

That's a nice budget. You can get some nice receivers in that range. 'Specially if you look for previous year models. A fair number of us buy gear at AC4L and have had good experiences. You can always buy ($50?) an extended warranty too.

 

[XTex]

What features specifically do you need/are you looking to upgrade with? Your budget gives you a ton of flexibility and the ability to not have to spend all of it depending on what you're looking to get.

 

[DeepSeaDan]

Look at Denon, Marantz or Yamaha. You can pickup a flagship around 1500 last years fir sure on a Yamaha A3070 or near flagship A2080, Marantz units will pay more. Denon and Yamaha units you can get some good deals on last year's flagship or near flagship. But if you want to save a few bucks, Denon 3500, or Yamaha A2070 or A1080 will save you a good 500 or more and you'll still get a very nice AVR

Thank you Phase 2.

 

[DeepSeaDan]

What features specifically do you need/are you looking to upgrade with? Your budget gives you a ton of flexibility and the ability to not have to spend all of it depending on what you're looking to get.

I'm far from an audiophile, so my old HK had a nice, rich, full sound to my relatively non-discerning ear. As long is the sound is great & the tv picture is great, I don't have any other specific needs.

 

[DeepSeaDan]

Agreed, unless there is something you feel that you have to have in the shiniest newest model... Look at the last years models. Double check what you need in feature set as that is one difference IIRC between Denon and Marantz (Mar has some additional analog inputs on back that Denon does not, but otherwise they can be surprisingly similar). Other things that come to mind is having the latest in HDMI and HDCP protocols, 4k compatibility of you choose to upgrade the TV, HiRes music compatibilty... At the end of the day, most AVRs in that range sound alike in Pure Direct mode, so you are really shopping for personal preference and ergonomics.

Thank you,

Do you have any recommendations for purchasing options up here in Canada?

 

[ryanosaur]

I think all of the previously mentioned brands are solid performers and should do the job for you. Not knowing the ins and outs of your existing gear, my only recommendation at this point is make certain you know what you need to keep using what you aren't upgrading right now. (Your TV for example... if it has HDMI, no problem! If it didn't though, you would need a solution. (But at 11 yrs, I'm guessing it does.))

Amazon is a good place to start your research, just to see what's out there in your price range. Denon for example is just releasing the x600 series (3600, 4600), so the x500 series should be seeing discounts. There might even still be options available for new x400 series. Nothing wrong with that. Same will hold true for Marantz, and possibly Yamaha.

Shop smart, learn about what you are looking at, ask questions here!

 

[Pogre]

I'm far from an audiophile, so my old HK had a nice, rich, full sound to my relatively non-discerning ear. As long is the sound is great & the tv picture is great, I don't have any other specific needs.

If you love music and great sound you're an audiophile! No special requirements to be one of us!

What model speakers do you have? They're Harman also, yes?

 

[PENG]

Thank you,

Do you have any recommendations for purchasing options up here in Canada?

In Canada, about 10 days ago Bestbuy.ca and Amazon.ca were selling the Marantz SR7013 for C$1249.99.
The SR7012 went down to C$999.00 in around Oct 2018, so if you can wait, you probably will see the SR7013 drop to C$999.99.

HKAVRs do not have any fuller, richer sound than Yamaha, Denon or Marantz's in pure direct mode, but if sound processing, equalizers etc., are used, then anything is possible.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Sony ES offers the longest warranty of 5 YR.

Yamaha might be the most reliable and coolest-temp operating. Also best App for remote and music streaming. And best manual Parametric EQ.

Denon/Marantz’s Audyssey XT32 and Anthem’s ARC might be the best Automatic Room Correction (for AVR). I think Anthem also has Parametric EQ.

As for sound quality, when NOT using EQ or DSP, all these AVR will sound the same (within reasons).

 

[Theetjuh]

Don’t see any Onkyo mentioned... shame, they run cool and really reliable the past few years.

 

[DeepSeaDan]

If you love music and great sound you're an audiophile! No special requirements to be one of us!

What model speakers do you have? They're Harman also, yes?

No, they're "Infinity" speakers. As a "Direct Buy" member, I often buy through them, at the expense of a lot of choice; however, I'm happy with the sound they produce. I'm hoping for the same, or better, with an updated, upgraded AVR. What concerns me is buying something with a lot of bells & whistles that jacks up the cost, as I just want to turn it on and enjoy.

 

[DeepSeaDan]

What features specifically do you need/are you looking to upgrade with? Your budget gives you a ton of flexibility and the ability to not have to spend all of it depending on what you're looking to get.

I don't need anything with a lot of bells & whistles, just good, solid performance. I'm reading some folks talking about certain receivers that "run cool" - I presume they're talking about temperature; my HK ran pretty hot, then one evening, it kinda blew up. It's been in the shop for over 4 months! Buddy says it's a "complicated fix".

 

[DeepSeaDan]

Sony ES offers the longest warranty of 5 YR.

Yamaha might be the most reliable and coolest-temp operating. Also best App for remote and music streaming. And best manual Parametric EQ.

Denon/Marantz’s Audyssey XT32 and Anthem’s ARC might be the best Automatic Room Correction (for AVR). I think Anthem also has Parametric EQ.

As for sound quality, when NOT using EQ or DSP, all these AVR will sound the same (within reasons).

How does the "Sony ES" stack up against Yamaha, Marantz, Onkyo et. al.?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

How does the "Sony ES" stack up against Yamaha, Marantz, Onkyo et. al.?

Less power and less features.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

No, they're "Infinity" speakers. As a "Direct Buy" member, I often buy through them, at the expense of a lot of choice; however, I'm happy with the sound they produce. I'm hoping for the same, or better, with an updated, upgraded AVR. What concerns me is buying something with a lot of bells & whistles that jacks up the cost, as I just want to turn it on and enjoy.

FWIW, infinity is JBL’s sister brand. Both Harmon brands.