Receiver Help Please

[aubrnlas]

I will appreciate any advice you can give me in picking a receiver.

I am mostly considering a Yamaha RX-V1500 or a Denon 2805. While price matters, if the features for the price point make sense for me to consider something else then I will, for example a Yamaha RX-V2500 or a Denon 3805. If there is something else then I have missed it in my research.

I am piecing together a system from parts of a previously shared system, my old bedroom system, and gifts. I will be upgrading pieces as I can and my first purchase will be a receiver. It is my understanding that it will aid you to know my current components, how I will use the new system, and where I will use it.

My current room is approximately 14 by 17 with 9 foot ceilings. I will be moving in about a year but the new room should not be much, if any, larger. The system will mostly be used for TV and DVDs, especially science fiction but it will be my only system, so it will also be used for music, mostly classic rock, jazz, classical, or new age. I rarely crank up the sound.

My current components: Toshiba HDTV 34HF81;Toshiba Progressive Scan DVD Player SD-3800; Panasonic SVHS VCR PV-S9670; DVR cable box - waiting on HD DVR box; L/R front speakers: Bose 601 series II - these were a gift ; Center Speaker: using TV (has audio in for center) - my next purchase?; L/R rear speakers: Niles OS6 - previously my porch speakers; Subwoofer: Sharper Image SA251 - I realize this needs to be upgraded but it was fine for the bedroom and is better than none; currently unhooked/packed: phono & cassette player; current receiver: Yamaha RX-V592 (not even SVHS) - an obviously badly needed upgrade.

I would like the receiver to have video up-conversion to component, front inputs, and a comfortable learning remote. A phono input would be nice as sometimes I get nostalgic. An on screen GUI display sounds nice but I am not sure how much it's really needed. Once you get passed here, I am not sure what are bells and whistles, what are nice features, and what is sales bull. For example, 5.1 surround is obviously a minimum but will I miss 7.1 in the (near?) future if I don't buy it now? Is it true if you purchase a receiver online then the manufacturer does not honor the warranty? Does YPAO make things easier to setup or not even work at all?

I have tried to educate myself on ohms and watts and programs. I even have the spreadsheet to prove it. In a perfect world, I would hook-up and play the various receivers with my components but that isn't going to happen. What should I try to accomplish at the store? online? I understand that my Bose 601 series II speakers are fairly mellow speakers. If that's true ,then will asking to listen to both receivers in the store with the same mellow speakers help me decide? If yes, then do you have a suggestion which speakers I should use for the comparison?

I realize this is a long post and want to express my appreciation to you for reading this far. Please accept my thanks in advance for your help and advice.

Las

 

[Leprkon]

I don't think the 5.1 verus 7.1, YPAO, or GUI will be much of an issue. All the receivers you list are 7.1, so the only problems would be adding wires and speakers. They also all have room-matching (YPAO) and GUI in some form or other.

The main reasons to upgrade to the 3805 or RX-V2500 would be if you actually 3 rooms playing multiple sources. The 2805 and 1500 are more than enough if you are sticking to this one room.

Neither the 1500 nor the 2500 will upconvert to a component-quality signal. They will, however, SWITCH a composite or S-video signal to component.

The 3805 might actually do some processing on the signal and make it better. Don't know for sure.

Some manufacturers will not honor a warranty for an on-line purchase. Yamaha is pretty clear on their web-site that they will not for RXV models. You can get around this pretty easy by buying the basically-similar but less esoteric HTR-5760 or 5790 at slightly lower prices, for which, strangely enough, they will honor the warranty.

If you do listen to speakers at the store, at some point, you want to play at a moderate level and put your head right next to the speaker and listen. Your room acoustics are probably nothing like those in the store, so getting a big-picture sound experience won't be easy. Just see how it sounds on a micro-level. Then run it up to see if it makes the speakers distort at upper levels.

All of these receivers are very good choices, and the odds are you won't be disappointed with any of them. Just balance your input needs with your pocketbook.

 

[zumbo]

You will have a hard time judging between the two models in-store. The reason is, neither will be set the same. And, I doubt either will be set correctly. Then, if you think there is a difference, you will not have the other unit at home to compare once you make the purchase. There will be a drastic sound difference between the store and your home, even with the same speakers. The only thing IMO that remains the same is the sound characteristic of the speaker. And again, if you were shopping for speakers, once you got home with them you would not have the other one there to compare.

So, decide on the features you need the unit to have, play with the remote to be sure you like it, and purchase from a dealer you feel comfortable with. Both brands are at the top of their game. IMO

BTW, I chose a Yamaha RX-V1400 last year & went with an unauthorized dealer on the net. I did some sweating, but it turned out to be a good one!

 

[aubrnlas]

Thanks Leprkon and Zumbo.

I appreciate your advice.

Las

 

[BMXTRIX]

A very big issue to me was the number of component inputs on the receiver with only the 2500 having 3 component inputs. I am not sure about the Denon - no comments. The Denon I believe requires you to purchase the microphone separately for the auto room setup feature while the Yamaha includes it in the box for YPAO.

DVD = 1 component input
HD Cable = 1 component input - unless you use DVI/HDMI
Game System = 1 component input usually
Future Blu-Ray Disc = 1 componet or DVI/HDMI

I wouldn't do less than 3 component inputs on any receiver I get.

 

[aubrnlas]

Good point Bmxtrix. I realized I needed at least two but hadn't considered that I might actually need three.

Thanks for the advice.

Las

 

[ozdvduser]

A very big issue to me was the number of component inputs on the receiver with only the 2500 having 3 component inputs. I am not sure about the Denon - no comments. The Denon I believe requires you to purchase the microphone separately for the auto room setup feature while the Yamaha includes it in the box for YPAO.

DVD = 1 component input
HD Cable = 1 component input - unless you use DVI/HDMI
Game System = 1 component input usually
Future Blu-Ray Disc = 1 componet or DVI/HDMI

I wouldn't do less than 3 component inputs on any receiver I get.

2805
- 3 Component inputs, Up-converts S-Video & Composite to Component, 100Mhz switching (more then enough for HDTV, recommended is around 45-50Mhz)
- microphone should come as part of the package, it does down here and is packed in the box.
Love my 2805