Receiver Rankings

[gcmarshall]

Thanks to those of your who replied so graciously to my first-ever post here (in fact my first ever post anywhere on the internet). I appreciate the guidance.

I wanted to throw this out also. Would really appreciate as many inputs as possible, since I admittedly have no idea what I'm doing and think a "poll" type of question in a forum of people dedicated to this topic will at least help me know where to start.

I am setting up a "simple" home theater. 5.1 set up. All of my speakers are mass-market (Boston Acoustics in front, Bose center, nothing in rear, yet; will be buying sub, rears soon). May upgrade front speakers if existing ones do not do justice to my new receiver.

I want to err on the side of having too much power and excellent sound; something well better than average, but not necessarily "the best". I LOVE thunderous bass in movies (balanced with good clarity in highs) (I am getting a sub), but I also love a fair amount of bass in listening to music; music that is too "tinny" w/o enough bass bothers me. Basically want something I can crank for movies and music for parties while not having the receiver struggle; want respectable bass and superb clarity. Finally, reliability is extremely important to me.

Anyway, the 6 receivers I have narrowed it down to are:
- Denon AVR-3806
- Sony STR-DA7100ES
- Yamaha RX-v1600
- Yamaha RX-V-2600
- Pioneer VSX-74TXVi
- Sony STR-DE998 (a "budget" choice that I decided not to eliminate from the running yet in order to at least consider being more conservative with my money - yeah right!)

Price is important, but is secondary to my happiness. Does anyone care to rank these receivers based on their own opinion?

My thanks for your time.

 

[gcmarshall]

PS - I do not plan to add a separate AMP as that would be way to "involved" for my simple mind. Just a good home theater receiver based on the previous specs.

 

[shokhead]

Thanks to those of your who replied so graciously to my first-ever post here (in fact my first ever post anywhere on the internet). I appreciate the guidance.

I wanted to throw this out also. Would really appreciate as many inputs as possible, since I admittedly have no idea what I'm doing and think a "poll" type of question in a forum of people dedicated to this topic will at least help me know where to start.

I am setting up a "simple" home theater. 5.1 set up. All of my speakers are mass-market (Boston Acoustics in front, Bose center, nothing in rear, yet; will be buying sub, rears soon). May upgrade front speakers if existing ones do not do justice to my new receiver.

I want to err on the side of having too much power and excellent sound; something well better than average, but not necessarily "the best". I LOVE thunderous bass in movies (balanced with good clarity in highs) (I am getting a sub), but I also love a fair amount of bass in listening to music; music that is too "tinny" w/o enough bass bothers me. Basically want something I can crank for movies and music for parties while not having the receiver struggle; want respectable bass and superb clarity. Finally, reliability is extremely important to me.

Anyway, the 6 receivers I have narrowed it down to are:
- Denon AVR-3806
- Sony STR-DA7100ES
- Yamaha RX-v1600
- Yamaha RX-V-2600
- Pioneer VSX-74TXVi
- Sony STR-DE998 (a "budget" choice that I decided not to eliminate from the running yet in order to at least consider being more conservative with my money - yeah right!)

Price is important, but is secondary to my happiness. Does anyone care to rank these receivers based on their own opinion?

My thanks for your time.

You do know that 20-30 watts will make no difference. For example,you could change the 3805 to the 2805 and hear next to no difference and save some money. 2805 will power most any speakers you get I'm thinking. Dont waste money and overbuy.

 

[gcmarshall]

Yes, I know. However, with the exception of the "budget" Sony referred above (the 998), I am going to buy a receiver with HDMI. Whenever I am in need of new electronics, I typically try to get the latest popular connectivity features (within reason), etc., just so I have it for when I get a more modern HD TV, etc. Since most if not all new HD plasma and LCD's have HDMI, I am going to upgrade accordingly.

That being said, your advice is very well-founded and very logical. Were it not for the desire to have HDMI, I couldn't agree more. Thanks for taking the time to reply and have a nice Sunday.

 

[PENG]

If you like thunderous, but clear bass, get a SVS. SVS sells direct on line so one would think they have lower overhead cost and hopefully are passing that on to their customers.

For receivers, if the 3805 is any indication, the 3806 should give you adequate power for a simple 5.1 setup, especially if you can set your crossover at 80 Hz. The Sony 7100ES weighs 52.5 lbs. If it is as powerful as the older 9000ES, it would be the most powerful one among those in your list. Obviously it may be the most expensive one as well. If you are not going to consider adding an external amp, the Sony may be the way to go. I suspect most people here would suggest you drop the DE998 from your list.

Adding an amp is easy, simply connect the pre-outs to the amp's inputs, then use the supplied external mike (extra for the 3806 I assume) and a RS SPL meter to calibrate the output levels, just to make sure the sound level from each channel are the same (balanced). The whole procedure should take less than 10 minutes.

 

[jaxvon]

I'd personally scratch the Sony models. They're known to be UNreliable. The Denon, Yamaha, and Pioneer options are all good, though Yamaha is probably more in your price range.

As far as speakers go, I think you should invest in a new center channel, one that's closer to the sonic character of your mains (read: BA center channel). A strong center channel is essential to a good HT experience.

And finally, what's your total budget for upgrades at this point?

Oh yeah...WELCOME!

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Here's a recent review on the Pioneer 74.

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=874

Personally, I'd eliminate both Sony's (I owned a flagship Sony years ago - it had it's issues and was in the shop), and the Yamaha 1600 (only in favor of the 2600). The others are great choices.

The Denon 3806 will put out more power than the Yamaha in multi-channel mode, but some say the Yamaha pre-outs are better sounding if you add a separate power amp in the future.

The Pioneer is a few pounds heavier than the 3806 (I think 41lbs vs 38lbs), but doesn't seem to output as much power into multiple channels compared with the Denon. I'm going on Sound and Vision Magazines bench tests. It could be that Pioneer has a larger current limiter circuit in their unit than the Denon (same with the Yamaha's). This is most likely a good thing, which will protect your unit if driving all 7 channels at reference levels over an extended period of time.

I own a Denon 3805 that ran extremely hot, but put out some serious power. I had to add a fan over the heat sinks, as well as open the back of my entertainment center to keep it cool. I enjoy the reference levels every now and then.

Flagship units and separate power amps don't use current limiters (Denon 5808, Yamaha RX-V9, Pioneer Elite 59) since they have massive heat sinks to absorb the damaging effects of heat on electronics.

 

[shokhead]

Well lets see here. $1200 for the 3806
$600 for lets say a SVS sub
$300 for the right center
$500 for surrounds{2}
-----
$2600 but more most likly.
Is this about right so far?

 

[PENG]

I own a Denon 3805 that ran extremely hot, but put out some serious power. I had to add a fan over the heat sinks, as well as open the back of my entertainment center to keep it cool. I enjoy the reference levels every now and then.

I too, find the 3805 capable of driving my 87 dB speakers to reference level and beyond, but the top of the receiver would be quite warm to touch. I added an amp just for peace of mind, not really for improved sound quality. If I were smarter I would have first tried a fan like you did. Great idea!

I assume the fan noise is inaudible from the listening position, right?

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

I assume the fan noise is inaudible from the listening position, right?

It was until I removed the rear of the entertainment center. Now you can hear it slightly (say if the wife is watching tv at very low levels). It's about as annoying as a PC monitor if it's being played at low volume. I've been planning on getting a "silent fan," but it hasn't bothered me that much, and no one has ever commented on it. This one blows pretty hard (was over an AMD Athlon chip).

Just recently I've sell ALL my speakers to large, and LFE+Main on the Denon. I figure, if I'm going to cool the Denon, why not tax it a bit? I've driven it pretty hard, and it still doesn't seem to get more than warm to the touch.

The sound IMO has improved with running a full frequency to all 7 speakers. The bass improvement is outstanding, but I don't recommend this with an entry level receiver. Use the bass management and let the subwoofer handle the bass. I set it up this way because I enjoy 7 channel stereo - sometimes without a sub.

 

[PENG]

The sound IMO has improved with running a full frequency to all 7 speakers. The bass improvement is outstanding, but I don't recommend this with an entry level receiver. Use the bass management and let the subwoofer handle the bass. I set it up this way because I enjoy 7 channel stereo - sometimes without a sub.

Your are certainly taxing the 3805 in 7 channel stereo mode, especially with your big RTi10's (if I remember correctly that's what you have).

I am going to rank gcmarshall's list in the following order.

1. 3806 (good balance between power, features, & price)
2. 7100ES (I read some recent British reviews that rated some ES models highly, and I don't find their sound bright as many believe, in fact I don't even find HK sound any warmer than them).
3. 1600/2600 (According to Audioholics the 2500 has a nice preamp section, and price is the lowest).

The Sony has the best specs but most people around here don't seem to like Sony receivers in general. The poster can read nicer things about Sony if he visits http://www.agoraquest.com/viewforum.php?forum=51

 

[shokhead]

It was until I removed the rear of the entertainment center. Now you can hear it slightly (say if the wife is watching tv at very low levels). It's about as annoying as a PC monitor if it's being played at low volume. I've been planning on getting a "silent fan," but it hasn't bothered me that much, and no one has ever commented on it. This one blows pretty hard (was over an AMD Athlon chip).

Just recently I've sell ALL my speakers to large, and LFE+Main on the Denon. I figure, if I'm going to cool the Denon, why not tax it a bit? I've driven it pretty hard, and it still doesn't seem to get more than warm to the touch.

The sound IMO has improved with running a full frequency to all 7 speakers. The bass improvement is outstanding, but I don't recommend this with an entry level receiver. Use the bass management and let the subwoofer handle the bass. I set it up this way because I enjoy 7 channel stereo - sometimes without a sub.

He only wants a basic 5.1 setup so 7 doesnt matter.

 

[Snap]

Drop the Sony!

I say either the AVR-3806 or the RX-V2600 either one of those will do you JUST FINE!

 

[runninkyle17]

OR ...... you could wait a little while on the receiver until HD-DVD becomes mainstream and HDMI is probably going to be included in everything. Personally I am going to forego getting a more expensive receiver now and look into getting better speakers.

 

[thxgoon]

You do know that 20-30 watts will make no difference. For example,you could change the 3805 to the 2805 and hear next to no difference and save some money. 2805 will power most any speakers you get I'm thinking. Dont waste money and overbuy.

There is a lot more different between the 2805 and 3805 than rated watts. Visit Denon's website for a list of comparisons. It's long.

Between the receivers you listed, the pioneer would be my choice. They seem to be all but ignored on the internet but it is feature packed, sounds great and has a very sturdy amp section. Pull one off the shelf if you can and look in the top, I think you'll be impressed. After the Pioneer, for me it's an easy choice, 3806.

 

[Snarl]

IMHO The Denon, it's a Great Reciever.

 

[vlkcheng]

You do know that 20-30 watts will make no difference. For example,you could change the 3805 to the 2805 and hear next to no difference and save some money. 2805 will power most any speakers you get I'm thinking. Dont waste money and overbuy.

I demo the Denon 2805 and 3805 before I made my purchase. I played the same song on bith receiver one after another and the sound quality on the 3805 was very obvious to me. The sound clarity and imaging were heaps better on the 3805. That's the reason why I bought 3805. The sound alone was enough to convince me to get the 3805 over 2805.

 

[shokhead]

I demo the Denon 2805 and 3805 before I made my purchase. I played the same song on bith receiver one after another and the sound quality on the 3805 was very obvious to me. The sound clarity and imaging were heaps better on the 3805. That's the reason why I bought 3805. The sound alone was enough to convince me to get the 3805 over 2805.[/QUOt

Nice. I just hate to see people buy more then they need but i'm glad the 3805 worked. Cant go wrong with Denon. I to listened to the 2805 and the 3805,same speakers,same player,same CD in the same room and to me,zero difference except the salesman turned the volume up on the 3805 before the cd loaded and told me how much better it sounded. LOL

 

[jcPanny]

May upgrade front speakers if existing ones do not do justice to my new receiver.

What is the model of your current Boston Acoustics fronts? If they are on the lower end of their product line then they might not be worthy of your new receiver. The Bose center is definately not worthy. A good speaker setup will outlive your electronics.

The Denon and Yamaha models you selected are great choices.

 

[gcmarshall]

My Boston fronts are the HD10 - technically classified as a bookshelf speaker. However, they were the largest Boston "bookshelf" speaker in the HD line when I bought them. They are big and heavy and have sounded superb over the years. They are rated for up to 150 watts, for whatever that's worth. Anyway, I am not in the market to replace them. They will do for my needs.

Just placed the order for a Yamaha RX-V4600, Polk FXi3 rears and a Velodune SPL-800R sub. Ouch, what a bill!!.....Still not sure if I should be getting the dipole/bipole rears of regulard direct firing rear speakers. But, for movies, it sounds like the bipole/dipole option might be more representative. I can always exchange them later if I am not happy.