Recommend me a receiver

[Saint]

My current receiver is a Harma Kardon AVR-120 (30 wpc). It's done me well for a few years now, but I crave more power and perhaps some more features. My room isn't that large however...the whole apartment is 900 sq. feet, so the living room can't be more than say 200-300 sq. feet.

5.1 is already set up with wall mounted surrounds, so unless I go stands I likely won't be adding 7.1 anytime soon though you never know. I'm basically looking for more power and some good processing modes since I watch t.v. and it's not always DD 5.1 encoded.

I DO however want a receiver with pre-outs so I could add external amplification in the future.

Any ideas spring out?

 

[AVRat]

What sort of budget and features are you interested in?

 

[Saint]

I would say under $800. I'm not sure how complex I want it to be...I don't really have the same patience to set up a complex system anymore.

Some nicer processing modes would be cool. Also the abilityt to "lock" the processing mode would be great because on my H/K when I switch channels or pause my PVR, it defaults back to Dolby Digital....however just because the stream is AC3 doesn't mean that the signal is, so I often use DPL2 Movie to enhance the sound.

 

[The Dukester]

I would suggest you look at the new Yamaha rx-v1600. It should be out in a few weeks and looks hard to beat for the money. You should be able to look around and find it for close to 800, mabye a little more but I think it would be worth it. It will make a great pre-pro as well.

 

[korgoth]

they arent brand new, but you can get an hk635, or a denon 3805

i think if you turned off auto on your hk, it would stop tryin to switch the mode.

 

[T2T]

If you like the H/K sound, you could pick up the AVR-235, 335 or even one of the higher models as they feature pre-outs.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

$800 is a great budget. If you don't mind "B" stock or ordering online, here's some great buys with solid warranties:

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4011009

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/538799290

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4020307

http://cgi.ebay.com/Harman-Kardon-AVR-630-7-1-Receiver-DTS-Dolby-Digital_W0QQitemZ5808300572QQcategoryZ39794QQcmdZViewItem

 

[jcPanny]

Yamaha receivers

I would second the recommendation for a Yamaha receiver, but I would not wait for the RX-V1600 model. When this model is released in october, it will have an MSRP of $1,100 and most authorized dealers will stick with that pricing. The main advantage to the new model is HDMI switching.

I would take advantage of the new product release and get a great deal on Yamaha's current model 1500 from an authorized dealer like Electonix-expo.com for $500. Or about $800 for the 2500.

These receivers are probably overkill for your small room, but will provide pleanty of headroom for future use and very clean pre-amp outputs.