What Hi*Fi £1,500 AVR group test

[PENG]

They tested and rank 4 of their 5 star rated AVRs:

Pioneer SC-LX81 - £1,500 (their 2008 best AVR)
Rotel RSX-1550 - £1,400
Sony STR-DA5400 - £1,500
Yamaha RX-V3900 - £1,500

They described the winner as something like "....comfortably the best.....", "...........CD sound quality closest to ....stereo amp....", "......best in upscaling and deinterlacing.....". I am going by memory so I am not quoting it word for word.

Just for fun, guess who won? Please don't cheat (results in the June issue), but note that What Hi*Fi is a British magazine and they typically rank Denon, Yamaha and Arcam (especially Arcam) top, above NAD and other British design products.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

They tested and rank 4 of their 5 star rated AVRs:

Pioneer SC-LX81 - £1,500 (their 2008 best AVR)
Rotel RSX-1550 - £1,400
Sony STR-DA5400 - £1,500
Yamaha RX-V3900 - £1,500

They described the winner as something like "....comfortably the best.....", "...........CD sound quality closest to ....stereo amp....", "......best in upscaling and deinterlacing.....". I am going by memory so I am not quoting it word for word.

Just for fun, guess who won? Please don't cheat (results in the June issue), but note that What Hi*Fi is a British magazine and they typically rank Denon, Yamaha and Arcam (especially Arcam) top, above NAD and other British design products.

i'm guessing Sony. Why? because that's the smart butt answer!

 

[Lordoftherings]

Well Peng, that's an easy one, from What Hi*Fi in the UK.

Of course, the Sony STR-DA5400ES.

And the Yamaha RX-V3900 will be somehere up there too, I bet.

 

[mtrycrafts]

They tested and rank 4 of their 5 star rated AVRs:

Pioneer SC-LX81 - £1,500 (their 2008 best AVR)
Rotel RSX-1550 - £1,400
Sony STR-DA5400 - £1,500
Yamaha RX-V3900 - £1,500

They described the winner as something like "....comfortably the best.....", "...........CD sound quality closest to ....stereo amp....", "......best in upscaling and deinterlacing.....". I am going by memory so I am not quoting it word for word.

Just for fun, guess who won? Please don't cheat (results in the June issue), but note that What Hi*Fi is a British magazine and they typically rank Denon, Yamaha and Arcam (especially Arcam) top, above NAD and other British design products.

Then I would pick the Yamaha

 

[PENG]

You guys are great, as obviously no one has cheated..yet!
If you are in Canada you can go to Chapter/Indigo. In the U.S., I don't know, in England, I guess it would be easy.

In another similar (substitute the Rotel with an Onkyo and a smaller Pioneer) British group test, the Onkyo 906 won but for some reasons the Sony did get the same top score.

http://www.avreview.co.uk/news/article/mps/UAN/2886/v/3/sp/

Obviously I know the What Hi*Fi result but I am hoping to see more guesses including the smart butt ones......

 

[Djizasse]

What Hi fi magazine?
Could a moderator move this to the proper section (Steam Vent)?

 

[PENG]

What Hi fi magazine?
Could a moderator move this to the proper section (Steam Vent)?

To justify your request you need to know who the winner is, don't you think?

 

[Djizasse]

To justify your request you need to know who the winner is, don't you think?

Do I care?
But I would bet Sony. They seem to favour them for some unexplainable reason.

 

[Lordoftherings]

But I would bet Sony. They seem to favour them for some unexplainable reason.

You got that right.

 

[PENG]

Actually I have not seen them favoring Sony AVRs in the past couple of years. In fact I do not recall any mid range Sony AVRs ever made it their top choices while the entry level ones might have. Rather, they tend to favor Arcam, Denon, Yamaha, Pioneer, and occasionally Onkyo. HK and NAD generally don't make it their list but Rotel does now and then. Arcam is definitey their top choice.

As for that Sony, Home Theater magazine (5 stars for the 5400), Home Cinema Choice, Sound and Vision all gave the STR-DA5X00 AVRs decent reviews. The 5400 scored pretty bad in ACD power output bench tests done by HT and S&V but interestly the 5300 yielded very good numbers from tests done by HCC. I know here at Audioholics we don't think much of the Sony AVRs but may be they are not as bad as we thought.

 

[mike c]

so which one won?

 

[Lordoftherings]

so which one won?

Well, two of them. From Peng list, the Sony STR-DA5400ES won.

And from Peng additional information, the Onkyo TX-NR906 was the definitive winner. And the main reasons, was for the additional feature regarding it's video capabilities, and also for high octane movies, so, good for movie performance at loud levels.

* But the Sony won hands down, for the best refined performer on music.

At the end, both of these receivers got a score of 9 out of 10.

** Hey Mike, just click on Peng's link (from post #5), and then click some more on the bottom left to go to the beginning (page1), or to the end (page3) of the show test.
It's all there.

 

[Lordoftherings]

Hey Mike, just love these pictures of your kids. They always warm my heart and make me smile, each time I see a post from you.

Bob

 

[3db]

Well, two of them. From Peng list, the Sony STR-DA5400ES won.

And from Peng additional information, the Onkyo TX-NR906 was the definitive winner. And the main reasons, was for the additional feature regarding it's video capabilities, and also for high octane movies, so, good for movie performance at loud levels.

* But the Sony won hands down, for the best refined performer on music.

At the end, both of these receivers got a score of 9 out of 10.

** Hey Mike, just click on Peng's link (from post #5), and then click some more on the bottom left to go to the beginning (page1), or to the end (page3) of the show test.
It's all there.

Morning Dude

Thats not what I read. PENG indicated that the Onkyo won in a previous test over the Sony but not this specific test here and I can't find it where he said teh Sony one. I'm surprised at the Brits are picking Japanese products over their British counterparts. How unpatriotic can you get!!

 

[Lordoftherings]

Different continent > different sound interpretation.

Morning Dude

Thats not what I read. PENG indicated that the Onkyo won in a previous test over the Sony but not this specific test here and I can't find it where he said teh Sony one. I'm surprised at the Brits are picking Japanese products over their British counterparts. How unpatriotic can you get!!

Morning 3db. "Dude", I like that, from "The Big Lebowski", Jeff Bridges.

I read all reviews from What Hi*fi? regarding these receivers, and the Sony was voted the most musical of them all.
I'll find that link for you, give me a bit of time, quite busy right now.

The British are in a mind of their own, they constantly change their priorities.
Right now, they favor clarity and tempo over sweet and warm.
And they give a big deal to the Video equation.

Different set of ears over there in the UK, closer to ocean level, with a more humid climate.

Bob

 

[3db]

Morning 3db. "Dude", I like that, from "The Big Lebowski", Jeff Bridges.

I read all reviews from What Hi*fi? regarding these receivers, and the Sony was voted the most musical of them all.
I'll find that link for you, give me a bit of time, quite busy right now.

The British are in a mind of their own, they constantly change their priorities.
Right now, they favor clarity and tempo over sweet and warm.
And they give a big deal to the Video equation.

Different set of ears over there in the UK, closer to ocean level, with a more humid climate.

Bob

Too funny!! *LMAO*

 

[Lordoftherings]

Sony STR-DA5400ES links.

Too funny!! *LMAO*

Glad you like that.

Here's some links on the Sony STR-DA5400ES A/V receiver, as promise.

1. http://www.whathifi.com/Review/Sony-STR-DA5400ES/

2. http://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-visual/hi-fi-and-audio/receivers/sony-str-da5400es-503066/review

* Sony STR-DA5400ES or Onkyo TX-NR906
3. http://www.avforums.com/forums/av-amplifires-receivers/989362-sony-str-da5400es-onkyo-tx-nr906.html

4. http://community.whathifi.com/forums/t/257876.aspx

Bob

 

[rnatalli]

The British are in a mind of their own, they constantly change their priorities.
Right now, they favor clarity and tempo over sweet and warm.

That explains why they said the HK 355 doesn't sound as good as the competition. Too warm and fuzzy for their current taste... I wish I had a pair of golden ears.

"Perhaps you can explain to me the difference in sound an elevated train makes compared to one that runs along the ground. You must have ears like an eagle... Play that back! I want to hear the sound of an elevated train."

-Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive

 

[Lordoftherings]

That explains why they said the HK 355 doesn't sound as good as the competition. Too warm and fuzzy for their current taste... I wish I had a pair of golden ears.

It's the closeness to the ocean that gives you a pair of golden ears.

Where do you think I live?

* Great quote by the way.