When are we out of the entry level woods?

[MacManNM]

Who do you speak for when you say "we"? Not a good thing to speak for others. And as has been mentioned already in this thread the answer is "it depends". What size is the room? what is the efficiency of the speakers?, is there a powered subwoofer to take some of the load off of the receiver? what are the room acoustics etc, etc. IMHO if the receiver has enough juice to adequately drive the speakers, then it's speaker choice and room acoustics that really matter.

I think that's the point here, low spl speakers, and low watt receivers don't work together all that well. Buck was just saying that if you have a low watt receiver, you should shop for speakers with higher spl ratings(assuming upgrades aren't in the near future).

 

[oscar6036]

My thread has officially been hijacked. Someone call Homeland Security.

 

[MacManNM]

My thread has officially been hijacked. Someone call Homeland Security.

Sorry about that dude.

I think the bottom line is if you are happy with your setup, it's no longer entry level. I believe all of this stuff is mid-fi, so 6 of one, 1/2 dozen of the other.

 

[Audioholics]

My thread has officially been hijacked. Someone call Homeland Security.

ROFL. Sometimes people get their pets peeved and go off...

Move along, move along... nothing to see here... OK, where were we?

 

[PENG]

Nick, I did not mean to speak for anyone. I was referring only to those involved in the discussion of one specific point. It did appear to me that they all (again, only those involved) seemed to be agreeable on at least on one specific point in one sense. Regardless, you're right, I should not have made such assumption to begin with. As damage control, I edited my post so the poor choice of words won't mislead more people. My apology to MacManMN, MDS, and BuckeyeFan1, and thank you for pointing out my mistake.

 

[PENG]

Seems pretty much anything that is attainable to a good percentage of us get the "its good for an entry level system" tag thrown on them. So, I'm just wondering is there some sort of set dollar amount we have to spend to gain some kind've acceptance to some of the audiophiles around here? Or is it a particular item. Just curious.

I don't think there is any set dollar amount, but at least some people around here seem to have spent something like from $350 on a receiver to many time that on high end receivers and separates.

 

[oscar6036]

Would it be the consensus here that a Yamaha RX-V1500 would be entry level?

 

[Takeereasy]

I'd say it is the entry into mid level. Fantastic feature set, decent amount of power, and a pre-out section that appears to be unrivaled at this price point. This is one of the real bang for the buck receivers IMO and is worthy of mid level positioning. All that is lacking seems to be the ability to drive low impedance/insensitive speakers to their fullest potential, but, since it has that great pre-out section you can add an amp at a later date. Nice reciever at a great price point.

Also note though that the price on this unit has come down recently and it is missing some of the very latest features such as HDMI switching, but then again so are most receivers from 2004 regardless of cost.

 

[Cygnus]

What about my Denon? I know it doesnt handle 7.1, or multple zones or has preouts or...ok fine i allready know the answer but it does have a great feature set IMHO

 

[PENG]

I would sure hope the RX-V1500 is mid level, for its price, features, and quality.

 

[Jaycan]

oscar6036 Would it be the consensus here that a Yamaha RX-V1500 would be entry level?

I disagree. The rxv 1550 is squarely planted in midfi. Entry level is the rxv457, which still is a very features packed receiver for $350 list. Hi end comprizes on a small fraction of the HT market.

 

[Cwaters]

let me see

So it's about features listed and price point?
I would have thought it was about the "golden ears" blessing and the actual performance.
I paid something like $500 for my AV receiver that has DD and DTS, good features and pre-outs for everything...my speakers list for ~11-1500 dollars (though I didn't pay anywhere near that) all totaled-up...am I solidly in the mid-fi club?
Did I mention my AVR is a Sony? That affects my standing now, right? But it's a DB not a DE so it's a little better, right?

Oh yeah, I forgot...I don't care...

Cory
wants better stuff but just to upgrade...nobody ever sees my gear...