Evening All,
I've just joined as a new member. thought it might help to share my experience in selecting a new reciever for my HT needs.
I've been waiting anxiously to see Gene's review on the RX-Z9 (his 5803 review was terrif), because I wanted to be sure to choose correctly.
Many hours were spent comparing three flagships recievers; Pioneer 59TXi, Denon 5803a, and Yamaha RX-Z9.
I've been looking to replace my aging Denon AVR3200 (still in immaculate condition). The AVR3200 was about middle of the Denon range 7 or so years ago. It has served well, even with its limitations compared with today's standards. It has only lasted this long because my HT speakers are Polk RT5000 (RT3000p sat with sub both sides, F/x1000 dipole surrounds, CS1000 powered center) with the RT3000p front speaker/subs each having their own 300 watt amplifiers, which makes them very efficient indeed. If these speakers were more power hungry, the 3200 would have been more severely challenged, and I would have been forced to retire it sooner.
At the beginning, I was clearly in favor of Denon (one does develop some degree of loyalty over the years), but being objective is important to arriving at a sound conclusion, so the first step was to compare feature sets. All three of these mega-receivers are incredibly feature laden, however, when comparing specs, it was clear the Yamaha had some special features I could really use. The ability to upconvert to progressive scan for example. I own two older (but in my opinion very good) DVD/CD/SACD players, the venerable Denon DVD-5000 which at 40lbs gives some idea as to its quality, and the Sony DVP-NS9000ES which doesn't weigh a lot less, and which is one of the most beautiful and high quality piece of gear made for the regular enthusiast (IMHO). Both will benefit from the latest Farouda technology incorporated into the receiver. I was also impressed by the ability to up-convert incoming broadcast material to 1080i!!
When it came time for the listening test, my inital preference towards the Denon 5803a was'nt quite as strong, actually first round conclusions favoured the Yamaha. I headed down to The Good Guys Exposition Center in Redondo Beach Southern CA, where they have really exceptional demo rooms for auditioning different equipment. With the assistance of very helpful staff, I auditioned the three units using the Denon DVD-2900 as the reference player and the flagship model Energy Veritas for speakers.
All three were excellent. I found the Pioneer to be very accurate, especially through the midrange with good detail, nevertheless somewhat lacking in warmth compared to the Denon and Yamaha, sounding just a tad digital to be my first choice. However, it's well up to the job for any movie requirements. The mighty Denon was exceptional in every way possible (for a receiver that is), sounding warm and powerful thoughout the range, but exceptionally so in the lower extremes. But for my ear, the Yamaha had it all. It was utterly composed, clear, and accurate no matter what the decibel level or the material. My personal preference leans more towards warmth, and for those of you who are inclined towards the more 'analytical' approach, your conclusion could well be very different than mine. To my ears, the Yamaha was sonically superior. Coupling this with its extensive features, and terrific build quality., I made the decision to purchase one. I should have it by next week. After Gene has finished the staff review, I will be interested to see if he sees the Yamaha RX-Z9 as I did, the best HT receiver around that $3523.00 can buy.
A word of caution, for those of you considering buying one, please do not be tempted to buy from an unauthorized dealer as Yamaha will not honour the warranty, even if the price seems to be a couple of hundred dollars less. You could well pay for such a decision later on. I've just bought mine for the exceptional price of $3,523.00 from Quality Sound and Video out of North Carolina. They are not only authorized but are Yamaha's top dealer in Carolina. Concerning service, they have also been exceptional in every respect. if you do place an order in the near future, expect to wait for up to one month to get it.
Cheers and glad to be on board.
O'Shag
