yamaha 2400 vs denon 3805 for music..

[cstanley]

hey all -

looking to get a new receive/speakers, and both the yamaha 2400
and the new denon 3805 look really good. i'll mainly be using
them for music (2 ch & sacd/dvd-audio surround) with some dvd
viewing in there as well. i'm looking to spend <$3k for a
reciever/2 main speakers/center channel/2 smaller (but still
full range-ish (50-60hz) surrounds/sub. my living room is not
huge, prob 12x16 (old victorian) with 12 ft ceilings...

with the yamaha around $750-800 & the denon around $900-$1k
i'm wondering how much better the denon sounds then the yamaha,
the feature sets are pretty close. i listen to a pretty wide variety
of music, from tool/king crimson to coltrane to classical to rap
to music that i record...

the yamaha's have a reputation of being more "forward" or "edgy",
while the denon is more even..

i'm still auditioning speakers, but top of hte list is teh NHT ST-4's
with SB3's in the back (still not sure of a subwoofer, i'd love the sunfire jr
but its $$$, maybe the hsu). i've always like dynaudio (i've used them
in recording studio's, they seem very transparent, with the NHT's
just a little bit behind them in openness, but alot more affordable)
but they are probably out of my price range. i listened to KEF Q5
and while they sounded pretty good they didn't blow me away...

any suggestions/comments? i plan on hitting hte sf/bay area
audio stores to actually *listen* to the speakers as well...

thx all!

-carl

 

[Unregistered]

neither

Listen to the Pioneer Elite VSX-53TX, which is discontinuted; if your local Tweeter has it, it can be had for $750. Or the replacement 54TX. I have had Denon 3802 and Yamaha 992, 995, 1000, and 1400. the Pioneer is head and shoulders above any of the above for 2-channel music, and much better than Denon for home theater. The Yamaha may come somewhat close to the Pioneer on home theater, but the Pio wins out. the Pioneer is smooth, lush, warm, gutsy, and detailed. Much more than the 2 others.

 

[slmcdonald7]

I recently auditioned both of these receivers (just over a week ago) and like you, I wanted to listen to music more than movies (about 95% music, 5% movies).

It didn't take too long for me to pick the Denon. I will admit that I am (and have been for a while) biased towards Denon products, as I have found them to be among the best in their price class, whatever the model. Regardless of all bias, I just thought that the Yamaha sounded cheap and didn't work well with music (as much as HT), while the Denon gave me the sound I wanted.

Hope this helps,
Stephen

 

[nm2285]

Although they may not have all the features the Denon or Yamaha have, I would look into NAD receivers. I'm currently using a NAD C370 (integrated amp) with NHT SB2s and they match very well. The NHT's have a low sensitivity rating and can be a bit bright if underpowered. NAD's robust power supplies are a great solution. Check out the T753, T763, and T773