I'm a noob here, so sorry about long or no-brainer post...
I first got into Yamaha gear when I purchased my then state-of-the-art Flagship DSP-A3090 about 10 years ago. That unit ended-up damaged beyond repair, so I went shopping and due to my obsessive compulsive nature, ended-up with 3(!) Yammies:
- an RX-V1500 for $250
- an RX-V2500 for $425
- an RX-V2600 for $850
*I snagged these at The Great Indoors on clearance. The store is an authorized Yamaha dealer, so each of these units carries a two warranty from just before Christmas.
For those of you who have had a chance to live with two or all three of these units, which is the best bang for the buck deal? I've been listening to the RX-V1500 and it has impressive features for the $250 that I've paid and sound quality almost as good as the DSP-A3090 for which I originally paid $3300. I've read many takes on all of these units in these forums, but they were mainly covering Yammy vs. onkyo/denon/elite, etc...
I could certainly live with the RX-V1500, but now I'm thinking that I want to keep two of the three units. I've got a 720p Toshiba 42" DLP with HDMI inputs on order for video and vintage Boston Acoustics speakers in a newly configured 7.1 setup, plus BAs for my presence speakers and a Sunfire Truesub Jr and eventually want to run a Mac mini to access my music library.
Is the 2600 worth the $425 Leap over the 2500? I know it has Burr Brown DACs and HDMI switching/scaling as an upgrade from the 2500, and this is my first time seriously considering video as much as audio in my component purchase. If HDTV wasn't as big a factor, I'd stick with the 1500 and run component video switching and call it a day, but the 2500 and 2600 are still sitting in their boxes, with the return period in effect. I can hear the receivers' muffled cries from inside the cardboard everyday, saying "toss the 1500 on eBay and keep us!"
Thanks in advance for your input!
