Receiver just failed, need recommendations for a new one.

[AaronB123]

As of right now I had been using a Pioneer Elite VSX-90 receiver and I really liked it until a couple days ago when my TV started flickering and through thorough testing I found out it's the HDMI passthrough on the receiver so I need to get another one. This was my first Pioneer and I did like it a lot but I have never had a receiver fail me so fast in my life. I have had Yamaha's for 6+ years that have never failed, I always ended up selling because they were out dated before anything ever happened. 

 

My theater setup is in my sig. I would say I listen to a good mixture of around 50/50 music/theater. I was looking at the Marantz SR6010. I also always really liked the Pioneer SC-95's but honestly after this experience I really don't know about going with another Pioneer. I have always wanted to try Marantz. Any input would be highly appreciated. I am also looking to get something with pre out's just to keep my options for expansion in the future open. 

[teaman]

Dang Aaron, that was fast....and it sucks. I think you are aiming for Atmos if I remember your previous posts correctly. I have had good luck with the longevity of Yamaha receivers, they are pretty much bulletproof. If you are going non Atmos a Sherbourn SR-120 is my favorite all time receiver. For Atmost it may be worth a try with a Marantz. My next door neighbor has one of the recent models and it sounds pretty good.

 

Personally i would steer you towards separates. A separate preamp/processor and a capable amp wins in my mind every time. You can't beat Emotiva for price and warranty so if that is in the cards take a looksie

 

Tim

[AaronB123]

13 hours ago, teaman said:

Dang Aaron, that was fast....and it sucks. I think you are aiming for Atmos if I remember your previous posts correctly. I have had good luck with the longevity of Yamaha receivers, they are pretty much bulletproof. If you are going non Atmos a Sherbourn SR-120 is my favorite all time receiver. For Atmost it may be worth a try with a Marantz. My next door neighbor has one of the recent models and it sounds pretty good.

 

Personally i would steer you towards separates. A separate preamp/processor and a capable amp wins in my mind every time. You can't beat Emotiva for price and warranty so if that is in the cards take a looksie

 

Tim

Thank you for that I actually am considering seperates this times. I unfortunately couldn't do the sherbourn because of the lack of 4k support. I just bought a LG OLED C6 TV so I definitely could not get something that isn't going to support 4k. What combination of seperates would you recommend? I was thinking perhaps have the mains driven by a seperate amp or even the whole front stage and then the rears driven by the original receiver. As far as the seperate amp goes though I really don't know what brand or model to look at. I know you mentioned Emotiva. I will look into them. 

[teaman]

Both Emotiva and Outlaw Audio offer some nice packages. Emotiva is just getting ready to launch three new lines so we are kind of waiting to see what they are and what the pricing will be. 

 

Outlaw has some packages that may interest you. The new 975 processor looks like a winner and was rated a "Home Theater" magazine top pick. I would picture it pairing nicely with their Model 7125 seven channel amp. I own both Emotiva gear and Outlaw gear and I cannot imagine a receiver competing with either. 

 

http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/975.html

 

http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/7125.html

 

There are several options on their site if you want to check them out. http://www.outlawaudio.com/

 

I lean towards the Emotiva products personally but like I say they are in transition with new product launches right now. Here is a thread by one of the administrators at Emotiva in regards to their new entry level processor. It sounds affordable and offers a big bang for the buck.

 

http://emotivalounge.proboards.com/thread/47561/official-basx-700-pre-thread

 

Tim

[willland]

Sorry to here about your Pioneer, I am assuming it is out of warranty.

 

6 hours ago, AaronB123 said:

Thank you for that I actually am considering seperates this times.  What combination of seperates would you recommend?

 

Where are you located?  Separate amps pop up on C-list all the time.

 

Bill

 

 

[redtitan29]

I would normally suggest looking at the Yamaha CX-A5100, but the latest receiver release adds bass management down to 15 hz as well as a few other items. I would look at pairing the Yamaha RX-A3060 with an Emotiva XPA-5.  

[willland]

12 minutes ago, redtitan29 said:

I would normally suggest looking at the Yamaha CX-A5100, but the latest receiver release adds bass management down to 15 hz as well as a few other items. I would look at pairing the Yamaha RX-A3060 with an Emotiva XPA-5.  

 

With his super efficient La Scala LCR, just the Yamaha 3060 would be way more than enough power but with 200x5 on tap, all I can say is "headroom".

 

Bill

[jason str]

If looking for something a step above the usual suspects consider picking up something from NAD.

[willland]

10 minutes ago, jason str said:

If looking for something a step above the usual suspects consider picking up something from NAD.

 

I would agree with that.  Been very happy with my NAD pre/pro, and AVR, and CD player.

 

Bill

[Schu]

Marantz, since you always wanted to try them, is a really good choice... if you can spare the capital, NAD would also be somewhere near the top of the list.

Sorry to hear about the pioneer issue... did you try a factory reset?

On a side note, how about a C6 review? I am probably going to pull the trigger on a C6 or more than likely a B6 (since I dont do 3D)... prices have come down reasonably quickly and this technology is at that sweet spot right now.

[AaronB123]

5 hours ago, Schu said:

Marantz, since you always wanted to try them, is a really good choice... if you can spare the capital, NAD would also be somewhere near the top of the list.

Sorry to hear about the pioneer issue... did you try a factory reset?

On a side note, how about a C6 review? I am probably going to pull the trigger on a C6 or more than likely a B6 (since I dont do 3D)... prices have come down reasonably quickly and this technology is at that sweet spot right now.

I actually ended up with the Marantz SR 5011 based on the reviews and the guy at Best Buy that worked in the magnolia theater had nothing but rave reviews about Marantz. He said Denon and Marantz are made by the same manufacturer which I'm not sure if it's true or not but I am very happy with it so far. 

 

As far as the C6 I can tell you right now this TV is incredible. I can't believe how 4k looks. It's amazing I used to think my Sony XBRX850C looked good. When I went to sell the sony and hooked it up for demonstration purposes for the buyer I could't believe the difference in the black levels. After having OLED then looking back at a regular panel it's ubelievable how washed out and grey the black levels look. Oh and side not my brother actually has the B6 and according to the guy at bestbuy other than the curve and 3d there is no difference in picture quality which after using both I can certainly agree with. Either TV will blow you away! 

 

Oh, and one of the biggest things I can say about the B/C6 is the viewing angles are incredible. I see no difference no matter where I sit which was a huge problem with my Sony TV. If I wasn't dead center in front of it, everything looked horribly washed out. I will personally say that since both the B and C are the same price I would personally go with the C because the curve reduces glare a lot and to me at least makes it seem more immersive and kind of gives the illusion that the screen is bigger. 

 

I do actually still want to add a seperate amp for my mains though. I do like the looks of that Emotiva XPA Gen3 that thing looks pretty much like exactly what I am looking for. I am just not quite sure if I should get the 3 channel and just use the seperate amp for the front stage or perhaps just go all out and get the 7 channel for future proofing as well as hooking my whole theater to an external amp. I do see though that the less amount of channels you get the higher rating each channel is. My main reason for wanting an external though is to make my music sound the absolute best it can, I am pretty happy with the theater aspect when it comes to movies. 

 

I have also heard many here say that all you really need is to amp up the front stage and leave the rear's on the AVR. What does everyone here think? How are the majority of your setup's? 

[teaman]

Congrats on your purchase of the Marantz, it is true that D&M now controls both Marantz and Denon products. I think Marantz is the better choice for HT.

 

I would suggest you eventually use an outboard amp, I think you will notice a difference. Whether you amp just the front mains, the front three or all of the channels, to me there is a significant enough difference that it will add the extra element of detail to everything you listen to. Both Outlaw Audio and Emotiva offer a thirty day in home trial. If you don't find it worth the investment, simply return it. All you pay is return shipping costs.

 

 

Tim

[AaronB123]

4 hours ago, teaman said:

Congrats on your purchase of the Marantz, it is true that D&M now controls both Marantz and Denon products. I think Marantz is the better choice for HT.

 

I would suggest you eventually use an outboard amp, I think you will notice a difference. Whether you amp just the front mains, the front three or all of the channels, to me there is a significant enough difference that it will add the extra element of detail to everything you listen to. Both Outlaw Audio and Emotiva offer a thirty day in home trial. If you don't find it worth the investment, simply return it. All you pay is return shipping costs.

 

 

Tim

I just purchased the Emotiva XPA Gen3 5 channel amp. It's awesome how you can add extra channels later on if you need them. Can't wait to try it! 

[TasDom]

6 minutes ago, AaronB123 said:

I just purchased the Emotiva XPA Gen3 5 channel amp. It's awesome how you can add extra channels later on if you need them. Can't wait to try it! 

Congratulations, I've been rockin their amps for about 5 years now and have been very satisfied with their performance. 

 

Keep us posted how it sounds with the Scalas

 

Enjoy!

[teaman]

That is awesome Aaron, everyone that has the XPA series amps likes them. I hope you do as well!

 

 

Tim

[Scrappydue]

15 hours ago, AaronB123 said:

My main reason for wanting an external though is to make my music sound the absolute best it can, I am pretty happy with the theater aspect when it comes to movies. 

my experience and many others is that your music will not sound any different if the power requirement is not needed. and i can assure you with three la scalas up front you dont need an amp unless your room is like 3000 square feet. @Youthman can tell you how he got rid of his amps as he felt they added nothing with la scalas. now when he has the 83/64 combo it was as a different story. la scalas are waaaay efficient. 

 

15 hours ago, AaronB123 said:

have also heard many here say that all you really need is to amp up the front stage and leave the rear's on the AVR. What does everyone here think? How are the majority of your setup's? 

in all reality YOUR rears could actually use the amp more than your front three. SO i personally would not waste your money. if you had a really good friend do a double blind i bet 100$ you would not tell a difference. a true double blind will reveal alot. knowing what you hear introduces placebo very quickly and placebo is strong. some dont care and that is fine. i choose to spend my money where it matters the most. and with speakers as efficient as ours amps just aren't needed

 

AND now that i read further down i see you already bought it. well try it out. pretty sure they have free returns if you aren't satisfied. 

[AaronB123]

3 hours ago, Scrappydue said:

my experience and many others is that your music will not sound any different if the power requirement is not needed. and i can assure you with three la scalas up front you dont need an amp unless your room is like 3000 square feet. @Youthman can tell you how he got rid of his amps as he felt they added nothing with la scalas. now when he has the 83/64 combo it was as a different story. la scalas are waaaay efficient. 

 

in all reality YOUR rears could actually use the amp more than your front three. SO i personally would not waste your money. if you had a really good friend do a double blind i bet 100$ you would not tell a difference. a true double blind will reveal alot. knowing what you hear introduces placebo very quickly and placebo is strong. some dont care and that is fine. i choose to spend my money where it matters the most. and with speakers as efficient as ours amps just aren't needed

 

AND now that i read further down i see you already bought it. well try it out. pretty sure they have free returns if you aren't satisfied. 

Ya, they definitely move fast. I ordered last night and the order has already been shipped even though they say it takes 1-2 days because they are built after order but looking at the construction it looks like a simple build. I'm pretty sure all they do is install the selected amount of channels, kind of looks similar to installing a PCI-E card into a computer so I can see why it's such a quick process. 

 

Well I have heard many mixed things, some people say the La Scala's really come to life when driven with around 200+watts and some say they don't need it. Like you said, I will wait and see how it sounds but I am 99% sure I will keep it even if I don't notice a huge difference just because it's a gorgeous piece of gear and who know's how I may be able to better utilize it in the future. 

[teaman]

Just so you know Aaron, Emotiva is getting ready to launch several new processors. In the case that you are not thrilled with your Marantz. Here is one example of the new entry level processor with projected pricing.

 

http://emotivalounge.proboards.com/thread/47561/official-basx-700-pre-thread

 

By the way I have a friend that owns Forte II's, La Scalas and Chorus II's and he pumps big power through them via a Bryston 4B SST. We A/B'd them years ago with his AV receiver and the big amp made a huge difference.

[AaronB123]

3 hours ago, teaman said:

Just so you know Aaron, Emotiva is getting ready to launch several new processors. In the case that you are not thrilled with your Marantz. Here is one example of the new entry level processor with projected pricing.

 

http://emotivalounge.proboards.com/thread/47561/official-basx-700-pre-thread

 

By the way I have a friend that owns Forte II's, La Scalas and Chorus II's and he pumps big power through them via a Bryston 4B SST. We A/B'd them years ago with his AV receiver and the big amp made a huge difference.

Ya, I mean I have heard people say especially with the Chorus's that they come to life in a huge way when connected to a bigger amp so I really can't imagine that the La Scala's will be any different. I remember when I first got the Chorus's and they weren't really producing the bass I had been hearing about from everyone, the first thing many people said was get a separate amp. 

[Scrappydue]

2 hours ago, AaronB123 said:

so I really can't imagine that the La Scala's will be any different.

simple logic really. horn loaded. really efficient. 100+db from a single watt. how far away do you sit from your speakers and how loud are you wanting to listen?