Jay481985 Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 I was looking at the Denon DRA-685, The Harmon Kardon HK3480, and the yamamha rx 596. I was just wondering which of these or any other stereo recievers are good. Any preferences, I know majority like denon minority like yamaha cause of the brightness, what about harmon kardon? what is pro and con of them and onkyos too? these are to power rf-7 in the future (maybe if paycheck is forgivable) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 I really don't know where these people are getting off saying Yamahas are bright. THEY'RE NOT. My brother has had two of them now, and both of them were nice and smooth. Like-wise for my Yamaha. I have no clue why people think Yamaha is bright. I would definately go with the Yamaha out of your group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted June 4, 2004 Author Share Posted June 4, 2004 im a little concerned with the yamaha and the power capablities thoug, the denon 100 rms, the hk is 120 rms, and the yamaha are 80 rms. I just wished they be 100 watts then i would be sold. I kinda like the 100 watts number to have some room to be able to push my system without it failing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 ---------------- On 6/4/2004 11:12:40 PM Jay481985 wrote: im a little concerned with the yamaha and the power capablities thoug, the denon 100 rms, the hk is 120 rms, and the yamaha are 80 rms. I just wished they be 100 watts then i would be sold. I kinda like the 100 watts number to have some room to be able to push my system without it failing ---------------- What speakers do you plan on pushing, the RF-7's? Those are 102dB @ 1 watt. Trust me, even with 80 watts, you'll probably never even use half of that. I'm running 12 watts of tube power into my KG 5.5s which are 98dB @ 1 watt, and they get too loud at times, and I love my music loud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 If this is for 2-channel only, you're wasting your money buying any of these IMHO. A vintage 70s amp (cheap on ebay then under $100 to have it freshened up) will sound better. None of those could touch my '76 kenwood for 2-channel purposes. HT is a different story altogether but this is the 2-channel forum so I just assumed........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted June 4, 2004 Author Share Posted June 4, 2004 oh i'm a college kid i might be moving into a frat with a basement of 60' by 60' conservative numbers. plus they also have a rush month where they would blair the speakers outside at full volume Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted June 4, 2004 Author Share Posted June 4, 2004 ---------------- On 6/4/2004 11:26:27 PM garymd wrote: If this is for 2-channel only, you're wasting your money buying any of these IMHO. A vintage 70s amp (cheap on ebay then under $100 to have it freshened up) will sound better. None of those could touch my '76 kenwood for 2-channel purposes. HT is a different story altogether but this is the 2-channel forum so I just assumed........ ---------------- first i'm pretty new to audio, you can see my signature, i have promedia ultras. I believe it time to upgrade. Also I dislike ebay and I rather purchase new (warantee, and the not used and abused feeling). But you can say I'm very uneducated in anything that is older then the current models because im 19 and that 70's vintage amp would mean that it would be older then me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rdmarsiii Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 I used to (still do) have a vintage Pioneer SA-550 amp that pushed 50 wpc that I used with my heresys. It did fine for a little while, but I wanted more power. I upgraded (I think) to a Pioneer VSX-D511. It has 100 wpc, and I am really happy with it. Oh, and there isnt that much of a difference between 80 wpc and 100 wpc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avman Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 for a NEW stereo receiver, the yamaha rx596,IMO, is definitely the best choice: 'cd direct amp' and 'amp direct' buttons allow for the shortest signal path from source to amplifier. 'variable loudness' is like a midrange control that allows for very flexable sound shaping,especially for low volume level listening. mechanical pre-amp switching so the noise that can be introduced by an electronically-switched pre-amp doesn't happen. good build quality,inside and out,2-year warranty. to be fair,i haven' had a harman/kardon stereo receiver RECENTLY to compare,but the rx596 would be hard to beat in the NEW receiver dept. and the power output is MORE than you need,so don't worry about that. avman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 I agree with Avman. The Yamaha is a winner and will sound quite good with your Klipsch. Yamaha do not sound bright with Klipsch when compared with Denon - a ridiculous assertion. You may want to check out one of the new digital recievers that use "digital amplifier technology." These are excellent sounding, inexpensive, efficient, powerful, versitile, state-of-the-art and getting outstanding reviews from experienced audio enthusiasts. These digital amps are the future in audio amplifier technolgy. Example: Panasonic SA-XR50 (about $240 new). I think there is a recent post about this unit. Also, I personally would avoid older units. As good as they may have been in their day, when those old electrolytic output caps inevitably start to leak (DC voltage that is), they may fry your tweeter's voice coils. DC current is TERRIBLE for your speakers - ESPECIALLY if you like to turn it up. KEEP IT CLEAN, IF YOU LIKE IT LOUD! Hope this helps, Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_Shomaker Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 I think Yamaha did sound extremely bright with my heresys and that is why I got a tube amp. I don't think that Yamaha sounds bright with other klipsch stuff just the heritage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GooseChaser Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 ---------------- On 6/4/2004 11:27:06 PM Jay481985 wrote: oh i'm a college kid i might be moving into a frat with a basement of 60' by 60' conservative numbers. plus they also have a rush month where they would blair the speakers outside at full volume---------------- Dude, let someone else abuse their speakers for this kind of purpose such as parties and whatnot. Among Klipsch loudspeakers, the RB-25s have a modest sensitivity of 94dB @ 1watt/1meter. With the Yamaha RX-596, you should be able to push near 112dB of sound pressure without straining the receiver. This is more than enough for personal listening, but you may not realize how much a bunch of loud people at a party can drown out a pair of speakers. Besides, you'd need a subwoofer for parties. I repeat, let someone else abuse their speakers and amplification. By the way, the power handling for the RB-25s are 75 watts continuous and 300 watts at peak. Since a pair of RB-5s and a Yamaha RX-596 are my first two channel, I don't have much else to compare this combo with. But, I can attest that I personally don't find any remarkable flaws in the highs as some Klipsch owners have claimed with other Yamaha amplifications. EDIT: As far the RF-7s are concerned, you'll find that 80 watt is plenty for just about any situation. 120dB with only 64 watts, and remember this is without considering room gain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted June 5, 2004 Author Share Posted June 5, 2004 but that getting real close to the 80watt max of the yamaha and yeah im thinking pb2+ for subwoofer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rdmarsiii Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 http://www.ecost.com/ecost/shop/detail.asp?DPNo=400961&adcampaign=email,EWB05642 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GooseChaser Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 ---------------- On 6/5/2004 1:14:11 PM Jay481985 wrote: but that getting real close to the 80watt max of the yamaha and yeah im thinking pb2+ for subwoofer---------------- There's a large gap between using a pair of RB-25s for personal two channel listening and parties. With 94dB sensitivity and power handling of 75 watts continuous, the RB-25s just do not have the headroom in sound pressure to handle a frat party. Even if you had a 300 watt amplification with the RB-25s, there will be a serious risk of burning the speakers' voice coils at a loud party. In the case of two channel listening, you are not likely to use over half the power of Yamaha RX-596, so the power handling of the RB-25s nor the 80 watts of Yamaha RX-596 would be a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 The less watts I have, the better my big ole horns sound and the more I play them. Horns love Tubes. I vote for refurbished vintage integrated tube amplifiers or sweet, little 70s vintage, solid-state harmon/kardon receivers (less than $100). Either one is a revelation with big ole horns, more tube-like than modern, chintzy pieces of solid-state tin I have heard (actually, only a few) on big ole horns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 IMHO, Yamaha is not intrinsically bright with Heritage. Heresy I's are bright, though. I had a pair of Heresys (1980 Heresy I CWO bone stock, perfect condition mechanically and electrically) that, to my ears, were bright and brassy with everything I threw at them from solid state to tubes. I stepped the tweeters down on the autoformer for a while (also tried a bunch of other stuff with placement, amplification, crossover slopes, etc.), but finally ended up giving them away to a friend (he likes 'em). Never heard the Heresy II, maybe they are less bright? I know there are a lot of Heresy fans here, and so am I. But the balance of every Heresy I I have EVER heard is bright to my ears. ALL of the OTHER Heritage I have heard (EXTENSIVE) are fairly mellow in the highs with SS or tubes. When placing your ear alternately between the squawker and the tweeter on the big Heritage, the squawker is a little louder than the tweeter. On the Heresy, however, the tweeters are substantially louder than the squawker. If the Heritage tweeters are louder than the squawkers, then, IMHO, the speakers are leaning bright. My brother has a Yamaha RX-596 with his Cornwalls and they sound MELLOW in the highs. VERY impressive sounding system - great tight bass. Another family member's McIntosh 2105 with his Cornwalls do not put that Yamaha to shame. I've also heard the Yamaha 596 with Chorus I's - again mellow in the highs, smooth in the midrange, coupled with deep, controlled bass. (As you guys may have gathered, there are a boatload of Heritage speakers in my family - I get to listen to all of them.) Anyway, it's all what you like. Some like it bright, some like it mellow. I personally like it mellow - heck I cut my eye teeth listening to big ole Bozaks. Also, one man's bright, may be another man's mellow. One's system must sound good to his own ears - making talk cheap. So, please don't take offense. I love all the Heritage and have for 20+ years. Just get what sounds good to your own ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 Despite what you might think, it seems to me that it is NOT the tweeter that cases brightness in big ole horns, often it is an un-even or tipped frequency response in the mid-range that sounds forward or bright, sometimes, it is the fault of a poor crossover point, with too much overlap of the mid and high range horns, too much tweeter usually sounds like a sizzling sound, or hissing or sibilance sound, but NOT a brightness. In my super-sensitive walnut-oiled Cornwall 1s, with their B2 crossovers, it was the bounce at 7-9khz that caused the bright sound, NOT the upper frequencies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted June 5, 2004 Author Share Posted June 5, 2004 who keeps saying im getting rb 25?? i want rf-7's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GooseChaser Posted June 5, 2004 Share Posted June 5, 2004 Oops, sorry Jay. I confused you with theeliteone. 40 watts are enough to theoratically achieving 117.75dB of sound pressure which is enough to blast your eardrums. Though, receivers should never be driven to the point of maximum output, let's calculate them for comparison sake. 80 watts achieve 120.75dB of acoustic output with the RF-7s. 100 watts achieve 121.5dB. And, 120 watts achieve 122.1dB. The point is, all these options are too damn loud. So don't worry about how much watts these receivers have, just how they sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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