Semi budget reciever?

[Kris B Krunch]

Hi, I recently had my sony STR-DEG 75 stolen from my house, thank god the thieves were too lazy or stupid take my RF-15's and RC-25 (I know, system is just getting started, buying it as I can affoard it, and love Klipsch sound) Anyways, I was planning on replacing my amp with something better anyways, it's just I know very little about amps except basically in most cases, more money = better sound.

I'm hoping that the insurance gives me at least enough to help put a good chunk towards the new amp. I'd like to keep the cost around $500, but if there is something much better that is up to maybe $700 then maybe I'd spring for it. Canadian dollars too by the way. So about $445 US to $624US is my ideal range.....but it's not set in stone, can go up a little more if need be.

Also, heard that the sony didn't really put out that much power, so I'd like to put a little more towards my speakers, I know they arn't the biggest, but still specs say they can handle quite a bit more than I've been told my sony's rms power was at.

So, if there are some favourites in that price range you guys and girls can send my way that would be great. Little overwhelming and I just don't trust the salesmen at most of the stores I've been in.

Thanks in advance,

Kris

[Cal Blacksmith]

I am VERY fond of Yamaha but there are fans of all brands here. The truth is though for the most part any name brand unit in the $500 range will sound just about the same. Pick the one that has the features you want. You should be able to get a 7.1 100 wpc - 20 to 20K unit for that price. Read my post on NEW to HT.

[Jay481985]

pioneer 1015tx?

[xdetroitx]

Yamaha 5989 is about 500 and its 7.1 with 115 watts per channel. Lots of extras and it also comes with YPAO which is their room optimizer. Yamaha is rather true to their power rating also. Yamaha also has an in your face type of sound.

[picky]

Kris: Sorry to hear of your misfortune! What a total bummer! Welcome to the forum.

pioneer 1015tx?

Jay: Great idea but I believe the VSX-1016TXV is the latest model and the same price ($499) (US). The difference on the 1016 is: 10 less watts per channel (110w x 7ch into 8 ohms) but it adds 1080p, HDMI and XM-HD support.

Just over the budget ($650) is the Pioneer Elite VSX-80TXV which adds a 2-year warranty along with 1080p, HDMI and XM-HD support. It's also 110w x 7 ch.

That Yammy that xdetroitx mentions sounds like a lot of bang for the buck, too.

Denon's got their new AVR-1907 coming out soon ($549.00). That may be something to consider, too.

[Jay481985]

There still in limbo with the release of the 1016..... I believe if you don't need the hdmi and XM-HD then you probably could get the 1015 for a steal (Under 350?) I remember and looked that the 1015 and I believe pioneer elite 52 or 58 that the dealer purposely put on different sides cause they looked identical sans the different color display (yellow brown vs blue white) Heck even the back and function are the same!

[colterphoto1]

Yamaha RXV 675 I think is the new one. Mid priced. YPAO auto eq and all the bells and whistles. Very nice unit. I have the big brother to it.

M

[Cal Blacksmith]

Yamaha 5989 is about 500 and its 7.1 with 115 watts per channel. Lots of extras and it also comes with YPAO which is their room optimizer. Yamaha is rather true to their power rating also. Yamaha also has an in your face type of sound.

I will disagree with you on that. I have owned Yamaha equipment since 1977 and have never found that statement to be true. Those who don't like Yamaha have started that myth and it just won't die.

[colterphoto1]

"Yamaha also has an in your face type of sound."

I don't know where this came from. Perhaps some early or less expensive (HTR) series might have had this.

I have owned three modern Yamaha recievers and they are pretty flat. I find no overly bright, harsh, in-your-face, whatever sound to them whatsoever.

The RXV series is the one to get.

Michael

[oldbuckster]

SONY is good too, they get a bad rap on this forum, everyone will sing the praises of Denon here, over rated, and over priced...........You can't go wrong with the standard brand names mentioned here.......Pioneer, Yamaha, some of that Outlaw equipment looks good too........

[Jay481985]

cough Harmon Kardon

had to [:$]

[Rsoxfan]

I can suggest the yamaha RX-V757. you can probably get one semi cheap now.

[firedawg24]

I happen to be a long time yamaha fan I have owned a couple and have found them to sound great. As far as the diff between HTR and RXV, same machines different badge. The HTR series was made for the big bix stores. The HTR5980 is the same as the RXV1500 so unless you care about asthetics save the money and get the HTR. But the best thing to do is listen to a couple of brands and choose for yourself.

Good Luck

Dave C

[Zen Traveler]

Yamaha 5989 is about 500 and its 7.1 with 115 watts per channel. Lots of extras and it also comes with YPAO which is their room optimizer. Yamaha is rather true to their power rating also. Yamaha also has an in your face type of sound.

I will disagree with you on that. I have owned Yamaha equipment since 1977 and have never found that statement to be true. Those who don't like Yamaha have started that myth and it just won't die.

I agree with Cal. Yamaha makes good products but IMHO there is a reason they are cheaper than the comparable Denons with similar WPC. I too replaced 3 Yamaha AVR's (RX-V800/795A & one I can't remember--Maybe 695) with 3 Denons. I didn't realize there was that much of a difference until I heard it with my own ears. I am betting that the heavier, higher wattage consuming Denons will give you closer to all channels being driven near their stated WPC--That is what I surmise through observation and limited research. []

That being said I can't argue with the people that are happy with their Yamahas--To each their own. []

{edit: BTW, I would try and find a used Denon AVR-3803 for around $300 or a AVR 3805 for around $600. Both are discontinued and have similar WPC, with the newer one having more bells and whistles--Good luck and welcome to the forum.}

[colterphoto1]

I happen to be a long time yamaha fan I have owned a couple and have found them to sound great. As far as the diff between HTR and RXV, same machines different badge. The HTR series was made for the big bix stores. The HTR5980 is the same as the RXV1500 so unless you care about asthetics save the money and get the HTR. But the best thing to do is listen to a couple of brands and choose for yourself.

Good Luck

Dave C

HTR is rated wattage at 1kHz, RXV is from 20-20K. That's a pretty sizeable difference in ratings. There IS a difference in the two series. I don't think they use the same processing chip for DSP either.

RXV is clearly a different class of receiver.

[firedawg24]

You could be right, from what I've read though when I bought mine was that they are the same and that the ratings although different on paper are actually the same. From what I understood it was just part of the marketing or something (see link below). I might be wrong on which RXV number it was. Also I think the RXV series has higher end stuff where as the HTR stops at the 5980 and now the 5990.

I am definetly not an expert on the subject but I did alot of research and was adding my two cents, and by the way am very happy with my choice.

I still stand by what I said in that he should listen to several brands and choose what he likes best.

Here is another forum post that kind of says what I was trying to:

http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/1/133305.html

[firedawg24]

Here is the answer directly from Yamaha's website

What is the difference between the RX-V line and the HTR line AV receivers ?

There are many similarities between these two product lines. The RX-V

line and the HTR line are produced in the same Yamaha factory using the

same high quality parts throughout. The RX-V and equivalent HTR models

have the same warranty periods; the same manufacturers suggested retail

price, the same features, and the same remote control units. There is a

cosmetic difference found on the front panels of these two lines. The

RX-V line maintains the traditional white colored lettering normally

found on most Yamaha components, while the HTR line provides a slightly

different approach. Yamaha has created a new look by using gold colored

lettering in selected areas on the HTR receiver series. However, both

the RX-V line and the HTR line feature the same high quality black

metal front panel construction. The amplifiers in the HTR and RX-V

units are identical but rated differently to comply with the accepted

measurement standards of their respective channels of distribution.

Both ratings are FTC approved and are designed to handle the dynamics

of today's audio and video sources. The RX-V line has the power

amplifiers rated from 20-20000 Hz. The HTR line has the power

amplifiers rated at 1000 Hz. Both lines can reproduce the full

frequency response of 20-20000 Hz. The RX-V line is typically sold

through Yamaha authorized audio/video specialty retailers, and is not

available for mail order sales. The HTR line is sold through mass

merchants, catalog retailers, and department stores. You may also

purchase the HTR line through the mail. All transactions must be done

through the authorized Yamaha dealer network. Any purchase made from an

unauthorized dealer/retailer voids the Yamaha manufacturer's warranty.

Heres the link:

http://www.yamaha.com/yec/faq/faqdetail.html?CNTID=205010&CTID=5009145

[Cal Blacksmith]

Yamaha 5989 is about 500 and its 7.1 with 115 watts per channel. Lots of extras and it also comes with YPAO which is their room optimizer. Yamaha is rather true to their power rating also. Yamaha also has an in your face type of sound.

I will disagree with you on that. I have owned Yamaha equipment since 1977 and have never found that statement to be true. Those who don't like Yamaha have started that myth and it just won't die.

I agree with Cal. Yamaha makes good products but IMHO there is a reason they are cheaper than the comparable Denons with similar WPC. I too replaced 3 Yamaha AVR's (RX-V800/795A & one I can't remember--Maybe 695) with 3 Denons. I didn't realize there was that much of a difference until I heard it with my own ears. I am betting that the heavier, higher wattage consuming Denons will give you closer to all channels being driven near their stated WPC--That is what I surmise through observation and limited research. []

That being said I can't argue with the people that are happy with their Yamahas--To each their own. []

{edit: BTW, I would try and find a used Denon AVR-3803 for around $300 or a AVR 3805 for around $600. Both are discontinued and have similar WPC, with the newer one having more bells and whistles--Good luck and welcome to the forum.}

All I can say is that the early Yamahas that catch such a bad rap were sold ONLY in high end stores in the 70s This is when I bought my CA600 and CT400. They both still work just fine. I upgraded to a 4 ch av rec in 1989, it souded great and is still in daily service. I then upgraded to a RXV-750 two years ago and it works flawlesly nearly every day, stuffed into a hot cab though there is no back on the cab. So as to Denon, can't say I ever felt the need to try em.

[Zen Traveler]

All I can say is that the early Yamahas that catch such a bad rap were sold ONLY in high end stores in the 70s This is when I bought my CA600 and CT400. They both still work just fine. I upgraded to a 4 ch av rec in 1989, it souded great and is still in daily service. I then upgraded to a RXV-750 two years ago and it works flawlesly nearly every day, stuffed into a hot cab though there is no back on the cab. So as to Denon, can't say I ever felt the need to try em.

I am sorry I didn't catch you were disagreeing with what you quoted in Blue--My bad.[:$]

What I was agreeing to is that a lot of people seem to dits Yamaha and said they were bad AVR's. I don't think they are. I expressed why I did however change from owning 3 Yamahas to Denon and wanted to share my experience as well. When it comes to the bottom of the line AVR's in both companies, they may indeed be the same--That is why I recommend spending the same money on something slightly used. []

[DrWho]

lol guys, Yamaha wouldn't have earned their bright reputation if there

wasn't at least some truth behind the matter. Relative to similarly

priced models of the competition Yamaha gear will tend towards the

brighter side. They definetly don't make anything that sounds dull (or whatever the opposite of bright is).

Denon is on the dry side, HK is on the warm mushy side. Pioneer is

somewhere inbetween Denon and Yamaha. Pick your flavor. They sound more

alike than different.

Choosing the reciever based on the feature set is a good way to go. And

I personally think the auto-calibration mics are marketing gimmicks.