onkyo, yamaha, HK which way?

[tmjlod]

I have Klipsch SB-3 sides, KG 2.2V center and ss-1 surrounds. I currently have a HK AVR-125 reciever which I love the sound. Unfortunately, the movers broke it. To get upconversion I need a AVR-345 which is too expensive. I was thinking of a Onkyo 674 or a Yamaha 659. Will I be happy with the sound quality compared to the HK. Are the Onkyo and Yamaha a lot brighter? They both have more features for the money than HK. What do think?

[Bill H.]

I went to the HK web site. Purchased the AVR 240 receiver (refurbuished) for 300.00 , with the full warranty. It has more toys on it than I'll ever use.

Try this route. Retail on this unit was 450.00.

[tmjlod]

Thanks for the advice. I know I love the sound of the HK, both for music and HT. I know the 240 doesn't upconvert the composite and s-video to component. I have been living without it for a long time, but thought that feature would make it easier to work the set for my wife and kids. Maybe it isn't as important as the sound.

Does anyone have an Onkyo or Yamaha? Is the sound bright?

[Arky]

www.harmanaudio.com

[oldbuckster]

Just got a Yamaha HTR-5890............can't hook it up till Christmas, can't wait........Amazon.com.delivered to your door, final cost $400. cheap.....Replacing Sony with it..............Hope I like it.............can't afford New McIntosh ,Yet....................

[fastlane]

Had Pioneer, then Onkyo, now HK. Each change I considered an upgrade. Strictly basing my opinion on sound, not video upconversion or switching. If you were happy with HK before, how about considering a factory refurbished one with the features you want at a lower price?

[Pnambic]

I've only ever owned Onkyo receivers, and Klipsch speakers, and they've always been good together. Always very clean sound. The receiver never seems to be strained. Speakers never clip. I like 'em.

[leerocker]

I agree, ive had plenty of onkyos with klipsch speakers and i like the combo. They arent too bright, id say they're fairly neutral. For the money they are a great deal, however i am definately looking forward to the days when i can afford separates.

[bruschi54]

I have used HK 240, 430, and 635, Yamaha RX-V1, Pioneer 816, 54tx, 56txi, Onkyo 604, 803, and Denon 2805. I have used these all with my Klipsch speakers. Up until know I would say the HK 635 was number one followed by the RX-V1, and the 56txi. I currently am using a Panasonic SA-XR55. I thought this may be too bright but it sounds fantastic. Very detailed and the best value. It sounds far better than the Denon or Onkyo's to my ears.

I think I even prefer the digital panny to the Pioneer Elite 56txi and an Adcom 555 combo. That is a $200 receiver compared to a combo with a street price of $1100.

[alkemyst]

I have used HK 240, 430, and 635, Yamaha RX-V1, Pioneer 816, 54tx, 56txi, Onkyo 604, 803, and Denon 2805. I have used these all with my Klipsch speakers. Up until know I would say the HK 635 was number one followed by the RX-V1, and the 56txi. I currently am using a Panasonic SA-XR55. I thought this may be too bright but it sounds fantastic. Very detailed and the best value. It sounds far better than the Denon or Onkyo's to my ears.

I think I even prefer the digital panny to the Pioneer Elite 56txi and an Adcom 555 combo. That is a $200 receiver compared to a combo with a street price of $1100.

I am thinking fanboy here.

In the 90's the Yamaha was the Klipsch king [*edit* for recievers; not components] (my RX-V1050 was recently given up)

The Panny is a pretty limited unit though. Many that post are really limited more by price than sound quality.

It's a good unit though.

I like my *price limited* HTR-5960 for my bedroom setup...but doing great duty in my apartment.

[bruschi54]

Fanboy? Hardly. Have you used the Panny? The Panny is no more limited than the Yamaha you refer to.

I have the funds and tried the HK avr635 and Pioneer 56txi. Even added some Adcom 555 amps. I have owned the Yamaha flagship RX-V1 and demoed the HK 7300. I wish I had kept the yamaha however it was not leaps and bounds better than the digital amps.

Since the OP is looking for a budget receiver, I think the Panny should never be overlooked. For me, I kept climbing up the food chain of receivers and just did not see the returns. The HK 635 (645 know) was pretty nice and one I would recommend it if price allows. Or a used RX-Z1. For $200 there is nothing close to the Panny digital amped receivers-that comes from in home use and ownership-not being a "fanboy."

[dakayus]

does anyone know if the hk-3380 sounds like the avrs? I heard something like it's the same sound, but the avr's have more power and more features. I personally don't like the HK sound. It's not clean enough or warm enough for my tastes. I'm thinking about going back to onkyo or perhaps denon

[Arky]

does anyone know if the hk-3380 sounds like the avrs? I heard something like it's the same sound, but the avr's have more power and more features. I personally don't like the HK sound. It's not clean enough or warm enough for my tastes. I'm thinking about going back to onkyo or perhaps denon

Denon sure isn't "warmer" than H/K.

[DrWho]

does anyone know if the
hk-3380 sounds like the avrs? I heard something like it's the same
sound, but the avr's have more power and more features. I personally
don't like the HK sound. It's not clean enough or warm enough for my
tastes. I'm thinking about going back to onkyo or perhaps denon

Denon sure isn't "warmer" than H/K.

I definitely agree there [Y]

The advice I normally give is that the receiver purchase should be centered around the feature sets that apply most to your situation (in this case, the video upconversion). Within the same price range, all of the receivers pretty much sound 90% the same. That's not to say that sonic differences don't exist, but their magnitude really isn't enough to warrant purchasing on sound quality alone.

For what it's worth, Denon is my favorite brand followed by HK and then Yamaha. Relatively speaking, the Denon is going to sound more dry / neutral, while the HK is warmer and the Yamaha is brighter. Pioneer (a cross between the Denon and Yamaha but grittier) would be 4th on my list followed by Onkyo (warm but thin sounding). Of course, these are just generalities of the brands - not comments on any specific models in question. But I feel it's a pretty fair assessment across the board considering engineers strive to maintain a signature voice across the lines. With the SB-3 and especially the KG 2.2V, I think a little extra brightness would be a good thing - making the Yammie 659 my suggestion (without ever looking at any product sheets) []

[tmjlod]

Thanks for the info. Your comment that the KG 2.2V could use some brightness was interesting. Usually, everyone says Klipsch is too bright. I have turned up the Treble to get better sound. I've been very nervous about a brighter reciever, but I think I will try one. I'm looking at the Yamaha 659 or the Pioneer Elite 80. Both get good reviews. It seems the reviews on the Pioneer are a little better and it has HDMI switching. The Yamaha does not. How important is the HDMI? I also looked at the new H/K 345 which has video processing to 720P through HDMI and analog upcoverted. I decided against this due to some bad reviews on the video processing chip.

What does anyone think of the Yamaha 659 vs. the Pioneer Elite 80? I'm planning on upgrading my display to a 46 Samsung LCD, will the HDMI on my reciever be used, or is it better to direct conect?

[Guest " "]

I've had Onkyo's, Pioneer's, JVC's, Sony's, HK's, etc.

The Onkyo's are the only one's I did not sell when I upgraded. Still have an NX-1000, TX-DS989, TX-DS939.

Awesome sonud.

[DrWho]

HDMI is going to be the high-end video format for the next few years so you might as well get a receiver that supports it. Direct connecting to your TV is annoying because you will need two remotes to change the audio and video. When you do the switching in the receiver (with upsampling), then all you need to do is change the source on the receiver and leave the TV alone.

[Jay481985]

Thanks for the info. Your comment that the KG 2.2V could use some brightness was interesting. Usually, everyone says Klipsch is too bright. I have turned up the Treble to get better sound. I've been very nervous about a brighter reciever, but I think I will try one. I'm looking at the Yamaha 659 or the Pioneer Elite 80. Both get good reviews. It seems the reviews on the Pioneer are a little better and it has HDMI switching. The Yamaha does not. How important is the HDMI? I also looked at the new H/K 345 which has video processing to 720P through HDMI and analog upcoverted. I decided against this due to some bad reviews on the video processing chip.

What does anyone think of the Yamaha 659 vs. the Pioneer Elite 80? I'm planning on upgrading my display to a 46 Samsung LCD, will the HDMI on my reciever be used, or is it better to direct conect?

the 1016 or elite 80tx do not upconvert audio though so you still need like optical or spdif connection to heard audio