|   Looking for suggestions on a HT reciever. | Tree
Mar 25, 2001 5:03 AM | | I'm somewhat on a budget. would like to spend around $600.00.I'm planning on using a polk speaker system (RM7500).Please help, there are so many recievers to choose from.And if anyone thinks there may be a better choice for a speaker system, I'm taking all info into consideration.
thanks, -Tree |
| re: Looking for suggestions on a HT reciever. | Steve H.
Mar 25, 2001 6:09 AM | | Look at the Marantz line. I believe the SR-6000 is in your range. If you can possibly spend about $150 more, go listen to the Marantz SR-7000. If not, Onkyo TX-575 may be a good choice. But if you like music at all, Marantz is the way to go. The best thing is see what people say here to maybe narrow your choices down. Then you need to go listen to decide for yourself. |
| re: Looking for suggestions on a HT reciever. | 4runner58
Mar 25, 2001 6:57 AM | | Tree,
From the message boards and reviews on audioreview, I quickly narrowed my choices down to Onkyo, Denon and Yamaha. Also Harmon Kardon (HK) and Marantz show up some but for me they fell out early in the game. Studying them you will find some have better stereo for music, some have 5-channel stereo, some have better back panels, some have better remotes than others (all remotes seem to be a nightmare)......You just have to find these differences and see what is important to you (go to the Product Reviews section of audioreview..this is where most of this stuff will show up...it is a lot of reading but it is where the rubber meet the road).
Listening is so complicated given the many DSPs, speaker setups,....I found it almost impossible to do a one to one comparision with any confidence. Listening in the stores did not help me downselect but did help in evaluating the touch and feel, quality of construction and front panel features. If you have an eye for quality, you will find some real differences here (plastic versus metal, distance between buttons, the firmness of the "click" when you hit a button, the smoothness of a knob when you turn it.....). I was ready to buy a Denon until I did the touch and feel shopping. Many people on this site are real Denon fans so I will probably get blasted here but that is why you need to do a little shopping and make your own decision.
I also found that internet sales more often than not do not include the warrenties (some are silent on this and others will lie) and in some cases, you will end up with a refurburshed unit (some will tell you up front, some will not). I love internet prices but for this amount of money, I was a little nervous about investing this much with the added risks. After reading reviews on audioreview, I was amazed at the number of failures....these are really complex electronic devices and they do fail. Sears does internet price matching and is an authorized dealer for Yamaha and Denon. Find your best price on the internet (www.pricescan.com) print it out and take it to Sears. They will match it. You have to pay tax but you don't have to pay shipping. It is about a wash and you get the warrenty and get to walk out of the store with the box...and back in if it breaks.
I went with the Yamaha and purchased from Sears. You will find that Yamaha has one product line with two sets of model numbers. The HTR-5240 is the same as the RX-V496 and the HTR-5250 is the same as the RX-V596, and the HTR-5280 (I went with this one) is the same as the RX-V800. The HTR's have gold print on the front and the RX units use white print. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only difference.
Happy Shopping and even better, HAPPY LISTENING! |
| One step at a time. | Jim Clark
Mar 25, 2001 7:40 AM | | What are the sources you're most likely gonna use? If you've already got a ton of VHS material and will be watching much TV, I personally think you'd be crazy not to check out the Onkyo receiver with Pro-Logic 2 that is referenced on this page (currently at least). Notice that I said "check it out" not buy it. I've never even heard Pro-Logic 2 but from the posts made by those who have, most notably Terrence on the old board, I'd be willing to wait a couple of months to at least hear it before I purchased. From what I gather, this particular model will fall within your price range as well. The predecessor of this is the 575x and it's not exactly the poor cousin yet, but will be soon after the introduction of the newer version.
I'd suggest doing one of the other, speakers or new receiver considering your budget restrictions. The Polk will hold you for a while but don't water down your budget by going after both now.
Gabba Hey
Jim Clark |
| One step at a time. | Tree
Mar 25, 2001 9:36 AM | | I have mostly DVD's and I would say that 75% of usage would be watching movies and 25% for music.I've had Yamaha in the past with good luck, but I see that Onkyo has a good product as well as Denon.
I guess I just want the best bang for buck.
thanks -Tree |
| re: Looking for suggestions on a HT reciever. | Charles Purvis Jr. Kelly
Mar 25, 2001 8:59 AM | | Well Tree:
If $600.00 is all you have to spend on an A/V Receiver right now, then I would suggest brands such as Denon, Marantz, NAD, and Onkyo. Can I also add Harman/Kardon to the mix?? I am getting ready to get one myself (an AVR-210........ and although I may be able to get that model locally, for THAT $600.00...... I can go on the internet and get it for under $400.00 (before shipping)).
Hope this helps out a little. Good luck.
--Charles-- |
| Check out www.soundpros.com. You can get an HK AVR 510 for $650 | Brendan K
Mar 25, 2001 11:18 AM | | That's $250 off retail ($999). I've had the AVR 510 since December and I absolutely love it. And don't worry about buying on the internet. Sound Pros are appropriately named and a pleasure to deal with. |
| Considering a Yamaha RXV1000 | Tree
Mar 25, 2001 11:38 AM | | How is this one ? Found it at amdv.com but only with a 90 day waranty. |
| Considering a Yamaha RXV1000 | 4runner58
Mar 25, 2001 1:05 PM | | Tree,
That is a good buy and a nice reciever but I would use Internet Price Matching at Sears. They sell Yamaha and you will get the full 2 year warrenty. You gotta wonder why when Yamaha offers a 2 year warrenty, the internet sales cut it back to 90 days. It could be a refurburshed unit. They obviously arn't an authorized Yamaha dealer or they could pass the 2 year warrenty on to you at no additional cost. |
| Considering a Yamaha RXV1000 | bob l
Mar 27, 2001 6:02 PM | | sears does not sell the rxv line,only the htr line.Its similar but
with a different look also the htr 5280 is the highest model yamaha
they sell.About the same as the rxv800. |
| Well, it certainly is a generous "budget" | Norm Strong
Mar 25, 2001 12:53 PM | | $600 is at least twice what one need pay for a "budget" receiver. Here are a few excellent receivers that can be bought for $300 or less:
Onkyo 575x
Kenwood VR-407 or VR-409
Technics SA-DX940
If you are using 4 ohm speakers, I'd recommend only the Technics. Otherwise the VR-409 is a fine receiver. |
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