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AV Receiver Recommendation

Just an update, I decided on the Denon 2112ci, figured I would regret not having network capability and just couldn't find any fantastic deals on the Pioneer.

I did find a good deal on some Polk Audio Monitor 60 speakers at newegg.com, with the promo-code they ended up being $99 a speaker. I went ahead and bought a pair of those too. :)

Thanks all for the feedback!!!!
 
When I was shopping for a AV receiver about a year ago, I was looking at Denon, Onkyo, and Yamaha. I chose a Denon for my system, but a friend got a Onkyo that I also like.

My only real compliant is that the Denon manual is not as 'clear' and straightforward as it should be. I needed some help from a friend to navigate all of the setup menus, and I am pretty familiar with audio gear. But the sound is great.
 
Hammie said:
What is your budget? What are the main features you are looking for? What type of setup will it be going into -- speakers, sources, etc.?

Depending on budget, I would say Anthem, Onkyo, and Denon in that order. I have never been a huge fan of Sony or Pioneer AV gear. These are based on room correction and options primarily.

My top three suggestions (without knowing budget are:

Anthem MX300 ($1000 MSRP) - Offers ARC, which may be the best room correction on the market. This line brings many of the features and technologies available in the $7000 top of the line D2v processor from Anthem.

Anthem MX500 ($1500 MSRP) - Everything the MX300 has plus adds an Ethernet port for streaming and USB audio support.

Onkyo 3008/3009 ($2100 MSRP) - features Audyssey MultEQ XT32, which is the best Audyssey room correction on the market. This is also jam packed with tons of features that you may never ever use, but will glad they are there if you ever do need them. ;)

If it matters, I own the Onkyo Pro 5508 ($2200 MSRP), which is the very big brother of the Onkyo 3008, but I was looking at the Anthem 50v ($4500 MSRP) but it came down to price in the end.

And yes, eric, being an audiophile does hurt the bank account more often than not... :p :cool:
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I have a Mac Mini hooked up to an Anthem MRX300 and I could not be happier.
 
Hammie said:
Marantz and Denon are the same company, D&M Holdings. Features and sound will be similar.
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Actually no, the Marantz receivers sound QUITE different than the Denon's, especially when using them for music listening. Even though they are both owned by D&M. Marantz also specs it's power ratings realistically, meaning if they say it's 90 watts per channel it is. Denon also has a higher failure rate.

Marantz + Paradigm = beauty.
 
whiteyanderson said:
Actually no, the Marantz receivers sound QUITE different than the Denon's, especially when using them for music listening. Even though they are both owned by D&M. Marantz also specs it's power ratings realistically, meaning if they say it's 90 watts per channel it is. Denon also has a higher failure rate.

Marantz + Paradigm = beauty.
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I don't know about every model, but I have a Denon 3311 and it is exactly the same inside as a Marantz SR7005. You can check the test results in reviews/tests and they are the same.
 
Weaselboy said:
I don't know about every model, but I have a Denon 3311 and it is exactly the same inside as a Marantz SR7005. You can check the test results in reviews/tests and they are the same.
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I returned the 3311 after making a decision to try out Denon over Marantz for the first time ever after reading the same things last year. I returned it within a few weeks and went back to Marantz. On the surface, Denon's may appear to be the same, however they are not. The Marantz simply sounds warmer for music listening. This is even more evident when listening to vinyl. I will agree that for digital sources such as mp3 and Blu Ray, they sound "similar" but again, there is a difference albeit smaller.

If you do a little more research you will find other reviews stating that the Marantz does indeed perform differently with analog sources. I've read all the reports.

There is a reason Denon makes 50 A/V receiver models yearly and Marantz makes like 4. The 3311 and the SR7005, heck the 3311 and the SR5005 and SR6005 are different sounding. I have done real world comparisons. You will find a lot of 3311 owners claiming it sounds JUST like a SR7005. But you won't find too many 7005 owners saying their 7005 sounds like a 3311. Is it a way to justify spending less to make some feel like they have not skimped on their purchase, or vice-versa I do not know. I'm an avid A/V buff. I'm not trying to be a jerk either I'm just speaking from my experience. For the record- I did not return the 3311 for an SR7005, I returned the 3311 for an SR5005. The 7005 is beautiful, I just realized after the Denon experience that I did not need all the bells and whistles. I have plenty of other ways to stream to my system that it was just overkill. The SR6005 on the other hand is a waste of extra dollars, it offers not much more than a 10 watt increase and possibly a color GUI. In my mind it's either the 5005 or the 7005. Anyway, the 5005 murders the 3311 for my musical tastes. of course YMMV.
 
If you like watching a lot of movies, especially action, where the explosions get loud, or the music is 3x louder than the dialog, you may think about getting a Harman Kardon with Dolby Volume which automatically normalizes the volume on the fly. They have very nice sound and very nice auto room adjustment (plug in a microphone and put it where you'll be sitting and it pretty much does the rest). I'm not a die hard A/V fanatic but it's very nice. I bought my first H/K receiver in 1996. It never had one single problem and I sold it last year working as good as the day I bought it.
 
Sony ??

Hello , I have the mac mini 2,5ghz 2011 (8gb) , & would like to buy the sony AV: STR -DH820 does it function well ???
 
Anthem MX300 vs Yamaha RX-A1000

Hi Guys,
If you don't mind me jumping into this conversation I have a question?
what would be the better A/V receiver Anthem MX300 or the Yamaha RX-A-1000?

thanks
 
My Onkyo died prematurely and out of warranty, so I got a Denon 1612, which has some similarities to other models mentioned here.

It has 4 HDMI ports, the only way to go. It will support all the current technologies included 3D (if you have the proper HDMI cables). The Audessey set up works, but maybe the more expensive version would be better. Just don't know.

It is connected to an AppleTv2, a DirecTv HD receiver, a Sony Blu-ray player and a 42" Panasonic. All is controlled with a Harmony 1 remote. Not a bad system at all, although clearly not near the top end.

All the receivers mentioned here would work in much the same way I think, but features and price won me over to this one at the time, plus ratings by others who seemed to know what they were talking about.

BTW, in regards to the sound quality it is not clear to me that one is going to hear much of a difference in the usual non-optimized listening room. If you have a special properly designed listening room and really good speakers you could perhaps pick up meaningful differences.
 
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