GucluA

Onkyo 700 , Yamaha 1300 , Denon 3803 Comparison

I am planning to build a HT in a large roof room , and trying to get the best receiver , i know some Thxed receivers around , but i am keen on these receivers (the recievers around 1000$-1500$) ,

Denon 3803 or 3802
Yamaha 1300
or Onkyo 700

any ideas , which one should i go and why , advantages , disadvantages (I will use it %80 for dvd and %20 for music) ...


Thank you so much ...

JimC_A

We love our 1300. I considered the same models as you and a couple more. I went with the Yamaha. I'd have to hear another brand with my exact setup in our house to be convinced we could have better sound. Go with your gut instinct. If it's your first HT, I'm sure you'll be happy with either of your choices.

GucluA

Thank you so much ,

John-Miles

I bought the Yamaha 1300 after comparing it to the marantz 7300 and i dont regret it one bit.

I havent listend to the denon or th eOnkyo though.

just so you knwo i got my Yamaha for 1100 plus tax here in canada, so that price is of course in canadian dollars. if you are in the states you should be able to get the yamaha well under 1000 US

Cheers

John

ChrisAG

John,

Can you be more detailed on why you liked the Yamaha 1300 over the Marantz 7300?

Personally, I prefer the Marantz sound for music, but since the 1300 has better hookup options with an additional AV input and Composite Video to S-Video conversion, I may recommend the Yamaha for a relative of mine who is more interested in movies than music.

John-Miles

Freaking Hell my browser ate my reply..... so this one is goign to be a bit shorter.

listening to both receivers with the identical speakers i ahve (PSB Alpha Intro's) it was my opinion, and the opinion of a musician friend of mine that the Yamaha sounded better, it delivered cleaner more distinct sounds at higher volumes with all channels driven. In particular we noticed this with Metallica's DVD-A disc on the track Wherever I may Roam, which is a very bass heavy track. the yamaha just had better music reproduction. that beign said i am very familiar with that entire disc so the difference were more aparent to me, but also on that track in particular my friend who is not very familiar with metallica also noticed the cleaner sound.

both units were available to me at the same price so that was not a factor.

the source player was a yamaha S2300 and like i said it was all listened to at the same time, we just swapped out cables and bang went to the next receiver.

the marantz had a few nice features like the DTS 96/24, but the Yamaha also had benefits, as well the yamaha seemed to me to be of a better build quality, the little details were taken care of like a detachable power cord.

and finally like i said all channels driven the yamaha seemd to ahve a better power supply, thats the only reason i can think of for the better sound of the yamaha on the dvd-a discs especially since that track really has lots of bass and we cranked the volume, (it was still at a very comfortable listening level though)

Cheers

John

Rich Wenzel

Wow John, I find that you listend to Wherever I May Roam, willingly quite disturbing

Rich

B&W DM605S2 x 2 & LCR6S2, Rotel RSX 1055 & RC955, Denon DV 1600, Marantz 4000OSE, Panasonic PT56wx51 (I think, who cares, its a TV)

\"Aren\'t you going to kiss her goodbye?\"
\"No.\"

Mike Up

I'd suggest the Denon AVR-3803 over the RX-V1300.

I own a Yamaha RX-V2095 and also had a RX-V2300(one class above the RX-V1300). They both sound good but get distorted at higher levels. Around 40% - 50% of the volume, both became shouty and their bass thinned very badly. Soundstage also compressed. Since music is my priority, all auditions were done in stereo with speakers set to large and subwoofer set to no(no bass management). I thought the distortions were room induced from reflections and resonances. I've owned the RX-V793, RX-V995, and currently own the RX-V2095. I upgraded to the RX-V2300 but returned it because of cosmetic flaws and a BM defect on 'all channel stereo'. Other than the 'all channel stereo' BM flaw, the RX-V2300 performed beautifully "EQUALING" my RX-V2095 which had a MSRP of $700 MORE!

Being I was disappointed with Yamaha's declining quality control, I returned the defective RX-V2300. I had an earlier defective Yamaha receiver, the RX-V596 which had BM problems also.

I went with Denon this time and bought the AVR-3803. Since the RX-V2300 performed no differently than the RX-V2095, I compared that directly to my AVR-3803. The RX-V2300 was also compared directly to the RX-V2095, all comparisons done in my system were head to head with 2 channel, stereo music.

The Denon did not exhibit any of the distortion that the Yamaha had in volume at 40% - 50% and above. The Denon DEFINITELY played much CLEANER at much higher levels with the same sonic integrity as it did at much, much lower levels. I went all the way up to +7db on the AVR-3803 and it played cleanly with no distortion. That is roughly 70% of it's volume range. It's max is +18db.

With normal listening levels where the Yamaha didn't distort, the Denon clearly had better soundstaging, imaging, and a more refined and airy treble that offered more resolution. The Yamaha was more compressed, harsh, and forward in the upper registers compared to the more refined sound of my Denon. Now, I do own the Yamaha, as I do the Denon. Both are excellent receivers. The Denon AVR-3803 is just a better receiver IMO and 'unlike' it's earlier predecessors which I chose Yamaha over.

Of course the above is what I found with my own receivers, in direct head to head comparisons. Others may have came to different conclusions based on their own experiences.

I suggest strongly that you do your own head to head auditions and arrive at your conclusion.

Here's one thought, the Yamaha's only have one surround back channel where the Denon has two. Two is recommended by Dolby and THX. I thought one would be sufficient but it wasn't. When we sit directly in front of the speaker, it's sound in vague and fuzzy. With 2 speakers, this won't happen as is why Dolby recommends 2. With 2 the sound 'is that much better' IMO. The sound is not fuzzy but is more focused in creating a better 'rear' soundstage to create more believable pans and rear imaging. Just my opinion, but you should try this to find what you think sounds best. Denon's AVR-3803 has a setup option to use 1 or 2 back surround speakers, so don't think you "HAVE TO USE" 2 speakers. If you will be sitting off to the side of the one speaker, then you wouldn't have problems, as that's the purpose of having 2 speakers.

Have a good one and good luck with your decision.

RobCar

If it's between the Denon and the Yamaha, certainly don't overlook the big difference in MSRP, assuming you'd buy one or the other from an authorized dealer.

John-Miles