A thermometer and a scale will tell you which is the best receiver. (1 Viewer)

[ChadLB]

that made my day Jason I can just see the people at BB....oh excuse me sir but Can I help you with something.
Nope....just checking what receiver will produce the least amount of pieces......Now excuse me while I demo the receivers out.

 

[Dah-Dee]

Blue Shirt (ducking): "Um, sir, can I help you?"

Jason: "No, all done here, I'll take the Yamaha. Can you point me toward the plasma televisions?...."

 

[Dah-Dee]

If you could see my hair you'd know the answer to that question.

 

[EdNichols]

How many licks does it take to get to center of a Sony...................... the world may never know.

 

[JasonMA]

You don't even wanna know what my tests for HDTV's are!

 

[Lewis Besze]

You walked right into that one.
Seriuosly,my old Denon AVR-3600 was significantly heavier and larger then the later model of AVR-3801. The latter model was better in every way,and even cost less.My point is,that lifting a component is a dumb idea to evaluate it's objective quality.

 

[DarrylM]

I certainly don't think so, but you're definitely entitled to your opinion. And I am certainly not advocating that weight is the only (or even the most important) indication of quality. Obviously, how a receiver sounds under demanding conditions is the most important consideration. And some may think that cool lights and 50 DSP modes and that sort of thing are more important. To each his own, I guess.

While I will avoid getting into the rather subjective debate on how well your 3600 performed compared to your 3801, or why, I will say that the importance of weight is a matter of simple common sense, whether you choose to joke about it or not. Large cast aluminum heatsinks (for efficient heat dissipation), toroidal transformers (for high-current demands), anti-resonant chassis (for minimized vibration), and generous capacitors (for improved dynamics and headroom) simply weigh more than sheet metal heatsinks, small EI transformers, flimsy chassis, and marginally adequate capacitors.

While a "heavy" receiver may not necessarily perform well (to address the "add lead to it" comeback), a high performance receiver will generally be heavy -- by necessity. So, Yes, weight is an indication of performance, though not necessarily representative of it.

 

[JohnSer]

I don't think weight and temp would be much of descriminator for low-end receivers, but I would use BOTH as a GUIDE in choosing a mid-level or higher one. As stated above, the typical AB amp receiver with more weight will most likely have a better PS, chassis, and/or heatsinks. As far as heat, I wouldn't want a receiver you couldn't keep you hand on top. Heat will lower the life span of a unit. A cooler running receiver, could mean they are using cast heatsinks vs sheet metal. Again, I would use both as a guide, but not make an absolute decision based on a few degrees or a couple of lbs.

Since we are having so much fun with this, does anyone know of a heavy receiver, that runs cool, that is junk?

 

[Lewis Besze]

Nice try!If you know anything about these units then you would know that they are pretty much the same piece as far as features/power and "trim level".The 3600 is bigger has more lights and buttons on it's front. I did mean how it sounded with the same speakers set to large same room,same eveything!
Yes it is my subjective opinion,but if weight indeed should make a difference in the sound department, then the 3600 would have had "wiped the floor" with the 3801,.......well it didn't,not even close,actually like I said, I have preffered the 3801,though only slightly.

 

[WendyS]

My question is why the hell did they (whoever "they" are) choose 2 names that are so similar and can be easily confused? Why have I always know composite cables to be RCA cables? Is this wrong?
Which brings me to cables and wires. I think it's all a bunch of malarky. I replaced 150ft of "crappy" speaker wire with monster wire.......I don't hear a difference. I've switched between analogue, coax, and optical. No difference. I've replaced a 3.00 RCA cable with a 30.00 Monster cable........nada!!! The sales guy tried to sell me a 100.00 composite cable.....I needed that to really hear a difference because the 30.00 was junk. Snake oil.

 

[Kiet_H]

If I am not mistaken, composite cables are cables with RCA connectors. while component cables are the same with the exception that they are 75-ohms (hence for video).. But I could be mistaken...

 

[WendyS]

Ah......so the RCA refers to the thingy on the end.
OK.

 

[Lewis Besze]

All video cables should retain the 75ohm resistance rating regardless of termination.Composite,and component refers to the video recording,and delivery techniques,where the chroma,lumina and color difference are all cramped through one cable[composite] or three[component]. VHS and Lasedisc are composite,DVD is a component format.

 

[Kiet_H]

I think we are going into symantecs (sp?) here but a component cable is also a composite cable... (in terms of use) but a composite cable cannot be used as a component cable... The only difference should be 75-ohms for the video as you stated..

 

[Christopher Chung]

If you think the guys at CC/BB/etc are bad, I ran into a similar situation at the recent 2004 CES Show!!

I was in the high-end audio "Village," and stopped by the Polk audio room. As the guy was demoing out the speakers to some Pink Floyd, I was just browsing at the components he was using to power the system. I looked at the Sony ES STR-DA9000ES, and it was the first time I had seen it at the time. So I asked the Polk rep. a few questions about it. He looked like a typical CA surfer guy with a suit and tie on and he really had no idea about the receiver (I guess that's why he's a Polk rep and not a Sony rep), but his response was too funny. He replied that he didn't know much about the amp, but emphatically said "I don't know but it's really cool man because the dang thing is HEAVY!" as he began to lift it off the rack. My buddy and I just kinda chuckled and left the room.

Every now and then, he and I will have a few laughs at that guy. He is perhaps my fondest memory of CES 2004.

 

[Greg_R]

You have grown wise grasshopper... now go back and beat the salesman with the oversized power cord.

 

[Lewis Besze]

Yes, they are the same cable,,and as I said all cables should be 75-ohms for Video use icluding composite.

 

[DarrylM]

You speak as though someone suggested that there is some sort of magical formula you can plug "weight" into in order to arrive at a level of performance, which is obviously not the case. Again, high performance receivers will generally weigh more out of necessity, for the reasons I stated above. A receiver with a beefy, solid state amplifier section can't be especially lightweight. Of course, as far as sound quality goes, you can still screw up a receiver at any weight, and I certainly wouldn't overlook the importance of a good preamp section. Weight is simply an indicator.

 

[Chu Gai]

The Abyss, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and reruns of Lloyd Bridges' Sea Hunt sound spectacular in 'scuba-mode'.

 

[Lewis Besze]

Oh yeah, there is plenty of advocates here just "look around".