Please Be My Ears......Help !! (1 Viewer)

[Steven_Lazarus]

Morning,
I've been through all the threads, read all the reviews and I am still having a tough time making up my mind on which receiver to chose.
Please let me explain my situation first; I'm active duty military currently stationed overseas in Italy (Sicily). My choices which are limited, have been narrowed down to the Denon 2805 and the Yamaha RX-V2500.
The reason I need your ears and eyes is because I can not do an A / B comparison of my own!. I will be ordering one of the two through the NEX (Navy Exchange) on-line store, they don't stock them in the store over here so like I said, I can't compare them for myself. I know your ears are not mine and so on, but anything and everything would help at this point! right down to aesthetics and build quality !!!
My current receiver, an H/K 225 has served me well the past few years but the time has come to upgrade to something with 7.1 capability, as well as having all newer sound processing fields, and if your familiar with the HK-225 you know what I'm talking about, great sound but lacking all the bells and whistles . .
I recently purchased the Denon DV-2910 and due to that am leaning towards the 2805 just so they look good together. But don't get me wrong, I've never had the same Receiver/DVD/CD combo before, so going with the Yamaha isn't an issue.
I love my H/K, I also love my Denon 2910, great build quality and performance. On the other hand I have never owned a Yamaha anything so I'm clueless as to what they have to offer. I don't even recall Yamaha being a product of much interest when it came to Home Theater application up until the last year or two.
On a side note, I do have a chance to pick up the Denon 3805 as well, but the price they want is MSRP, so for a jump from $699 for the 2805, to $1199 for the 3805 just doesn't make enough sense considering the difference between the two. Or if there is, please let me know and I will go with the 3805 for $700 more, no further questions.
So in summary, if you have a free minute or two, please, please provide me with anything and everything you have to offer !!! Thanks !
Best Regards,
Steve

 

[Eddie Horton]

Since no one else has responded, I'll give it a go. Personally I like the Yamaha. Read the review of it on Audioholics......it did quite well. Being an owner of the HTR-5790, which is basically the same as the 1500, I've been nothing but happy. The 2500 has three component inputs, which is a step up from the previous model, as does the Denon. You know, the more I check them out, the more it seems like a toss up. I'm a believer that speakers and room treatments will do more for the sound than receivers and amps. Go with your gut, and I don't think you'll be disappointed either way. I'm still a Yamaha man, but it's your dollars. By the way, thank you for your service.

 

[tommy_E]

eddie.... agree 100%...ive been nothing but happy also with the 5790. i got the athena as-c1 and as-b1's.....very clean power and sound, many different surrond programs..


eddie, you said your a yamaha man... i still have the old rxv-690 if you remember it from 1997 lol im only 16....so i tried getting a good little collection coming along..

if you dont mind me asking...what is your speaker setup eddie?

 

[Eddie Horton]

I have Ascend Acoustics CMT-340's for the front three and Ascend Acoustics CBM-170's for surrounds. My sub is an HSU VTF-3MkII. My Yamaha is used to drive the surrounds and for processing. I have Outlaw M-200 Monoblocks driving the front 3.

 

[JimMIT]

Hi Steven. Those two receivers are both very nice units and you probably couldn't tell the difference between them soundwise. Within similarly priced receivers, my advice is usually choose the one which has the features you want and need as well as the one you feel most comfortable with after having spent some time with it in the store. In your situation, assuming you like the features of the Denon, I'd go with it. It's a solid unit and is certainly the one which goes best, aesthetically, with the DVD-2910.

By the way, thanks for your service to our country Steven.

 

[PeteZ]

Both are excellent units, from companies with great reputations. Personally, I am a Yamaha fan. I have an RXV-995 that has worked flawlessly for the past 7 years or so. I've always preferred the RXV line as opposed to the HT commercial lines that you see at Best Buy. I also helped my father-in-law set up a HT system. The cornerstone of that system is a Yamaha RXV-1400, so I guess you understand my feelings on Yamaha. Either way, you will be getting a great piece of equipment. Thank you for serving, and being a great american!

 

[Steve Schaffer]

I notice the original post dates back to Dec. '04, but will put in my two cents.

I have used a Denon 2805, Yamaha RXV-1400 (lower powered version of the 2500), Pioneer VSX-45tx, and now an HK AVR-635.

If you can currently get an HK-635 I'd very highly recommend it for it's superior auto-eq and excellent overall sound.

If your choice is still between the Yamaha RXV-2500 and the Denon 2805 I can tell you the Denon will be a bit easier to use but will sound distinctly "thin" compared to the Yamaha.

I got my RXV-1400 to replace what I thought was a fried Pioneer VSX-45tx. It sounded great but had poor user interface as far as choosing surround modes on the fly and had occasional audio dropouts when listening to complex dts tracks from my Zenith dvb318. These dropouts only occured with that player and this problem may have been solved in the newer 2500 model.

I took the Yamaha back and got the Denon 2805 which was easier to use and didn't have the dropouts but did not seem to have the effortless power of the Yamaha.

I spilled liquid into the Denon and it shut down, seemingly forever, so I dug out the Pioneer and it was magically working again and it too sounded better than the Denon.

I since got a good deal on the HK 635 and am now very happy that I did. It sounds the best of all these receivers and is capable of eq'ing the sub which none of the others would.