Receiver Advice (1 Viewer)

[Chris KAudio]

Hell everybody...

I will be getting a pair of the Athena AS-F2 Floor Speakers, the Athena Center Channel, and I have an old Bose system, probably 8 years old. But I have the satellite speakers from that set. I won't be getting a sub yet.

I have no clue what type of reciever I need. I want a good quality one. But unfortunetly I want to keep it under $400. Any ideas?

 

[ChadLB]

HK 230
Onkyo 601

 

[PaulDA]

I had good service from my Denon AVR1600 (just sold it to my brother-in-law). The 1604 merits a look.

 

[Chris KAudio]

thanks.... anybody else?

 

[Alan Wise]

Chris,
I just finished a month long search for a receiver in that price range. It finally came down to two for me, the Yamaha RX-V640 and the Denon AVR-1804. They both retailed for $ 499.00 but the Yamaha was on sale at $ 399.99, and the Denon was $ 445.00. They both had excellent reputations and features. I felt that the Yamaha was a little stronger for movies, and the Denon had a slight musical advantage. At the same time I was also auditioning speakers. In the end I went with the Yamaha becuase I liked how it sounded with the Bostson Acoustic speaker package that I put together (it sounded lousy on Cambridge Soundworks).
I had also auditioned Onkyo receivers and thought them to be quite good also (but hated the store they were at).
In my opinion it all comes down to what sounds best to you.
Do not use the DVD's/CD's that the store has laying around, bring you own. In my case I brought the movie Twister (I love the flying cow scene and tornado sounds) and Santana Abraxys. Try to listen to the receivers with as close a match to your speaker system (or future system) as possible.

Good Luck, Al. Wise

 

[PaulDA]

Alan,

What Boston package did you get? I just got VR-M60s up front, M50s (on backorder) rears and a VRC centre with PV900 sub. The 60s are wonderful, so far.

 

[ChrisYK]

If you're not opposed to looking at last year's models, the H/K AVR 225 and 325 are both worth a look.

 

[Alan Wise]

Paul,
Mt budget was smaller than yours. I went with 2 pairs of the Boston CR75's (fronts and rear surrounds) and two CRC's (front and rear centers) I played them non stop for approx. sixty hours to break them in. So far I am in awe of my systems performance. My total home theater that I have put together in the recent month and a half is as follows:

Sony KP-57WS510 HDRPTV
Sony DCP725N DVD Player which will be replaced soon by Denon 2900 (the Sony works great, but I want better).
Acoustic Research AR-PR1212 250 AMP active sub.
Yamaha RX-V640 Receiver.
Boston Acoustic Speakers listed above (plus the matching wall brackets).

Needless to say, the past month has been expensive for my hobby. I am very lucky in the fact that my new wife has not uttered one word of discontent.
Near future upgrades: Denon DVD player, and Harmony ST-659 remote, and, and, and, etc....(it never ends).

Best Regards, Al. Wise

 

[PaulDA]

I understand the expense syndrome. In addition to my Bostons, I've also acquired an Integra DTR 6.4 and have my sight set on a Denon 2200/2900 (will depend on how convincing I am to my wife ).

Once that's done, I can get back to spending money on the important stuff--the DVDs and CDs that make this gear worth the effort and money.