Need (another) opinion about HT receiver.... (1 Viewer)

I have reached a fork in the road concerning a receiver choice:

Here are the finalists:

Denon 1082 $688 (Local store overpriced, I think)
H/K AVR-325 $559 shipped from BHPhoto
Kenwood VR-6070 $385 on clearance at local BB

I cant seem to decide between the 3.
The 2 frontrunners are the H/K and Kenwood.
My application will be about 70 HT/30 Music. I have NSP1 setup with SA-WM40 sub. Although it will be used mostly for HT, I want to ensure that music sounds good.
I am really leaning towards the 325, but with THX the Kenwood may be too good to pass up.
Ive read that the Kenwood is good for HT, not so good for music. Also read that the H/K is fantastic for music, but lacks just a tad for HT. I am also concerned for QC issues Ive read about the H/K.

Basically, Im one confused person.......

Please help!

I auditioned a Kenwood 6050 recently and, like you said, it was acceptable for movies and lousy for music. I know the 6070 is more expensive and THX but I can't believe the amps sound that much different.
I also auditioned an HK AVR 320 and 520...these sound very similar to the 325 I'm sure. These were great for movies as well as music with one caveat, though. I found them to be superb with music as long as the recording was a very quality recording. They seem to bring out the audible inadequacies of poorer recordings...i.e. my jazz type selections sounded awesome and very detailed, like Peter White, Jazzmasters (Gary Barnacle on sax!)..but my 60's and 70's rock like Hendrix, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, etc. just didn't sound good to me. I found that the Onkyo I'm currently auditioning is a better compromise between the two types of music. Not quite as detailed on the jazz but much better with the rock. Although it's still a tough decision between the HK and the Onkyo. The Kenwood sucked on both types of music.
I can't really offer an opinion on the Denon. I did audition one many years ago and if I recall it was more similar to the Onkyo, though.

Have you by chance considered the Pioneer 811?

I love the sound of mine with both DVD and Music.

Oh and I too use it with the Sony SA WM40 sub...very nice match up I must say.

I think the 811 is going for under $400 these days.

Just a thought

Alf

Denon,features,sound,price,what a deal! HK is a good second choice,imho.Kenwood,sorry, is not in this leauge.