AVR died during Super Bowl - on the hunt and need help (1 Viewer)

My 10 year old Denon AVR started overheating and shutting down during the Super Bowl last night - with 40 people at my house! Luckily we got through with other TV's and numerous resets, but I'm on the hunt for a new AVR and need your help. Currently running 5.1 surround sound and I need Zone 2 capability for music on the patio. Connected are: HD cable box, wireless DVD/CD player, Apple TV. Would love Airplay to keep from having to change all the inputs I now have to with the Denon/Apple TV. My audio needs are pretty simple, but I don't want to skimp - budget of $500, slightly more if justified. I don't really understand if an AVR with 80 watts per channel is significantly less than one with 100 wpc. Saw the Yamaha RX-V675 on Amazon for $400, but that was just the first one I ran across that looked appealing. Thanks for your help!!

80 vs 100 is essentially meaningless.

Do you currently use Zone 2? (As in know that most AVR are analog only this budget, unless you find a deal, or refurb)

Haven't checked A4L lately, but the X3000 was around $700(I think) so the 2000 is close.

The 3000 has digital 2nd zone. 2000 might.

Hi Mark,


The difference between 80 watts and 100 watts is almost nothing. Depending on what speakers you have, you most likely won't be able to tell the difference.


If you are comfortable with Denon, the X2000 is on sale for $500. This is last year's model. It has Airplay and a second zone.

Thanks guys. Is the Denon a better unit than the Yamaha? I really liked my current Denon AVR, so I'm good with getting another one. I use the zone 2 simply for playing some outside speakers for music and TV sports when on the patio. Don't think it much matters if it's analog or digital. I looked at the X2000 for $499, but the X2100 is $549. Is that upgrade worth $50?

No, Denon is not better than Yamaha (nor is Yamaha better then Denon). Get the one that has the features you need. It is a bonus if you are already familiar with a particular brand.


Where did you find the X2100 for that price? I found it for $700... The X2100 adds bluetooth. If that is important then go with that model.

Well, I thought it was on Amazon for that price but I don't see it now so I could have been confused. I found it for $518 on Abe's of Maine's website, but I don't know anything about them. Anybody ever ordered from them?

Just read some reviews and I think I'll steer clear of not-so-honest Abe's!!

If the AVR has AirPlay and I have Apple TV and a wireless Blue Ray/CD player, would I see $200 of benefit to get the Bluetooth capability? From what I'm reading, to stream wirelessly from an iphone or ipad you have to connect the X2000 to your home network with an ethernet cable. That's not possible due to stereo and router locations, so would the Airplay be of any use to me? Also, I run an analog R/W connection from my cable box to my receiver for zone 2 TV sound. Is that still posssible with this AVR?

I'm confused by this wireless cd/BD player.

What is that?

And Airplay only does audio. You still need the ATV for video. Does your ATV have analog audio?

Onkyo remotes are preprogrammed for ATV as well, if you can give up the Airplay.

Anything you connect via bluetooth is for convenience only - the sound will suffer. Now if you plan to play mp3's then it probably doesn't matter. But if you have quality input, the output will sound worse than if you connected it directly.


BTW - This is true of pretty much anything that is 'wireless'.

schan1269 said:

I'm confused by this wireless cd/BD player.

What is that?

And Airplay only does audio. You still need the ATV for video. Does your ATV have analog audio?

Click to expand...

The wireless cd/BD player is a Sony player that has wifi so I can play netflix, amazon prime, etc without an ethernet cable. I probably called it the wrong thing - sorry, as you can tell I'm not very educated about this. I connect the Apple TV with a composite/optical connection because my current Denon AVR only has 2 HDMI inputs which get used for the cable box and Blueray player. I don't remember if ATV has analog audio, but why would I need that? My ATV is in the VCR input (best one available) and I can currently select that input for zones 1 and 2, so music plays outside and inside fine. Will the X2000 do that?

I've confused myself on the Airplay. I can't connect an ethernet cable to my wifi as the router is too far away, so can I even use Airplay? Thank you all for your help! Things have changed a lot since I last bought an AVR.

What about this one - Onkyo TX-NR636 7.2-Ch Dolby Atmos Ready Network A/V Receiver w/ HDMI 2.0 for $449? No AirPlay but it has wifi, Apple TV support.

Wireless is the wifi, got it.

Most AVR need analog audio connections for 2nd zone.

The 636, I think, includes digital coax and toslink for 2nd zone. Nothing HDMI 2nd zone at this price point.

How has Onkyo's quality been lately? I know there was a bit of a backlash a couple years ago. Has that settled down now?

Onkyo extended the warranty on all models back to X07 for HDMI, internet and IR failures.

So I've decided I don't necessarily need AirPlay since I have AppleTV. Don't think I need wifi since I have AppleTV and a wifi BlueRay player. Think I'm down to Denon x2000 or Onkyo 636. Any big differences? Any big power difference? Am I missing something on not having wifi or Bluetooth in the avr?

Still not a fan of bluetooth (although I will admin that it sounds much better in my car since I got my Kenwood with AptX). WiFi is only important if you can't connect your receiver with cable. You will need it for updates and if you want to do any streaming via the built in apps.


The Onkyo can be used for Atmos if you decide to go that route later on but it is missing Audyssey Room EQ (the best of the room correction, IMO).


You really can't go wrong with either one.

Haha! Now leaning toward Denon x2100. Wifi, 4k, 2.0 hdmi inputs. Seems like it would be $200 well-spent for future proofing. Anything else in the $700 price range I should consider?

Also considering the Denon x4000. What is the deal with the 2.0 hdmi inputs? Is this a big deal?

HDMI 2.0 is for 4K or HDCP 2.2.

Right now, Onkyo/Integra offers HDCP 2.2.

Everybody else offers 4.4.4 color.

Otherwise known as "half-baked" HDMI 2.0.

Fully baked(we hope) arrives in March/April.