AVR for $1,000 (1 Viewer)

[ChucksterMania]

I'm asking for a friend. He has $1000 to spend on a home theater receiver. He is just starting to build his home system and renting a home for the next year so the room size probably shouldn't be factored in. He will also eventually update his speakers. He can get a Yamaha RX-V2085 or a Denon AVR-X4500H for that price range. Which one, or an alternate, and why? Thanks.

 

[DaveF]

Can't recommend a $1000 AVR without know what he needs. What are his priorities? Total power? Streaming features? Connectivity? Calibration features? Ease of Use? Atmos and other audio formats? Lower electricity use?

Otherwise, if he's got $1000 burning a hole in his pocket, buy whatever receiver is closest to $1000 the day he's shopping. All the major brands are good.

 

[Dave Moritz]

While brands like Marantz, Denon, Yamaha and Onkyo and even Sony have nice receivers in that price range I have to agree with the other Dave here that it is difficult to make a recommendation without more information.

What speakers does he have? If not then what speakers is he planning on getting?
How big is the room the equipment will be set up in?
How loud does he like to listen to his content?
What decoding is he looking at?
Does he plan on watching 4K content?
What streaming options is he or she interested in or are they only interested in disc formats?
Most brands will give you Dolby Atmos and DTS-X but if he wants the flexability of Auro 3D along with the other two then he is looking at a Denon or Marantz!

It is easy to slap down $1k and walk out of the store but tha friend may end up with something that doesn't have all the features he wants!

 

[DaveF]

Or more likely, wastes $600 when a more affordable AVR would have been fine.

 

[Type A]

Most AVRs in that price range will serve him well in every regard he could possibly need. So either choice is just fine, its when you go really cheap that you might miss certain features down the road. After my last three models being Yamaha they are officially my favorite and will recommend them to anyone. I wont own a sony or onkyo again. Marantz sound is sonically superior, and also a solid choice, but Ive found yamaha to be a bit more user friendly. Never owned denon but they get great reviews. Ive had great luck with refurbs at accessories for less and have gotten several modern AVRs for a fraction of what they were new, highly recommend you check them out before spending full retail. Theres no such thing as overkill, unused features and power could well come in handy in the future and the more future-proof you can make your AVR the further out you can push that upgrade itch...

Edit: Try to get the best AND most recent model your budget allows (and $1k is a good budget), regardless of what manufacture you go with. Again, future proof is the name of the game. Dont bother with 'this'll do' when you can get something better that will remain more relevant and useful as your system grows.

 

[Vegas 1]

Amazon has the Marantz SR7012 AVR on sale at a good price if still available.

 

[Malcolm R]

Or more likely, wastes $600 when a more affordable AVR would have been fine.

As Dave says, he likely doesn't need to spend $1000. The most I'd ever consider paying for an AVR is $500-600. I think most of mine over the years have been in the $400-500 range, and I've always enjoyed them very much. I think my current Yamaha was listed around $800, but I got it at Best Buy as open-box clearance (though it still seemed brand new, just no box) for considerably less.

 

[Type A]

Amazon has the Marantz SR7012 AVR on sale at a good price if still available.

Wow, excellent find. New only $100 above AC4L's refurb price. AC4L is sold out.

 

[JohnRice]

Wow, excellent find. New only $100 above AC4L's refurb price. Theyre sold out.

No kidding. That's a deal to grab.