Best Receiver for $350 and DVD player under $150? (1 Viewer)

[John Carson]

Thats the current budget. Anyone got suggestions?

 

[JasonMIL]

Check out the Panasonic SA-HE 100. I picked up an open box model from Circuit City recently for $199. It normally sells there for $299 and is worth every penny. Great sound, great features and 6.1 capable.

 

[AaronJB]

Another vote for the SAHE100. Have owned it for three months and am extremely pleased with both sound and features.

You might also want to check out the Pioneer 811 reciever.

 

[TimothyE]

For DVD players, you might want to read up on the Panasonic XP30, but do it quick bacause they are jumping off the shelves following their top score on the most recent Secret's progressive player shootout.

Tim

 

[David G Greene]

CHECK OUT EBAY

 

[Chris Sherman]

Harmon Kardon AVR225 from JandR for $350.00. I was able to get Circuit City to price match JandR , and they matched plus 10% of the difference. For $50.00 more than an Onkyo SR500 it is a much nicer piece. I am very happy with mine and think it compares very favorably to my Onkyo TXD-S676 which cost $800.00 list. You can get a nice progressive scan dvd player for $150.00 from Panasonic or JVC.

 

[Greg Mc]

Look at the panasonic Sa-he200k. Circuit city price matched +10% J@r $349.

Nice receiver, go test drive one.

 

[MattMB]

Here's a vote for the Pioneer 811s. Very nice AV reciever. I've had one for 3 months now and have nothing but praise for it.

If you can find one of the infamous Panasonic RP82 DVD players, snap it up. Great bang for the buck. Also highly rated is the RP91, but it may be a little out of your price range.

 

[John Carson]

Well the Kardon @ jandR or pricematched to CC is nice, I am still stuck on DVD players. I dont need progressive scan, but I do need component out. Anyone got some more suggestions?

Thanks for the current suggestions!

 

[Dom P.]

I would also suggest the Pioneer VSX line. One of the best you can find for that price range I believe.

JVC seems to have some highly rated DVD players for ~$150, I would check them out.

This JVC rates really well, and is just a few $$$ over $150 but has free shipping:

JVC

 

[John Carson]

I know its a Sony, but hows the DVPNS315? I dont need Pro. Scan and its cheap!

Anyone? Dont just say, "Its sony, it sucks" PLEASE tell me why.

 

[Asim]

John..
J&R has a model from JVC for like $129 (model ..75.. something) that also does DVD Audio. Check out this site
to see if people have problems/cracks/etc. I thought it was
pretty informative.

http://www.dvdrhelp.com/dvdplayers.php

I have also used the Panny RP31 i think...it
was pretty good with MP3 capability and component out.
I returned it though cuz i wanted to hold off till the
audio wars got somewhat more straightened out. Try looking at
Costco if you can .... they will refund your money if you have problems with the unit.

 

[Chris S]

Another vote for the Pioneer 811s. You can probably find a good deal on it online and use the extra cash for a little better DVD player of some new DVDs.

Chris S.

 

[Adam C.]

I had researched receivers for under $400 for about 7 months and got a Pioneer VSXD811s. I ended up getting it for onecall for 280 shipped. I LOVE it.

As for DVD players, I have a JVC model is something like 500BLK. And I like.

 

[John Carson]

How are you guys getting CC to pricematch. I called the website, and they said they ONLY pricematch if the item was "Advertised" in a local store within 50 miles.

Is the instore policy any better?

 

[Todd Christ]

Denon AVR-1803 $335 @ Crazy Eddie
APEX AD-2500 DVD Player - $79 @ J&R Website

 

[Chris Sherman]

Here's how I got CC to price match J&R . I asked to speak to the manager . I showed him a printout of J&R's price , I then explained that since I was still within my 30 day return policy that if they coud not match J&R's price, I would simply order from J&R and return my receiver to CC when my new one arrived. I was not obnoxious about it , I simply explained my point of view about the price difference and that J&R is an authorized dealer for Harmon Kardon. He agreed to match plus 10% of the difference. Maybe I was lucky, but I think it also helped that I was polite about it and did not get aggresive or emotional when speaking to him. Good luck with your receiver search and make sure whomever you buy from has a liberal return policy .

 

[John Carson]

Todd, that seems like a REAL nice receiver for the $$$. Is Crazy Eddies decent? I have not ordered from them in the past.
PLUS they are not authorized Denon dealers, therefore no warranty.

 

[Todd Christ]

Todd, that seems like a REAL nice receiver for the $$$. Is Crazy Eddies decent? I have not ordered from them in the past.

unsure a this point, they ARE the lowest price on the Internet - plus they have a 2-year warranty for $59 - so you're still going to get the part WITH warranty for around $400 (still cheaper than the $499 MSRP)

If i can't get etronics to PM their price, I'll be trying them out!

anyone have experience with Crazy Eddie?

 

[Andy_SB]

I've heard Crazy Eddie is somewhat questionable. I've seen people post that they had great experiences with them; however, I've also seen reports of scratched-off serial numbers and other questionable practices by this vendor. I don't have personal experience with them so I can't say for sure.
If you do want the Denon, check out the AVR-883. It's the exact same thing as the AVR-1803, it's just the mass-market version. It's available at Etronics for $339 or Nxgen.com for $327 (Etronics is an excellent vendor, I've heard mixed reviews on Nxgen, particularly their return policy).

As for the original question, there are a lot of very good receivers in your price range. The Denon is one. I also like the Kenwood VR-6060 a lot at $350 - it has a nice feature set, it's powerful, and it sounds great (especially for movies). Also, several retailers seem to be clearing out some of the current Yamaha receivers to make room for the "next wave". I've seen the HTR-5560 (aka RX-V630) advertised at $350 or less in local stores. I like Yamahas a lot for their reliability and their sound.

As for DVD players, I'm partial to Panasonic and Toshiba. I slightly prefer Toshiba's picture quality but I find them to be somewhat picky if you like to play MP3s or other burned discs on your player. Panasonics are more versatile and look great too. Costco carries both brands and has models with component out for as little as $80.