Best Receiver for under 1K? (1 Viewer)

[Tom_Maher]

I'm looking to finally replace both my aging Sony speakers and Pioneer receiver. I've an absolute max budget of 3 grand, so im looking to break it down to 1 grand max for the receiver and 2 grand max for the speakers. For speakers, im considering either Atlantic Technology or Klipsch. As for the receiver, from reading the posts on this forum, it seems that the Denon 3802 and Onkyo 797 are the best bets for my price range. Which of these two receievers is considered the best, and, if there are any other receievers currently out or coming out by the end of July, should I compare those as well? Unfortunately, there isn't a store anywhere near me where I can test either the speakers im looking at or receivers. Also, am i looking at the right speakers for these receivers? Thank you for your help.

 

[Greg Haynes]

Simply answer IMHO would be to buy the Denon 3802 especially at the price you can get the 3802 at. See below for price.
Its just a damn good receiver for the price. I've had my 3802 since xmas and I simply love this receiver. I was coming from a Sony DB930 I immediately noticed how amazing 2ch music was now. But then I tried DPLII and it was the icing on the cake. My wife also noticed instantly on the first song that I played. I was playing Sade Greatest Hits and that entire album just came alive. Movies now are so dynamic. The sound just traps you into the movie. 7.1 is no gimmick, its the real deal. If you have the space I highly recommend adding some rear speakers. The Denon is a winner all around. I don't have any gripes with it except I wish it had a lower xover than 80 but thats just me. The Denon is sure to please your movie addiction.
UPDATE: I have recently added a Parasond 1205A to my Denon. The short review above is before adding the power amp. I was still blown away with the sound coming from the receivers amp compared to my previous Sony DB930 amps.
I don't know where you can get the Onkyo 797 for cheap. But right now 6ave.com has the the Denon 3802 for $699 shipped That is the lowest price from an authorized dealer that I believe you could ever find. And if you don't like buying mail order and you have a local Tweeter near you can get them to price match with 6ave.com price. 6ave had the 3802 for $740 back during xmas and since 6ave is on Denon's website as an authorized dealer, Tweeter matched the price no problem. I was really excited since Tweeter at the same time was selling this unit for $1000.

 

[John Garcia]

Marantz SR7200 should be on your list as well. I auditioned the 3802, and while I liked it, music sounded noticably better with Marantz, IMO. I chose the 6200 because I got a better deal on it, and it still sounded better. Between the two you listed, I would go with the 3802.

 

[Michael Mathius]

What else but the Denon 3802 since I own it.
It seems that Denon will be replacing the 3802 if this price reduction is any indication.:frowning:

 

[Tom_Maher]

So far it seems as though the Denon is preferred over the Onkyo. It also seems as though I'll be able to pick up the Denon for cheaper than the Onkyo (I can get the Onkyo 797 for $815 online). Denon's new replacement (AFAIK) for the 3802 wont come out for at least another 5 months and I will be ordering sometime during July, so unless something new comes out this month, it seems as though the 3802 is the one to go with. On a side note, a friend of mine recently bought a set of Klipsch speakers and absolutely swears by them, so I think I'm leaning towards those. Anyone know how they fare with the Denon 3802? And for that price point above, I may order the 3802 a bit earlier than expected, though the speakers I definately will not be ordering until late July/early August. Thanks for the continued assistance!

 

[Leo_P]

Check out ac4l.com. They're an authorized Marantz dealer and they have the SR8200 (refurbished) for $999.

 

[DanaA]

Denon also works very nicely with the Klipsch speakers you're thinking of getting.

 

[Colin-H]

Greg: I just called 6ave.com and they quoted me $899 plus shipping, "but we do try to be competitive." What did you tell them to get that $699 price??!?

 

[Tom_Maher]

Darn.... 899? Well... that puts the Denon at 85 dollars more expensive than the Onkyo but still 100 dollars less than I had originally anticipated. Also, at the ac4l.com they have a refurbished Marantz SR-7200... anyone have any experience with this receiver? On a further note about speakers, I can get two Klipsch RF-5s for 495 apiece, leaving about 1000 for the center, sub, and surrounds. Anyone know how these sound with the Denon 3802?

 

[JohnFF]

The refurb'd Marantz 8200 for $999 has gotta be the best sound for < $1k. It comes with a 1 year manufacturers warranty. Next up would be the 3802 and 797. All 3 are good.

 

[Tom_Maher]

hmmm.... is there any reason NOT to go with the Marantz? Looking at the specs, that seems to be an excellent deal, especially with a markdown of 700!

 

[AustinKW]

Greg,

Thanks a bunch! Just snagged one at the price you quoted.

Austin

 

[Tom_Maher]

Well! 699 for the Denon? Looks like I'll have to go with this one as it will give me an extra 200 making it possible to go with an SVS Sub. Hopefully I'll still be able to get this deal when I order in a few weeks.

 

[Colin-H]

So did I! Thanks a lot, Greg.

 

[Greg Haynes]

I'm glad that I could help you guys out! Your going to love the 3802 Maybe I should start a new post letting everyone know that the Denon 3802 is $699 shipped!
Colin,
What happened the first time that you called? I wonder why they said that the price was $899 instead of the $699 price. Also if anyone feels the 3802 is too much they have the following other Denon receiver prices:
Denon 2802 - $525
Denon 1802 - $325

 

[Earl Simpson]

Who was the salesman? By the way, Steve is back at 6th ave in a management position. You guys got the buy of a lifetime. Anybody that don't jump on that is crazy.

 

[Tom_Maher]

Thanks for all the help, especially the price given by Greg! I am going to call 6th Avenue Electronics tomorrow and place my order, its just too good of a deal to sit on for a long amount of time! I have also decided to pair the 3802 with Klipsch speakers (R*-3II series) and an SVS Subwoofer (still debating over which one to go with though). I can't thank everybody enough for the help!

 

[Greg Haynes]

No problem Tom, I forgot to mention welcome to the forum. I think you'll like it here
I like to hear a review when you get all your equipment and speakers in

 

[Colin-H]

Greg: the first time I called, I was still at work). He said "our current price is $899, but we do try to be competetive." I told him about the $699 thing and he said he'd have to check with his manager. I didn't want to deal with it at that time so I told him I'd call again when I went home. When he checked with his manager, he told me that he'd give it to me for $699. They are trying to push the Monster Cables though, aren't they?

 

[Greg Haynes]

Yeah they sure do push those Monster Cables
About 6 months ago they were selling the 3802 for $799 and the only way you could get that price was if you bought $100 worth of Monster Cables. They have always been pushing Monster Cables.
BTW, did you buy any cables?