HK AVR 630 or Yamaha RX 2400 (1 Viewer)

[WendyS]

Ok........I already have the HK 630. The store I bought it from has a liberal 30 day return policy. So I have a week left and am being lured towards the Yamaha.
These are my speakers:
Fronts Athena AS F2 Tower
Centre Athena C1
Surround Quest Q660 (don't laugh...I'm surprised how decent they sound)
Surround Back Bose 301 Series IV (blame my husband...LOL)
Subwoofer DBox David 302

I've been reading this and other forums alot lately and many references are made as to how Yamaha receivers and Athena speakers are not a good match.
Since I am in no position to replace my Athenas should I just put the Yamaha out of my mind and stick with the HK?

Will 130 W compared to 75 W make a significant difference? The HK isn't all that loud....it sounds great, but I was not expecting to max out the volume and think....thats it?? LOL

I read that Yamahas are bright and HKs are warm.
Yamahas are too bright for Athena speakers which are also bright.
Oy....I'm so confused.

Since the stores that deal Yamaha around here do not have liberal return policies, I'm a little hesitant to make the switch.

 

[DonnyD]

We have a store nearby that has Yams in several HT setups, one of which has Athenas.... I can't say that they are that much brighter than the other setups there except for the Blose......
Yeah, there's always those who talk about "bright" Yams but I prefer to call it "clear"... even so, the 2400 Yams are supposed to be more nuetral.

Can you take your Athenas with you to the Yam dealer and check them out for yourself???

That all being said, the HK are known to be strong...but so are the Yam 2400.... Good luck.

 

[Dennis Tester]

Hey WendyS I have the yamaha 2400 with the athenas and it sounds pretty good to me . You have to here it for your self everyone seems to hear things differently . Where in Canada are you located ?

 

[WendyS]

Hi Dennis
I haven't actually heard the Yamaha 2400. My first stereo was a Yamaha and I thought I'd like to try something different......plus they just weren't as pretty as the HK's.
I'm in southern Ontario. The closest Yamaha dealer is in Kitchener. There might be one in Cambridge but I'm not sure.

 

[Steve Adams]

Wendy,

Go with the yamaha. You won't regret it. Yammies are great sounding. If you are purchasing on looks, you are cheating yourself. You already know about my feelings on HK products. I don't like them at all. they are shoddy products that are built cheap and sold for way more than thay are worth. They should be priced in line with sony de, and pioneer vsx-d series...not elite, rotel and higher priced nads. they do sound good, but they do not last and the quality feels cheap in them. even my 200 dollar sony I had, which was crap itself was built better and felt like it was built better.

 

[aaron campbell]

Tell us how you really feel Steve I've got 2 HK's. An avr75 (6 yrs. old), & a 525 which weighs 44lbs. by the way,( must be lead filler since they're so cheaply built). Never had any problems. I'd be really suprised if that Yammy can put out 130w. What's the problem with the 630?

 

[Wayne Ernst]

Steve,

I keep reading your response to the H/K postings. Clearly, you have a beef with H/K. However, when was the last time you sold an H/K receiver? Two years ago?

Plus, I know people in the computer parts business. They told me that a few years back, Abit made some very unreliable motherboards. However, in addition to their statement that the motherboards were unreliable, they also had *numbers* to prove the unreliability. For example, all other motherboard manufacturers had a 3.5% RMA or failure rate. However, Abit had a 7% RMA or failure rate. Clearly, from the statistics provided, one could really see how unreliable Abit was.

I'm not so sure H/K was the company making unreliable equipment in your situation. I suspect there is more to the story that we are hearing.

For any purchaser considering any receiver, just look at your purchase objectively. Keep in mind that sure, there can be some issues with electronic items that you purchase.

 

[WendyS]

OK
Enough already.
With all due respect Steve.........
STOP HIJACKING MY POSTS WITH YOUR HK BASHING!!!!
Start your own thread to rant in.
It seems instead of getting real advice, my legitimate concerns are being turned into debates between you and other members of the board.
I know where you stand.

 

[Wayne Ernst]

Wendy,

You are starting to confuse me. Are you no longer looking for 2-channel receivers strictly for music listening?

If you live anywhere close to Dennis, you might take him up on his offer to hear the 2400/Athena combination. We could listen to these combos night and day in the retail stores - but, they never sound like they do when they are at home.

 

[WendyS]

Wayne........I no longer know what I'm looking for either. LOL
If you think you're confused!!
All I know is that I've fiddled and fooled around with the HK 630 for 3 weeks, followed the manual for setting the levels etc. and can still crank it to 100%.
For now I've only been concerned with the stereo side of it so haven't even attempted to tweak all the various listening modes other than 2 5 and 7 channel stereo (logic 7 a bit).
What is the purpose of using the SPL to set the speaker levels anyways? I find myself changing them to whatever sounds right to me.
I've read so many good things about the Yamaha 2400. There's a store not far too far from me that deals in both Yamaha and Athena. I think I better take a ride tomorrow and hear for myself.

 

[Wayne Ernst]

I think in regards to the RX-V24000, you will be quite amazed at what the automatic calibration will do. Keep in mind that the RX-V2400 has a parametric EQ and the equalizer settings will also be adjusted automatically for some good sounds in your room.

While I do like H/K receivers, I'm not a fan of their EZSet calibration system. I've never owned one of the new Yamaha receivers with their automatic calibration features - but, can only comment on what I've read. However, the responses on the RX-V2400 and how the calibration works has been quite positive.

I'm just not sure that the RX-V2400 will "wow" you with more power than the AVR-630 has. But, it might "wow" you with the way the EQ can be set up to enhance the sound.

 

[DonnyD]

Sorry you're still having problems with your HK...
BUT, part of the fun of HT is getting to shopshopshop...LOL
Hope your ride solves your receiver problem... let us know!

 

[David Ruggiero]

Wendy, I still say you should exchange your HK for another Hk first, just to make sure that the first one isn't defective. After all, the HK is what you wanted in the first place, so if the second one isn't loud enough for you then you'll know to for sure to get the Yamaha. As I said in your previous thread I have a hard time believing that the 630 doesn't go loud, since I have the 525 which is slightly less powerful paired with slightly less efficent speakers then yours, and mine goes plenty loud enough for me. You must really like your music LOUD if the second 630 still doesn't do it for you!

 

[Wayne Ernst]

Maybe, I missed it from the previous thread, but how big is your listening area, Wendy? Room size could have a big impact.

If you're looking for power, I'd look into the following:

1) Find a used H/K AVR-325. I see used/reconditioned AVR-325s for $350 on Ebay (U.S. $$) - and power it with nice power amplifier. This is going to be costly, but I feel that you'll get the volume you're looking for.

2) Purchase the H/K AVR-7200 which is capable of putting out 142 watts to 5 channels (as tested by Sound and Vision.)

3) Sell the Athena speakers and get some Klipsch speakers which will be very, very efficient and make the best use of the available power.

** Disclaimer: Sorry to throw so many choices out there. This might confuse things even more.

 

[WendyS]

This was the brute that first caught my eye. Trouble is I'm in Canada and it's 3000.00 here.
I could order it from J and R for about 1500.00 Cnd when all is said and done, but then I am without a warranty.

Does Yamaha rate the amps in their reciever with all channels driven across the full frequency spread as HK does? I think the salesman just told me a big fib!!

 

[Steve Adams]

Im allowed to voice my opinion on H/K thank you very much. You ask our opinions and I told. there is nothing more to "my story" than that. I don't have a "beef" with H/K. Im stating what I have observed with H/K products. to the guy that his receiver weighs 44 lbs. WOW! I have not sold H/K in almost a year, my friend still does. and he also says nothing has changed. Im sorry if I offended any of you with H/K products. Im am stating what I have witnessed time and time again. H/K products going down, and being sent back for repairs. imo. JUNK!....

so, wendy....you asked....I TOLD! im not Hijacking your threads!

 

[WendyS]

I beg to differ Steve.
I valued your opinion.......ONCE.......not on every thread I started.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htforum/announcement.php?s=&forumid=76&announcementid=48

5. No thread farting. If you see a thread that talks favorably about a particular subject, don't ruin it with negative comments.

So you're not a hijacker......you're a farter!!!
LOLOLOL
Peace man.

 

[Steve Adams]

Sorry I had beans for supper! but anyways....Im allowed to voice my opinion on whatever subject that comes up on this site. thank you very much. and I have personal experience with H/K. As far as Im concerned you should buy the yammie and have years of trouble free listening enjoyment. from what I have been reading your not pleased with your H/K anyways!

My friend has a yammie reciver with Klipsch speakers. im willing to bet the ranch they are much brighter than your anthena's. He loves the sound of it, The yammie has ton's of power, great sound and lots of features. It's a great receiver. you should at least owe it to yourself to listen to it.


Don't be loyal to one brand, or brand blind. try eveything out. I am all over H/K because I think they are not a well designed unit and they have lot's of problems. they sound awsome...and the older ones look great and have shitloads features. I have been with the understanding that sherwood was not a good sounding unit, until I heard one. for the money you cannot beat sherwood. they are great. Im just stating that there are better things out there than what the Hype says. LISTEN TO THE YAMMIE!

 

[WendyS]

Well I am pleased with the SOUND of my HK.
I think I was just expecting more in the volume department.
As for the Yamaha.........I went to the shop yesterday and the guy was a dick, so I left. I've always despised this store and the arrogant pr***s that work there.
I told him I was interested in the 2400 but wanted to hear it hooked up to the Athenas since these are the speakers I have. He made no effort to oblige my request and fed me a few lines of BS.

 

[Wayne Ernst]

Wendy, Yamaha does it a bit differently. They provide the FTC specs for their amps, but only with a few channels driven at the same time. This isn't such a bad thing, when you think that with most movies, all channels will not be driven at the same time. However, for 5 channel music, it could have its limitations.

With that being said, I think Steve might be onto something. I want to appologize to Steve for his attacks on H/K. I had been using the H/K AVR-7200 for the past few months in my system. When using the H/K, I had desired to get better speakers and have been looking into my options there. However, I picked up a Yamaha HTR-5650 to hold me over until I can make a receiver decision.

Some of my initial observations:

- The new Yamaha is nothing like the Yamaha that I had a few years back. Yamaha has many features and I find the sound very pleasing.
- I'm no longer thinking of replacing my speakers ... well, at least I've put off the decision much further into the future.
- DTS Neo:6. With all other receivers that I've had, I never liked this feature. But, with the Yammay, all I can say is "wow."
- In the "labs" the Yamaha looks like a weakling compared the the H/K AVR-7200 when it comes to power. However, in *my* environment, this little 80 w.p.c. receiver is providing more than enough power for my needs.
- The Yamaha is running much, much cooler than my H/K.

Don't get me wrong, I still dearly love H/K. However, with the new line of receivers coming out: RX-V650, 750, HTR-5760 and 5790, Yamaha is going to "Leap Frog" the other manufacturers for a short while. The new receivers feature a 9 band EQ for the subwoofer, built-in phase controls, YPAO, etc. I think if one were to go for the HTR-5760 now, a separate amp could be added later on - I'm just speculating the 5760 has pre-outs for such a purpose, but the specs on this are still in short supply until the unit hits the streets in a few weeks.

I've located the 5760 for $399 (US $$) and free shipping. At that price, the unit would make a very excellent pre/pro if someone needs to add a power amp down the road.

Additionally, the specs on these new receivers appear like they might provide a few more options over the RX-V1400 and 2400 receivers ... that is, until Yamaha releases that 1500 and 2500 models in about 6 months.

The cycle never ends ...