Just another 'help me decide' thread (1 Viewer)

[Ben.T]

OK

I wasn't planning on buying a new AVR for a couple months but circumstances may present me with an oportunity to get an extremely good deal on these recievers:

Harmon Kardon AVR 7200

Denon AVR-1083 and AVR-983 (I believe also refered to as the AVR-3803 and AVR-2803 respectively)

Onkyo TX-NR801

Those are my ONLY options for now. Granted if this doesn't work out I think the Yamaha 1400 will go back to the top of my wish list (feel free to talk me out of that however)...

Now granted, IF the 7200 is cheap enough that is my choice because I know how awesome a AVR it's suppose to be. I guess my question would be more focus'd on the listed Denon's and Onkyo. I'm concerned that those seem to be taylored for 6.1 reproduction. And frankly, the *look* of them just doesn't win any marks.

What I'd like to know is what good things ppl have to say about them. The Onkyo's ethernet connection is nifty but I will already have a HTPC to do that job.

Anyway, I just get all weird when I'm about to spend money. I have decided that I am going to be purchasing M60, VP150 and QS8 speakers. So thats what this AVR will be driving. All comments are most welcome.

 

[Johnal]

Ben,
I have had my 7200 for less than a month and from my experience so far, I love almost everything about it. I have owned an HK receiver before so I have had good experiences with them before. The one thing I am not happy with is the remote that is included. It works as a universal remote for up to 8 different pieces of equipment. Let's say you choose to control your CD player with the HK remote, you would press the "CD" button on the remote so that it knows what signal to send. After exactly 5 seconds the damn remote defaults back to controlling the avr. Sometimes I like to scan through a disk or I like to listen to just half the song before going to the next one, and having to keep pressing the "CD" button every single time I want it to do something gets pretty damn frustrating.

ANYway, one more warning for you... the receiver is HUGE and as most HK's have a tendency to do...it runs a little on the warm side, so make sure you have plenty of space for the beast.

Like I said, I am very satisfied with my receiver...i have a lot more testing to do...but I just wanted to give you a little heads up about what you may expect. Take care and good hunting.

-Johnal

P.S. I'm waiting for ya' Steve!

 

[Ben.T]

Denon AVR-1083 (also known as the AVR-3803) - From what I've been reading, the 3805 would be nicer with DLPIIx and I just like the new look of the 3805 over the 3803, but looks are not gonna be the deciding factor for me. My only real concern about the 3803 is the lack of understanding how this AVR treats 7.1 when its not a 7.1 signal. The HK 7200 has Logic7 which I've read does a nice job, but does anyone know how this 3803 accomplishes this? And yes, component upconversion is a plus for this guy.

Onkyo TX-NR801 or TX-NR901 - Frankly I'm leaning towards the Denon over these but if someone tells me the Onkyo's can handle the 7.1 question better I'm still giving these a shot. I think the main difference between the 801 and 901 is power and component upconversion.

Thurs the 29th is when I go make a purchase (if any).

 

[Wayne Ernst]

When I owned my H/K AVR-7200, I found the Logic:7 to be very, very nice. With my Yammy HTR-5760, I like Neo:6, too, along with DPL II.

The Denon will provide you with Neo:6 and depending on whether or not you get the 3805, DPL IIx.

If you do go for the H/K, be prepared for one big beast to arrive. You need to ensure you have an adequate location to place it for sufficient ventilation and support of the receiver itself due to its weight.

For me, the H/K was a bit too warm in the sound area. Well, maybe warm isn't the right word, but rather "neutral." If you can, try to listen to each of these receivers before making a purchase.

 

[Ben.T]

Honestly, I'm not the type of person that worries about the sound of a AVR. Perhaps that will change as the Axiom's I'm getting will be the best speaker I've ever owned.

Unfortunatly the 3805 is not an option, I can only buy what this store has.

I guess what I'm asking is, can the 3803 (and the Onkyo 901) match the 7200 in general and specifically in taking 5.1 sources and remixing to 7.1 output.

I'm worried the 7200 will be more than I want to spend otherwise this is a non issue.