Looking for a nice receiver for around $400, Found two, the Onkyo 601 and Denon 1804. (1 Viewer)

[Matt_Smi]

I am looking for a new receiver at around $400 to replace my three year old Sony STR-DE545. My Sony still works fine but I feel that an upgrade is in order. I have heard very good things about both Onyko and Denon receivers, and like the build quality and appearance of both brands, they have a nice high end “feel” to them. So I have pretty much narrowed it down to the Onkyo TX-SR601 for $395 at etronics.com or the Denon AVR-1804 for $350 at etronics.com. As you can see by the comparison link at crutchfield below both receivers have very similar specs. So it basically comes down to an Onkyo V.S. Denon discussion. I am sure that whichever one I go with, it will be much better than my Sony so I will be happy either way, but I am all about getting the best deal. If I get the Onkyo receiver I will also be looking at getting the Onkyo DV-CP701 DVD changer for $240. And if I go with the Denon I will be looking at getting the Denon DVM-1815 DVD changer for $266 (I like to have similar components even though it makes no difference). Both DVD players are also very similiar in spec. I will start another thread in the appropriate forum regarding which DVD player is better. But if I get the Denon receiver I will also get the Denon DVD changer, and vise virsa with the Onkyo receiver and DVD changer. So its almost like which brand would be better. But which receiver do you think I be better off with? And feel free to recommend other receivers around the $400 mark. Some other brands I am considering are H&K, Pioneer, Yamaha. But Onkyo and Denon are my top choices right now, and I feel that they are the best quality brands that I can get for the price. Thanks for any input! BTW I started a thread about the DVD players as well, a link to it is below.


Link to Onkyo/Denon comparison page

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-CGegHsb...=17&IMAGE4.y=7


Link to my DVD player thread

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=195188

 

[Ken.L]

Matt,
If you feel reading a review of both the Denon and Onkyo would help your decision, an excellent one is at homecinemachoice dot com. I've got the Denon 1803 which is the precusor to the 1804, very similiar in all aspects, and I'm very happy with it. If you are using it in a small to medium size room, the 1804 will fit the bill nicely. In stereo mode it can do 110 watts into 8 ohms. The sound is warm and accurate. Have fun with your search.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

As I stated in your other thread, both DVD players are available for much less as factory refurbished from www.ecost.com . The Onkyo 601 is also available from ecost for much less refurbished on a regular basis, but they are temporarily out of stock. You can call and find out when they will have more in stock. They are an authorized dealer of Denon and Onkyo factory refurbished items and they are warranteed through the factory.

Hope this helps

 

[Matt_Smi]

It’s a tough choice. I feel that the Denon DVD changer may be slightly better than the Onkyo, but the Onkyo seems to be on clearance everywhere and I found it for $170 at Cambridge Soundworks, which is a very nice price. My guess is that Onkyo is pulling it for a newer model. As for the receivers, another hard choice, but the Onkyo 601 can be had a CompUSA for $400. And I would much rather buy a receiver there than etronics or any other place online, since it’s much easier to take care of problems when you can just bring the unit to the store rather than ship it back to some place. So right now I am thinking that getting the Onkyo receiver and DVD changer is my best bet, it will be a bit cheaper and I don’t need to get either online. But input is still plenty welcome.

 

[Wayde_R]

Give Yamaha a chance in that price category.

But you're on the right track moving away from Sony and into the more specialty receiver brands. Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha are all good receivers and in that range you should look for specific features you need like inputs/ouputs. Sonic qualities are subjective and must be auditioned to really decide what's better for you. But I can tell you they're probably more the same than different, especially since they're all in the same price category.

 

[Johnny V]

Does anyone know if CompUsa is an authorized Onkyo dealer? I would assume that they are but I didn't see them listed on Onkyo's site. I sent them (Onkyo) an e-mail about it a couple of days ago, but haven't heard back yet.

 

[Matt_Smi]

Yeah I am not sure if CompUSA is an authorized Onkyo dealer or not. Right now I am leaning toward the Onkyo though. I like the fact that I can buy it locally at CompUSA or Circuit City. It seems to have a few more features than the Denon. And the Onkyo also seems to have better DAC’s than the Denon (192kHz/24 bit V.S. 96kHz/24 bit) and it has dual 32 bit DSP’s (the Denon only has one). Plus I like the appearance of the Onkyo better, and the back panel seems more organized than the Denon. So right now it seems that the Onkyo is my top choice, unless someone can give me a reason against it. I have a feeling that Onkyo is going to discontinue the 601 (along with the rest of the 01 series) for a new line of 02 series receivers. I am guessing this because the 01 receivers are starting to pop up on clearance everywhere and that Onkyo just came out with the 502 entry level receiver. So it would make sense that they will be coming out with a full line of 02’s soon. Because of this I don’t know what I should do. Get a 601 now at a pretty decent price, or wait for the new 602 to come out and possibly pay a little more for it. To me there is nothing worse than buying a new piece of electronic equipment and then a month later having the new model come out with new cool features for the same price. And I am also left thinking “why didn’t I wait”. Does anyone know how long the 601 has been out? And I was also looking at the Harmon Kardon 230, which costs around $350-400 online and seems like another nice AVR.

 

[PaulDA]

Any of the three you mention would be good choices. I had a Denon AVR1600 and was pretty happy with it. Sold it to my brother in law (he was looking to start building a home theater so I gave him a good deal) and got an Integra DTR 6.4 (similar to Onkyo 701). The Onkyo is the physical base for the Integra, but the Integra has a beefier power supply, more/better DACs and a longer warranty with a few other extra features. This is not to take anything away from the Onkyo. I consider it to be like Toyota and Lexus. The Camry is the physical base of the ES300, which has a longer warranty and several upgraded features. Both are fine cars with excellent reputations and either would serve a person quite well. But, if you can afford the upgrades, they can be nice. Same for the Onkyo/Integra. HK and Denon also make good receivers, so features and sound will be the determining factors here. Enjoy and good luck.

 

[Rogozhin]

I've compared an Onkyo 601 to a HK 320, and a NAD T752-with these speakers:

Sounddynamics 300ti (main)
Sounddynamics SS1b (rear sourrounds)
LX550 Pro LIneum center and rear center.
Dayton 12" on custom sealed box driven by a NAD 2800thx


There was no difference between the 752 (I also have a nad 314 that I used to drive the mains) and the 601 and the controls were much easier to use on the 601-plus I like the 6.1 (I used a NAD 902 to drive the center rear on the 752) on the 601 better.

I have NO experience with DENON-but I've alot of experience with NAD and the Onkyo sounds very good compared to it-I suspect though that I've reached a speaker threshold and need to upgrade.

Rogo

 

[Johnny V]

Update: I finally got a response from Onkyo saying that CompUSA is infact an authorized dealer.

 

[Chuck Mullen]

Matt,
I happen to have the exact Onkyo setup you are considering and have been very pleased with both. I like setting up an interconnect between same brand components. It makes things a little easier.

Just my $.02

 

[Matt_Smi]

Good to know that CompUSA is an authorized dealer, I think the Onkyo setup seems like my best bet. I like the idea that I can but it locally rather than online, it will be a bit cheaper than the Denon setup, and the Onkyo/Denon DVD players and receivers seem to very equally matched so it’s not like I am loosing out. I might wait a bit though to see if Onkyo comes out with a new 602 receiver and get that, same with a new 702 model DVD player.

 

[Glen C]

FYI - ecost often has refurb Onkyo TX-701 (thx select) amps for $440-ish and a year warranty.

 

[Matt_Smi]

Thanks for the input guys. I e-mailed Onkyo and they said that a new model of the 601 receiver is due out late summer, and a new model of the 701 DVD changer is due out early summer. It seems that Denon is also releasing there new models this summer. So I am just going to wait and then buy either the new Onkyo or Denon models. I don’t NEED a new receiver or DVD changer right now.