Need comments on 3802 vs 1200 vs SR7200 (1 Viewer)

[Darren Boi]

Hi all,
Right now I'm trying to decide on a new receiver to go with my Definitive Technology ProCinema 100 speakers.
I've more or less narrowed it down to the following 3:
Denon AVR3802
Yamaha RX-V1200 or V2200
Marantz SR7200
Anyone can help me with some comments on which receiver that will suit me best?
I think I'm 75% HT, 25% music.
Cheers!

 

[itai]

been there, the 3802 offered me 7 amps, and i liked what i heard. you should check their inputs, how many, and what quality, if you consider hdtv, dbs, console, dvd-a, sacd, check this, so you wont need something these dont offer.
yamahas tend to a bright sound, denon warm, marantz, i dont know.

 

[Nick V]

It's all VERY subjective, but I considered the Marantz to be warm, the Yamaha to be fairly neutral and the Denon to be rather dull.

If you can, I suggest you demo all of the receivers that you're considering in your room, if not, try to find a dealer that sells all three where they can be ABC'd in the same listening room for you.

BTW, I ended up with the Yamaha RXV-1200, I will soon be using external amplification, so the extra money for the 2200 wasn't worth it to me.

 

[Darren Boi]

I used to own a Marantz SR5000 running with Def Tech, and, like you guys say - a bit "warm" (too warm for my liking). So not sure if I'll go with Marantz again.
It's quite difficult to get a dealer who has similar combination to test.
Decisions, decisions...
btw, what speakers do you guys use Nick, Itai?

 

[Nick V]

I have Paradigm Monitors all around(almost).

Fronts: Monitor 11's
Centre: CC-370
Surrounds: Monitor 5's
Back Surround: Polk Audio #??
Sub: Mirage BPS-400

This is mated with the Yamaha RXV-1200 and the sound is great for movies and acceptable for music IMO. Movies/Sat. TV are the primary focus of this setup.

 

[itai]

i'm running paradigm studios, 60v2's, cc, and adp's, with a pro-audio sub.
runs amazingly good for HT, and music(whats the difference?),
and most of the music i hear is live concerts on dvd (just love those), so its great both ways.

 

[Matt Jesty]

rxv1300/2300 ...$799/$999 better units/more reliable

 

[Darren Boi]

Problem is in my part of the world (singapore), not sure when 1300/2300 will be released for sale.
Hmm... looks like Yamaha is acceptable, huh? No need to spend extra $$ for a 3802.

 

[Matthew Gray]

If one more person says "Yamahas tend to be bright" I think I'll puke. Have these people ever listened to Yamaha or just repeating what joe schmoo said in another yamaha thread. Any receiver may sound "bright" paired with a particular speakers.
I went from Denon to Yamaha and have never looked back.
Matt

 

[Darren Boi]

I did audition the 3802 and the 1200 running on the same pair of speakers in a shop. And yes, the Yamaha is a bit brighter than the Denon. But it's not really a bad thing, right? If paired with the right speakers, it can sound great.
I think I'll have to flip a coin to make a decision....

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Darren- I had a Yamaha a while ago and really liked it. I would personally say that Yamaha has a fair sized edge for DSP processing.

But the Denon has better bass management.

The new 1300 puts 24/192 DACs everywhere too.

I don't think you can go wrong with either choice really.

Marantz is tricky because wasn't there some noise issue or dropout problem a while ago? Maybe fixed in the newer units?

 

[Sanjiva]

Hi,

I was in the same situation about six months back. Incidentally, I also have Def Tech ProCinema 100s. Got the C2 center though. Do so, it would make a huge difference in HT (every bit worth it - Pro100 center is a weak link there). In fact, I also went with ProSub 200 as I was getting it for $50 extra but somehow felt it was overkill and changed it back to ProSub 100.

Did extensive audition to decide between D3802 and Y1200. I myself was really torn between the two - just could not decide. I played both 1200 and 3802 for a long time on various speaker combinations in the shop. My opinion was -

1. Both are great receivers. You can choose either and would be happy with the choice.
2. But for HT, Y1200 has an edge. It sounds much more dynamic and detailed.
3. For music, D3802 sounds a little bit warmer and sweeter but actually at the expense of rolling over high frequencies. On same songs (Hell Freezes Over DTS CD), I could somehow feel Y1200 to output more detailed sound than Denon. And I did not find Y1200 to be bright - just more detailed, especially in higher frequency. However, Denon did sound nice, warm and sweet.

I finally went with Y1200 (despite a difference of only $100 at the time I purchased). However, since D3802 gets such an overwhelming response and feedback on this forum, I suffered from buyers remorse and went back to shop with the intention of changing back to Denon if I could feel the difference in the sound. I auditioned only for music this time. Despite the second audition for another hour in the shop, I could not convince myself to change my Y1200 for Denon as I did not perceive any better quality of sound on Denon. In fact, I felt Y1200 had greater bass, more detailed (lot of people call it bright) sound and very neutral output.

Hope this helps you. However, I am sure Denon 3802 is a great receiver, as also confirmed by so many of the members here. I believe you can get it for $699 now and that's a steal for sure.

Good luck and finally trust your own ears.

 

[Matt Jesty]

AFTER RECENT SHOWDOWNS IN THE STORE between 3802 ,rxv1300, and 2es ...the majority have prefered the Yammie...preliminary tests these are...more to follow...

 

[Darren Boi]

Hi Sanjiva,
Thanks for your input. Really helps a lot.. Do you have a rear center surround speaker?
Hmm.. C2 center speaker, huh? I think I'll have to go check it out.

 

[Yee-Ming]

Darren, if you've got the budget and want to go OTT, there's a shop in Adelphi selling the Denon AVC-A1SE for S$2,899...

(to those in the USA, that's the sans-tuner equivalent of your 5802. and that's US$1,650 or so. which seems like a good price, no?)

 

[Pete Jennings]

Marantz did fix the problems with the x200 series late last year. I have no idea how a 7200 would sound with Def-Techs however.

Good luck!

Pete

 

[Earl Simpson]

3802 is in a class above those others you mentioned except the 2200. The 5es, 3802, jvc10, 898, 2200, etc are in the same class. All of those are good rcvrs. Good luck!

 

[Ches Campbell]

Earl,
I don't think so. They are in the same class. The Yamaha is every bit as good as the Denon.

Mark another vote for Yamaha.

Later

 

[Darren Boi]

Hi yee-ming,
I don't think I've got the budget for the 1SE. A bit (2X) over my budget...
Now waiting for news on when Denon 3803 or Yamaha 1300/2300 is to be released here. If in the very near future, then I'll wait for them. If not, maybe the 1200. Right now, I'm leaning a bit towards the Yamaha.