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Out with the old, in with the new. (1 Viewer)

LeeH

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jun 1, 2003
Messages
63
Well guys, I just bought my receiver but I caught the upgrade bug (I wish they had a vaccine). Anyways, I need help choosing one. Originally I was looking at the Sony STRDE995 but now I've read that the amplifiers are a little weak, is this true?

This is what I need in the receiver
-Less than $450
-7.1 surround sound
-probably more than 75 watts per channel (there goes Harman Kardon)
-at least 2 component inputs
-at least 3 S-Video inputs
-at least 3 composite inputs
-composite to s-video up conversion
-at least 3 optical inputs
-at least 1 coax digital inputs
-less than .1% full bandwidth THD

This is what I would like to have but not needed.
-THX rating
-Logic 7
-Full 7.1 Preouts
-Binding Post Outputs
-The component inputs have to be HD ready (I will be upgrading)

I think that the Sony is the only one to meet all the requirements, but I wanted your opinions before I buy. I will not buy Kenwoods anymore. They are all I have ever owned but now they seem to be getting cheap. I will be selling the VR-605 if anyone is interested.

Thanks,
Lee
 

Lee M T

Second Unit
Joined
Nov 28, 2002
Messages
271
I think you should go with an H/K. Personally, I'd put a 55 watt H/K amp up against, say, an 85 watt Onkyo amp. I bet there either wouldn't be much difference at all, or the H/K could quite possibly sound as if it has more power. The power ratings are decieving.
 

Ted Pugh

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jan 13, 2003
Messages
108
Wise choice getting rid of the Kenwood. Poor build quality. I would go with the H/K which would have almost all the features you are looking for around the price point you have in mind. Don't be fooled by the power. Very clean and underestimated.

Ted
 

Shane Martin

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 26, 1999
Messages
6,017
I would go with the HK. Yes the DE amps are very overrated and are not very good and I personally don't care for Kenwood.

Keep in mind you need to double your power to go up 3db so say 30 watts per channel is nothing as long as the amp is built right and the HK is IMHO.
 

Derek_OC

Grip
Joined
May 9, 2003
Messages
19
It is too bad you don't want another kenwood. I know they aren't the best but their new vr7070 is THX certified and has pretty much everything you would want. Last years model was tested by sound and vision to put out 92 watts per channel with all 6 channels driven. I'd be interested to see what that sony would put out in the same test. The best thing of all is that you can get the kenwood delivered to your door for about $350 bucks with a 2 year warranty. Probably the biggest down side is that it only does 10Mhz component bandwidth but depending on how you are going to use it this may not be a big issue. But if you definetly don't want another kenwood i would pick up an H/K without question over the sony.
 

JamieS

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Feb 17, 2003
Messages
222
Don't pay any attention to manufacture ratings for power.

Sony very well could rate the receiver at 100 w but only 1 channel driven. The specs for 5 or 7 driven could be 30 or 40 Ws!

HK tends to underrate their amps as they use a differnet method (they preach HIGH CURRENT) but when tested by independant places using the same criteria (all driven) the HKs tend to make MORE than rated power while other make much less.

I went from a Denon 1603 80 W X 5 to a Rotel RSX 1055 that cost more than 3 times as much but is rated at 75W. Let me say there is no way that Denon was more powerful than the rotel. No way.

To fisish my rant:
Consider the HK for sure

Do you already have 7.1 speaker setup? If not consider going with 5.1 and spending more on reciever and speakers. Looks like you are on a tight (receiver) budget and those extra 2 speakers at 200-300$ could get you a really sweet reciever that would be 7.1 capable down the road. If you already have 7 speakers ignore me :D
 

Angelo.M

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2002
Messages
4,007
Keep your eyes peeled as the Sony 4ES is discontinued. If you can catch one just before they go the way of the dodo, you might snag one in your price range. They're going now for around $600-650, but it might be worth looking into. Very flexible receiver.

The H/K suggestion is a good one.
 

Steve Adams

Second Unit
Joined
Oct 20, 2001
Messages
432
STEER CLEAR OF SONY AND HK. Harman's high current theroy COOKS the receiver causing all kinds of problems. Sony, sound like crap! their customer service is terrible, and their products are useless. I have had all kinds of sony products and everything has failed! NEVER BUY SONY! hk, I worked at a store that sold hk equipment and over 60% of what went out, came back. fried!. have a look at onkyo, pioneer and really, check out the new kenwoods, they are very feature rich for the money. Dont buy into the hk hype.
 

Carl Johnson

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 6, 1999
Messages
2,260
Real Name
Carl III
Steve is overly dramatic but he speaks the truth, my first 5.1 receiver was a Harman Kardon that died a premature death. I have a six year old Sony CD changer that's been flawless but I certainly wouldn't buy one of their receivers, I have an Onkyo that I'm very happy with.
 

Angelo.M

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2002
Messages
4,007
I shouldn't have bit.

Sony ES receivers and H/K receivers are worthy of consideration by anyone looking for a solid AVR for their HT system. Everyone's mileage will vary, of course. Sorry you had a bad experience.
 

David Ruggiero

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 31, 2003
Messages
132
Steve Adams said

"STEER CLEAR OF SONY AND HK. Harman's high current theroy COOKS the receiver causing all kinds of problems."

Well, I've never had a problem with my Harman Kardon, much less "all kinds of problems."


"Sony, sound like crap!"

Everyone has different tastes in sound, what you think "sounds like crap" someone else might find perfectly acceptable. I'm sure their are plenty of people here who own Sony and are happy with the sound.


" their customer service is terrible, and their products are useless."

How exactly are their products useless? Are you saying every Sony product does not work? Because if they do what they are bought for, play cd's, dvd's or whatever then they are useful in my opinion.


"I have had all kinds of sony products and everything has failed!"

So everything Sony you have bought has broken? Maybe you mistreat your equipment then, because I find Sony products to be very reliable.

"NEVER BUY SONY!"

Millions of people do each year without any problems.

" hk, I worked at a store that sold hk equipment and over 60% of what went out, came back. fried!."

That's a good one. If ANY company had a higher then 60% failure rate they wouldn't be in business. But then again that has to be better then Sony's 100% failure rate according to Steve.

" have a look at onkyo, pioneer and really, check out the new kenwoods, they are very feature rich for the money. Dont buy into the hk hype."

Awww, please everyone buy in to the H/K hype you might be one of the lucky 40%!

:D
 

Steve Adams

Second Unit
Joined
Oct 20, 2001
Messages
432
Sorry, with the HK I do speak the truth, but i have had such bad experinces with sony's ht line, es series home and car audio that they are off my list of things I would recommend. there are much better products for less money.
 

Angelo.M

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2002
Messages
4,007
Lee:

Don't let this back-and-forth derail your thinking about your new receiver. H/K's stuff and Sony's ES line are both great choices.

In terms of what you're looking for...

I think it's going to be very difficult to find the features you want for the price you want. If you are certain that you need on-board amplification for 7.1, then I would give a serious look at the Sony 4ES. But, I doubt you'll find one at $450. The best I've seen is around $625-650, new, and they're becoming harder to find.

An alternative is the new Sony 1000ES, which has on-board amplification for 7.1 according to the specs I've seen on Crutchfield's website. There is some speculation as to whether this unit will use solid state or digital amplification (the 2000ES and above will use digital amps), but I'm guessing the 1000ES will use traditional amplification. Crutchfield lists it for $599.99, so you can expect a 'street' price under $500. This might fit your bill.

If you are seriously thinking about the DE995, I would recommend you spend the extra money on the 4ES or shop for the 1000ES. I don't agree with the Sony-bashing in previous posts, but I do agree that the ES line is worlds apart from the DE line, and at the level of Denon, H/K, etc.

Good luck.

:D
 

Steve Adams

Second Unit
Joined
Oct 20, 2001
Messages
432
im not going back and for just telling him my experinces with both. Yes every piece of sony gear I have had, broke, Im not hard on equipment, it's that sony in the past few years has had terrible quality control. And yes, at least 6 out of ten receivers that left the store came back cooked! no exageration. I have had 3 sony receivers things starting going wrong with them, the sound was very tinny and lots of Hiss....I have had my pioneer receiver for over a year now, and not one problem. I have had a kenwood in the past, it's still going strong, I dont own it anymore because it never had dts, but sounds way better than my sony. HK's have awsome sound, but they cook.....Im glad you never had a problem with them. thats excellent. agian Im just telling the guy my experince, so that he can make an informed decision when It comes to plunking hard earned dollars down on a peice of equipment......
 

Craig_Kg

Supporting Actor
Joined
Feb 25, 2002
Messages
768
Can you be more specific about the models of HK and Sony receivers that you have had problems with Steve?
 

Steve Adams

Second Unit
Joined
Oct 20, 2001
Messages
432
2 str-de445, 2 db models, my es series, my es series mobile cd player that cost me 699 plus tax, and didnt last 3 years. as for the hk stuff, some older models, and mostly 110,210 and 310 models of the newer style....just turned me off from the 2 brands....to many problems....
 

Adil M

Supporting Actor
Joined
Nov 21, 2001
Messages
922
Just to put a counter opinion to Steve's. I've sold the stuff for about a year (hundreds of receivers) starting w/ the X20's of HK and the X85's of the Sony DE lineup. The HK's rarely came back w/ a problem. It had to be under 10%. They got returned, but they were checked and resold and they stayed w/ the customer who got a great OB deal. The sony's get returned and resold all the time. They sell b/c of the Sony name. They sell despite other rec'ds especially if they are Open Box.

I'm not pretending I'm not guilty of this, but if you don't make "definitve" statements, you won't get proven wrong.
 

Angelo.M

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2002
Messages
4,007
It's interesting that Steve had so many problems with both brands and yet bought multiple products from both. :frowning:
 

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