Receiver advice please (1 Viewer)

[Brex]

New to forum, looking to upgrade my old Denon 3802 receiver. I have 5 old Paradigm reference speakers and a HSU subwoofer. I'm happy with the sound of the speakers but would like to upgrade to a receiver with HDMI inputs. I have no preference as to manufacturer but need to keep the price under $500.00. I would appreciate and recommendations. Onkyo, Yamaha, Pioneer, Denon...help please.

 

[gene c]

As long as your speakers are 6-8 ohms just about any $450 receiver will serve you well. Make sure any receiver you are considering will work for your particular application. Do you need video up-conversion? Internet streaming? Zone 2 or Zone 3? If you can narrow the choices down to 2 or 3 then we suggest that you download their manuals and give them a good going over.
Pioneers new 1022 is $449 shipped. Last years 1021 is only $329. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117410
The Pioneer 1121 is $488 from Vanns.com http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-VSX-1121-K-Theater-Receiver-Glossy/dp/B004M8RPBS/ref=sr_1_23?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1333145798&sr=1-23
Last years Harman Kardon 2600 is $349 http://www.amazon.com/Harman-Kardon-channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B002IKKFU0/ref=sr_1_70?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1333145687&sr=1-70
The Denon 1912 is $399 http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR-1912-Channel-Streaming-Receiver/dp/B004U403XQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1333145832&sr=1-1
The Denon 1712 is also $399 http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR-1712-Surround-Receiver-Black/dp/B004ZP72MU/ref=sr_1_6?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1333146001&sr=1-6
I can't find the Yamaha 671 at a decent price ($549 is too high).
Onkyo's 609 is a popular choice but it uses a basic version of Audyssey (2EQ). The 709 is slightly over your stated budget but give it a look anyway.
You can save a lot of money by buying last years models on closeout or a factory refurbished receiver from Ac4l.com or ecost.com. With a refurbished receiver the Denon 2312 and 891 are right at your budget as is the Onkyo 709 and the Marantz 5006 is just a tad over.

 

[Brex]

Thank you for the advice. I found a Yamaha 867 for $399 any pros or cons on this receiver?

 

[gene c]

Yamaha is the one major brand receiver that I haven't owned yet but they seem to be very nice receivers. They also get very good user reviews. Being last years model, that's a very good price. Make sure you buy it from an authorized dealer or Yamaha may not honor the warranty. But you could always get a third party warranty from SquareTrade or some other vendor.
The YPAO room correction and setup program isn't thought to be as sophisticated as Audyssey, or even Pioneers MCACC, but it should be a good alternative. As I said, I haven't tried ot out myself yet.

 

[Al.Anderson]

I really like my Yamaha 671 that I've had for about a month now. I'll add that I like playing with their canned venue sound effects more than I thought I would. Plus, it's given no problems running off my NAS; which is the first device to be trouble free (out of 4).