receiver overkill? (1 Viewer)

[Joe Bachich]

I'm a newbie in home theater and am looking at outfitting my room with some nice equipment. My room is in a basement and is +/- 12 x 22. I was thinking of getting something like the Denon 5800 or the 5803 (when released) or a B&K av307. Would this level of quality be overkill/a waste of money or would I really appreciate the difference versus a lesser model

 

[EricHaas]

Conventional wisdom says your speakers should be of a decent quality for you to notice differences between expensive and inexpensive amps/preamps. Beyond that, there is no conventional wisdom, except most people agree that going from low to high end makes *some* sonic difference. Many people will tell you to go with separates for that kind of budget. Others will tell you to go with a less expensive hub and put the extra cash into the loudspeakers. You're going to have to demo it and let your ears guide you.

Differences between flagship and mid-level receivers (e.g. Denon 3802), tend to be primarily wattage per channel. You are paying for a beefier amp. You also get an obscene number of additional inputs, and I wonder how anyone can use all of them. Featurewise, you'll get almost everything on a $1000 unit. However, they do reserve a few good features here and there for the flagship. But mostly it is the ampliflier. Difference between mid-level and budget receivers (e.g. Denon 1802) tends to be wattage AND lots of features which vary in importance depending on the individual.

If you are set on that caliner of receiver, you might also consider the new Pioneer Elite flagship. That is the one I would get for myself if I had the money for a flagship. That auto-calibration feature is way cool...

 

[Jeremy Hegna]

Only you can answer that question.

My HT room is smaller than yours, 11x9x19. I own the 5800 and couldn't be happier. There is a sifnificant difference, IMO, between the lines....3800, 4800, and 5800. You will notice the difference soundwise, connectiblility wise, and future-wise. The 5800 has an upgrade package available. This statement from Denon means a whole lot in my book. Whether or not they continue to upgrade it????? Who knows, regardless...they are first to do a major hardware upgrade for receiver owners and this speaks volumes.

Get yourself out and do some auditioning, see for yourself what kind of difference there is. Opinions vary widely on this forum...so you'll get many answers....pros and cons. It is ultimately up to you and your pocket book.

Jeremy

 

[Jeremy Hegna]

"That auto-calibration feature is way cool... "

Ya know, I keep hearing that statement...but there is one thing that I love to continuously do with my 5800 and that is tweak it for the best sound. You can buy an SPL meter for $35. Features are great but sound is the most important factor. When you get into the flagship realm, there will always be a feature that one has, but the other doesn't.

Sonically, you want the one that sounds the BEST.

Jeremy

 

[Nick G]

It depends entirely on what speakers you will be using. You choose your speakers first, then the appropriate receiver/amp to power them, not the other way around. As long as they have enough power to drive the speakers you select, the receiver/amp really has very little to with the sound you hear.

Nick

 

[JohnnyN]

i compare receiver/speakers to computer/monitor... Ultimately the monitor is your window into the computer... if you have a really fast video card but a 14 vga inch monitor it's gonna be a pretty crappy experience. same thing with speakers. furthermore, being that speaker technology does not change dramatically through the years, they are more likely to stay then the receiver... you'll probably end up upgrading your receiver every year or two, but that would be almost unheard of with quality speakers. My only problem is that I'm constantly trying to pass each year's equipment down into a smaller or spare room in order to buy the latest greatest receiver AND speakers, but now I'm running out of rooms. heh.

 

[Legairre]

Joe,

I know this is off topic, but have you considered seperates as opposed to a flagship receiver? I'm not going to get into the issue of seperates vs receivers for sound, but from an upgade point of view seperates are more benificial cost wise. At the price of a flagship receiver you could get a pre/pro and a seperate amp that will equal

if not better the receiver.

The reason I'm asking is because you said your a newbie. People new to this hobby/addiction always go receiver because that's what Best Buys and Circuit City has. I mean no disrespect. I was a newbie once too.

 

[Chip E]

If sound quality is what your looking for, you'd be hard pressed to get closer too seperates than the B&K AVR-307 IMO. It's got the goods where it counts. I'm having some trouble getting a different receiver swapped out out for my 307 and too be honest, i don't care... it sounds that good. Do you need to spend that much? It's up to you. I just bought an Integra 6.2 and love it (it's for a bedroom system). I'd think it would do just fine in a primary HT (which is where it is here until my new B&W's get here for the bedroom).