Receivers recommendations in the $650-1000 range (1 Viewer)

[Leo_P]

Earlier this week my H/K AVR520 gave me a minor scare. Anyway, I started thinking about a replacement if the H/K died on me. Actually, I think it's just a case of upgraditis . This is strictly theoretical at this point, but you never know...
Here's my list of contenders:
Denon AVR-3802
Integra 6.2
Marantz 8200
Onkyo 797 (even though I chose the 520 over this, it was a finalist last time)
What else should I look at? BTW, I don't like Yamaha receivers (just my opinion) so no Yammies.

 

[Steve K.H.]

Onkyo 898

(you aren't the only one with that opinion on Yammies)

Marantz is a sweet unit... firewire upgradeable too... Onkyo only offers that on the 989

 

[BenG]

I ended up with a Sherwood Newcastle 963, and have NO regrets. Around $1300 if you shop online, but it's little brother, the 863, is within your budget, and has nearly all the same features (slightly lower wattage). Take a look:
http://www.sherwoodusa.com/newcastle/rec_863.htm

 

[Mike Strassburg]

I've had a 3802 for about 8 months now and have been very happy with it's performance. Only shortcoming I've found is the limited x-over frequencies. I really wish it would let you go down to 40/60Hz. Unit has been rock solid and has no problem driving my 6.1 Klipsch set-up. Good luck deciding...Mike

 

[Leo_P]

Mike or any other Denon 3802 owner, what are the crossover choices for your receiver? My H/K lets me choose 40 or 60Hz when the speakers are set to "large" or 80 or 100Hz when set to "small". I have my Axiom M3's set to large with the X-over set at 60Hz, since the M3's are rated to 50Hz, and they sound good to me that way, so I'm interested in this.
And how many digital coax inputs does the 3802 have?
What are some good online places to shop for receivers?

 

[John Royster]

denon 3802

three crossover frequencies...80, 100, 120. Sometimes I wish mine had a 60. Then again I only use a sub for movies...so YMMV.

Three optical inputs, one coax input. one optical out.

 

[Russell _T]

I like the Denon for it's build quality, but it seems to me you would really be making a lateral move rather than an upgrade.

 

[Leo_P]

I must say that at this point I'd have to take the Denon 3802 off of my list. It doesn't have enough digital coax inputs and you can't set the crossover low enough for my taste.
At this point my list would include the Onkyo 797, Marantz 8200 or maybe even a Pioneer Elite 36TX(?).
Hey Ben, where can I find a place that sells Sherwoods?

 

[Sven_DP]

Denon is one of the rare brands with variable crossover capabilities on their receivers. As far as I know all Onkyo's are set to 80Hz, as well as the Sherwoods. The Denon 3802 offers 80,100,120, the 4802 adds 40 and 60, but at a substantial :frowning: price. I don't know HK, they are difficult to find in Europe. I haven't found any 3802 alternatives yet, at least not for the same price. Personally I think that's a pitty especially for the 963 which is otherwise a fine receiver.

 

[Paul Clarke]

Hello Sven,

For the record, H/K offers 40, 60 for Large, 80, 100 for Small.

 

[Ferran Mazzanti]

Uhm? How much do you pay for a Marantz 8200? You said top $1000, isn't it? Here in Spain I asked and they wanted to take som €2300, that is, approx $2000... can it be such a big difference in price?

 

[Earl Simpson]

Yes!!!! 40/50/60 crossovers would be nice. I ran into this problem this week. Some sub woofers do better below 60 cycles and get a little boomy at 80 and trashy at 100. Oh well!!!!!

my list of great rcvrs for zeeeee money

3802 made in Nippon= $770
jvc 10= $958
898= $1078
5es= $750

This is a dream list below/////not the same category//
and yes the 989 is an awesome unit!!!!!! Hands down!!! 5803 UUMMMMMM, 9200 ooooooohhhhhh, pre peo's and kick ##$$ amps aaaahhhhh

 

[Sven_DP]

Ferran,
Yes it can be such a big difference. For instance the Sherwood 963 can be found in Germany for 1000€, which is a lot less than in the US. The Onkyo's are incredibly expensive in Europe. And don't even think about importing from the US into Europe! Transport, 3-8% import taxes, 21% VAT...talking about market protection. I was dying for an SVS sub, after calc I will try DIY. (Sorry Tom & Ron.)

Earl,
You list some fine receivers there, but IMO you're comparing different leagues. The 5ES is only 5.1 amplified, the 898 is more than double of the Denon (at least in Europe), and the 989 ... well 5 times the price of the 3802. The 5803 about 4 times. Btw. I heard something about a 3803 by the end of august, don't know if it's worth the wait.

 

[Earl Simpson]

5ES has 6 full amps and is 6.1 es and ex discrete. Go to crutchfield and check!

Employing three 32-bit processors, this rock-solid receiver provides ultra-precise surround decoding for Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES, and Dolby Pro Logic II, plus Sony's Virtual Matrix 6.1 and Digital Cinema Sound modes. For maximum purity with analog signals (like the output from an SACD player), stereo, 5.1-channel and 7.1-channel analog direct modes bypass all DSP.

The STR-DA5ES boasts some serious amplification, too: 110 full-bandwidth-rated watts x 6; wide-range response out to 100kHz (great for SACD); high-linearity power capacitors for smooth, expressive audio; and a high-capacity power supply. The sixth channel of power lets you hook up a back surround speaker to complete a seamless 360° soundfield.

Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES, Dolby Pro Logic II, Virtual Matrix 6.1, and Digital Cinema Sound
DTS Neo:6
three 32-bit processors for surround decoding
3-room/3-source capability (A/V preamp out for 2nd room; stereo speaker out for 3rd room)
learning/multibrand 2-way LCD remote with macros
separate remote for 2nd room
110 watts x 6 into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.05% THD
7.1-channel and 5.1-channel inputs
7.1-channel preamp output
RS-232C port
digital inputs: 4 optical, 2 coaxial
component video switching: 2 in, 1 out (50 MHz bandwidth)
4 audio, 5 A/V (including 1 A/V behind the flip-down front panel, and 5 S-video) inputs
optical digital output
192kHz/24-bit DACs
7.1/5.1/2CH analog direct
on-screen display
aluminum front panel
Sf (S-fin) heat sinks
Control A1ii and Control S
16-15/16"W x 6-7/8"H x 18-7/8"D
warranty: 5 years

 

[Sven_DP]

My mistake about the Sony. Indeed 6ch ampli, not 5ch. Do they offer variable crossover setting?

I tried to find the JVC in Europe. It very rare, no reviews and at 1500 €, not an € less. That is 600 more than the 3802. I will recheck the Sony. Do they have 7ch amplified?

 

[KeithH]

Leo and Sven, if you do a search of this board, you will find a lot of happy owners of the Sony STR-DA5ES. You should be able to get it for under $1000 from J&R Music World, OneCall, or Oade Bros., all of which are authorized mail-order dealers. With the 'DA5ES (and 'DA3ES for a bit less), you can adjust the crossover frequencies for the front left/right pair, center channel, and rear left/right pair independently in 10-Hz increments. I think you can set them as low as 40 Hz. Sony offers the best bass management in that respect.

 

[Earl Simpson]

Front Speaker Crossover: when the front speakers are set to "SMALL", you can adjust the front speaker bass crossover frequency from 40Hz to 200Hz in 10Hz increments
Center Speaker Crossover: when the center speaker is set to "SMALL", you can adjust the center speaker bass crossover frequency from 40Hz to 200Hz in 10Hz increments
Surround Speaker Crossover: when the surround speakers are set to "SMALL", you can adjust the surround speaker bass crossover frequency from 40Hz to 200Hz in 10Hz increments
Surround Back Speaker Crossover: when the surround back speaker is set to "SMALL", you can adjust the surround back speaker bass crossover frequency from 40Hz to 200Hz in 10Hz increments
LFE High-Cut Filter: allows you to adjust the LFE high-cut frequency from 40Hz to 200Hz in 10Hz increments

 

[Matt_Sulli]

i second the suggestion on sherwood, i just picked up a r-956 2 weeks ago and i'm very happy with it, doesn't have all the features of the other amps, but i listened to the 3802, the rxv 2200, 8200, and the onkyo's and i thought the sherwood just sounded better, only thing i think i'm disappointed in it not having is 6.1 decoding, but it has the 6th amplifier channel. i don't feel this is big deal though, since few dvd's take advantage of 6.1

 

[Sven_DP]

Matt,
How do you find the fixed crossover of the 956? For me that's a problem because my wife does NOT want 'big ugly black boxes' standing around in our living room. So I need a variable crossover for my setup.
Earl, KeithH,
For some unknown reason I can't seem to find back the Sony str-da5es on their websites (US, EUR, ...) Has it disappeared or am I getting old? Anyway, why did they omit the 7th amplified channel in their ES line?
I looked into the JVC 10, but apparently it has no PL-II !!! I think this is a marketing mistake.

 

[Earl Simpson]

The JVC has EX and ES and all channel stereo and matrix. What more could you want?
Also pre in and pre out. But the lowest crossover is 80htz