Yamaha RX-V730 or Denon AVR-1803 (1 Viewer)

[Chris.Mil]

I am looking for a little help to decide which receiver to buy. I have read a lot of different reviews but nothing too current. I am leaning towards the Yamaha RX-V730 because of the on-screen option plus the HDTV compatibility which I don't believe the Denon AVR-1803 has. Any comments on either of these receivers is greatly appreciated.

TIA
Chris

 

[BrianJ>Y]

Hey Chris,

If it were up to me I'd choose the 730/630 or possibly step up to the 1300. I just recently did an side by side comparison between the 630,1300,and 1803 and found that I really preferred the sound of the 1300 and 630 over the Denon. Inevitably, some people on this board are going to say the yamaha's are too bright but I personally feel that they're accurate not bright,warm, or harsh. The 1803 and previous Denon's in my opinion smooth over the high frequencies just slightly and are not as accurate. This is just my opinion and you're going to get a lot of differing ones as well. So the best way for you to determine which one you prefer would be to demo them side by side at a local dealer, preferrably with speakers similar to yours or the ones you're considering. The differences between the receivers will be more apparent with stereo playback, not so much with movies. Goodluck with your search.

-Brian

 

[skip marr]

I would look at HK or maybe Marantz. I have had a Yamaha and they are harsh. I had the opportunity to compare an HK to a Denon, and the HK ran away hands down. You just won't understand until you hear the actual difference. Both receivers of approximately equal power were driven at the same volume levels (measured) through Krell sheakers. Now the speaker sounded good, but when we switched receivers, the HK was warmer and more wide open. The Denon sounded like a clock radio. Amazing - so try it for yourself if you find a dealer that handles both. Or take my word for it - I looked into it in depth before making my decision.

However, I am hearing a lot of good things about the Marantz turn-around. Especially the 7300 unit. A long time ago I looked at HK and Marantz - both were the best. Now I understand that the Marantz may be the better value and better built (with no fans). So this week I am beginning to look at the Marantz.

Does anyone know anything about the new "ALL DIGITAL" HK unit coming out? I would like to hear anything anyone knows.

Thanks and good luck!

 

[Chris.Mil]

Thanks for the replies. I plan on going to Tweeter tomorrow and take a second listening to the Denon & Yamaha. Then it will be time to talk a little about the price with them! I do hate this warranty issue with the online businesses. I may still go that route if they won't budge on the price.

Chris

 

[Wayne Ernst]

Chris,

I've owned the following receivers:

- Denon AVR-1802
- Denon AVR-1803 (AVR-883)
- Yamaha HTR-5560

For me, the Denon AVR-1802 had way more "punch" over the Yamaha when set up in my listening area. I didn't find the Yamaha too bright - it's just that is lacked the "oomph" that the Denon provided.

I plan on going to Tweeter tomorrow and take a second listening to the Denon & Yamaha. Then it will be time to talk a little about the price with them!

Good luck - you'll need it. I haven't been able to get Tweeter to budge on their prices. Instead, they throw stuff at me like:

- You have 30 days to find a cheaper "advertised" price and Tweeter will send you a check for the difference. However, Tweeter will not match Internet retailers - even if they're authorized retailers.

- 6 months of interest free financing on your Tweeter card. They tell me that if I use their card, the free interest will make up for the difference in the price. Yeah right!

I don't mean to by cynical when it comes to Tweeter's process for negotiation. Your experience might be completely different than mine. Best of luck to you!

 

[TimothyE]

When I first decided to upgrade my receiver, I asked basically the same question you did on the AVS Forum. I have both Denon and Yamaha components and figured I'd want to stick with them.
One of the receivers my brother pointed me to was the harman/kardon line, and I soon saw enough information about them to make me take a closer look. I just ordered an h/k AVR-325 from Costco for $499.99 (not authorized dealer, but return policy better than warranty anyway). Now I just hope it will fit in my cabinet.
Best wishes,
Tim

 

[Steve_Han]

YMMV with Tweeters. Also, depends on how well a particular salesman has done that week or month that would allow him to offer certain deals that other salesman can't (to some extent). I was lucky...I think. I shopped for an RXV1300, best online place was for $550+ship but not authorized which I was not that comfortable with. The salesman first and final offer was $599 (retail $799), which I thought was great from an authorized dealer, so walked out with it later that day.

 

[skip marr]

Chris,

Best Buy is running a "Preferred Customer" promo this weekend - 10% off - I know they don't carry Denon, but they do carry Yamaha. I would ask Tweeter to match the discount. The margins are so high on this stuff that 10% is minimal, but it would help you.

You might also check with a Denon dealer outside your state, and call them. You can locate dealers on the Denon web sight. Often, purchasing from an independent allows them to discount where the "Big Box Retailer" will not - and you have no state tax!! Good luck.

 

[RobCar]

W/in the Yamaha line, I'd definitely try to step up to the 1300 ... more power, more features, and I think its design is cleaner and more user friendly.

 

[Jeff Braddock]

I was asking the same question a while back about the Yammie and Denon. After demoing them side by side, my personal prefrence was the Denon. I just liked the way it sounded better. Of course, everybody's sound prefrence will be different.