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Best A/V Receiver for under $1000

Jul 9, 2004 at 12:02 PM Post #18 of 30
If you want a really musical receiver, you should go for an Arcam. The only problem is that they dont have the latest bells and whistles for HT. Go for at least the AVR200 as it has a lot more features than the AVR100. I would also reconsider the Triangle speakers as they are a little bright and wouldnt pair well with most receivers out there. Check out a NAD/PSB combo.
 
Jul 9, 2004 at 12:55 PM Post #19 of 30
i would also recommend Harman Kardon - they are very good AV receivers and excellent for 2 channel music. their power ratings are always spot on or even more than advertised.
But beware as HK has some issues going on with some things that might bother some people . check the hometheater / av forums and research more there .

i myself - i have a HK avr 8000 - i love how it performs .
 
Jul 9, 2004 at 3:19 PM Post #21 of 30
Marantz all the way.
Haven't heard any revceiver as musical as these.
BTW , the newer receivers have much higher quality Cirrus Logic DAC chips.
These are used in all the Mrantz products.
They compete quite well with the some of the other well known brands such as Arcam in terms of music reproduction plus as the Marantz philosophy goes, Build it so heavy and solid that no thief can evr steal it.
 
Jul 9, 2004 at 11:00 PM Post #22 of 30
I recently purchased a Marantz 5400, great receiver. Sound quality is very good in "Source Direct" mode. Movies sound fantastic, good decoders. I use the preouts of the Marantz into my 2-ch system, which has a dedicated preamp and amp. The Marantz preamp section seems pretty good, the amp section is decent.. and the new Cirus Logic DACs are really good. Can easily compete with the Burr Browns in my Denon DVD-2200.

Like I said, I don't power my fronts with the Marantz, only the center and surrounds.. which are Dynaudio 42, pretty hard to drive.. does a good job. I'm happy. Can't really comment on 2-ch music though.

Soon I'll have the mutli-channel hooked up for some serious SACD/DVD-A listening.

mike
 
Jul 9, 2004 at 11:20 PM Post #23 of 30
Another vote for the Marantzes. For 3 years now, my beloved, loyal, and relatively inexpensive Marantz SR4000 has been (still is) the heart of my entertainment system, for HT, multichannel speaker audio, stereo speaker audio, and also headphones. Considering building a headphone amp for my headphone rig soon, and I might upgrade to a DTS capable receiver , but most likely another Marantz, I have been so happy with this one, no complains at all. Hey instead of upgrading to another receiver, I'm even considering trying the integrated Marantz PM7200 for improved stereo (and maybe improved headphone out). DTS I can decode in the player after all, but Dolby Digital tracks for movies are perfectly fine for me, and for multichannel audio I'm happy with the amplification of the SR4000.
 
Jul 10, 2004 at 1:09 AM Post #25 of 30
Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood
Denon has great bang for the buck.

They definitely are more geared towards home theater, but they are very powerful overall.

They don't look too shabby either.

-Ed


I have a Denon AVR1803 while I have friend who has one of the newer H/K receivers.

Several reasons why I like the Denon (and not just because I own the Denon) - the number of buttons can be a bit intimidating at first, but I do like that all the navigation is right in front of you. H/K likes to hide things in submenus, which can get ridiculous very quickly. The buttons on the Denon have a nice, solid feel them - with the exception of the power button. H/K buttons feel cheap by comparison. Also, and this could be a difference in setups, but my friend's H/K has a horribly bad sounding stereo output despite our best efforts to fix it, but good Dolby Digital. My Denon sounds good in either Dolby Digital or stereo. On the H/K, I like the blue light on the volume and that you can turn off the display.

As far as headphones, I didn't get a chance to do an A/B between the two, but the Denon's output to my Grado SR225 sounds good, but flat when compared to my Gilmore Lite. The H/K headphone output also sounds dull when compared to the Gilmore as well.
 
Jul 10, 2004 at 5:24 PM Post #27 of 30
Quote:

Originally Posted by Rendition
I want a good receiver that does music well for under $1000. what's the best compromise?

I know a integrated amp is the way to go for music, but I want my speakers to be used for home theater too.


forgot to mention.. as indicated in the previous post. do both.. hook the preouts of the HT into an input on the integrated. then use the integrated to power your main speakers. only problem is that you'll have to set the integrated at a calibrated level everytime you wanna do HT. Some integrated/preamps have a pass-through just for HT, but that gonna cost you. My preamp has a digial numeric display, makes it really easy to set it to the correct level.

mike
 
Jul 10, 2004 at 5:51 PM Post #28 of 30
I personally would go with a integrated instead but if you have home theater applications also then another vote for Marantz from me for their line of receivers. Quality products at a reasonable cost. There are of course alot of other names out there that can yield a more refined sound but they also cost alot more. For under $1k, definitely Marantz. Check out accessories4less.com - the only authorized online dealer for refurbished and new Marantz components besides hifi.com.
 
Jul 10, 2004 at 5:56 PM Post #29 of 30
Quote:

Originally Posted by rsaavedra
I'm even considering trying the integrated Marantz PM7200 for improved stereo (and maybe improved headphone out).


Its great for the price, it will BLOW AWAY the 2ch performance from your receiver. Though I did find the vintage integrated amps from Marantz sound much more musical than the PM7200.
 
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