New Surround A/V Receiver - Brand/model suggestions?

[92saturnsl2]

On the Christmas list this year (for myself) is a home theater upgrade and a new gun. Already have the gun picked out, starting to look at A/V receivers but I haven't used any of the major brands (that exist now) before. Seems Denon, Onkyo, Yahama, Pioneer, Harmon Kardon are the brands I'm seeing most often. I don't need anything extravagant, I really don't intend on ever using more than 5.1 channels, but a 7-channel would future-proof the system some. Other desired features are decent power output (100w/channel stereo, a bit less in surround mode is okay) and plenty of A/V inputs, which they probably all have. Price range is sub-$400. My current receiver is a Kenwood 5-channel from back when Dolby Digital was first introduced into consumer stuff. It has no HDMI inputs, so I'm forced to use TOSlink optical cables for digital signals of which there aren't enough inputs- so I'm forced to swap cables manually which is incredibly frustrating! What does the x.2 channel refer to? I'm most familar with 5.1/7.1 setups in .1 decimal refers to a discreet subwoofer channel. What is .2 referring to? Also, the network-ready / wi-fi receivers, what exactly are the benefits? Streaming apps and such I assume, but curious what other benefits this offers. Most features and quality is what I'm looking for, I don't typically upgrade but every 10-15 years. Anyone know of any good Black Friday / Cyber Monday deals?

 

[loneryder]

Of the ones you mentioned, Denon has the best sound with HK being second. Yamaha's are bright sounding. The older Kenwoods had great sound. Marantz is another good one.

 

[doitmyself]

I'm not a serious audiophile, but I do the OCD type research before spending my money. I upgraded my system with a new Denon receiver a few years ago. It was a brand new, open box unit that was returned immediately after Christmas. Best Buy, Circuit City? - I don't remember. What I do remember was the ridiculous reduced price. I don't remember the details, but it was a $400+ new unit being sold for about $150. I inspected it carefully, but I don't believe it was ever removed from the box as the wrapping plastic and other details were fully intact. I could have returned it if I found anything unacceptable. But, this is a hit or miss proposition, depending on what is returned. Have fun trying to figure out what is important and what isn't regarding features.

 

[OVERKILL]

I have a Denon AVR X4200W as my main receiver and it's a great unit, been very happy with it. The Network connectivity allows for streaming as you've noted, but also firmware updates and a webUI to manage advanced settings, backup your surround config...etc. This guy is in your price range but a bit less on the power output front: https://usa.denon.com/us/product/hometheater/receivers/avrx1500h I'd say it would likely fit the bill nicely.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by loneryder

Yamaha's are bright sounding.

I hava a fairly recent model Yamaha, and would not say that it's any brighter than my old Denon. Maybe it's a matter of pairing it with the right speakers.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

I'm a big Onkyo fan. Well-made. (What I want, however, is an old Marantz that gets rebuilt completely and runs my turntable. Not good for anything else.)

 

[14Accent]

Keep in mind, Pioneer and Onkyo are the same company, as are Denon and Marantz. I have a couple year old Pioneer VSX-45 and I love it. It's from the "Elite" line and it's really very good. To answer your question about the format, eg. 7.2.2, the middle .2 denotes that the receiver has dual subwoofer outputs and the last .2 is the number of height channels the receiver supports. So a 7.2.2 receiver is actually just a 9.2 receiver with the ability to decode Atmos, if that makes sense. BestBuy has the Denon AVR-X1500H on sale for $400, a $200 savings. That would probably suit you well into the future.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Onkyo is hard to beat.

 

[Oildudeny]

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_158STDH590/Sony-STR-DH590.html

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted by 14Accent

BestBuy has the Denon AVR-X1500H on sale for $400, a $200 savings. That would probably suit you well into the future.

Yup, that's the same one I recommended above

 

[NO2]

We've had 3 or 4 of networkable A/V receivers. Onkyo, Pioneer, and Denon. The Pioneers sounded the best of all of them. It's really all about the software, and the software is pretty lame from the audio receiver companies. We've pretty much dumped our CD's and use Apple and Amazon for music, and streaming services for TV/movies. All we have left is a bluray player (which is rarely used). I'd seriously consider getting a Sonos Amp (new model, about $600) instead of any of the the receivers, especially if you are just going to use 5.1. for TV audio and streaming music. It also supports Airplay 2. It has 125 watts/4 channels, plus RCA inputs. It's pretty small, and you can use any unpowered speakers. It has an RCA output for a subwoofer too. You can add additional Sonos amps for other rooms or Sonos speakers, some of which support Alexa. The previous version of the AMP was analog, low powered, and only 2 channels, so we ended up with Sonos speakers all over our house. The soundbar is pretty good and the satellites (we have play:1) work well, but they cannot reach high volumes without a lot of distortion. The Sonos sub is so-so. If you don't use lots of surround modes and favor convenience it is worth looking at, especially considering you can get a decent powered sub for a few hundred $ and probably already own speakers. They all network via Ethernet or wifi.

 

[beanoil]

Had a Denon, it crapped out after 5 years. No output to speakers. More to repair than worth, I did not get my 900.dollars worth out it IMO. While it worked, it sounded wonderful with a Martin Logan 5.1 speaker system. Got a Yamaha. 5 years in on that, still working well. I agree Onkyo would be hard to beat, but Yamaha is very good too. Check out accessories4less for refurbs and closeout models.

 

[alarmguy]

For what you are looking for I would shop around for the best price and power on a Yamaha. To me, Yamaha leads the pack in performance for the money and you cant go wrong. Dont trust any talk about one brand sounding better then the other, its not possible and would never be proven in a blind test on ANY component in the $400 price range. The other brands that you mention are all good but they are just brands, I just do not trust that one is better then the other, since these companies have been bought up and merged its just HUGE corporate BS now. Yamaha has a decades long history of being able to produce quality sound, reliabilty and power with innovation but the biggest thing is Yamaha is still doing the same thing it always has for decades now while these other companies are all buying each other up and trading. Not that there is anything bad with that but, you asked for thoughts! and forget the 5.1 vs 7 thing, just go for power, 7 is BS

 

[Smokescreen]

I have had the same Yamaha receiver for about 17 years. Works the same as it did day 1, except the input selection knob sometimes skips a source...but I rarely use it.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted by alarmguy

For what you are looking for I would shop around for the best price and power on a Yamaha. To me, Yamaha leads the pack in performance for the money and you cant go wrong. Dont trust any talk about one brand sounding better then the other, its not possible and would never be proven in a blind test on ANY component in the $400 price range. The other brands that you mention are all good but they are just brands, I just do not trust that one is better then the other, since these companies have been bought up and merged its just HUGE corporate BS now. Yamaha has a decades long history of being able to produce quality sound, reliabilty and power with innovation but the biggest thing is Yamaha is still doing the same thing it always has for decades now while these other companies are all buying each other up and trading. Not that there is anything bad with that but, you asked for thoughts! and forget the 5.1 vs 7 thing, just go for power, 7 is BS

While Denon and Marantz (and others) have been traded around a bit, since the 80's Harman/Kardon has been pretty static. It was only last year that HK was purchased by Samsung.

 

[Geauxtiger]

If you want to take a step up above the box store offerings, Emotiva gets lots of praise for their budget-friendly (relatively) offerings at the semi-entry level of audiophile equipment. I have one of their pre-amps in 2 channel.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted by Geauxtiger

If you want to take a step up above the box store offerings, Emotiva gets lots of praise for their budget-friendly (relatively) offerings at the semi-entry level of audiophile equipment. I have one of their pre-amps in 2 channel.

I've seen the name and hadn't given them much more than a passing glance. Is your unit made in the states?

 

[Oildudeny]

I used to be heavily into home theater. Lost interest for awhile when I moved out into an apartment now I am in a house and wanted to get back into it. Bought a marantz dead on arrival returned for a yamaha was not impressed, years ago I had an onkyo ts601 something like that it was a great receiver they don't make them like that no more. Point is I wouldn't spend a whole lot these electronics are junk now a days an entry level Sony has the same quality as most these 399-599 big jobbers.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted by Oildudeny

years ago I had an onkyo ts601 something like that it was a great receiver they don't make them like that no more. Point is I wouldn't spend a whole lot these electronics are junk now a days an entry level Sony has the same quality as most these 399-599 big jobbers.

Oh, they still make them like that, they are just pricey! Bryston (local) is one such company. Stuff is built like a tank, 20yr warranty.

 

[92saturnsl2]

Quote

Check out accessories4less for refurbs and closeout models.

Thanks for the link, I certainly don't mind refurbs if there's a decent money to be saved. Here's one that caught my eye and seems to be a lot for the money. A bit more expensive than I wanted, but it checks all the boxes and then some. Weighs over 30 pounds, the thing is a beast. https://www.accessories4less.com/ma...thx-networking-a/v-receiver/1.html#!more What is the "zone2" I see referred to often on the input panel and specs of these receivers?