[Muftobration]

I've been reconsidering the way I set up my equipment and have come to the conclusion that getting a good receiver is the best option. If I were to do it, I would sell my Heed CanAmp and put the money toward it. I don't need a lot of inputs, but I would like what could be called "standard" features, such as 5.1 audio and HDMI+component ins/outs. The receiver I have right now is some old Onkyo one with no HDMI or Component and it doesn't have the best sound quality if I remember correctly (I'll be checking when I go home this weekend). I'll use the receiver to power my speakers and sub and will use the headphone out to power my headphones when I'm in the mood for headphone listening instead.

So, this shouldn't be too hard of a request. Just recommend me any receiver in the under $500 (that's a firm limit) price range that has really good sound quality. I was looking at the Yamaha RX-V661 (link). What do you think of that?

 

[Jahn]

personally i wouldn't go "all in one" for a receiver. have a dedicated home theater one for your movies and such, but for your 2-channel and headphone stuff, spend very little bucks for a big reward vintage receiver, like a 70's Pioneer or Marantz. My Marantz is still going strong and I'm still loving it, and got it ubercheap.

 

[rsaavedra]

Whenever talking about AV receivers, I usually recommend Denon or Marantz.

The Yamaha you link to seems to be a good value. Yet I should mention, a few years ago I had a face off betwen similarly priced (near $400) Marantz and Yamaha AV receivers at home, one of them was going back to the seller. The Yamaha had some leakage between video inputs, as well as between some of the audio inputs. It went back to the store. Kept the Marantz.

With respect to nowadays connectivity and standards, this Marantz lacks some relatively important features: doesn't have HDMI, component video outs, or even DTS, but am not planning to change it any time soon anyway. It just works great, and keeps pumping nice sound! Connection between my main video sources and and my display go directly through HDMI or component outs, so no need to route them through the receiver. And I have been doing perfectly without DTS, given that all DVDs carry Dolby Digital soundtracks.

Whenever I feel like upgrading to another receiver, the brands I'll consider will most likely be Marantz, Denon, Pioneer, Onkyo, and Yamaha.

Some links you might want to check:
Home Theater Receivers $400 - $1,299 - Top Picks for Home Theater - AV - Surround Sound - Receivers $400 - $1,299
Home Theater Receivers $399 or Less - Top Picks for Home Theater - AV - Surround Sound - Receivers $399 or Less
Buyers Guide+: 2006 A/V Receivers - AVguide.com

 

[Muftobration]

Thanks for the quick suggestions. Both of you suggesting Marantz made me look into them more. I had actually never heard of them before this thread, so now I know. Anyway, they offer a new model called the SR4002 that has all of the features I'm looking for. It retails for about $550, but I found it on eBay for $450 shipped.

Marantz America | SR4002 Dolby® Digital Surround EX™/DTS® ES Surround Receiver

Are there any models in particular of any brand that you would think would be a better fit? I'm really just looking for a great sounding receiver with all other considerations secondary. If you think a 70s Marantz will sound best, then I'll start checking those out, too.

EDIT: Upon searching craigslist for my area, I found a Marantz SR4001 for $225 in like new condition. Would you say that's something I should jump on, or a common occurrence? It has all the ins/outs I want and reviews say it has excellent sound quality. There is also an SR5400 for $250, but it only has component, not HDMI.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I only run two channel without video, but if you are interested in an older receiver, check out:

Tuner Information Center - Vintage Stereo Tuners

A word of caution about Denon receivers. My cousins bought one recently that is hideously complex with an impenetrable manual. My geeky brother-in-law and I spent hours trying to figure out how to get it to play in a second zone (the garage). The BIL is a bigtime computer geek - programs, administers stuff, Linux freak, you know the type. I DIY amps, am a ham, run Linux and build computers. Neither of us could get it to work. It has several layers of commands that are interdependent, and the manual is foggy about how they work together. My cousins had to *hire* a tech to set it up. I would absolutely avoid the more complex models. And I'm sticking with triodes. Those make sense.

 

[VeipaCray]

Check out the Sherwood Newcastle gear. Sherwood Newcastle is the OEM for Dennon / Marantz.

They have an entry level receiver priced at $500 with HDMI switching.
Sherwood Newcastle R-672 A/V Receiver

 

[Muftobration]

Thanks for the additional replies, but I think I'm pretty set on a receiver with modern video switching. Although I'm sure I can probably get a receiver with great sound quality for very little money, that would defeat the purpose of my changing anything. Right now I have a lower quality receiver and a dedicated headphone amp that I switch between and my goal is an all in one unit with video capabilities and good audio. It's more of a remedy for an inconvenient situation than a search for the absolute best possible audio component. Really, any receiver with good sound quality and video ins/outs will be just great for me. However, I still want the most bang for my buck. That's why I really value the input you guys are giving me.

 

[rsaavedra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VeipaCray /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sherwood Newcastle is the OEM for Dennon / Marantz

Parent company of Sherwood Newcastle, which is called Etonics, is OEM for some (not all) models in Denon/Marantz. They are OEM for Harman Kardon, and some other brands as well. Etonics is Korean, with manufacturing facilities in China.

Denon and Marantz are now not just a merger, but part of D&M Holdings, a Japanese corporation which is also the parent company of Snell, McIntosh Laboratory, Boston Acoustics, and other brands. D&M Holdings have their own manufacturing plants in China.

 

[GANESHA]

I really like my Harman/Kardon AV receiver. The headphone output is outstanding and beats the highly acclaimed Marantz CD5001 output using optical cables.

 

[selfdivider]

I second the vote for the Harman Kardon, specifically HK3485. Totally punches above its weight, and from all accounts, its headphone output is excellent, will save you money you'd have to spend on headphone amp. Way under $500.

 

[Jaw007]

Denon.and ONKYO are good quality equipment.

 

[2ndbest]

The current Onkyo range is extraordinary. The TX-SR605 is withing your budget and features HDMI switching (also sound via hdmi) and has hdmi 1.3 inputs. It also features DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD decoders. Apart from the fact that it's very well specced it sounds fantastic.

Mind you, it's being replaced in April by the TX-SR606, which apparently has one hdmi input more. Apart from that, I haven't seen much changes.

Another excellent receiver is the Sony STR-DA1200ES, which also features HDMI switching, but doesn't accept sound over hdmi and doesn't have the new decoders.

These are the ones I would recommend within your budget, the Denon's in my ear do not sound as well, neither do the Marantz'es. Don't get me wrong, I respect both brands, and have a slew of products from the latter, but the current receiver range just doesn't impresses me as much as the Onkyo and Sony's do.

The Yamaha you're looking at is also very decent, it sounds quite good in 2-channel mode but imho gives a little too much bass, making it sound bass heavy and somewhat unnatural. This however is my personal preference, you should try it out yourself. And while I do like the receiver, I prefer the Onkyo and Sony over it.

If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask. I work in an Hifi store and work with and listen to these receivers on a daily basis.

 

[Muftobration]

2ndbest, sorry for not replying earlier. I almost forgot about this thread because I started looking into something else, but now I'm interested in a receiver again. I went home a few weekends ago and got to test out my Denon AVR-3200's headphone out and was not at all happy with it. It had a lot of noise, even on my 250ohm DT990 and especially on my 40ohm HFI-700. I will be mainly using my HFI-700, so my biggest concern is noise on low impedance headphones. I'm interested in that Onkyo TX-SR605 after hearing what you had to say about it. If it's not too much trouble, could you please give me your impressions of the headphone out with low impedance cans? If you cannot, then that's fine. I was going to look for a hi-fi place around my area so I could try this stuff first hand.

 

[vulc4n]

I've gotta recommend Harman Kardon. I really like my AVR435 aside from the occasional software hiccups.

 

[ozz]

Onkyo/Integra are offering a good bang for the buck this year and for
no expense spared the Denon 5308 holds its crown well.