I am absolutely UNABLE to decide on what reciever to buy. I want to spend about $1200. I am considering:
1. Rotel 2. Denon 3. Yamaha 4. NAD
Someone at work SWEARS that Adcom seperates is the only way to go for say $2,000. I've been scared away from Adcom lately. So I decided to go the receiver route and save a little money. What should I get? Sampling electronics is HARD, especially when they're at 4 different stores in 4 different rooms with 4 different speakers.
Anonymous
Posted on
You might take a look at the Arcam AVR300. Its one of the best.
The Arcam is CONSIDERABLY more than $1200. It is a great receiver, but a little out of the budget of the original poster.
Mike,
All four of those brands make good receivers...but you should always choose a receiver based on what speakers you have. Receivers and spakers each have their own unique sonic charachteristics and should be matched with care. Tell us what speakers you have and we can probably help steer you in the right direction a little better...but without knowing what speakers you have, it is very difficult to recommend anything.
With Polk speakers, I would have to recommend NAD. Polk speakers have a brighter sound, and thus should be paired with a more neutral/warm sounding receiver. Denon and Yamaha are on their own bright receivers, so paired with bright speakers the sound would be too bright in my opinion. Rotel does tend to have a more neutral sound like NAD but to me it is more open sounding than NAD, so I still think NAD would be your best option. Something else to keep in mind is that the Polk LSi speakers are 4 ohm. Many receivers, even in this price range, are not able to handle 4 ohm speakers. NAD receivers are some of the most powerful out there and are widely known to handle 4 ohm speakers with ease. I am not saying those other brands you listed can't handle them...I am just saying they might not do as well as NAD. I think Rotel would also go good with 4 ohm speakers.
If you are open to other suggestions, I also recommend that you look at Pioneer Elite, Marantz, and Harman Kardon. These three brands are very warm sounding and all match well with Polk in my opinion. A friend of mine has a Pioneer Elite 45 paired with some Polk LSi speakers and they sound wonderful!!
Jimvm
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Mike, In my opinion, any ~$1,200 receiver from the four brands you listed will be fine; all of those companies make decent receivers at or around that price point. I believe that the differences in their respective sounds are so subtle that to most people they will be undiscernable. I suggest you place your emphasis on things like warranty (Rotel's is five years; I believe the others have shorter ones) and features that you want/need. You might go to the stores that carry them and spend some time with each of them (and their remote controls); see how you like the way they function; determine which you feel most comfortable with, which is most pleasing to you aesthetically, etc.