I'm in the market to upgrade my Pioneer VSX-D514 receiver. I like it, so far as it goes, but I feel it lacks overall "oomph." I'm assuming a higher end replacement will take care of that?
My problem is there are so many choices in the $500.00 range that the more I research, the more options I (think) I have!
I have narrowed it down (if you can call 4 choices "narrowing") to the Denon AVR 2805, the Yamaha RX-V1500, the Sony STR-DE998, and that Pioneer 1015.
The Sony got an excellent write-up in Hometheatremag.com, and the others have had all manner of user accolades bestowed upon them... so, short of auditioning them all (in a perfect world), I was hoping some of the more experienced folk here could help me truly narrow the field.
I have Paradigm speakers all around (Titans) and a Bic America Center, if that helps....
I ditto Art, and would advise you to at least take Sony off that list unless you find a super deal on them and do HT only, no music.
You can get some excellent deals on HK receivers from Harman Audio on eBay, they're refurb but you get the full original manufacturer's warranty and I've yet to hear of anyone getting burned.
$500 should be able to get you an HK 430/435 or better from them.
Just curious: I've read a lot of positive stuff about that particular Sony. Am I perhaps hitting up against "brand" prejudice? (Not saying it's not deserved-- just wondering).
Also, most of the Pioneer 1014/1015 stuff I've read has been on this forum. Would you suggest that one come off the list as well?
I'm definitely loooking for as much balance as I can get from the receiver in terms of HT vs music.
The Pioneer 1014/15 would be a strong contender if you were able to find it around $300-350. It has lots of great electronic bells and whistles like MACC setup and equalization, but actual sound quality is nothing special especially for music. If you're mainly doing HT and/or are not very picky about music, it should be fine.
Yes, there is some brand prejudice against Sony in audio circles but just as there is with Bose, it's well deserved. Long story short, Sony makes great TVs but their audio (especially CAR audio!) is of medicore quality with a spotty reliability history...they mostly live off their huge name recognition and distribution networks.
And as Art put it very well in another thread, home theatre magazines do tend to favor gadget freaks over audio enthusiasts who typically demand more SQ from their gear.
HK, Denon and Marantz are safe bets for a good balance of electronic bells and whistles and very good sound quality for HT as well as music.
I personally tend to recommend the HK from Harman Audio on eBay because it's rare to find refurbs sold with original manufacturer's warranty, and for $500 you can get a $800 and up receiver.
Well said Edster and I agree. Sony has on occasion produced state of the art audio gear. For instance the first retail SACD player. Unfortunately most their components are overpriced underachievers. I own a Sony LCD rear projection TV and love it. Got to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em. I really would stick to one of the brands Eddie and I listed, that is if you value music. Good luck.
At this point in its history, Sony produces average sounding products at best combined with shoddy manufacturing and seemingly cheap parts that blend the high line end into their Best Buy products. I would stay away.
Eddie:I'll fully agree with Art and Edster. I have an HK AVR335 which is about the best sub $500 receiver out there. The Marantz are also good as well. The Denon's are also decent but IMO the quality of the Denon doesn't come into play till the AVR 2105 and up which is over $500. If you could afford about $200 more you could get the NAD t743 for $699 which is about as good as the HK and Marantz for home theater but will win out for two channel music. Stay away from Sony. Their tv's are excellent but I agree with Stof as they use cheap Chinese made electronic devices in their home audio equipment, whereas HK and Marantz use higher quality Korean made components.
Anonymous
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HERE IT IS!!!!!!!TRUST ME I AM OBSESSED WITH AUDIO AND RESEARCHING RECEIVERS!!!.Since you seem to be interested in sound and you have good speakers I think your only two choices are pioneer 1015(etronics-$375),or marantz 5500(authorizedelectronics-$480)-these are currently and will be the top rated receivers for awhile-I'm about 99% sure the pioneer 1015 will have quite a bit more bass than your current pioneer,and will also sound MUCH BETTER overall.The marantz will be perhaps a bit smoother with more musicality.The pioneer on paper is the better buy but if you just want to sit down and listen to your cd's,or movies and enjoy the marantz is the logical choice(there are some reviews of the new marantz '500's series receivers that can explain how they have a bit more musical definition than others,although I'm sure the pioneer 1015 is no slouch it just may not be quite as musical in the classic music listening sense-it's a tradeoff you get more features,and perhaps even details and wow factor with the pioneer(thx2!)and I'm pretty sure it even sounds very good and better than in hifi terms than probably any receiver except marantz.If you watch movies at a lower volume and like to be drawn in rather than 'blown away'the marantz is for you but if you like the wow factor of home cinema the pioneer is a better choice-with the pioneer you can expect better musical performance than any other brand,except perhaps marantz but if you DON'T like your music on the SLIGHTLY smoother side,and instead like to get all the excitement out of your rock cd's etc you should go with pioneer.
Anonymous
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^sorry don't get me wrong I'm pretty sure the marantz will rock too,but if you like to play it a little louder I think the pioneer will have more power and more decibels.
Anonymous
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^BTW I used to have a very good denon but I didn't like it as much as my marantz in musical terms-HK's can sound harsh with some speakers but if you can test one out with your speakers you could try them-but to be honest it would seem the pioneer 1015 blows every other receiver out of the water,unless your obsessed with musical performance(not a bad trait IMO)in which case you MIGHT be happier with marantz.
Unless you have the HK connected to half blown speakers or you are partially deaf, the HK will sound completely the opposite of "harsh". I'll level with you I don't care much for Pioneer, their Elite line though, is decent quality. The Pioneer 1015 is comparable perhaps to the lower rung from HK e.g. AVR 135, 235 in terms of sound quality and dynamics,forget about power ratings. HK and Marantz are higher quality products because they have a better build quality with higher quality parts. For two channel music listening the HK and Marantz are about as good as it gets in a surround receiver with only NAD being able to best them.
Perhaps I wouldn't have put it quite the way Eric did but I would have to agree with his conclusions relative to the receivers. Eddie, obviously you will have to listen for yourself and draw your own conclusions.
Perhaps I should have put it this way Art. As far as two channel music performance is conceaned the HK and Marantz will only be outdone by NAD,Rotel or Arcam. I've heard HK through many types of speakers from cheap to relatively expensive, never did the word "harsh" come to mind even with the cheap speakers. The THX certification on the Pioneer is rather bogus anyway, pair the Pioneer and the HK with a demanding speaker with a fairly wide impedence swing and see which brand has less dificulty driving this type of speaker.
^ Agreed with what has been said so far. While I haven't owned Marantz, I've owned lots of receivers. Pioneer Elite is good for movies, but, well, for music, look elsewhere. H/K just sounds so much better with music.
Give the Marantz a chance. The 5500 is in your price range. also think about the yamaha 757 if you can find it for the correct price, or the Denon 2105.
Anonymous
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Eddie, I absolutely disagree with most of the above posters comments about Pioneer and especially the comment that they are good for movies but not for music. If anything it's the other way around but Pioneer's and their Elite line are very fine receivers and as good as any. The comment from Eric about comparing a HK and a Pioneer is totally wrong if you are talking about the Elite line. As a review I read a year ago or so on the Rotel website stated the Elite's have "incredible load tolerance" and lose very little of their power output with all channels driven. So do HK's. Enough of that stuff and to your question. You said you have Paradigm's so the task is to find a receiver that best match's your speakers. As much as I like the Elite's, Marantz and HK's I don't think they go best with the laid back Paradigm's. You mentioned two that do in your original post, the Yamaha 1500 and the Denon 2805. Both match Paradigm's very well and you can also include the Denon 2105 as well. It will do anything sonically that the 2805 does for less money. I would also urge you to get a Paradigm center as soon as possible. Mixing brands across the front is a bad idea. Good luck and let your ears be your guide and not something someone here had to say, including me.
I do agree that mixing speakers is a bad idea. Make sure your left right and match each other. As for the receivers, check these, though you may find them cheaper where you live. Marantz 5500 Harmon Kardon 335 Yamaha 757 Denon 2105 Panasonic?? Pioneer elite, although they tend to inflate their power numbers. Check the back of the receivers, and check the power supply/consumption rating. If it pushes 7 x 125, then why does it consume only 300 watts? Sony also lies about their power output as well. The weight of the receiver can also be used somewhat to determine the quality of the receiver, but that too can be misleading. Audition them first.
As I'm relatively new to hi-fi/home theatre, I don't know if this fits into the rest of the bunch in terms of quality, but does no one recommend the Yamaha RX-V1500?
anonymousII
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Spencer, IMO there is no reason not to consider the 1500 in it's price range. Very full featured and good sounding. About that only difference between the 1500 and the 2500 worth mentioning to me is the lack of a rec out selector on the 1500. Otherwise the 1500 is a very nice unit. Yamaha has really gotten their act together in the past two model lines. The brightness is gone and that's a big improvement over past models. If you like the 1500 buy it.