Athena and pioneer
|
New member Username: Jbs2k6Knoxville, Tennessee USA Post Number: 3 Registered: Jul-05 | K, I have the Athena F1,C1, and B1 (oldschool). I'm running them off of a Pioneer D412 5.1 receiver that supposedly has 100 watts per channel. This receiver was under 200 dollars and I'm thinking, wow, this can't be all I need for those speakers. When I crank up the volume to pretty loud levels (-15db on the receiver) the speakers become very harsh and vocals are almost indecipherable (muddy and raspy at the same time). I tried hooking up a Denon 1905 and the result was EXACTLY THE SAME. My room is only like 12x12 ish and I'm not suffering from hearing problems (at least i don't think so). All I'm asking is if this problem could be alleviated with a 500 dollarish HK receiver? The 450 dollar denon didn't. It was equally harsh at loud levels. I'm using 14 guage wire. My cousins have SpeakerCrafts of similar driver size (8" in wall) hooked up to a 6 channel Classe amp in a 25x20 ish room and nary a hint of strain at LOUD levels. I know Athenas probably aren't on par with those 3ways, but from the reviews I've read about them, I think they can do much better. |
|
Silver Member Username: HawkHighlands Ranch, CO USA Post Number: 771 Registered: Dec-03 | JB: 1. Your Athena speakers, while providing a nice open soundstage, can be a bit on the bright side. You need a receiver that will balance out this tendency with something warmer and a bit laid back. 2. You have discovered how the mass market brands lie. That's what I said--THEY LIE! A power spec of 100 wpc is an absolute lie because they can make 100 wpc only into 2 channels at once and then only into an 8 ohm short, not a real speaker. This is because the power supply in that receiver absolutely sucks--as the the volume increases and more strain is put onto the power supply, it quickly runs out of steam and you get the harsh sounds you are hearing. 3. You need an honest receiver with some real power to drive your speakers and with a tonality that will compliment them, not exaggerate your speakers worst qualities (no speaker is perfect--one just has to recognize a speaker's imperfections and get the right amplification). Therefore, get a Marantz SR5x00 receiver. It has the warm, laid back nature you need with real power to drive your speakers without running out of steam. I would also check out the Harman/Kardon AVR 335 or 435 receivers. These can be obtained in your price range. They are even warmer than the Marantz, so you will want to hear them for yourself through Athena speakers, if possible, from a local dealer to determine which sound you prefer. Either way, they will have sufficient power for your speakers--just don't get hung up on the "power" ratings. A Harman 55 wpc is more powerful than your Pioneer's 100 wpc! For the Marantz, check the link here: http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-bin/item/MARSR5500 This vendor sells great gear at reasonable prices. Most of the electronics are refurbished, which means they have been returned, checked out by their tech facility and repaired, if necessary, but cannot be sold as new. If that makes you uneasy, it shouldn't as refurbished gear has 1/20th the return rate of new gear, but if you are still uneasy, simply purchase 3 year warranty with the unit to supplement the one year warranty--it is fairly priced ($28). For the Harman/Kardon, check out their factory store where you can get a great price on their refurbished units which they sell regularly through eBay: http://search.stores.ebay.com/Harman-Audio_AVR_W0QQfciZ15QQfclZ3QQfsnZHarmanQ20A udioQQsaselZ26519532QQsofpZ0 Enjoy! |
|
New member Username: PeychaudPost Number: 10 Registered: Mar-06 | There were some great prices at the Harman/Kardon eBay store, but I'm still interested in learning the general consensus on refurbished products. I know you do get the warranty but are they statistically more likely to fail brand new items? The frustrating thing is that, as I understand it, "refurbished" can refer to anything from store returns or damaged boxes to items that had serious problems that, one assumes, aren't always fixed in the first go around. So what do you think? Should I have reservations about buying refurbished? |
|
Silver Member Username: TwebbzOakland Park, Florida USA Post Number: 391 Registered: Apr-04 | I have a refurbished Marantz SR4320 from www.Accessories4less.com. I have had no problems with it whatsoever. I feel that while the unit originally had a problem and was returned, it has been thoroughly checked and repaired as they say, possibly better than new. I also have a refurbished NAD C542 CD, no problems. |
|
Bronze Member Username: PeychaudPost Number: 11 Registered: Mar-06 | I totally missed Hawk's comments about refurbished items when I jumped in with my questions, so apologies to him. I'm still, however, a little hesitant about refurbished. Is there any meaningful distinction between "refurbished" and "factory remanufactured," which is how Harman describes the products on its eBay store? Why does Marantz, according to accessories4less.com, offer only a one-year warranty on its refurbished products versus a three-year warranty on its new products? Just looking for some thoughts on the issue. |
|
Silver Member Username: HawkHighlands Ranch, CO USA Post Number: 779 Registered: Dec-03 | Peychaud: No apologies needed, your questions are legitimate, IMO. "Refurbished" and "factory remanufactured" are synonymous as far as I can tell. As for the marantz warranty, everyone has their own policy--I know the Denon warranty on refurbs is only 90 days, so one year sounds pretty good in that light. Still, why each manufacturer chooses the warranty length they do is a total mystery to me. I fully recognize that not everyone will be comfortable with these products, the same way a lot of people aren't comfortable buying used gear, either. That is understandable, but for those people who have no such reservations and are willing to buy refurbs, substantial savings can be realized. I was merely trying to convey that if you go the refurb route, you can have the savings and by buying an extended warranty, you are actually in a better position with aa 3 year extended warranty than you would be with a new unit and the factory 2 year warranty. Nevertheless, one must be comfortable with your purchase, and a refurb may simply not be the thing for you and there is nothing wrong with that. Cheers! |
|
New member Username: 88wranglerPost Number: 2 Registered: Mar-04 | Just thought I'd relate my personal experience with purchasing a factory refurbished H/K from ebay. I purchased a refurbished H/K AVR525 from ebay over two years ago and it came with a 2 year warranty. It looked and operated like it was brand new. About 2 weeks before the 2 years was up, it died. After some back and forth with H/K (I had to take it into the local authorized repair center) they replaced the receiver with a 635. The new unit again looks brand new. All-in-all they were easy to work with and quite helpful. I would do it again. I believe they have a 30 day return policy as well. |
|
Bronze Member Username: PeychaudPost Number: 13 Registered: Mar-06 | Okay, this will (hopefully) be my last query on the topic of receiver recommendations. I'm weighing the relative merits of the Marantz SR5600 and the Harman Kardon AVR 635 to power my Athena AS 5.1 speakers. The HK is much more expensive retail, but through their eBay shop (thanks for the link, Hawk), the refurbished models are selling for only about $75 more than the refurbished SR5600. Would I get a lot more bang for that buck out of the HK? Also, I'm looking for a recommendation for an inexpensive but good DVD player capable of handling both DVD-A and SACD. I've got a few DualDiscs so it would have to accommodate those as well (which from what I've read is sometimes an issue). The ones I've seen mentioned here are Toshiba SD-6980SU and Pioneer DV-588A. Are those any good? Any other brand/model I should check out? Thanks as always. |
|
Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3800 Registered: Mar-05 | That Pioneer is rock-solid in terms of reliability, don't know about the Toshiba. For normal CD playback I would get the Marantz 4300 though, $145 shipped from accessories4less.com authorized refurb or $250 new from audioadvisor.com |
|
New member Username: Jbs2k6Knoxville, Tennessee USA Post Number: 4 Registered: Jul-05 | Thanks, you guys are amazing. Saved me a lot of time. |
|
Bronze Member Username: PeychaudPost Number: 14 Registered: Mar-06 | Thanks to the recommendations of this board, I ended up purchasing a refurbished HK AVR 635 off of eBay for under $500. It arrived yesterday and while I'm still configuring it, I have to say I'm very happy with the sound. I do think it's a good match for my Athena AS bookshelf speakers. I'm a little less enthusiastic about the condition. As a refurbished model, I was assuming that it would probably a machine that was returned to the factory immediately after purchase due to a malfunction. This unit, however, looks like it was in everyday use for about a year, 11 months and 29 days before being returned for service. The front screen has kind of a cloudy film over it and there's a ding on the silver part on the front. The volume control also doesn't feel terrible smooth when turning it. The whole casing seems somewhat cheaply made and insubstantial for a unit at this price point. Oh well. What it sounds like is what I'm interested in, and it does come with the full two-year warranty. One thing I noticed is that it get very hot on top. I had wanted to put my turntable on top of the receiver but after trying it out last night, the top grill of receiver became almost too hot to touch. My new sub arrives today hopefully (I couldn't resist) so hopefully I'll have a chance to try out the auto setup this evening. Thanks again to everyone who responded to my long winded questions. |
|
Gold Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 3875 Registered: Mar-05 | ouch, the HK635 is now on sale at Fry's Electronics for $600 brand new... ($630 shipped online from vanns.com) |
|
Bronze Member Username: PeychaudPost Number: 15 Registered: Mar-06 | No biggie. I saved over $100 and I've got the same as new two-year warranty. If I could have gotten it new for $500, then I'd be a little irritated... |
|
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 2233 Registered: Dec-04 | Peychaud, keep lots of room around that receiver, and consider a fan blowing across the top for extended listening sessons. It died the first time for a reason, and the power supply seems to be taxed. Cheap insurance, things can get crispy in there in a hurry. |
|
Silver Member Username: HawkHighlands Ranch, CO USA Post Number: 821 Registered: Dec-03 | Peychaud: One of the nice things about the H/Ks is that they use over-sized output transistors. One of the bad things about the H/K is the heat these transistors put out. Keep the top vented, but that is no reason why you can't build a platform on some legs to put your turntable atop your receiver. I did this college and it worked then, so I see no reason why you can't do it now. You need legs a minimum of 3 inches tall to provide sufficient ventilation. Go to a Home Depot or Lowes where you can get an unfinished wooden panel about 2' x 2' and then get a wooden dowel that you can cut into even 3" lengths. Cut the panel down to the size you need for the turntable and then cut six legs of equal length from the dowel, putting one at each corner and two in the center, spaced about 5-6" apart in the middle. Glue (carpenter's glue) the ends of the legs to the panel and then drive finishing nails through the panel into the legs to provide extra strength. Let the glue dry 24 hours and you have a platform for your turntable. Remember the old adage, though, "measure twice and cut once." Good luck! |
|
Bronze Member Username: Uback007Post Number: 90 Registered: Mar-06 | ok...What is the likelihood that a refurbed unit will not look "new"? The condition of Peychauds 635 troubles me. I thought a factory refurbed unit looked identical to a brandnew unit.. Is there anyway of knowing the condition of the unit before purchasing? |
|
Gold Member Username: GavincummNew York USA Post Number: 1054 Registered: Feb-05 | actually, the likelihood is quite likely. |
|
Bronze Member Username: PeychaudPost Number: 18 Registered: Mar-06 | Okay, at the risk of exposing myself as the biggest moron on the boards, I have to set the record straight. The reason the front panel on my refurbished HK AVR 635 looked so bad is I failed to remove the protective film. Doh! Yes, I'm an idiot, but the protective film adheres to the front panel VERY TIGHTLY. I tried to remove it when I first set up the receiver but since I couldn't find an edge, I assumed it was just the condition of the panel that was making it look so crappy. It's still a refurbished unit with a few a few dings to the exterior, but the front panel is unblemished and probably brand new. I do not hesitate to recommend purchasing a receiver from Harman direct on eBay if you can get a good price on it. I bought mine for $82 less than the current low price for a new unit (which, I should add, wasn't available when I bid). Now that AVR 635 prices have dropped to around $600 new, you can win one on eBay for between $450 and $500 not including $34 shipping. |
|
Bronze Member Username: Uback007Post Number: 96 Registered: Mar-06 | Peychaud, I've done the same thing! I sometimes keep those on as it keeps that little bit of the unit "new" |
|
Gold Member Username: Project6Post Number: 7813 Registered: Dec-03 | It happens Peychaud |
Main Forums
Today's Posts- Home Audio Forum
- A/V Receivers Forum
- Amps Forum
- Cassette Forum
- CD Players Forum
- CD Recorders Forum
- DAC & Transports Forum
- DVD-Audio & SACD Forum
- Equalizers Forum
- Integrated Amps Forum
- iPod Docks Forum
- MiniDisc Forum
- Mini Systems Forum
- Digital Music Systems Forum
- Phono Forum
- Preamps Forum
- Speakers Forum
- Subwoofers Forum
- Tuners Forum
- Home Video Forum
- Home Theater Forum
- Car Audio Forum
- Accessories Forum
- All Forum Topics