I'm shopping receivers and i sort of narrowed it down to 2 or 3 contenders: Denon AVR-1803 and HK AVR-225. I would also consider a Marantz (SR4300 or SR5300) if I can get a good price from an online distributor. Do you know of any online vendor that would ship Marantz products in Canada?
My speakers will most probably be Mission 70 series (m71s for mains, m70s for surrounds and the macthing center).
Which receiver is better in terms of sound (I'm more interested in stereo music)? I don't care too much for bells and whistle or extra surround channels. Please help a newcomer to the Hi-Fi world!
Craig Mc
Posted on
With all that you make it hard to post a good responce, so I will just leave you with this. Go with the AVR-1803.
Derek
Posted on
I second that.
An 1803 owner
Anonymous
Posted on
Alex G
I recommend you go for a the hk mission combo!!!
I have one of my own, but the european version with m72i as front, m7c1i as center and m70 as surround...
results..... AWESOME SOUNDS!!!! both movies and music
and I'm still saving up for a subwoofer....
Alex G
Posted on
Thnak you guys.
I finally went for the HK AVR 225 and since there was a sale on Mission M73 speakers (floorstanding, part of the M70 series) I took those as my main speakers. I bought M70 for the surrounds and the matching center as planned.
Result: great sound. I would recommend the HK 225 receiver to anyone. Very nice, detailled sound both in stereo and surround modes.
Anonymous
Posted on
Alex G,
Its nice to hear that you purchased the hk avr 225 with mission m70s speakers (nice choice of m73 over m71).
enjoy your HK and Mission Combo!!!
btw, what sub are you using? I'm still looking for a affordable sub that can match my HK3550 (european version) and mission speakers (m72i -front, m7c1i - center, m70 - surround). Any suggestions?
Hawk
Posted on
Alex:
I have a pair of Mission M71s which I use for stereo listening in my study (my refuge from the world!) so I know your speakers very well. Between those two receivers, I would recommend the h/k, hands down over the Denon. The Denon has put most of their effort into building a fine A/V receiver with wonderful flexibility in the video section, but the h/k was built with the sound as the primary focus. You can see that in their specifications in that the h/k has "high current" capability while the Denon does not.
The M71s are very detailed, and for their size produce an amazing amount of bass. Given the Mission's detail, you may find the Denon just a bit coarse compared to the h/k, which has a smoother sound.
By the way, I own neither of these brands of receivers, but I listened to (auditioned) both of these units head to head and the h/k was my second choice (a close second), with the Denon about fourth. Both are fine units and a good value. I have no problem recommending either one, but since you say you want the best sound, between these two units, I recommend the h/k. It definitely sounded better to me.