I bought one of these panny's maybe 6 months ago when so many of the users on this forum were raving about it. I am very happy with the unit but i do notice the brightness, as it is powering Athena's. This does not really bother me but I also think the receiver looks plain and as I upgrade my system I want something that looks as good as the rest of the equipment.
What would a good upgrade be, something warmer and under $500 probably. I have seen some upper end HK, Marantz, NAD, Rotels, go on eBay for this price...all of which retail for over a grand. I love the look of Rotel, but i have heard HK sound is near unbeatable for the price. thanks everyone
you heard right IMO, the H/K sound cant be beat for the price, you will hear a very big difference in sound with the H/K vs. the panny, but of course all of those make very good stuff. so I would listen to each brand with your Athena's and see what you think, but you will not go wrong with an H/K.
db, does the Panny have pre-outs? You could add a 5 channel Rotel rb985 amp(or similar). You get that model for cheap, I have beaten mine near to death, good unit. Cheap. How much will it change the sound? Dunno. Just a good unit to have, mines a spare.