Mid-Fi receiver advice?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Gardo, Sep 13, 2002.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Gardo

    Gardo Audio Epistemologist Thread Starter

    Location:
    Virginia
    I know that many of you will say they're all the same, and maybe they are, but I thought I'd ask for forum wisdom on these receivers:

    Outlaw Audio 1050
    Marantz 5200
    NAD T751
    NAD T761
    Sony ES receivers generally
    Onkyo AV500
    Any other brands/makes?
    (I didn't put Yamaha here because every one I've heard is just too bright for me.)

    As you can see, I'm considering a 500.00-ish receiver here.

    Thanks,
    Gardo
     
  2. Gary

    Gary Nauga Gort! Staff

    Location:
    Toronto
    I'm impressed with HK (Harmon Kardon) but I am unfamiliar with the new stuff. You might want to give them a listen.

    NAD is always good stuff too. ES is the Sony "top of the line" stuff. Sorry I can't be more specific as I've not shopped for new equipment for a long time.

    Being a "tube head" (I mean I am a tube head!), here's a thought: why don't you look at tube receivers? $500.00 should get you a great sounding (vintage) Fischer or something like that.
     
  3. Gardo

    Gardo Audio Epistemologist Thread Starter

    Location:
    Virginia
    Thanks for the thoughtful reply, Dave. I'm not ruling out tubes at some point down the line, but for now the reality at my house is that the stereo system needs to meet many needs, from audiophile listening to DVDs to TV shows. It needs to be our gateway to movie surround sound as well as adequate for fairly high quality mid-fi music playback. The other big need, of course, is that it needs to be affordable, which for us at this point means about 500.00 worth. We just don't have the resources or room to have two full-range stereo systems.

    For movies, good, basic Dolby Digital/DTS is essential. 5.1 is fine. 6.1 is nice but not necessary. Video switching for 5 video inputs (NOT counting the front panel) would be nice (I have a Betamax, a VHS deck, an LD player, a DVD player, and a satellite box). DPL II is not essential. DSP is a waste; I've NEVER used "stadium" or "arena" or whatever when I listen to anything, movies or music.

    For music, 5.1 analog inputs are essential so I can tap into multichannel SACD. I've reluctantly concluded a phono input is not essential, since I have a very good phono stage in my old Proton integrated amp that I can always use in "preamp" mode. I do want the music to be as good as possible, and I'd trade okay Home Theatre performance for very good music performance.

    Given what I've read, it sounds to me like I should get the Outlaw 1050, but I'm still on the fence.

    Thanks again for the input.

    Gardo
     
  4. dwmann

    dwmann Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Houston TX
    If you have a Tweeter near you anywhere, they have the Yamaha RXV1 (which has been replaced by the RXZ1) for $1399. The unit originally cost over $3000. It's not worth $3000, but it's a lot better than anything else you can buy for $1399. At that price it is a STEAL.
     
  5. dwmann

    dwmann Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Houston TX
    They also have a $2500 unit (RXV3200??) for $999. I realize boyh of these are a little more than you meant to pay, but both are EXCELLENT buys for the $$$. I have the RXV1. I haven't listened to the amp section, but the preamp section is excellent withtop of the line Burr Brown converters throughout.
     
  6. JohnG

    JohnG PROG now in Dolby ATMOS!

    Location:
    Long Island NY
    Don't forget Denon receivers. I think they are the finest in the land. very musical and always recieve raves in the Audio press (even Stereophile).

    I heard the Outlaw reciever at the Hi-Fi Show in NYC and its also a fine choice. Great little company. They make very good audio products.

    Marantz and NAD are also fine choices.

    Solid State recievers have come a long way in recent years. They are very dependable, do many things, sound very good (even Michael Fremer was recently raving about a Pioneer receiver).
    They are the greatest Audio bargain in the world.

    My Denon 3300 DD/DTS reciever is now about 4 years old and obsolete but this thing is a workhorse. It runs my HT to unbelievable levels yet sound very sweet on special recordings.
    The new model I believe is the 3802.

    Do you need a reciever just for Music or will it be part of a HT set-up?
     
  7. Gardo

    Gardo Audio Epistemologist Thread Starter

    Location:
    Virginia
    I just looked at a Denon 2802 and a 3802 at the local Tweeter. The 2802 is on sale for 699.99 but they're out of stock. The 3802 floor model was on sale for 850.00. List for the 3802 is 1199.99 and regular new price is 999.99 (according to the Tweeter labels, anyway). We just installed a 5802 in two new screening room/lecture halls at my college, and the family resemblance between the 3802 and the 5802 is strong (the 2802 a bit less so, but both are way above the 1602 in build quality, judging from the outside).

    I need my receiver to sound as good as possible with music while doing a decent job with HT. Analog 5.1 inputs are a must--I really do want to listen to some of the multichannel mixes on my new SACDs.

    I listen in a fairly small room with only moderately efficient speakers--about 87db--so anything above 60w/channel is probably fine so long as there's plenty of current in reserve for peaks.

    The 3802 has a nifty feature that allows one to redirect unused channel amps into a second zone, which can play a second source at an independent volume from the primary zone source/volume. Since I have no subwoofer for the LFE channel, and I'm not running a center rear surround channel (i.e., no DD EX, just the usual rear stereo surrounds), and I also have no center channel speaker (don't really trust 'em in my price range), that leaves me with four extra channels to play with for that second zone. I'm not sure if I can reassign all four, or if I'm limited to a stereo pair, but whatever....

    I do NOT need DSP modes other than surround decoding. Actually, I don't want them. But everyone puts 'em in there.

    A phono input would be very nice, though if I can't get it I'll buy a preamp for the phono and use a line input.

    My Pioneer VSX-D606S was my entry into home theater. It has good, hefty power output and good Dolby Digital performance, and it sounds *pretty* good, but it doesn't sound as good as my old Denon Pro-Logic receiver, which was a very neutral piece of solid-state electronics. The Pioneer sounds a little bright-n-blasty to my ears. Nothing I haven't been able to live with, but now that I have several SACDs and of course I'm acquiring more of Steve's lovely mastering to listen to, I'm thinking now's a good time to upgrade.

    The local Marantz dealer is a very high-end kind of guy, and he says the Marantz line is better built and better sounding than the Denon line. OTOH, the latest British reviews of the Marantz gear aren't raves.

    What Pioneer receiver was Michael Fremer praising?!

    Gardo
     
  8. Dr. Winston

    Dr. Winston New Member

    Location:
    Simpsonville,SC
    The Yamaha RXV1-GL (gold finish instead of black) can be had at Tweeter for $1199 with a liitle bartering-- I know cause i just got one. Hands down winner at this price (6x110 and 2x35 amps). Also 18 month interst free financing is an option.
     
  9. Gardo

    Gardo Audio Epistemologist Thread Starter

    Location:
    Virginia
    Many thanks to those of you who responded to my initial query. After reading your advice, and after scouring the Internet for reviews, I decided to try out a Denon 3802. (I bought it, of course, but until the return period is up it's on probation, officially.) I had to work a bit to get to the direct mode for CD playback--not unreasonably so, given the receiver's functionality--and once I did, I was mightily impressed. It sounds to my ears as if I'm finally coming close in my home to the sound I used to hear in recording and production field work in radio.... All those wonderful adjectives: smooth, detailed, taut, controlled, dynamic, holographic, you know the lingo. Compared to the 3802, my old Pioneer 606S had big-n-flabby bass, compression when things got dense and active in the music, and a veil between me and the articulation of the sound. That is, the Pioneer was pretty good, especially for what I paid for it, but there were colorations there that are just gone with the Denon. Gone. The window to the music is much cleaner, and the dynamics are much livelier and more involving.

    Example: when I listen to the bell tree at the beginning of Steely Dan's "Josie," I hear each distinct high chime very clearly, yet I also hear the "path" of the sound very distinctly as the stick moves among the bells. The swirl has integrity as an event, and each struck bell has its own integrity too. Lovely.

    And FWIW, the surround performance on this receiver is quite remarkable, at least twice as good as on the Pioneer, which was a fairly early Dolby Digital receiver.

    I could get used to this!

    Gardo
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine