Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Software Defined Receiver

That I guess would depend on who the top 5 are? I have tried a lot of receivers in my day and they all have good and bad things.

If you want the best of the best, get a pre with a power amp. If you want just a box that does it all, look at the HK 630, 635 or 7300. You won't go wrong with any of them. If that doesn't float your boat, look at the Denon 3805. Great receiver but the power is a little over-rated but nice none the less. Onkyo is another one that would make my top 5 but again, it depends on what you want in the way of features etc. If money is no object, look at Rotel, Sunfire, B&K and a host of others.

I have been in the market for some new audio gear 3-4 times over the past 30 years and could never make a convincing agruement for seperates. It always seemed that they were much more expensive and then you had a nest of cables going everywhere. It also seemed to me that having all the functions integrated into one package made the most sense.

However, I'm not so sure that is the case today. It seems that the current audio equipment acts as a major switching hub for all sorts of other gear and tvs. I know that many of the video and audio inputs/ outputs and formats are in a state of flux. I strongly suspect that things may greatly change over the next 2-4 years.

So, it may make some sense to get a good, multi channel amplifier for the long term and some sort of middle of the class surround processor to compliment it. That way, if the technology/ formats change, I will just have to change part of the system rather than all of the system.

Of course, a software driven receiver may also do the same thing if the hardware had the proper compliment of input/ output jacks and connections.

Thoughts or Comments?