Help a fellow Axiom owner pick a new AVR. - 05/02/08 08:09 PM
Hey all,
Wth the economy-saving check coming my way, I figured it was time to shirk off responsibility and spend that money on a shiny new receiver. But, I’m having trouble deciding on which one. The current contenders are (with Amazon prices):
Onkyo TX-SR805 ($680)
Marantz SR7002 ($1400)
Pioneer Elite VSX 92TXH ($900-ish)
I currently have M60 fronts, 3 QS8s surrounds and a VP150 center. I’ve really enjoyed my current Pioneer Elite receiver, but I’d like to branch out and try new brands. The Onkyo and the Marantz have similar specs (the Onkyo actually has more power and is THX Ultra2, while the Marantz is only THX Select). Some have told me that the reason the Marantz is double the price of the 805 is that Marantz is a higher-caliber company, thus the receiver should sound better.
I won’t lie, having nice equipment is important to me, but, at the same time, I don’t want to pay extra money for a name. I’ve read several reviews of each receiver and they’re all favorable. Unfortunately, I’ve not seen any shootouts or comparisons, and I have no way to demo them without dropping the money for them all.
Here is the current priority list (in order of importance):
• 7.1 sound quality
• Price (under $1000 if possible).
• HDMI switching
• Build quality
• Reasonable power consumption
• Video upcon (I can let my players and projector handle this)
So, what do you think? Should I jump on one of these receivers or perhaps wait for newer models to come out?
Any help would be much appreciated!
Thanks.
Wth the economy-saving check coming my way, I figured it was time to shirk off responsibility and spend that money on a shiny new receiver. But, I’m having trouble deciding on which one. The current contenders are (with Amazon prices):
Onkyo TX-SR805 ($680)
Marantz SR7002 ($1400)
Pioneer Elite VSX 92TXH ($900-ish)
I currently have M60 fronts, 3 QS8s surrounds and a VP150 center. I’ve really enjoyed my current Pioneer Elite receiver, but I’d like to branch out and try new brands. The Onkyo and the Marantz have similar specs (the Onkyo actually has more power and is THX Ultra2, while the Marantz is only THX Select). Some have told me that the reason the Marantz is double the price of the 805 is that Marantz is a higher-caliber company, thus the receiver should sound better.
I won’t lie, having nice equipment is important to me, but, at the same time, I don’t want to pay extra money for a name. I’ve read several reviews of each receiver and they’re all favorable. Unfortunately, I’ve not seen any shootouts or comparisons, and I have no way to demo them without dropping the money for them all.
Here is the current priority list (in order of importance):
• 7.1 sound quality
• Price (under $1000 if possible).
• HDMI switching
• Build quality
• Reasonable power consumption
• Video upcon (I can let my players and projector handle this)
So, what do you think? Should I jump on one of these receivers or perhaps wait for newer models to come out?
Any help would be much appreciated!
Thanks.