I was wondering which reciever you guys recommend for a poor college student.

I was considering the following recievers:
Onkyo 501, Onkyo 601, Denon 1604, and Denon 1804. I know these are both reputable companies that should provide more than enough power.

I really want the 601 because I love the look of it and I believe it has the variable crossover down to 60 hz as opposed to 80 with the Denons'.

I don't want to spend more than $300 plus the $7-10 handling fee.I noticed that they don't have the 601 on ecost any more. I would like to wait and see if the 601 comes back on ecost but I wanna buy withing the next 4-6 weeks.

Are there any major differences between these 4 recievers except for the crossover points?

I am in a one room apartment style dorm and will be hopefully be using Axiom M22's (if that matters)

I understand that only 1-2 watts is used during regular listening sessions, but I also believe in the old addage of "buy as much power as you can afford"

They have the 501, Denon 1604, and 1804 available on ecost right now.

Considering cost, features and power, which reciever would you guys recommend?

I own an Onkyo (TX-DS797 - basically the same as a 701) and am completely satisfied with it's performance. I've never heard a Denon, but from everything I've read here, and elsewhere, they are excellent receivers. The fact is, you can't miss with any of the 4 receivers you mentioned. Find the one that has the features you like, and go with it. All 4 should work well with the 22s.

Thanks for the reply Ajax, I would like the 601 but they don't have it on ecost anymore and I can't find it anywhere else for below $300. My question is, whether I should wait for it to appear or go ahead and pull the trigger on one of the other recievers right now while their still available for a good price.

Do you know how often they restock ecost? I really don't want to wait and have ecost run out of the Denon's too. Then I'll be totally out of luck.

And if I do pull the trigger now (which I probably will because I'm too scared they will run out of the Denon's) is the 1804 enough of an improvement over the 1604 to warrant the $40 increase?

I am still gonna buy the M22's and STF-2. If I save enough money I will get the VP100 also. I would like to spend the least amount possible on the reciever, but if I can get a noticeable upgrade with the 1804, then I would spring for it.

player8...found the Onkyo 601 for $349 NEW with free shipping from www.bestpriceaudiovideo.com . I have ordered from them a couple years ago and they were fine to work with. Also, I think they are an authorized dealer so you would have the full factory warranty. Use the buy it now option to put it in your cart to see the $349 price. Here is a link...

Onkyo 601 at BPAV

If you can deal with the 501, JR.com has it for $149. They also have the 502 for $249.

Good luck!

Thanks for the reply 230, but I have a very strict budget and I don't really want to spend over $300. I will think about it. The $349 is still a smoking deal.

Not a problem...just thought I would share it with you since you were looking. Good Luck.

Jason

Hello Player 8

I have the 601 and M22s and they work wonderfully together. If you know that you really want the 601 and will possibly regret or feel 'upgradeitis' if you get the 501 instead, then it would probably be worth searching around or waiting for Ecost to have the 601 again. It 'seems' to me that they have them monthly.
And of course I'm going to trot out my favorite review of the 601 and the one that helped me buy mine.
However, you mentioned wanting a lower crossover than 80. I'm not sure that is really necessary with the M22s. While they will go down to 60Hz +/-3dB, for home theater you will want to set your crossover at 80Hz. I have done so and my whole setup impresses everyone who listens to it (and me every day!).
I also have no experience with the Denons, but loads of folks like them as well as Harmon Kardon's. Almost any solid state receiver you buy is going to sound great with M22s. Solid state has reached a level of maturity where there is no discernable difference between them. The trick is to find one that has the features you want and the price you can afford.

jr

Matt, in my view you should compare the features of what's available right now within your budget, buy, enjoy, and don't worry about it. Specifically on ecost, your best buy might be the Denon 684 refurb(identical to the 1604, but with a $210 price to better suit poor college students). Compare the features of the 684(1604)with the 1804 side-by-side on Crutchfield or wherever and make your choice. On features, the 80Hz crossover is fine and among other things I note that the 1604 doesn't have on-screen display and a couple inputs(e.g. phono)which the 1804 does. The difference between 75 watts and 90 watts rated power is only about 3/4 dB in maximum sound level and isn't likely to be very significant.

I think Panasonic makes some of the best HT receivers available. I've had the Harman Kardon AVR 325(?), Onkyo 797THX, a Sony STRDB1070 (built on the ES platform), Sherwoods, and a Panasonic SX940 which I picked up for a bit over $100 easily matched the best of them.

The new SAHE100 is a great deal, terrific sound quality, good power (runs a bit warm) and a steal - can be had for a bit over $200. Find one, listen to it and grab it. JMH Advice.

Check out Onecall.com 601 on Clearance for 328.26 Great company to work with.

http://ww2.onecall.com/PID_19263.htm

I really appreciate the help guys. I think I'm going to go with the Denon 1804. The only reason that I want the 601 is because it has a meaner look (like it could kick your ass) and it has the lower crossover adjustment (I probably don't need that low of an adjustment but it's nice to know I have it for the future) The Denon offers a phono input that I won't use because I'm to young to own LP's but I might get into that in the future.

Ecost shows only 1 left so I will order first thing in the morning. If they are out, then I guess I will take my chances in the next few months to find the 601 for <$300.
Again, thanks for the input guys.

Matt, same story with the 884(1804), and they have plenty of them for $20 less.

John, thanks for the tip, I will check those out.

Well, I just looked at the specs and they look exactly the same. So is it the exact same reciever but branded differently to make a buck?

Is the power supply the same? As in the ability to drive 4 0hm speakers like Alan suggests?

If this is true then I can wait longer before ordering, which I would rather do anyway.

Again, I really appreciate the help, this will save me a few bucks as well as let me order in a more timely matter. I really want something that will last me at least 5 yrs with no problems ( I have two years in college left and then it will probably take time to afford to upgrade to the latest and greatest of the not so distant future).

Yes Matt, they're exactly the same unit re-labeled under Denon's "specialty audio" category for sale at a different category of audio retailer. Those aware of this can save a little money.

and I am completetly satisfied with it. Onkyo 502 that is. It is new on the market and has some great extras. It powers my m60's just fine. I rarely have to turn it up past 50-55 to blow out my room. It gets a little hot at times, but so does the music. You can get it under 300.00 also. It also has Dolby ProLogic II X enhanced surround sound and DTS 96/24.

I read on a review (semi-professional) that the quality of sound on different analog inputs on the 1804 are different. The reviewer said that the coaxial and multichannel inputs are of higher quality than the other source inputs. How can that be? Is the reviewer full of it? What about phono inputs? I understand that phono inputs are amplified somewhat differently but I don't know how or why. Is the CD input the same as Tape IN or Video 1?

I cannot seem to find anything on the Panasonic SX940 :/