I only use Denon for installs. Engineers usually only spec Denon on drawings as well. All other installers I know are same boat.
For my personal missions at home its NAD. Dirac plus high power (under spec’d) amps on board makes it a great value. Even if they are expensive, I’ve tried the others…. Dirac is just too good to ignore. As for deals on NAD, try The Audio Room in Calgary. They sell packages and will usually discount if you buy more than one item.
Wouldnt install Onkyo and have discouraged a recent build away from them. Normal for clicks? Huh? Tried Sony, nope. Wont install Yamaha or Pioneer either. Cant take a flier with someone elses money. I always discourage “deal” based buying. You still pay, just in other ways usually -in life in general my philosphy is this. Being cheap costs you more than you think. I digress.
Why Denon? Unfaltering reliability and 100% compatability out of the box. Setup is easy and versatile for current immersive formats. They have ridiculous market share so updates are timely if needed. Menus are braindead to follow, so I dont get callbacks later when the homeowner has changed a setting they dont understand. Bluetooth is rock solid and they are up and running 30 seconds after I hand them the remote. Best sound? Nope. But pretty darn good and none of my installs are for audiophiles. They would be bad customers anyway honestly… lol.
