Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Help a fellow Axiom owner pick a new AVR.

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.

I'm looking at similar characteristics and am leaning towards the Denon 3808.

I think the Denon may be too far out of my price range. I'd like to keep it under $1000 if possible.

Actually, 6th Ave. has the 3808 for about $1100. Call and mention the AVS deal. This unit is a beast!

I would def go for the denon 3808. I bought mine from 6ave.com for $1098 shipped. it is a great receiver, the GUI and ability to stream FLAC files/mp3's ect from your computer, plus internet radio is really cool.

Plus the 130wpc amplifier is very robust- it drives my epic 80 5.1 system with ease. There was a review of one of the less expensive denon '08 models over at audioholics and the testing they performed showed the unit had power output beyond what denon had specified... given that review I would bet that the denon 3808 can provide even more than the 130wpc that they claim.

Get the denon, and don't even look back!

Also, I think the onkyo 805 is known to have audio/video sync issues so read up before you buy that one!

In your first post you have the Marantz @$1400 so how is the Denon out of your price range, even without the 6ave deal?

denon 3808 is $1599 MSRP

Sorry, I was refering in part to his second point of around $1000 the Marantz isn't close to that either.

good point- I didn't realize he had already blown his budget by $400 with one of his choices!

So it shouldn't be a problem to stretch the budget past $1000 by an extra $98 for the denon 3808 then eh?

That was what I was thinking when I brought up the Denon.