Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Need a 2 channel receiver.

Thanks John. Not knowing what level of THD(?) was audible, I was concerned when I saw the Sound & Vision test results. Some of the Kenwoods and Pioneers seemed to have comparatively high rates. But if I remember right: very, very few of the recievers tested (and none of the Pioneers or Kenwoods) measured over that 1%.
Excellent.

Are you sure you want a receiver for wherever you are putting it? As someone noted above, you can get killer deals on vintage 2-channel gear now. I just picked up a Yamaha 75wpc integrated amp for $76. I cleaned it up just a bit and it's dynamite. Oh yes, if you are still thinking M3Ti they are dynamite too, if running in a situation where they have to be all alone. Separate tuners are also cheap and can be much higher quality than what they put in receivers these days.

Absolutely right webbb. I picked up a 250 wpc/8ohm (20Hz-20KHz) Yamaha M80 for $100, and a Denon digital tuner from Good Will for $10 - my garage system is one of my best.

Yamaha M80s, M60s, Kenwood KA9100, Pioneer SA9800 and SA9900, Onkyo Integra M504, 506, 508s. These are truly great 2 channel amplifiers and folks are dumping them for multichannel amps every day. One approach is to go on the great used amplifier truffle hunt.

ubid.com from time to time still auctions the 120 wpc Onkyo M282 for about $100. Onkyo gets $300 for new, $210 for refurb. If you can grab one from ubid for a bit over $100, GRAB ONE.

If Axiom teaches us one thing it is that great quality can be had at a decent price. Bang for the buck. The value you can find in used amps is impossible to top.

Just a thought ...

Decide on how much you want to spend, and then look
at what is offered! Find units that have the features,
ergonomics, price, etc. that you like. Listen in the store as best you can to narrow the field, but you really want to try it out at home with your own system. Buy it from a retailer that offers good return policies (some have 30 day no questions asked returns), bring it home and try it out.
A list of the usual suspects (as of a year or so ago when I bought my Marantz) is below. Note that all of these *claim* to be able to drive 4-ohm loads. Marantz SR-4120, the HK models, and the NAD put out specs at 4-ohms, if that means anything.

Onkyo TX8211: 50 W/ch, 4 inputs, $200
Onkyo TX8511: 100 W/ch, 6 inputs, $300
Integra DTM-5.3: 100 W/ch, 6 inputs, multiroom, $400.
Denon DRA295: 50 W/ch, 5 inputs, pre-outs, no phono, $250
Denon DRA395: 80 W/ch, 6 inputs, multiroom, pre-outs, $350
Denon DRA685: 100 W/ch, 6 inputs, pre-out/main-in, 6 inputs, $500
HK3370, 70 W/ch, 5 inputs, pre/main, sub-outs, $300
HK3470, 100 W/ch, 6 inputs, pre/main, sub-outs, $400
Marantz SR-4120: 60 W/ch, 4 inputs, pre-out, $400
Marantz SR-4320: 80 W/ch, 7 inputs, pre/main, $400
NAD C740: 35 W/ch, ,6? inputs, no phono, pre/main, $550
Yamaha RX396: 50 W/ch, 5 inputs, $300
Yamaha RX496: 75 W/ch, 6 inputs, $350
Yamaha RX596: 80 W/ch, 6 inputs, beefier than 496, $450
Yamaha RX777: 100 W/ch, 7 inputs, pre/main, $600

At the time, the Marantz 4120 was old and the 4320 was new; the 4120 is no longer made. Also, HK seems to come out with slightly different models every year these days by upping the power 5-10 watts each time.

Without knowing your budget, it's hard to say a whole lot.
If it were me, I'd see if the less expensive receivers would do the trick before looking at higher priced options. That leaves more $$$ for CDs! For example, the little $200 Onkyo TX-8211 is a decent unit for very little money. An extra $100 boosts you up to the TX-8511 with 100 watts/channel. If you want pre-amp outputs you'll have to look at Denon, HK, Marantz, NAD and Rotel (all of these but the Denon have pre-out/main-in loops). Some units have multi-room capability (different sources in different rooms, but require separate amps for the second zone): Denon DRA-395 and the Integra DTM-5.3. By the way, the Integra DTM-5.3 is essentially the Onkyo TX-8511 with much better connectors, a different face plate, and the multi-zone capability. If you often listen at low volumes you may like the Yamaha variable loudness control (I just boost the bass and treble a bit, but to each their own). Tuner performance can be quite different for various models, but the only way to know if a tuner is adequate for you is to try it out at home. On paper the Marantz has the worst tuner. But if you needed a spectacular tuner you wouln't be looking at receivers anyway.

I actually bought a B-stock (refurbished) Marantz SR4120 for $250. I was very happy with it, until about Christmas when it crapped out. After bringing it in for warranty service for the 3rd time, Marantz is replacing it with a brand new SR4320. So I can say that Marantz stands behind its products.

Oh, you want to know about sound???? Don't believe anything I would write about that. Listening for yourself is the best way to find what you like.

Cheers.

Jason

What do you think people do we have a champ for the best newbie post ever???? Great post Jason, thx for the research!

It's certainly better than my first post.

I originally thought that I wanted a 2 channel system in the gameroom, but decided I might as well leave my options open. Currently the wife and 5 mo old son will be the primary listeners in that room and I don't think they care as much about sound quality as some of us.
My parents visit for a month or two at a time and I know my Dad would appreciate his own little mini-theater upstairs (it's a pretty large, quiet house) so maybe after getting it started he'll pay for the rest.
I settled on M3s with the Pioneer VSX-D711 from Costco at $179.99. Will do 5.1 DTS and has a 24 bit processor thingee. We'll see how it sounds tomorrow.
Thanks for all the expert advice, even if it did fall on deaf ears.