Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater how important is the receiver

I have had my 22s with the 150 center channel and the QS-8s for about 3 weeks now, I think they sound GREAT!! it's a small room so I went with the 22s coupled with a 12" supernova / earthquake 580 watt powered sub. my weak link is the receiver, I have a 5 yr. old Sony str-de345' it was a back up, as my previous receiver was dropped by me, yes ME!!! in general it's about a 150 buck circut city type unit, I have ordered a rxv-1400 yamaha. I have always felt speakers are the most fital sound componant, what kind of enhancement can I expect from this new receiver, significant or not much???? (the Sony going back to the garage tunes)

jon in florida- hope you were able to dodge charley??

OK, back to the topic. your question is one that brings many different point of views.. do different receivers actually sound different?? well, to be honest, yes and no!!??

one would say that with all solid state receivers(lets keep tubes out of this), all the receiver does is process the signal, then amplify it. so some think that regardless of the make or model, most receivers sound the same. others think that each receiver can process differently, giving a better, or richer, or heartier sound..? the main difference you will find is in the watts. obviously, the more watts, the louder it will go, and that will definitely affect the 'sound' of the receiver.

the main things you need to be looking for, is for your new receiver(if its the yammy 1400) to have the up to date decoding capabilities. DTS, Dolby Digital, Pro Logic IIx, etc... if your old receiver didnt have these decoding capabilities, then the 1400 will sound TONS better. plus, i think the 1400 pushes like 90-100 watts per channel, so that will crank also.

there is my 2 cents. i am sure others will give theirs.. multiple opinions are good.. but i will say this. the 1400 is a great unit, yamaha makes great products, and i dont think you will be disappointed in your choice at all.. enjoy!!

bigjohn

Thanks for your input John, I have much less backround than most here, so again thanks, It's perfect here in West Palm beach, Although I was born in Ft. Myers where Charlie ran so that's kinda ironic. The Yam 1400 was on my short list of the receivers among others that seemed to fit my budget-features area, I work for Carrier air conditioning, they offer bounus points (merchdise) and not cash any longer, it's kind of limited, the 1400 happened to be in their book, you have to use the stupid pts. in a certain time, so I got the 1400 instead of more crap!! it's 100 per channel @ 7 chnnels 770 total. I like the adjustability , numerous sub settings and crossover choices I don't have now.

well, if you got the 1400 as part of a rewards program, then you did good.

that is a great amp with tons of features and power.. it will rock your 22's just right..

PS- i would sure love to hear bout that supernova sub.. i have heard it is one of the better super low LFE subs. you been shakin any fillings loose with it??

bigjohn

John, I got to say it's the best sub I have ever listened too, I consider it the defineing piece of my system, I compared it to the paradigm 2400, and (my ear mind you) felt there was no comparison, I also considered it aganist the servo 15, I found it right there, if not giving the edge to the supernova, it goes real low, and flat out rocks, (check the reviews) and the 15x15 cube is not to much of a physical monster. the room is only about 10x22, I have considered getting a second one, that's how much I LOVE this sub, but think it might be over-kill in such a small room.

I had an old Sony receiver and then decided to venture into SACD and DVD-A territory. I bought a player and thought - hmmm - this is not that much better - what gives?

Well I found out my old Sony which I got used and really cheap (on the theory that all receivers sound much the same-which was probably a misunderstanding of Consumer Reports on my part)) was about 15 years old and had more than ten times the harmonic distortion that my new Onkyo 501 (also gotten on the cheap) has. It also probably had less watts of power if measured the same as Onkyo measures their receivers.

What a difference!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This upgrade was so encouraging that now I am upgrading my cheap Paradigms to some (again cheap) M3s.

John, I too work for a Carrier dealer. I was at the rewards site, and I couldn't find the 1400 anywhere. The only Yamaha I came across was a lower model - probably a 550 or 650. Where did you see it?

Also, I was under the impression that we could roll our points forward.

Bigjohn,

Regarding the Earthquake Supernova. I have the MKV-15 and It goes very low. It's not “boomy” or artificial sounding. DO NOT use it as a coffee table, your beverage will find its way to the floor. My neighbor actually thought we had a domestic disturbance and called the police during the first fight scene in Kill Bill Vol 1. The police needless to say questioned us for 20 minutes and found the cause was my home theater. My neighbor was so embarrassed, I invited her over and now she wants a set of Axioms and a Supernova. I might be able to qualify for the “neighbor from hell”

Tom

tleigh, that is HILARIOUS! Did you actually have to play a scene from the movie to convince the police? I can't even imagine.

With regard to the receiver question, I too had a cheapie Sony receiver from the mid-90's when I first bought my Axioms. The speakers were first on my upgrade list, but a mid-level Marantz receiver soon followed. Others may not have had the same experience, but I found that the difference was night and day. Sony claimed 100wpc for this unit (can't remember which one), but I think half that number was probably closer to the truth. The Sony just sounded congested and like it was working much too hard. When I swapped it for the Marantz, all of a sudden everything just opened up. I think you'll be very pleased with the Yamaha. Enjoy!

That Sunday afternoon was interesting to say the least. The female police officer wanted to talk with my wife in private to make sure everything was true. I never felt violated this way in my life. I wasn't even wearing my "wife beaters" .Then they asked me if I had been drinking, Well of course I was I'm at home trying to enjoy a movie with my wife. For all they know she could’ve been kicking my ass and they wouldn't even care. Of course that was my impression and it was degrading. I can’t imagine the look on my face when the door was being pounded on from police when they arrived with two cruisers and a domestic violence van. Talk about embarrassing, it will give my neighbors something to talk about for a while.
I think I convinced the police officers when I gave them a demo that the neighbor reported. They were impressed…
It almost reminds me of a scene from “Seinfeld” or better yet “Curb your enthusiasm”.