Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Another one takes a chance...

I wouldn't be surprised if the HK was the most powerful of all of them. HK states their wattage very accurately. Denon and Yamaha I believe state their wattage based only on 2 channels. Plus 10 "stated" watts is rather insignificant. I would go with the Denon, but thats only cause I'm a Denon guy (that and I can't get the fact that Yamaha also manufactures dirtbikes, ATV's, drums, etc... out of my head). Any one of those units would probably do a fabulous job.

Ya know what Luce - I was mistaken. The 2805 lines up with the 1400. Glad you caught the error.

Sean, the receivers that you've considered are excellent and all provide transparent reproduction. It may be, however, that you're underestimating the new HK635(or upcoming 435). Keep in mind that the power rating of the HK is with all channels driven simultaneously at full power for at least five minutes, while the others, along with most manufacturers, use a rating with two channels driven simultaneously, as permitted by the FTC regulation. Although the two channels driven simultaneously at full power rating is more realistic when considering what happens in the real world of home usage, the difference should be taken into account, which would make the power ratings very similar. Inadequate power for home usage is rarely a problem and almost certainly wouldn't happen with the 635, including at lower speaker impedances.

As far as distortion goes, the differences of hundredths of a percent mentioned are totally meaningless in practice. Testing indicates that in reproduction of music distortion has to exceed 1% or so before it becomes audible. Typical distortion ratings are all far below audibility.

Also note that the 635(and 435)have the new automatic calibration/room equalization system developed by Dr. Toole's colleagues. It's different from others in using both farfield and nearfield measurements and apparently uses the difference between the two as a measure of the room effects, which it then compensates. It also apparently equalizes the sub output so that the lowest bass frequencies, which generally are most in need of equalization, are also compensated. On another board a new owner reported that a bass peak on the order of 20dB was reduced to about 4dB and the overall sound significantly improved after the equalization. Of course, it's your judgment as to whether any of this is meaningful in the light of price differences.

Hmmm, then it is very misleading that Yamaha would put the x7 after the 120W full frequency RMS rating their manual says it has. But in growing up with H/K, I know their quality is rock solid, but they have always charged more due to their name. In fact, you can get factory outlet receivers (much like here at axiom with their factory store) for a discounted prices. So, I have a feeling the way they are rating their output is similar.

Thanks for the input JohnK. My above post was created before I read yours.

I will take into consideration that the H/K has a more accurate RMS rating. I know that the THD reading is hundredths of a percent at 8 Ohms, but that sky rockets when you push it to 6 or 4 Ohms. In most cases with receivers at this level, 6 Ohms would give about .7% which is pushing the 1% limit. My issue is that H/K doesn't have a spec for driving it at 6 Ohms nor do they suggest that you should drive it at anything less than 8 Ohms...

As far as the auto calibration goes, I plan to use it to quickly give me a something to work with, then fine tune it afterward.

I really appreciate the insite you have given me with H/K, maybe they aren't just all name I will have to ponder these things for a bit more I think before I buy anything. But not so long as to not have it for my speakers :P

Oh and Ray, GO STEELERS!!!

Sean, just one point: the HK power rating isn't "more accurate", it's simply based on a different standard, and one that's less in accord with real-world listening requirements in the home. All power ratings have to be accurate for receivers/amplifiers sold in the U.S., otherwise they'd be in violation of the FTC reg.

L.K.
I too just took this same plunge, after weeks of agonizing and hours spent reading everything online that I could find about the Axioms, and plenty of other brands.
And, like yourself, it was the people on these forums that convinced me that they would be the right choice.
Already have the M60's and the Qs8's hooked up.
I just got word that the SP150 and EP350 and M2I's left today from the outlet portion of my order. (A Day ahead of time, even though I changed color choices at the last minute!)
You are going to love them, They are nothing short of astonishing.
I know it has been said over and over and over again on these pages, but the only thing I listened to that were close were indeed the B&W 703's. The day I heard those was very depressing, because I knew that there was no way that I was going to be able to afford them, but they were by leaps and bounds the best "reasonable" thing I had heard.
Then I came across this forum and everyone was comparing the M60's to those 703's.
And they are right. They are incredible.
And the best part?
I've got entire rest of the system that I wanted, and it is STILL LESS than the cost of the 703's all by themselves!
The Qs8's are completly insane.
You are going to be loving life.
Have Fun!
TjB

You may want to check out this link. He is a good guy from another forum I frequent. May be a good start on the Denon search. Let me know how it goes.

http://forum.av123.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6775

>>My issue is that H/K doesn't have a spec for driving it at 6 Ohms nor do they suggest that you should drive it at anything less than 8 Ohms...

You are correct about the specs, but the funny thing is that the most common recommendation for driving M80 (4 ohm) speakers is either an HK or a Denon. The HK really is much more capable than the specs would imply.

Anyways, like everyone else is saying any receiver in that range is going to do a great job. Just keep in mind that for 4 ohm loads Denon and HK tend to be recommended over Yamaha (admittedly based on anecdotal evidence).

As far as I know they're all fine with 6 ohms. I guess I would probably cast another vote for a Denon 2805, at least that's what I would get if I couldn't get my HK again.

Anyways, try 'em all out, poke at all the remotes, see which one you think looks best. They're all really good. Unfortunately the specs are all written to somewhat different standards so a spec-based comparison isn't going to do much for you. A feature-based comparison is still OK as long as you focus on the features you want. Denon (and probably Yamaha) have more options for A/B surround speakers, for example. HK on the other hand has their Logic7 matrix mode for stereo content which is still my favorite way to listen to 2 channel CDs.

Denon and Yamaha have a more elegant look -- HK is very modern with a cool blue LED in the volume control. What the heck, it all matters

I, too, post at av123, and can confirm that the person in question is one of the nicer, more reliable, fellows over there. Were I not in the position I'm currently in, I'd be jumping at that offer, with no qualms whatsoever about trusting the seller.