Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Best receivers for under $500?

For my Axiom system I am looking at which receivers (that are under $500) that would be a solid addition to my setup. It will be a 5.1 system with no plans to upgrade to 6.1 or 7.1. I will be going with the M22-M2s as speakers. I tend to listen to music/movies at a moderate level, but occasionally like to play it somewhat loud. Is there anything to receivers being better or worse suited for the "brightness" of the M60/M22/M2s? Just wondering what would be a good fit for my setup. Thanks in advance.

I don't think there is much agreement on whether receivers have different sounds. Some people say "yes", other people say "well you must have had something else set differently" and the issues never really get resolved.

$500 should get you a decent receiver from any of the top brands -- Denon, HK, Yamaha, Marantz and probably a couple of others. There are some real bargains to be had with re-furbed Denon/HK's and with cleared out HK models (230, 330 etc..) being replaced with a very similar 235, 335... family.

If you believe in this "receiver brands have characteristic sound" thing get an HK or Marantz because they are supposed to be a bit warmer, but I wouldn't waste your time worrying about that. Get a good brand & model at a good price, avoid the real fly-by-night places, and enjoy. If you see what seems like a good deal you can check back here for 2nd opinions on pricing etc...

I would look hard at getting a good deal because $500 can get you something pretty darned nice right now (good features and good power) if you shop carefully. If you want to play loud with small speakers you'll need a bit of power, even with a sub.

Remember that HK power ratings are pretty conservative; anecdotal evidence is that an HK at a good price has the same effective power as a Denon (for example) in the same price range.

The Pioneer 1014 is probably the wild card. Some see it as a great receiver at a bargain price, others don't like it. I haven't heard it so can't comment.

Let the flaming begin. Coffee isn't working this morning so apologies to all if I missed your pet receiver

macmall.com has an Onkyo 702 refurb right now for $449. this is the new line of Onkyo's, and my 701 is fantastic. and dont let the refurb bother you. these are re-conditioned units that had some sort of problem, was sent back to the factory, then the problem is fixed, and they put them back on the market for quick sale. my 701 was a refurb, and i have had no problems with it what-so-ever. the refurbs still come with a same warrenty as the new ones, and plenty of people on this board have bought them.

if you arent interested in the onkyos, there are plenty of other great deals on macmall.com. go check them out!

bigjohn

I'd recommend, the Denon 884 (which I have and love), 1804, 2803, 2105. I believe all can be found refurb for $500 or less. The 2803 and 2105 have preouts. That would be the deal setter for me...

bigjohn,
That is obviously a great deal however they will not ship Onkyo products to Canada. I tried ecost.com and they denied my order. I'll just have to wait for some new Denon refurbished stock at ecost. I just missed out a Denon AVR-885 (2105)!
Shaun

Sorry for the newbie question, but what is a preout?

It allows you to connect an amp (for mo power) later if you wish.
My vote is for one of the H/Ks mentioned above. You can practically steal one at comp usa right now. If I remember right I saw a H/K AVR230
for $249.00. Thats a great deal!!
And I own a Denon.

So even though the HK 230 only has 50/watts per channel, it will have ample power for my setup?

Its been said that H/K under-rates the power of their recievers. (Alan has stated this)
I'm not sure how big your room is, but if you went with the 22s, I'm betting it will be plenty of power.
I originally had a H/K 130 in my LARGE room and thought it sounded great pushing the M22s and the M60s. I only upgraded to the Denon 2805 because it was suggested that I needed more power for my room.
And I had the upgrade bug BAD.

How big is your room? Mine is 15'x15'x17' and with the M22s.

19x25x15

i have hooked up the H/K 130, to some discontinued bookshelf Axiom M1ti's, and they were absolutely screaming. the HK had plenty of punch, with a great feature grouping.

honestly, i think any of the mentioned brands(Onkyo, Yamaha, Denon, HK, Pioneer Elite), will ALL be very respectible and comparible at the $500 range.. just my opinion.

bigjohn

Do I need to find one that specifically lists 5.1 as being supported or does that go without saying? Meaning, will a 7.1 or 6.1 channel receiver work fine with just a 5.1 setup?

If it lists 6.1 and 7.1 it will have 5.1.

If it is a 7.1 or a 6.1 and you use only the 5.1 does that further increase the wattage to the 5.1 speakers?

I'm not sure about that one, but it should tell you in the manual.
If you want to look at a manual before you buy, go to which ever manufacturer (online) youve picked and you should be able to download a manual for any given reciever.

I just picked up the Yamaha RX-V1500 for 519 from the internet. This amp retails at 899.99

I am running m80s, qs8s, vp150, ep500 and it sounds great. I dont know what the general rule of running Axiom with Yamaha amps. I have not heard axiom with any other brands so I have nothing to compare it to.

NO.. it will have a set standard wattage per channel.. be it 80, 90, 100, etc. so, there will be no increase of wattage to the channels in a 5.1 set-up, if you are using a 7.1 receiver.

although, and i am sure this will start a small controversary, it is debatable that the more channels driven, the greater the decrease in the wattage stability per channel. in other words, the HARDER you drive the receiver(volume), the harder it is for the receiver to send a strong wattage signal to the speakers.

bigjohn

Trouble maker!!!

Check out harmanaudio.com for the H/K AVR 430-Z (7.1 Home Theater Receiver - 7 X 65 watts per channel) for $498, perfectly within your budget. It's reconditioned, but it gets the same 2-year warranty as the "new" stuff. I've had a H/K AVR 520-Z for 3 years and had one repair under warranty -- lost one surround channel, they found it. Sounds great with my M22's -- just right, not harsh, shrill, or anything like that. One thing I will suggest, at the risk of getting pounded in this forum: get a good (that DOESN'T mean expensive) digital coax cable for the connection between your DVD player and the receiver (bettercables.com makes a good one). It makes a huge difference. Disagree if you like (the esspression of unpopular ideas is guaranteed after all, isn't it?), but I know what my ears have told me.

TWO trouble makers!!

denon AVR485S whats the deal with this reciever does anyone have info.

Are you in Canada or the US ? That makes a difference re: how far $500 goes. HK receivers tend to be overpriced in Canada unless you look for the sales at FutureShop.

Jake, of course the manual and comparative chart are on the Denon site. It's their least expensive model and is available for a little over $200.

thanks john i checked that out a few mihutes ago on a another thread you posted on very helpful. but on i think it was ecost or some other denon authorized site it said 110watts a channel for the 485s thats why i was curious but after looking at your link i see that it is only 75watts. bummer

J&R will ship Onkyo to Canada. The 702 refurb is $399 there.

onkyo