Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Denon vs HK

The Numbers are real close to another, therefore I did not seem it necessary to talk about the price.
The input is really helpful.
Please do not hesitate to add to the thread.
Thanks to ALL so far.

Also, I assume the build quality/guts on the 7300 would be ahead of the 3805 also, not to say the Denon is crap, its not, just in a different league...basically it is like comparing apples to oranges

Onkyo's are pretty good too. just had to throw that in there.

but, i dont think onkyo even makes a receiver in the same class as the H/K 7300. not sure about that, and if they did, it would be out of my price range anyway.

bigjohn

Denon: 37.5 lbs, unit weight

Harman Kardon: 55 lbs, unit weight

Pretty obvious to me which puts out more power. Never believe power ratings, they're either conservative or too high(in HK's case, conservative, in Denon's case, too high).

Of course, the HK costs a lot more money.

Weight is a big factor. Even if it's expensive, it can still have a wimpy amp in it. The Yamaha 2500 didn't fare too well at 4 ohms(see here), and it's a pound less than the denon.

I recommend buying refurbished: you get lots more power per dollar. harmanaudio.com has lots of HK refurbs. Also, spearitsound.com has lots of NAD refurbs. NAD rates power conservatively, has lots of dynamic headroom, and for a similar price to the Denon(refurbished), the T773 is 20 lbs heavier. Probably puts out the same as the HK except for a lot less, so it seems like the logical choice excluding features. I'd go with the HK if you only had those two to choose from just because of the more honest power rating.

I haven’t looked that closely at the Denons. I personally think they are overpriced for what you get. Their DVD players however, seem to be leading the charge on technology and consistently score better than the rest of the pack. I can not give you any more feedback than that on their receivers.

As far as the 7300 goes, It was not out when I bought the 7200, so I don’t really know what it has that the 7200 doesn’t. I’m afraid to look because I may feel the “need” to upgrade. But I do like my 7200 though. The bass management functions in particular. And it has more than enough power to drive the M80’s, all day long, at any volume level. I had no burning desire to swap it out for the Rotels, but simply needed to set up a separate stereo system with the M80s, plus a future HT system. The 7200 will be the receiver for the HT - eventually.

If money is an issue, then you would be doing yourself a favor by looking at the HK 635. There are several folks here who have it and praise it. It’s probably less than the 3805 too. You can buy HK on line from several places and still get the full manufactures warrantee. With Denon, your purchasing options are limited.

If money isn’t that big an issue, you might want to look into NAD and Rotel. They are both about in line with the 7300, and comparatively priced (if you don’t go with separates anyway). HK, NAD and Rotel have very conservative power ratings. They don’t play any of the numbers games to increase sales. Their amps put out tremendous amounts of current. When looking around, just take a peak at the weights, and you will see for yourself.

Regards……….mike

You beat me to it Thasp.

I bought my HK from One Call. They usually have pretty good prices on HK’s. they have the 7300 for a little over $1300 right now. Here’s a link you can cut and paste. http://ww3.onecall.com/About_00001000_17_0_0_18_0_0.htm

I own the HK 635 and love it. Both Onecall and J&R World (both authorized dealers) usually have it for $720-750.

I would love to own the 7300 but I haven't cached in that lottery ticket yet.

LINK

bigjohn

Having gone from a Denon 3805 to a HK630, I would take the HK7300 everyday, all day, any time, anywhere!

The Denon is a great unit but it's not the 7300. I would also look at the new Onkyo 1000. It's in the same league and maybe even higher then the HK 7300.

The 3 units mentioned are all excellent choices. If you opt for the HK, they have their own online store where they offer factory remanufactured equipment at substantial savings. They have the 635 listed now, as well as the 7200 and 8000.