Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners I may need a new receiver, after all

I recently discovered that my 21 year old son would like to have my Yammy. He's never been enthralled with his rxv-495 and likes my 5280 better. So, I might just have to do some receiver shopping. I know most here would push the HK or the Denon brands. But, I'm looking for other suggestions. I'm looking at spending about $500. I'm thinking I might like a warmer sounding amp if such a beast exists.

i just got the ONKYO 701 for $439 from MACMALL.COM. it is a refurb/bstock, but it comes with 90 day warranty from the website, and full 1 year warranty from ONKYO.. and the website is an authorized dealer, so no worries there. i wish i could tell you how it sounds, but my speakers arent here yet.. but, i will tell you that it pushes 100wt/ch, has tons of inputs/outputs, and has the THX decoding.. it normally sells for $650-$750 depending on where you look. it is comparible with the denon 3803 and the HK 600 series. all ONKYO owners love em', and i have not heard one bad review or comment.. if i were you, i would go check out its specs, and see if it fits your needs. as far as the sound..... give me 6 weeks til my AXIOMS get here..

BTW- if mine is refurb/bstock, you wouldnt know it.. i cant find a scratch one on it..

bigjohn

Hi littleb

I'd go with the Panasonic SAHE 200. You can get them for about $300. They are giant killers. If you're adventurous, I'd go with the Panasonic SAXR50 (coming out in a few weeks), a 100 watt per channel pure digital receiver. The current SAXR45 is getting raves for music reproduction. The digital Pannies can also be had for about $300. I've compared the Panasonics to Sony, HK and Sherwood, and think they're incredible values. I thought the SAHE200 was pretty much as good as the Onkyo 797 which I personally prefer to the 701. JMO.

I think it was top rated at CR also

The Denon 1804 would be in your wheelhouse.

Ray3,

I noticed before that you own the denon avr-3803. In your opinion are they a warmer sounding amp than Yamaha? I found out tonight that jandr is going to be selling this model refurbed for $499.95. However, I don't believe they are an authorized dealer for denon.

Bruce, this whole warmer / brighter thing is difficult to discern. Speakers, room dynamics, ear canal diameter, wife's height - there's so many variables. I'm a firm believer that the speaker mechanics have more to do with the the audio than anything else. But the debates rage on. To my ears, the 3803 is a goldilocks receiver - just right.

Frankly, when you take a Denon, Yammy or HK and put the receivers with the same feature sets side by side, I would not want my life to depend on the decision of which was warmer , laid back or brighter. 10 people will provide 11 opinions. Once you zero in on the feature set and $$ you want to pay and pick one of the 3 above it will be difficult to be disappointed.

I originally had the Denon 1803 and moved up to the 3803 a year later. Prior to the 1803 purchase, I listened to H/K, Yammy and Onkyo. Enough different stores involved wtih enough different speakers to get my eyes to roll back in my head. They all sounded relatively similar to me. Knowing there iare bass and treble adjustments, I didn't agonize over my choice of the 1803. That choice bolied down to 1) it sounded good to me, 2) my research indicated that Denon provided an extremely solid/reliable product and their Customer Care was very good and 3) the feature set/price combo was attractive on a relative basis. I loved the 1803.

I moved up to the 3803 because 1) I got a killer deal on it, 2) I wanted a nit that could act as a pre/pro in the event I ever got the urge for added amplifiers, 3) a bit more power, 4) excellent Pure Direct stereo circuitry, 5) increase in the bragging rights quotient, 6) the only unit at this price level that does video upconversion ( that may have changed) and 6) assorted other bells and whistles in the unit. However, had I not dealt with #1 as well as I did, you would be asking how I like my 1803.

I realize this is a long non-answer, but it is a difficult question. What I would offer is the following. First, Denon makes an excellent product and the 3803 is pretty much issue free and tested by time. Second, the feature set is excellent if you are a guy that likes that stuff. Third - it just provides wonderful performance and rich sound; I have absolutely no regrets and recommend this unit without reservations. Finally, with everything in mind that I have written, if you can get this thing for $500, you should knock down old ladies standing in line in front of you to get at it.

You might check the Denon website, but I believe you are correct that jandr is not an authorized Denon dealer. Still, jandr has a good reputation and for $30-$40 you could likely get a warranty of some type. I would try to understand why they have it available though. If you can get past that issue, I can promise you (as you did for me when I was close to my speaker decision) that you will not be disappointed with this unit. At $500, it is a no-brainer. Hope this is helpful.

Man Ray...now you have me wanting to jump on that $500 3803 deal. I've been eyeing that Denon for a while and planning to put off any such purchase until later in the year. But for that price it's hard to say no. And to hear you sing its praises makes it harder yet to resist. It does bring up a question about why J&R has those refurbs on clearance. And when they will arrive also...as it is a pre-order. Maybe I should call them tomorrow and see what the deal is...

Just checked, J&R is not an authorized Denon retailer.

In reply to:

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To my ears, the 3803 is a goldilocks receiver - just right.

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Wouldn't that make it a baby bear receiver? After all Goldilocks preferred Baby Bear's chair, porridge, and bed. They were just right.

Though I suppose credit should be given to Papa Bear for the chair and bed, and Mama Bear for the porridge. If you think that's too sexist, then maybe Mama is to thank for the bed and chair and Papa for the porridge....