Your pick of AV receivers?

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Your pick of AV receivers?

1 | 2

Deev8

481 posts

Ultimate Geek

#790264 1-Apr-2013 18:32

joker97: just to clarify to you: amp is actually useless - it doesnt generate ANY sound. what you hear is 100% speakers - so i suggest get the cheapest amp you can afford and save money for good speakers

A number of people would consider that there is a flaw in that logic.

The most that any component in a sound system can do is efficiently deal with the input it is given without loss of any audio detail, it certainly can't add anything that isn't already there. Speakers are the last link in the chain, and they can only play the sound that is presented to them by the amplifier. Matching excellent speakers with a very modest amplifier will often just highlight the poorer quality of the amplifier.

Wise

Send money globally for less with Wise - one free transfer up to NZ$900 (affiliate link).

Batman

Mad Scientist
29717 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#790288 1-Apr-2013 20:22

i don't have time to write so much

the OP has a budget of 2-3k and wants to buy an amp

the best way to highlight the situation to the OP is that buy a decent amp but don't forget the speakers

for this budget in no way will the amp be a limiting factor as long as they buy the correct amp

for this cost of amp if you have rubbish speakers you might as well use an iphone

i'm not a good politician

Batman

Mad Scientist
29717 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#790299 1-Apr-2013 20:29

of course if you have endless amount of money buy the best of everything and use 24carat gold wires one inch diameter, absolutely no compromise

but if not, spend 60-70% of cash on speakers and the rest on amp, interconnects etc ... under about 10grand setup, you really mainly listen to the speakers

ilovemusic

1431 posts

Uber Geek

#790480 2-Apr-2013 09:49

berman002: yo, i am thinking around 2-3k.

for 3k you won't find a better sounding avr than the rotel rsx-1550

http://www.paulmoney.co.nz/shop/amplifiersreceiversprocessors/av-receivers/rotel-rsx1550home-theatre-ampl/

it has none of the bells and whistles of your pioneers, denons et al.

all it does is sound good, looks goood too.

Batman

Mad Scientist
29717 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#790485 2-Apr-2013 09:58

You should then spend 6-7k on a set of speakers unless they are already up to scratch to bring out the awesomeness of the rotel engineering wiring power delivery ... Not to mention I hope u are watching hd sound ie uncompressed sound from certain blurays and no mp3s

Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#790521 2-Apr-2013 10:52

This thread is making my head hurt...
There's next to no way you can make a decision on a new AVR by reading about them. Sure you can spot some trends in potential software / hardware issues... but the emphasis on your decision should come from listening / hands on.
First up, know your speakers, and know them well. Where do they excel, what are their weaknesses (sonically). Amps can add to / take away from areas of your speakers performance, so you know what traits to listen for.
When you demo the units, make sure you find the GUI easy to navigate, that the system can be tweaked (speaker levels individually adjusted etc) and that the remote is well laid out. Ensure the connectivity / multi-zone capability etc is what you want...
And then listen!

ilovemusic

1431 posts

Uber Geek

#790541 2-Apr-2013 11:19

joker97: You should then spend 6-7k on a set of speakers unless they are already up to scratch to bring out the awesomeness of the rotel engineering wiring power delivery ... Not to mention I hope u are watching hd sound ie uncompressed sound from certain blurays and no mp3s

nothing wrong with lossless compressed audio codecs like dolby true-hd or dts master audio

WyleECoyoteNZ

1048 posts

Uber Geek

#792262 3-Apr-2013 12:35

I've got a Onkyo TX-NR609 (now the TX-NR616) driving a 5.1 Mission Setup, M35's at the front, M31's at the rear\surround and a M3C1 centre with MS10 sub.

I've got no complaints around the Onkyo Receiver, I had a Marantz Sr5400 before the onkyo, and I don't find the onkyo to overly bass heavy.

TechSol

298 posts

Ultimate Geek

Technical Solutions Aust

#792316 3-Apr-2013 13:27

I have an Onkyo TX-NR1010.... and I am absolutely loving it... Audessey XT32 is amazing

callumb

83 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

Devoli

#792469 3-Apr-2013 15:43

I have a Denon AVR-3313 and couldn't be happier - sounds great with my Polk A9's :)

berman002

44 posts

Geek

#793092 4-Apr-2013 12:22

callumb: I have a Denon AVR-3313 and couldn't be happier - sounds great with my Polk A9's :)

Polk speaker? you get it from USA? or in NZ?
NZ is way over price......in USA is cheap....

Beccara

1469 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#793274 4-Apr-2013 15:19

I picked up a pair of Polk Ti300 for $800 in NZ. Best I could find them online was $250 USD but shipping was going to push the price up ALOT

Most problems are the result of previous solutions...

All comment's I make are my own personal opinion and do not in any way, shape or form reflect the views of current or former employers unless specifically stated

sultanoswing

814 posts

Ultimate Geek

#800448 16-Apr-2013 20:12

Don't forget second-hand.

You can get a lot of sound for the money as people upgrade their old gear. Of course that always comes with some small risk of a lemon, but I can't complain about the Yammy DSP-A1 I picked up for a few hundred bucks a couple of years back. Sure it doesn't have the latest HDMI bells and whistles, but it does have very, very nice sound and immaculate build quality.

1 | 2