Help deciding on a new AV receiver

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drgshah

18 posts

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# 228913 30-Jan-2018 00:21

Hi guys,

Have been using a LG HTIB (BH 9540TW) for a while, now time to upgrade.

Have been looking at AV Receivers for the last few months, on and off and haven't been able to pick one.

Already have wharfdale 5.1 speakers setup up in my new rental home, need a Receiver to complement them (will buy my own speakers later when i move out of this place).

So i am now looking for a good receiver for under or around the $2000 mark with whatever bells and whistles that are now considered standard in mid range AV receivers.

I am not an audiophile but enjoy my movies and games :) Have a non 4k TV at present but will upgrade that soon too.

any suggestions?

I am currently looking at Yamaha A1070, RX V683 and denon x3400, however open to any other suggestions or better options.

Thank you.

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# 1948387 30-Jan-2018 07:19

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Why do you feel you need to upgrade? What is it not doing that you need?

SumnerBoy

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# 1948403 30-Jan-2018 08:39

For 2K you should be able to get the Yamaha AVR1070 (list price is around 2400 I think). Pretty powerful amp with all the latest bells and whistles, including built-in MusicCast which is Yamaha whole-home streaming system. Pretty good tech by the looks of it.

Suckerpunch

117 posts

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# 1948406 30-Jan-2018 08:48

I'm happy with my Sony DN1070.

All it's predecessors won awards on What Hi Fi
https://www.whathifi.com/news/what-hi-fi-awards-2017-all-winners-revealed

sen8or

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# 1948429 30-Jan-2018 09:46

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Ive just ordered the Marantz 6012, finally upgrading my Denon AVR3805

Specs wise, it seems to sit in between the Denon 3400 & 4400 -

It has 9 internal amplifiers like the 4400 which allows for 5.2.4 or 7.2.2 atmos configs (or 7.2.4 with an additional 2ch amp), although isn't quite as powerful as the 4400 (110w @ 2ch driven vs 125w @ 2ch driven into 8ohm speakers)

It has Heos built in along with all the surround modes and internet connectivity you would expect.

Pricespy has it around $2k

Dratsab

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# 1948493 30-Jan-2018 10:10

Suckerpunch: I'm happy with my Sony DN1070.

All it's predecessors won awards on What Hi Fi
https://www.whathifi.com/news/what-hi-fi-awards-2017-all-winners-revealed

Amazingly good receiver for its price point. I also have an STR-DN1070, has all the features I want and more. Very happy with the sound it puts out - mines paired with KEF speakers.

grolschie

648 posts

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# 1948499 30-Jan-2018 10:20

Suckerpunch:
I'm happy with my Sony DN1070.

All it's predecessors won awards on What Hi Fi
https://www.whathifi.com/news/what-hi-fi-awards-2017-all-winners-revealed

I just upgraded to a Sony STR-DN1080. It's pretty decent so far (except for HDMI ARC - although I haven't tested that feature with the most recent firmware update).

https://www.whathifi.com/sony/str-dn1080/review

https://www.soundandvision.com/content/sony-str-dn1080-av-receiver-review

rscole86

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# 1948508 30-Jan-2018 10:26

Another +1 for the Sony, tho I bought the STR-DN1080, during the boxing day sales for $700. What hifi link. I am not audiophile by any means, but it is a nice upgrade from the Yamaha htib I use to have, tho I am still using those speakers until I can afford better ones.

josephhinvest

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# 1948518 30-Jan-2018 10:39

Another +1 for Sony, I have a STR-DN840, going on nearly 4 years old. I've been very happy with it.

grolschie

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# 1948521 30-Jan-2018 10:40

Same. $694 was too good to pass up. I have paired it with Acoustic Energy Neo 3 fronts and centre, and recently purchased Polk T15 rears. It makes my Onkyo HTiB sub actually sound good.

drgshah

18 posts

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# 1948527 30-Jan-2018 10:52

timmmay:

Why do you feel you need to upgrade? What is it not doing that you need?

Reason to upgrade is not because I am not happy with the HTIB, its beacuse the base unit or the bluray player throw a fit every now and then. Was happy with it otherwise overall. But when I got the HTIB, I didnt really know that the receiver and separate speakers were an option. My understanding was that they are for the very rich or professional people :)

Havent really looked at Sony as an option so far. Was concentrating on the yamaha and denon and onkyo ones only.

Didn't even know about the whatshifi website. Thanks for the valuable input.

afe66

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# 1948528 30-Jan-2018 10:53

I love by demon x3000, was great upgrade from my 20 year old sony pro logic (!) and.

Contemplating replacing with x3400 because looking at 4k ole and got some overtime cash to splash out on and want the updated HDMI ports for full 4k goodness.

Dingbatt

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# 1948599 30-Jan-2018 13:05

I have had multiple Onkyo receivers. Great for features, not always so great for build quality/reliability. That is unless you go up their food chain to the ones above their consumer models.

Areas of Geek interest: Home Theatre, HTPC, Android Tablets & Phones, iProducts.

Dunnersfella

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# 1948615 30-Jan-2018 13:47

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Well it looks like this thread will only make your life harder...

Pros and cons of different brands can be found elsewhere on this site + on other audio visual dedicated sites (avsforum.com etc).

In NZ many buy on price as there's no easy way to A+B an AVR due to the room correction / number of speakers involved.

Basic guideline: - I've listed who sells them so you can hopefully get a demo... re: 'guarantees', obviously the CGA applies, but I see it as a good indication re: how you'll be looked after if an 'Onkyo cluster' occurs again.

Sony - used to be great (back in the day of their ES kit) with a bit of a resurgence lately - but as it's only in one chain store (JB HiFi) you most likely won't be able to get a decent demo of its GUI or sound quality. Recently abandoned their built-in multi-room product much to the disappointment of many people - kind of like 'Sony in the old days'. 12 month guarantee?

Denon - high end models made in Japan, lower end made in the Sherwood factory in Vietnam. Basically the baby sister of Marantz, imported by the same company in NZ. Heos is built-in, Sonos are currently successfully suing them over copying their IP... so how much longer it will be built in for? Who knows. Retailed at specialists / electrical wholesalers only as it has been dropped by the chain stores (or they dropped the chain stores - who knows?). Some people love Audyssey, others do not. Control app is a little flakey, but the remote is nice enough. 1 + 1 year guarantee (send them your details so they can spam you type of deal)

Marantz - See above... but you pay a little more for a model that is a little up-speced over the Denon equivalent. Some people love the porthole casework, others think it means you can't see enough info up front.1 + 1 year guarantee (send them your details so they can spam you type of deal)

Pioneer - Now owned by Onkyo and almost identical. Sold through some chain stores but not many specialists. The LX series used to be powerhouses, but now the LX301 has bastardized the LX name somewhat. At the lower level they're kinda 'meh' but the better Class D units have some good grunt. Not like you'll need it with your speakers though. Interestingly enough they use Play-Fi / FlareConnect (worst name ever?) and GoogleCast, meaning loooaads of connectivity, or looooaaads of firmware updates to do. Some updates are a pain though as they require 2 x USB downloads to be performed in order. 2 year guarantee.

Onkyo - See above... but with slightly less respected room correction on-board. Used to be smashed out by the previous distributor, but now it has changed hands you can get it through the likes of PB Tech etc. Not many specialists... if any, so home trials may not be a thing? Previous bad reputation for failing (see the massive extended warranty programme to avoid class action lawsuits on the AVSForum website) is getting better, there's some guesswork here... but it could be due to them adopting the Pioneer HDMI switching etc. Known for running very warm - make sure you have ventilation. Not sure of guarantee under new supplier?

Yamaha - Known to be reliable, sold in HN's and specialists so you should be able to find a few demos / get something to at least try out. MusicCast is built in, works very well and has the largest range of compatible products going... soundbars to clock radios etc. Good sounding, logical, remote isn't simple but there's two apps that work very well. The 4 digit amps (RXA'1070' etc) are where Yamaha really excel for my money.

Aventage has a 4 year guarantee, RXV has a 2 year guarantee.

I'd summarise by saying: If you buy an AVR without getting driving instructions / playing with the remote / GUI / app, then be prepared for some frustration... go into a retailer or get a loan unit sent to you, then you'll KNOW what it's like to live with.

surfisup1000

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# 1950770 2-Feb-2018 15:37

Dingbatt: I have had multiple Onkyo receivers. Great for features, not always so great for build quality/reliability. That is unless you go up their food chain to the ones above their consumer models.

I've bought 3 onkyo's over the years, 2 have failed and had hdmi board repairs etc.

The 606/609/636 models I think. The 609 just started to have hdmi in failure and random speaker static noise even with no sources playing.

So, my current in-use receivers are an onkyo 636, Sony str-dn1080, and denon avr-x3300.... it should only be a matter of time before the 636 fails I would think.

My experience is anecdotal, but I wouldn't get another onkyo even if it were free. I think they must use el-cheapo components.

ilovemusic

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# 1950870 2-Feb-2018 19:04

sen8or:

Ive just ordered the Marantz 6012, finally upgrading my Denon AVR3805

Specs wise, it seems to sit in between the Denon 3400 & 4400 -

It has 9 internal amplifiers like the 4400 which allows for 5.2.4 or 7.2.2 atmos configs (or 7.2.4 with an additional 2ch amp), although isn't quite as powerful as the 4400 (110w @ 2ch driven vs 125w @ 2ch driven into 8ohm speakers)

It has Heos built in along with all the surround modes and internet connectivity you would expect.

Pricespy has it around $2k

fine choice !

i listened to one and found it well worth the money.

av world were cheapest at $1999 but my local harveys price matched.

around xmas av world had it on special x2 at ~$1850 after i bought mine.

i would have bought from av world but they have a no return policy.

gotta try at home first !

it sounds pretty good, though not as good as my old rotel.

there plenty of features - useful and useless.

audyssey falls into the later !

setup via onscreen menus was fairly straight forward, there's no full printed manual only a truncated user guide, donwload the full manual online.

build is a bit lightweight and the display port on the unit is largely ornamental.

overall a good enough unit.

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