jdpatri

I've listened to them. I've studied them. I've read reviews on them...but I can't decide which receiver i should spend my hard earned money on. Personal recommendations from the DVDTalk peeps might help me out. So.. all you experts out there... which receiver would you buy? Feel free to offer other suggestions as well.

Yamaha RX-V795a for 460.00
Sony STR-333ES for 489.95
Sony STR-555ES for 625.95
Denon 1801 for 399.95
Denon 2800 for 525.00

Weigh in the "bang for buck" quotient and give me your opinion. I want to get a high middle of the road receiver to build my home theater around.

[This message has been edited by jdpatri (edited July 25, 2000).]

weargle

I would definitely look into the Marantz line of receivers (5000, 7000, 8000). You can go to http://www.marantzamerica.com to take a look if you want ...

These are within the "budget" that you alluded to above.

TOPGUN

I just bought a Yamaha 596 receiver. I was weighing between 596 and 795A and went for the 596 as this is new, same price, more power and moreover 795A has been discontinued. They both sell for $398 + tax or shipping (one of them not both) in NYC. Though you have to be here physically even to have it mailed to your home. They do not take phone orders. BTW, stores name is J & R.

jdpatri

Okay I'll refine the scope of my inquiry:

Yamaha RX-V995 or V596
Sony STR-555ES
Marantz 5000 or 7000. (how big of a difference is there between the 5000 and 7000?)
Denon 3300
Pioneer Elite VSX-26TX for $634.00

more input would be great... thanks guys.

[This message has been edited by jdpatri (edited July 25, 2000).]

tdamico

This is very subjective. I listened to all the Yamahas as well as the Denons you mention. I can't tell you why the Yamaha sounded better to my ear, but they did. Especially the Denon 3300. It was a great receiver, no question, but to me the Yamaha just sounded like it had more guts and I seemed to understand the dialog better. I actually purchased the 795, took it home, used it for several weeks but it just didn't blend in real well with the acoustics of my home. I took it back, and they happily gave me a full credit for a 995. Now I really loved this receiver, but again, after listening to many movies at HIGH volume, it just didn't have the bang I was looking for and it seemed to have in the store. So I took that back for a Yamaha 2095. A true love affair from the start and now, a year or so later, I still get the same thrill that I originally had. The video switching is great allowing me to run everything to my receiver and then one cable out to my TV. It can drive a sound that absolutly blows me away, but the real strength is that even at relativly low volume, I miss nothing in the sound track. It picks up everything.

jdpatri

I'd love the 2095 but that most likely will extend beyond my range of funds.

ECydeDave

I read that Yamahas are supposed to have less distortion or something, and a cleaner amp than most rteceivers. I have had no trouble with my Sony receivers in the past.

DVDolphin

I bought a Yamaha rx-v496 for 269.00 then returned it for the 596 for 359.00. It had the clearest , cleanest sound of any I tested. But it did make me realize I need new front speakers. What speakers do you other guys use with your yammies use up front?

gcribbs

i own the denon 3200 and i would buy the 3300 in a minute if i needed a new receiver.the sound is great and i enjoy the 5 channel stereo mode.listen to each with the speakers you will be using and then decide.receivers can sound better or worse depending upon what speakers they are paired with.


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my DVD's

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svadas

For that price, I'd probably get the Pioneer 26. The Denon 300 is great too, and the 5-channel stereo is a real nice feature. The Marantz unit may or may not go well with your speakers, this is even more laid back sound than the Denon and Pioneer, which are already pretty laid back. The Yamaha is very in your face bright, which might be a plus for action movies. Can you take them home and try em out before you buy?

jdpatri

Unfortunately, I can't take them home to try them out. I can just run it through comparable Mirage speakers and try to tell by a few minutes of listening. I liked the Denon more than the Yamaha for music but for Home Theater the two seemed comparable.

I have to go back to listen to the Pioneer Elite 26... but I like its features more than the Denon and Yamaha. We'll see... and for $620 the price seems so good. My original intent was to buy a cheaper receiver (about $3-400) to tide me over until i could afford the top of the line. I'm just not sure what to do...

notjafo

That does seem like a great price or the elite.

I have the Marantz 7000 and it is great, it has more inputs/outputs than the 5000 and a tad more power, plus a better remote. My first priority was to have a receiver that played music well, and the Marantz does that. While others may find this laid back, I call it neutral. I found the Yam to be rather bright.

casey225

I just ordered a Marantz sr-8000 today, which will hopefully be here by the weekend. I can let you know how I like it if you're still interested at that point. The salesperson told me that he had quite a few customers waiting of the sr-7000 which is supposed to be excellent also. Check out audioreview.com and see what customers say about the models you're interested in.

jdpatri

Any personal experience would be fantastic. The 8000 may be a bit out of my league though.

jdpatri

Here's the final list of possibilities:

Yamaha 795a ($429.95)
Yamaha 995 ($638)
Sony DA555ES ($624.95)
Denon 1801 ($399.95)
Pioneer Elite 26tx ($619.95)
Sony DB940 ($399.99)
Kenwood 407 ($240.00)
Onkyo 575 ($375.00)

I've got a pair of Mirage towers for my front speakers right now. Cast your votes considering price and quality. Thanks.

[This message has been edited by jdpatri (edited July 27, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by jdpatri (edited July 27, 2000).]

tdamico

Just a note. Ubid.com has several Yamaha 995's up for sale right now and it looks like you can pick one up for around $607.

DNMonty

Funny I didn't see you mention the Onkyo 575X. I just recently got one from onecall.com for $379 with $15 FedEx From WA to NY. Very happy with it. Actually played a CD and inched the volume while playing a CD all the way to max to see where it would start distorting and while deafening, I noticed the MAX indication shown on the display instead. Never started to distort @ all. Color me impressed!

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Sony 32" Trinitron
Onkyo TX-DS575x
Pioneer DV-525
JBL Music1 mains, Phase Technology 1C center, Advent Baby II surrounds, Infinity BU-120 sub

jdpatri

I kept the Onkyo off the list because of some poor reviews on audioreview.com. But your testimonial has inspired me to put it back on the list.

Would you say that it's a good music as well as home theater receiver?

DavidY

My pick would be either the Pioneer Elite 26TX or the Sony DB940. I really like the Sony DB series...so much so that I bought the Sony 777ES based strictly on a demo of a DB930. Also, I had demoed the 26TX. Good receiver, especially at the price you have quoted.

IMO, the main difference is the bass management features of the DB940. I believe that the 940 BM features are similar to the 777ES -- very tweakable. Others have noted that the DB series does not perform as well as for 2 channel music, but great for HT.

Good luck.


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Dave

My DVD collection: www.dvdtracker.com/~yeed

jdpatri

What kind of bass management features does the Sony DB-940 offer? I heard that somewhere else too.

I'm about to go to demo a few more on my list on my lunch hour. I'll post my impressions when I return.

jdpatri

Here are my impressions (not that anyone's still tracking my feeble attempt to satisfy my home theater need):

--all impressions are on Mirage loudspeakers--

Denon 1801-- too laid back... needed a bit more punch. The 3300 was nice... very nice. Not as sluggish as the 1801 and not as "in your face" as the Yammies.

Yamahas-- Like i said... very bright even with the Mirages.

Sony DB940, Sony 333ES-- Very similar. I felt they were sort of the middle ground between the Yamahas and the Denon 1801. I liked the sound from both of them a lot.

Sony 555ES- Niiiice. Nice sound and nice features.

Pioneer Elite 26-- it seemed like a little more laid back Sony. very full. higher end speakers would do this receiver a much greater justice that mine could do.

[This message has been edited by jdpatri (edited July 27, 2000).]

jdpatri

List has been narrowed to:

Sony DB-940
Sony STR-555ES
Pioneer Elite 26
Denon 3300

[This message has been edited by jdpatri (edited July 28, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by jdpatri (edited July 28, 2000).]

casey225

Got my Marantz SR8000 a few days ago--HOLY SH*T!!! It's totally awesome. When I initially hooked it up, I didn't have a digital cable yet and my "upgraded" Dolby Prologic was tremendously improved and was what I was expecting from DD. But when I hooked up the dig. cable--it blew me away. I can't believe how good it sounds, same goes for music as well. I would recommend you give the SR7000 a listen. If I'm not mistaken, I belive Sound & Vision or one of the other HT mags, rated the 7000 and 8000 the best receivers for the price a few months ago. I know there was a shortage for a while due to the high demand. If you haven't already bought, hope this helps you out!

Patman

I nominate the Sony DB940.


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PatCave ;HT Pix ;Pat's DVDs

jdpatri

I ended up going with the Sony DB940 for $400 from Soundcity. I didn't think i could really beat that kinda price. I did also love the Denon 3300 but it was more than i wanted to spend right now.

I still havent heard the Marantz.