keith71

I listen to cds more than watching dvds,so
can someone recommend the best DD receiver
for 2 channel stereo listening? Something in
the 4 to 5 hundred price range. Oh,and the
music I listen to is mostly alternative,stuff
like U2,Nirvana,the Pixies,Pavement,Guided by
Voices,etc. I'm looking for a good receiver
that not only makes dvds sound great,but also
can give cds a very warm,natural,and full sound.

speedzon21

keith71

I've listened to 'em all over the past several weeks and am most impressed with the Marantz line (The SR-5000 would fit your price range, though the sr-7000 is a significant upgrade if you can afford it). IMO It provides the most well-rounded musical sound of all brands. Do a search for "Marantz" to find other opinions.

matchpenalty

If you can find one... Marantz or Denon...

p.s. I have and prefer Marantz

[This message has been edited by xcheckers (edited August 16, 2000).]

keith71

Actually,I've read many very positive reviews
of Marantz receivers. Some people have complained,though,that the sound is a little
too bright.Most people have complained,also,
that the typical Marantz user manual is just
about worthless. I will look into this company more.
What about other companies,like Sony,Yamaha,Jvc,and Pioneer? Can anyone recommend any DD receivers from these big companies that play great cd sound?
Finally,can someone recommend a good on-line
electronics dealer? My local Best Buy and Circuit City stores have a pretty poor selection of receivers,dvd players,etc.

daledude

Two more receivers to look into are Harmon Kardon and Onkyo. Both sound excellent on stereo, but I would give the nod to H/K as one of the best sounding receivers overall.

I know that the preamp section of certain Marantz and Harmon Kardon speakers use to be identical, but the amp sections were diffrent. Check out reviews at www.audioreview.com for ideas.

matchpenalty

Keith,

For marantz, online is not a really viable option FYI. Negotiating with a local dealer is the way to go. They usually deal with smaller hi-end shops.

I have seen some denon refurbs occasionally on Ubid.

DigIt

Yamaha is fairly "bright", so it's probably not for you.

d-rell

For stereo music, I would also recommend Harmon Kardon. Very very crisp clean music. Not to shabby for DD movies either.

------------------
"...that gum you like is going to come back in style"

exm

I have some experience with high-end receivers:
- Yamaha, Onkyo and Denon: great for music, but poor for music (sounds 'digital'/flat)
- Marantz: EX-CELLENT!
- Sony: only the ES-line but I'm still not a fan of them
- Kenwood: good stuff, mainly for popular music
- Harman Kardon: no experience with HK but I do have experience with one of their 'sister companies' Lexicon. Judging their performance and the fact that HK uses some of Lexicon's techniques I can recommend HK also

Forget the other ones (JVC, Pioneer, etc.).

weargle

I went from a Harman Kardon AVR20II to a Marantz SR880 MkII and there is a change towards more brightness. I adjusted the bass and treble controls on the Marantz to provide a slightly more warm style like I prefer, and have been very pleased. The increase in overall wattage (40 Watts per channel to 110 WPC) will make it sound more unforgiving and has brought out the limitations in my speakers that weren't there earlier.

Thus begins the cycle of continual upgrades -- am currently looking at the NHT line.