Need a new AV Amp... quick !

Jase

Jase

Jase

Soldato
Joined
19 Oct 2002
Posts
5,193
Location
Pembrokeshire
Hi,

I've been looking for a new TV and ordered the New Panasonic V10 which I was due to get early June. Today I find out I can have it on saturday but I need a new amp to go with it.

I presently have a Denon AVR-3805 which I've been very pleased with, but it has no HDMI inputs/output.

I've looked in this months What Hi-Fi and a Pioneer SC-LX81 and a Sony STR-DA5400ES had really good reviews. They are priced at £1500 and seem to be in short supply.

Ideally I would have liked to pay about £1000 (or less) but would pay up to the above.

So my question, does anyone have the Pioneer SC-LX81 or Sony STR-DA5400ES and could give their opinions or please could someone recommend an alternative very good AV Amp in the lower bracket of say £600-£1000. I remember last year Onkyo were getting good reviews but I can't remember the models etc.

Any info appreciated as I'll have to order it tomorrow.

Jase
 
Yamaha RX-V1900, apparently very good, without some of the niggly issues of the RX-V1800 (no full rgb passthrough etc), and has come down now to about £900. RX-V3900 has more bits and pieces but is more expensive, otherwise you've got things like the Onkyo 9 series which are rated highly as are a few more if you look around. Ask or do some reading over at AVforums for a better response (some of the guys will own most of the equipment available at that price range...at once :o), unfortunately What Hi-Fi tends to be more 'Who's sponsored us most' rather than 'who's the best'.
 
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The rxv 1900 is excellent for the price but is unfortunately out of stock everywhere for at least two weeks. An alternative is the 3900 which has a few more features.
 
I too was looking at the Pioneer SC-LX81 but they're in such short supply (they're actually at EOL now) and at £1400 at least it's a lot of money to spend

I'd love to get a Pioneer to match my Kuro and BDP-51FD but I dont think they do one for less than £1000 that still has the same amount of HDMI inputs :confused:

I'm looking at the Yamaha DSP-AX863SE as a possible alternative, whathifi gave it their product of the year last year so could be a good choice ;)
 
I looked at the Yamaha RX-V1900 and decided it would be ideal, problem is they are not available anywhere :( I tried for the Pioneer and Sony also and again they are all out of stock.. I'm going to keep searching but it looks like I'll have to use my old amp for now with just audio feeds and the HDMI for the Blu-Ray, Sky+ etc going to the TV..

A local store has a Onkyo TX-R876 in stock but I'm not sure if it's a good model, priced at £799

Jase
 
Il throw in the 2nd hand card :p

Emotiva UMC-1 (not out yet and from the USA) for $599 (+ customs) then a 2nd hand 5/7 channel power amp like a rotel 1075.

Processor + power amp = winrar :D
 
Jase said:
I looked at the Yamaha RX-V1900 and decided it would be ideal, problem is they are not available anywhere :( I tried for the Pioneer and Sony also and again they are all out of stock.. I'm going to keep searching but it looks like I'll have to use my old amp for now with just audio feeds and the HDMI for the Blu-Ray, Sky+ etc going to the TV..

A local store has a Onkyo TX-R876 in stock but I'm not sure if it's a good model, priced at £799

Jase
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Just use what you have until you can get what you relly want, yes the switching will be a bit of a pain but no big deal really and you'll get the amp you really want in the end.
 
a1ex2001 said:
Just use what you have until you can get what you relly want, yes the switching will be a bit of a pain but no big deal really and you'll get the amp you really want in the end.
Click to expand...

I think that's what I'm going to do, and get the Pioneer.

Also at this late stage, I'm considering changing my mind on the TV, basically the Panasonic will be available for delivery on Saturday however the stand will not be and could be next week (which I'm disappointed by).

The TV I had originally planned to get was the Pioneer KRP-500A (or even the 600A) however changed my mind as Pioneer are stopping TV's and I am worried about service/repair should something go wrong over the next year or so.. that plus I can not buy a Pioneer locally :( I chose the Panasonic as the next best option but now I'm thinking the Pioneer could be better and if I should get it...

I have until tomorrow to make a final decision.
 
Jase said:
I think that's what I'm going to do, and get the Pioneer.

Also at this late stage, I'm considering changing my mind on the TV, basically the Panasonic will be available for delivery on Saturday however the stand will not be and could be next week (which I'm disappointed by).

The TV I had originally planned to get was the Pioneer KRP-500A (or even the 600A) however changed my mind as Pioneer are stopping TV's and I am worried about service/repair should something go wrong over the next year or so.. that plus I can not buy a Pioneer locally :( I chose the Panasonic as the next best option but now I'm thinking the Pioneer could be better and if I should get it...

I have until tomorrow to make a final decision.
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Stop acting like a woman and get the Pio.

You will have a 5yr warranty and they will have enough parts and sets to fix and or replace if needed.
 
Too late, the new Panasonic V10 is being delivered even earlier ie. tomorrow with the stand I wanted.

I've only just seen the TV as it's a new release and just come in stock. From what I've seen I think I'll be happy with it, the picture quality in THX mode on the blu-ray I watched was rather nice.

If a few weeks down the line I'm not happy, I'll just sell it but I really hope that's not the case.

Now back to the AMP problem.. really want one a.s.a.p. I'd be happy with the Yamaha if I can get one, but would like to see the Pioneer/Sony come in stock somewhere. I want a new toy to go with my new toy :)
 
Well the new Panasonic range is ment to be very good so you wont miss out on to much just the KURO black:p. As for amps I can recommend the Onkyo TX-NR906 cracking av receiver;).
 
My bad week just got worse... no TV !

As mentioned above I choose the Panasonic TV as I was a little worried about Pioneer warranty etc and I really wanted to buy from a local Panasonic Centre for peace of mind.

I ordered the TV with a stand that would hold my AMP, Blu-ray etc and it was bought as a package not having one without the other. I phoned this morning to make sure all was in stock and on schedule, yup be with you this afternoon. 6:30 this evening they come to deliver it, the guy gets out of the van with a stand, a small stand weighing about a pound looking at it. mmm what's that I asked, ohhh didn't they tell you your stand didn't arrive so they'll loan you this one until it does. The stand was designed for a 32" TV and wouldn't even hold my amp, I'd fit a DVD and Sky+ and that was it.. After the delivery guys saw the stuff to go on it they agreed nothing would fit. They phoned the boss who told them the stand might arrive Monday or Tuesday next week and I could stack my stuff on the floor until it did.. I wasn't happy, if they'd been honest and told me up front I would have probably waited, but to try and pass me off with some used junk and not fit for the purpose I wasn't happy (thinking after they did the same with my folks DVD player when they bought a new TV and had to wait for over 2 months) luckily I was paying for it on completion of setup so I refused to take delivery.. the boss didn't even want to speak to me when they phoned him.

So if that's local service, what's the point !!

I'm now looking to get a Pioneer (something I really wanted in the first place) but I got a lot of questions regarding reliability, warranty, model choice. Whether I should buy from a shop 60 miles away or risk mail order and save some money.

This basis I'm going to start a new thread shortly with all my questions :)
 
Jase said:
My bad week just got worse... no TV !

As mentioned above I choose the Panasonic TV as I was a little worried about Pioneer warranty etc and I really wanted to buy from a local Panasonic Centre for peace of mind.

I ordered the TV with a stand that would hold my AMP, Blu-ray etc and it was bought as a package not having one without the other. I phoned this morning to make sure all was in stock and on schedule, yup be with you this afternoon. 6:30 this evening they come to deliver it, the guy gets out of the van with a stand, a small stand weighing about a pound looking at it. mmm what's that I asked, ohhh didn't they tell you your stand didn't arrive so they'll loan you this one until it does. The stand was designed for a 32" TV and wouldn't even hold my amp, I'd fit a DVD and Sky+ and that was it.. After the delivery guys saw the stuff to go on it they agreed nothing would fit. They phoned the boss who told them the stand might arrive Monday or Tuesday next week and I could stack my stuff on the floor until it did.. I wasn't happy, if they'd been honest and told me up front I would have probably waited, but to try and pass me off with some used junk and not fit for the purpose I wasn't happy (thinking after they did the same with my folks DVD player when they bought a new TV and had to wait for over 2 months) luckily I was paying for it on completion of setup so I refused to take delivery.. the boss didn't even want to speak to me when they phoned him.

So if that's local service, what's the point !!

I'm now looking to get a Pioneer (something I really wanted in the first place) but I got a lot of questions regarding reliability, warranty, model choice. Whether I should buy from a shop 60 miles away or risk mail order and save some money.

This basis I'm going to start a new thread shortly with all my questions :)
Click to expand...

Thank god the man upstairs dropped you a hint lol. Pioneer have impeccable reliability just read over at AVForums what size screen you after? Buying online should save you a small fortune I was quoted £4200 with only a year warranty as standard for my tv on the high street and found it online for £3200, free delivery and 5yr warranty!
 
That's the way I was looking at it, really annoyed but a little relief maybe...

I have a 50" Panasonic at the moment which is 4 years old and starting to annoy me with lack of HDMI etc. Ideally I would have liked to upgraded size. The 50" new panasonic was the biggest available, the 58" isnt available until at least august and I can't wait that long. Also when I bought my original 50" there was a difference as you went up in size ie a 42" would have better contrast/blacks than a 50 and so on. Ideally I want bigger than 50" but didn't want to spend the big difference in money to be disappointed.

When looking for reviews of the Kuro, there are loads of reviews for the 50 giving it best TV ever but hardly any for the 60, so probably stupid but I was thinking the 60 may not be as good as the 50 and that was the reason.
 
so the 6090 or 600A then ?

What's the main difference and which is the best option. Is the picture quality and more important black as good as their 50" equivalents ? I've read the "pure" mode on the 500A is very nice.

Did you get the 6090 mail order ? how quick was delivery ? Was it easy to setup ?

If something went wrong what is the proceedure for repair ? assume it's with Pioneer direct ?
 
The PDP LX6090 is as far as I know identical to the KPR 600A, except the KPR 600A has the following ISF Calibrated out of the box "that will save you £250-300", separate media receiver and four HDMI inputs instead of three. I got my PDP LX6090 from www.futurehome.co.uk for £3200 in hindsight I wish I went with the KPR 600A for another £400 but I'm still very happy with my TV. don't forget you will have to buy stand and speakers separately and they are not cheap!
 
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Thanks again mate, can you give me some info on the warranty ? and my probably misguided thoughts re Blacks/contract between 50" and 60".

Also no idea what you mean by "the KPR 600A has the following ISF Calibrated out of the box "that will save you £250-300".


Cheers
 
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