AV Receiver - 1k - Which One?

ChrisGTL

ChrisGTL

ChrisGTL

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Dilema dilema....

Time to spend money, but i'm in this awkward position of not knowing what to get...

I've budget myself 1k.

This is my first serious AV receiver and I want to make sure I can build the rest of my system around this box. So far I have Monitor Audio BX2 bookshelves on stands, Onkyo Sub and Onkyo centre/surrounds (5.1).

The aim is to get a nice AV receiver with pre-outs so I can later add a dedicated amp just for 2-channel music listening. I want to eventually move my BX2's to the surrounds and get some floorstanders for the fronts. Rel sub and a decent centre.

However I'm struggling to distinguish between the Onkyo's, Yamaha, Denon, Marantz and Pioneers...

I set myself on getting the Denon 3312, but then a post I read made me sit up - a question was asked about the Denon 3312's weight, its a lot lighter than the equivalent Onkyo - why is this? How can a AV receiver of very similar spec's weigh so much less?

So my requirements are:

Good sounding for music (I know an AV will not produce the clarity of a 2-ch amp but I want it to be the best sounding for my money)

Wireless/Ethernet connectivity

Online Radio would be nice as I miss my .977 80's channel

Pre-Outs

Around 100-120w per channel

Black (a must)

Pass-through mode would be good

Multi-Eq or equivalant dynamic sound setup

Ability to play FLAC via USB stick


The only thing with the Marantz is they look dog ugly - not sure if I could cope with that tiny circular display.

I've currently got a budget Onkyo AV, its cracking for movies but music is such a let down. I've been told the Denon will produce better sound but I have no hard facts to back this up. Yamaha have been producing equipment for yonks so I'm sure they know what they are doing but I've never owned anything Yamaha. Then there is the Pioneers. Maybe any others I should be looking at?

Cheers...
 
You'll get as many different answers as there are £1K receivers. Pioneers have perhaps the most sophisticated room correction software, but whether the core receiver sounds as good as say a Denon or Onkyo is a very subjective matter. What are your local dealers stocking?
 
lucid said:
You'll get as many different answers as there are £1K receivers. Pioneers have perhaps the most sophisticated room correction software, but whether the core receiver sounds as good as say a Denon or Onkyo is a very subjective matter. What are your local dealers stocking?
Click to expand...

My local dealers are superfi and richer sounds but I was going to buy online.

Are we saying all the different makers of AV's models will sound very very similar at the same price range?
 
No. I'm saying they'll all sound good but just like icecream there'll be a flavour you prefer. When investing that kind of money I think you owe it to yourself to go have a listen if you are serious about sound quality. That might mean travelling a little. I'd also consider haggling a deal with the local'ish dealer who spends the time with you to help yoy decide rather than buying purely on price. I think thats the honest thing to do.
 
Go s/h:
- If you want to be able to process HD-audio, an Audiolab 8000AP, couple of cheapish Rotel power amps s/h and a Squeezebox touch for FLAC playback. Should be possible sub £1k. Will definitely be better with music than a brand new receiver
- If you don't mind about processing HD-audio, Meridian 568.1, along with the same Rotel power amps and SBT. Better with music, DD, DTS, but no capability to deal with BD hosted HD audio.
 
The 1k region is brutal in terms of choice. I'd use What HiFi to get a list of the ones in that price range (don't bother reading the reviews lol), then go and listen to as many of them as you can.

The fact you want to change speakers makes this a bit annoying as ideally you should test stuff out with the gear you have - home demos are best - as things never sound the same in a demo room as they do in your living room.
 
Somnambulist said:
The 1k region is brutal in terms of choice. I'd use What HiFi to get a list of the ones in that price range (don't bother reading the reviews lol), then go and listen to as many of them as you can.

The fact you want to change speakers makes this a bit annoying as ideally you should test stuff out with the gear you have - home demos are best - as things never sound the same in a demo room as they do in your living room.
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+1

you could buy a great amp but if it doesnt match your speakers you will be disappointed.

as said before. 1k is a decent sum for an AVR.
 
First off, Mr Sukebe's suggestion of second hand makes sense, at this sort of money. You'll get a lot more bang for your buck. Secondly I'd consider sorting out your speakers as well, as you dont have the matching centre for those BX2's.

If you want an AV receiver though, the Anthem's are supposed to be great for the money and I think the 300 is about £1k.
 
Just had a long call with Adam at Manchester Superfi.

He has booked me in for a demo of the Yamaha RXA1010 /w Monitor Audio BX2's.

He said this is the amp that sticks out to him as Yamaha have based this AV on their typical 2-ch boxes. He said musically there is very little difference in music quality from this AV to a dedicated 2-channel amp but did say I would never achieve the quality of a 2-ch amp with an AV setup.

Asked him about the mid priced AV setup with pre-outs and a £500 2-channel amp and he said that you start to loose audio quality as you are making the signal go through various hardware.

We discussed the monitor audio BX2's and floorstanders and we both agreed these speakers are naturally quite bassy sounding - he said he found that when he matched this with Denon and Onkyo the speakers sound too boomy and un-natural - whereas the Yamaha is much smoother and a better pair-up for the BX2's.

Anyone agree/disagree with this so I can ask him more things on Saturday?
 
Monitor Audio's do work well with Yamaha amps, and yes in general MA's do tend to be on a bassy side. The RX-A's are supposed to be somewhat more musical amps, I haven't actually heard them but the 1010 should, theoretically at least, sound similar to my old RX-V1400, and my brother in law's 2600, which both do very well for AV Receivers for music. I believe it does have pre-outs, so you could ask them to add a power amp to the set up to see how that changes things, might be a little overkill for the BX2's though.
 
ChrisGTL said:
Just had a long call with Adam at Manchester Superfi.

He has booked me in for a demo of the Yamaha RXA1010 /w Monitor Audio BX2's.

He said this is the amp that sticks out to him as Yamaha have based this AV on their typical 2-ch boxes. He said musically there is very little difference in music quality from this AV to a dedicated 2-channel amp but did say I would never achieve the quality of a 2-ch amp with an AV setup.

Asked him about the mid priced AV setup with pre-outs and a £500 2-channel amp and he said that you start to loose audio quality as you are making the signal go through various hardware.

We discussed the monitor audio BX2's and floorstanders and we both agreed these speakers are naturally quite bassy sounding - he said he found that when he matched this with Denon and Onkyo the speakers sound too boomy and un-natural - whereas the Yamaha is much smoother and a better pair-up for the BX2's.

Anyone agree/disagree with this so I can ask him more things on Saturday?
Click to expand...

Regarding the pre-outs. The Marantz SR6006 you can set to "Pure Direct" mode for Zone 2 (preouts) which basically just passes through without any processing, leaving the signal untouched. I'm sure other AV Receivers have this function as well.
This is what i plan to do in the future to a dedicate 2 channel stereo receiver/power amp for music only.
 
Rossi~ said:
Regarding the pre-outs. The Marantz SR6006 you can set to "Pure Direct" mode for Zone 2 (preouts) which basically just passes through without any processing, leaving the signal untouched. I'm sure other AV Receivers have this function as well.
This is what i plan to do in the future to a dedicate 2 channel stereo receiver/power amp for music only.
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This. Pretty much all decent amps will havea pure or straight through mode that you can apply to any source. I have my CD player and apple TV (only use it for music) setup this way so that I just get the direct stereo signal.

Nice new ones in your price range

YAMAHA RXA1010
PIONEER VSXLX55
ONKYO TXNR809
MARANTZ SR7005

They are all available at superfi so try and get a demo them. For that kind of money I would not be buying blind.
 
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kidloco said:
This. Pretty much all decent amps will havea pure or straight through mode that you can apply to any source. I have my CD player and apple TV (only use it for music) setup this way so that I just get the direct stereo signal.

Nice new ones in your price range

YAMAHA RXA1010
PIONEER VSXLX55
ONKYO TXNR809
MARANTZ SR7005

They are all available at superfi so try and get a demo them. For that kind of money I would not be buying blind.
Click to expand...


Just picked up the YAMAHA RXA1010 from superfi.

I was torn between the Marantz, Arcam and this Yamaha.

Had an audition with my Monitor Audio BX2 and the Arcam won for pure sound quality but I couldn't justify the price when both the Marantz and Yamaha were so close to the Arcam in terms of sound.

The Marantz is ugly and just didn't appeal to me, so went for the Yamaha 1010.

Got it installed last night and wow, I'm 110% I made the right choice, this AV is a stunner for £850.

My monitor audio bx2 are so happy, as I sit here listening to Jackson 5 the speakers are grinning from ear to ear, so smooth, so detailed, I'm hearing detail I've never heard on my playlist.

The Android app to control these AV's is wonderful! Streaming FLAC files to it with not one stutter or problem. I can go out in the garden in the summer and completely control source, tracks, volume, power, everything I need.

My budget Onkyo sub sounds completely different too now, no more uncontrolled booming - just tight bass that is as it meant to be.

Can't wait to open the taps on this thing, too early and was too late last night, but I'm expecting to be wowed even more.

Also, watched Inglorious ******** last night with the volume low and the 1010 did a great job of keeping me involved while everyone else were asleep. The picture has also improved over my Onkyo 309 - my Sony TV now reacts much better to the enhanced detail setting, detail is much better without compromising anything else.

I'm in love with my purchase, oh nearly forgot! I can stream my fav net radio Club 977 the 80's channel, OK the sound isn't as good as flax but it still sounds very listenable to me.

Couldn't recommend this AV enough.
 
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