Which Reciever,hmm.

JDOGG

If you guys had to choose one of these recievers, which would you people choose. The Sony STRDA-3000ES or the Pioneer Elite VSX-53TX.Could you tell me why also. This is where i'll be buying from.
http://www.reliableaudiovideo.com/avrecevers.html

I have a feeling this will be a very happy Christmas.

F1nut

I'd get the Pioneer, but only because it has two big knobs.

JDOGG

Do you think the Sony really puts out 150 wtsx7 chnls?

scottvamp

No.
I would buy niether.
Onkyo or Denon!!!!!!

JDOGG

What do you think about a 701, or a 2804. Doyou know where I could get the specs on the 2804? thanks

F1nut

As with any power source, it's not the watts, but the current. FWIW, the Sony doesn't put out 150wpc, but it is a nice unit. Can you demo any of these before you buy?

JDOGG

Places I can think of now are Best Buy, Circuit City,and Ultimate Electronics. Ultimate has Sony and Denon.

JDOGG

The Marantz SR-7400 looks pretty good, and it has Pro Logic llx.I've decided to cut the Sony. Either the 7400 or the 53TX. Anyone else have any comments on these.?Thanks for your help so far though.

JDOGG

No one want to help me out?

Airplay355

i have the marants sr7200 which is two models back from the 7400. i have seen the 7400 and listened to it and i would gladly take it over my current model. it is build like a tank and the parts that felt cheesy on the older model ( like the volume knob) are now much more substancial. i dont think you will be disappointed with marantz, but theres alot of other brands to consider. like someone said, denon and onkyo. if you dont need to have the newest model receiver and are ok with buying refurbished gear then you can get discounted marantz gear at www.accessories4less.com. i bought my receiver from them and had no problems with the buying process. however my receiver did have a cracked circuit board so the left surround channel wasnt working. it was under warranty so i dont have to pay to have it fixed, the only trouble was that i was without my good receiver for 2 months. oh well, it was still worth the money i saved.

dorokusai

I would also rule out the Sony, but not based on any of the other NON-information provided.

The Sony forum has been reporting some issues with that model, specifically the STR-DA3k. I don't think it has been resolved. It seems to be inherent in all but the 5kES and the 9kES, both of which have had very nice reviews. (Soundstage)

Sony also uses digital amplification, T Class. The Sony ES, T Class amplifiers share the same technology that is in the Bel Canto 200.2 Digital Amplifier. I am nowhere near sold on that technology or theory.

I personally would not purchase it, in any way shape or form, at this time.

danger boy

I know there isn't a lot of love in here for Marantz.. but I consider Marantz to be on the same level as your Onkyo's, Denons, and Sony ES's.

ALthough most Marantz receivers.. are usually rated lower than the other brands.. they are conservatively rated in the power they put out. I've never driven mine to shut itself down or anything like that.. that used to happen once in a while with my old Pioneer.

Anyway... listen to the Marantz then decide which is right for you.

peace, Al

Early B.

Save yourself $200 and get the Pioneer Elite 43TX instead of the 53TX at www.hometheaterphiles.com.

hamzahsh

My YAMAHA RX-1400 is rated 110 X 7 RMS High Current Power and -30 db volume fills my room. I can always add 8-channel Ext. AMP for more power but I'm never going to need one. I'm already in minus. Power ratings mean nothing. The main thing is how much is enough for your ears! The quality in sound and THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) is really important too. Most AVR at 90w/ch and onwards will sound loud enough to fill a good size room. If you use 8 ohm capable speakers and set them to small like myself and SUB to on X-over @ 80hz. There is no need for very high current like 150w/ch. or even 200w/ch. unless if you're driving 4 ohm capable speakers at large setting.

I really convinced you to go and listen and let your ears decide. Don't buy what I say or other people. You are going to be listening it all the time! Try as many brands you can! Listen to both Movies and Music when you Demo them.

Yamaha, Denon, Pioneer, Onkyo and Marantz makes one of the best AVRs.

HERE is my story!

I was all set to buy Denon 3803 but I ended up getting Yamaha RX-V1400. I loved the sound of Yamaha. I went to the store and listened and my ears and heart decided to buy it. When I came home and hooked up to my Polks. I was blown away by the clarity and warmness of sound. Movies and Music sounds unbelievable on this unit.! Sound wise both are equal but Yamaha 1400 has more features and better price than Denon 3803. Hands down!

I still love Denon and respect them they make great receivers but this Yamaha 1400 beats Denon 3803 in my opinion. I'm comparing apple to apple here.

Things I like in YAMAHA over DENON are YPAO speaker calibration, Re-Equalizer THX EX, THX CINEMA, DPLIIx. Silent Cinema, Night mode and Detachable power cord. Front inputs, Cinema DSP. Price is better on Yamaha. Better bang for the buck over Denon. Yamaha is 2003 model, while Denon is 2002 model.

Reviews of other people!
Yamaha name in musical instruments.
I saved $600 CDN. in price over Denon
4 months of interest free financing
$180 CDN. discout! from salesman
Listened in the store, Loved the mellow, warm, clean sound for both music and movies. THX EX & DPLIIx! is a bonus.

YAMAHA

JDOGG

When i was looking at the specs for the Yamaha I didn't see that it said it had DPLllx. I think I'm going to get the Marantz anyway though. Thanks everyone for your help.

howie777

I vote for Marantz myself. I have an 8200 and am very happy with it. I'm pushing some 4 ohm speakers with little trouble. Plus the Marantz 7400 comes with a pretty cool remote.

Howie

danger boy

JDOGG,

what is DPLllx? Never heard of it. Isn't DPLll getting so close now to DD with all the speakers they are including now? Is there a need for DPLll anymore really?

JDOGG

I haven't had any experience with it yet, but maybe Hamzahsh can help you out there.Now I'm definately going with Marantz. Yea that remote does look pretty cool.Thanks EVERYBODY for the nice help.

hamzahsh

Originally posted by danger boy
JDOGG,

what is DPLllx? Never heard of it. Isn't DPLll getting so close now to DD with all the speakers they are including now? Is there a need for DPLll anymore really?

DOLBY PRO LOGIC IIx is a new sound format developed by DOLBY Laboratories. It contains 7.1 channel sound. Lets say if you have any old movie which has 2-channel audio track. DPLIIx processing will make it to 8-channel. Even normal 5.1 movies will get extra 2-channel of rear surround treat and make it to 7.1

The great thing about DPLIIx is it will make all 1 ch., 2 ch. and 6 ch. movies to 8 ch. If you have a 8-channel surround sound setup DPLIIx is worth having. Especially for gamers its a huge benefit!


Visit DOLBY.com for more information.

http://www.dolby.com

Visit YAMAHA.ca

http://www.yamaha.ca

My YAMAHA RX-V1400 has DPLIIx!

Good luck to buy a new receiver. No matter which one you buy but listen first. Chao!

hamzahsh

Originally posted by JDOGG
When i was looking at the specs for the Yamaha I didn't see that it said it had DPLllx. I think I'm going to get the Marantz anyway though. Thanks everyone for your help.

YAMAHA USA website doesn't say anything about DPLIIx

YAMAHA CANADA website will say about DPLIIx

http://www.yamaha.ca

dorokusai

Originally posted by hamzahsh
DOLBY PRO LOGIC IIx is a new sound format developed by DOLBY Laboratories. It contains 7.1 channel sound. Lets say if you have any old movie which has 2-channel audio track. DPLIIx processing will make it to 8-channel. Even normal 5.1 movies will get extra 2-channel of rear surround treat and make it to 7.1

The great thing about DPLIIx is it will make all 1 ch., 2 ch. and 6 ch. movies to 8 ch. If you have a 8-channel surround sound setup DPLIIx is worth having. Especially for gamers its a huge benefit!

I would also bet that it sounds nice and weird, beings the original signal is being formatted into something it was never meant to be. It sounds like marketing hype to me.....if it was Sony, it would make sense.

Terrax

In regards to the Yamahas and DPLIIx, as I understand it, all current models that were sold without DPLIIx can be upgraded to include DPLIIx for a the cost of a one way shipping charge to Yamaha USA. Not that this would effect many here, or have an impact on this thread, but more of a tid bit just in case someone may already have one of the first units sold without DPLIIx.

Regards,
Terry

hamzahsh

Originally posted by dorokusai
I would also bet that it sounds nice and weird, beings the original signal is being formatted into something it was never meant to be. It sounds like marketing hype to me.....if it was Sony, it would make sense.

It is not a marketting hype, it is like a new technology in sound. For many of us, it doesn't matter but it will benefit to people like me. DPLIIx will always benefit to people who like 7.1 setups.

Marantz SR7400 also has DPLIIx and the new Denon 3805 which will be releasing in March 04' will also have DPLIIx.

http://www.marantz.com

PhantomOG

Originally posted by dorokusai
I would also bet that it sounds nice and weird, beings the original signal is being formatted into something it was never meant to be. It sounds like marketing hype to me.....if it was Sony, it would make sense.

its kinda like upconversion of video, you never get better than the source.

for the most part I like DPLII and DTS:Neo6 (which might not be as good as DPLIIx), but sometimes it IS bad. for instance, sometimes the narration speech will just come out of one channel, like the right surround. now that is WEIRD, if its just a commercial, no big deal, but I was watching the world series of poker the other night and the narration was only coming out of my left surround. I could only take it for about 5 minutes and had to turn the "processing" off.

walk

ProLogic: 3 full range front channels (Left, Center, Right), 1 freq limited rear channel (a mono surround and limited to about 4khz tops)

ProLogicII: 5 full range channels.

ProLogic is mostly meant for older 2-channel sources like VHS, broadcast/cable TV, and maybe Laserdisc. Of course any 2-channel source is a good candidate for ProLogic, including DVD discs with only mono or 2.0 channel sound (ie older movies or director's commentary tracks or foreign language tracks).

I use ProLogic a LOT. Mostly when watching TV. You'd be surprised how much of TV is mixed for ProLogic surround. Many high-end network shows are (dramas, sitcoms, Star Trek, etc), most sporting events, and almost all commercials

It sounds good - provided a clean source. ProLogic works by looking for subtle phase differences in the signal, and if your source not mixed well or is messed up by the cable co, it can do what you describe.

VR3

I say...go with NAD

JDOGG

I finally bought my reciever today!:D I decided on the VSX-53TX. I thought it sounded better with Polks and Klpischs, my speaker choices, and to me hey were pretty much identical and I saved a few bucks. What Polks do you reccomend for this reciever? Iwas thinking RTi70 or 150. to be used with an amp later on of course. I saw the 150 at circuit city for about $239.99 a piece open box, and they were the demos. Is this a good deal? I know the Pioneer is gonna be sweet!:D

danger boy

that is a good deal JDOGG, my CC today had the 150's for $299 each.

JDOGG

Yea, now I need to scrounge up some money!LOL

Dr. Spec

The new DPL format is very similar to the Logic7 by h/k and the Widescreen 7.1 Mode in the 3803.

The 3803 Widescreen mode can be used for any DD/DTS/DPL source, and basically uses complex algorithms to route sounds to the correct channel. Works really well with older soundtracks.

Anyway, congrats on the Elite, and buy the 70s with a great sub instead of the 150s. The 150's demand a lot of clean high current power and you will spend you money on external amps when it could be better spent on a great sub.

Terrax

If you do not already have a outstanding subwoofer, and I do mean outstanding. I would recommend going with the 150's for the price you can get them for. The reason being, as Doc pointed out, yes, you would have to spend money for a nice amp, but, if you don't already have a very nice sub, you will need to spend as much or most likely more to get a dedicated sub that will sound as loud SPL wise, or as clean as what the 150's subs will with a nice amp. I know this for a fact, as I've been working with my 150's with and without a dedicated external sub for the last three months. Very good deals on amps in the 200 w/c range can be found in the price range for what you spend for a sub that can even begin to touch the SPL's and quality of LFE these 150's can put out. For the $600.00 to $1000.00 you would most likely need to spend on a sub, you could buy two used 200 w/c amps. I currently run 205 w/c the subs on my 150's which kills any dedicated sub I have put them up against. As of the first week of 2004 I will be shooting 205 w/c to the subs, and 205 w/c to the mids and tweets, for which the grand total cost wise is less than the cheapest sub that could come close to compareing. IMO, it is more like **** for tat, when it comes to the choice of 70's and sub, or 150's and an amp. The amps, I'm sure, could be better used in the future than what a sub would be, just my little 4 cents worth.

Of course, the choice will be yours and yours alone, I just wanted to give you another take on some of the spins I've read here.

Regards,
Terry:D