Yamaha or Denon
DON73
Posts: 516
My 13 yr. old Yamaha is giving me some problems with no sound or very low sound from one speaker so I'm thinking about retiring the old horse. I had a Denon a few yrs. back that sounded much better than the Yamaha in a home theater. In stereo I couldn't hear a difference. The Denon quit after about 4 yrs.
Right now I'm looking at a Yamaha RXV667, RXV765, RxV1065 and Denon AvR 881 & AVR 697. Yamahas have a reputation for delivering high current and the Yamahas I'm looking at have plenty of power my B&W 803s with 805 rears. I'm leaning toward the Yamaha because of reliability and real life power but I keep remembering how good my Denon sounded while it lasted. Does anyone here have experience with any of these receivers? TIA
Right now I'm looking at a Yamaha RXV667, RXV765, RxV1065 and Denon AvR 881 & AVR 697. Yamahas have a reputation for delivering high current and the Yamahas I'm looking at have plenty of power my B&W 803s with 805 rears. I'm leaning toward the Yamaha because of reliability and real life power but I keep remembering how good my Denon sounded while it lasted. Does anyone here have experience with any of these receivers? TIA
TO ERR IS HUMAN. TO FORGIVE IS CANINE.
Post edited by DON73 on
Comments
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love my denon3300, my yammy had a lot of sound effect type features, mine quit way too soon, but thats just one.
did i mention i love my denon?
oh yeah, i also love my marantz ma500u monoblocks.
good luckhumpty dumpty was pushed -
If you've got B&W 803s and you must use a receiver, at least get one with preouts so you can get a good 2 channel amp driving them. I'd put at least 250X2 rms to those babies and make them sing, and if you're running the 805s and a center channel and sub for a 5.1, then you'll probably be able to drive them with the receiver depending on what your center is...if it were my choice, I'd look at a really good HT preamp/processor and a stout power amp for the fronts and a decent 3 channel for the rest. It really depends on what your usage preferences are.
To answer your receiver question, I've had Denon receivers for a long time and not had any issues with any of them...but if you do get one, don't get one without preouts.2 channel rig: MMF 2.2 turntable, Adcom GFP-715, Adcom GFA-555, Adcom ACE-515, Carver M-1.0t, Denon 5900 CD/SACD, SDA-SRS 2.3s (Zardoss modded), AQ Diamondback & King Cobra IC's and AQ Type 4 speaker cables
HT rig: Panny 50" G20 plasma, Directv DVR, Insignia BRD/DVD/SACD/DVD-A, Denon AVR-890, Fronts: Polk Monitor 70's, Rears: Deftech Mythos Gems, Center: Polk CS1, Sub: Polk PSW-505 -
I'd worry about the calibration software. Either receiver will provide you with all the features you need including power. If you don't think you have enough, you should be out looking for an amp as you should be if you're looking at lower end receivers.2Ch Tube Audio Convert
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have had several yamaha and a couple denon.more reliabity issues with yamaha than denon.no significant difference in sound,but prefer sound from integra over either.
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My 13 yr. old Yamaha is giving me some problems with no sound or very low sound from one speaker so I'm thinking about retiring the old horse. I had a Denon a few yrs. back that sounded much better than the Yamaha in a home theater. In stereo I couldn't hear a difference. The Denon quit after about 4 yrs.
Right now I'm looking at a Yamaha RXV667, RXV765, RxV1065 and Denon AvR 881 & AVR 697. Yamahas have a reputation for delivering high current and the Yamahas I'm looking at have plenty of power my B&W 803s with 805 rears. I'm leaning toward the Yamaha because of reliability and real life power but I keep remembering how good my Denon sounded while it lasted. Does anyone here have experience with any of these receivers? TIA
NO NO AND NO!
You have very good speakers and not any typical receiver will do. So I suggest a Rotel rsx1560 to start. http://www.rotel.com/NA/products/ProductDetails.htm?Id=471
I'd also consider the NAD T785
http://nadelectronics.com/products/av-receivers/T-785-A/V-Surround-Sound-Receiver
I might even consider Cambridge Audio Azur650R if I was on a tight budget .
It's the cheapest out of the 3 listed here but comes damn close in sound quality. It's also the least featured but you get what you pay for.
I strongly suggest going separates With NAD or Rotel. I have Installed 805 and 803's many times and used Krell mostely but Rotel and NAD will get the job done for much less and about 90% of what Krell offers. They just have the last word in bass and control. Clarity and depth Krell excels at but you pay a premium for it. You already own 803's which are one of the worlds best speakers. I can't see why you are looking at Denon and Yamaha.
Which 805's and 803's do you own? Matrix? Nautilus? Diamond?Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
You have some nice speakers there. Don't know why you want to just use a receiver to power them though. Your not hearing what they can do. Kinda like buying a muscle car and never taking it out of 3rd gear.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Don, Separates for those speakers are the only way to go. A receiver will never do them justice.
If you must go receiver I will second the Rotel suggestion. Denon and Yammy aren't in the same league sound wise. -
My B&Ws are matrix except one of the 805s. The room I'm using as a HT is very small compared to those I'v seen here and the receivers I've had in there have provided enough power for fairly high volume listening but usually the volume at my listening position runs around 90db. I have an 805 matrix as a center channel and 805 Matrix surrounds and a 10" Velodyne powered sub. The Denon I had in there for about four years sounded better than any other receiver I've tried. The speakers are actually over kill for the size of the room but they're what I have. I have another much larger room that I use primarily for music with the B$W 801s, Adcom 5800 amp and Adcom 565 preamp. If they sounded any better I would never leave the house.
I was never a "golden" ear and could never hear the difference in the sound of power amps as long as they were not driven to clipping.
Not that there is no difference......I just don't hear it. I have seen the new high end Yamaha receiver but the dealer's main business is installation now and he doesn't demo much. I do appreciate the comments and I'll have to go back and read your posts again and give them careful consideration. Thanks to all. TO ERR IS HUMAN. TO FORGIVE IS CANINE. -
Don, Separates for those speakers are the only way to go. A receiver will never do them justice.
If you must go receiver I will second the Rotel suggestion. Denon and Yammy aren't in the same league sound wise.
Denon, Onkyo, Integra, Marantz are fine processors, while their amp sections sometimes are lacking in their lower end model don't pass over them entirely. The Japanese receivers tend to be more up-to-date than Rotel or NAD and they're cheaper. The best option I would suggest is that you get one for a processor and add on a separate amp.2Ch Tube Audio Convert -
Rotels and NADs are certainly not cheap but they do offer fine sound for the package without having to add on a separate amp. But at times they're lagging behind in the HDMI curve if that's something you want or even want down the line.2Ch Tube Audio Convert
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I have both the Yammie RX-V665 and a Denon 1910 which just crapped out. The Yammie is ok as a pre-pro but really sucks as an amplifier. For those speakers I think there are much better and wiser choices.
Jimmy -
I have both the Yammie RX-V665 and a Denon 1910 which just crapped out. The Yammie is ok as a pre-pro but really sucks as an amplifier. For those speakers I think there are much better and wiser choices.
Jimmy
Def agree. I don't know about the reliability of Yammy or Denon products, but I hear great things about the higher end Onkyo stuff such as Integra.2Ch Tube Audio Convert -
Rotels and NADs are certainly not cheap but they do offer fine sound for the package without having to add on a separate amp. But at times they're lagging behind in the HDMI curve if that's something you want or even want down the line.
If he was asking about HDMI I would suggest Integra over Denon or my other suggestions. But for pure sound quality NAD, Rotel and some others are far superior to as you put it the Japanese receivers. IMHO.
Also, did you read the type of speakers he has? They are top end and the equipment to power them should also be of finer quality. Why buy a Ferrari and put diesel in it. Not gonna do much for you.
And, Processors are nice but sound quality should be first. Again IMHO. -
I have had both Denon and Yamaha, I prefer the Denon overall. I just acquired separates and will post some feedback on the difference. Separates over the NAD T785 was a hard decision, all the post about glitches with the NAD finally convinced me to go with separates. I believe there is a Rotel 1560 on the gon right now, as well as a used T785 HD for $2400.
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If he was asking about HDMI I would suggest Integra over Denon or my other suggestions. But for pure sound quality NAD, Rotel and some others are far superior to as you put it the Japanese receivers. IMHO.
Also, did you read the type of speakers he has? They are top end and the equipment to power them should also be of finer quality. Why buy a Ferrari and put diesel in it. Not gonna do much for you.
And, Processors are nice but sound quality should be first. Again IMHO.
I believe, HDMI is an undeniable and inevitable development in the HT world. I am trying to suggest that while NAD and Rotel offer superb sound quality, this has to be weighed with the benefit of having up to date HDMI functionality. I never suggested or implied NAD or Rotel are inferior but I said the opposite in my posts above. But as I said above, you can always use a Japanese receiver such as Denon or Onkyo as a pro and use a quality amp to get the features and adequate amplification. B&W 803's are fine speakers and probably should not be driven by a receiver, but as I suggested earlier you can use any receiver as a pro and get a quality amp.
I have first hand experience with NAD receivers, and I myself had to give up my old NAD receiver to keep up with the HDMI craze. They are great receivers for sound but their HDMI capabilities are certainly lacking and they have difficulties keeping up with Onkyos and Denons in terms of features.
If you do not want the next gen codecs or even HDMI down the road, yes you can just avoid all this and get an older NAD or Rotel with optical inputs. However, I was just suggesting that give HDMI a consideration and you might not regret it. HDMI is here and it's here to stay whether anyone likes it or not.2Ch Tube Audio Convert -
I've owned both also (as well as Onkyo). Denon all the way
