Are receivers getting worse over time?

Although weight isn't everything, there is definitely a trend of the kind you refer to that is apparent with many manufacturers.

I would suggest that you look at the more "expensive" AVRs because those are still fairly heavy. Pioneer Elites (ICE) tip in at 40+ pounds, Onkyo 3009/5009 come in over 55 lbs. Yamahas upper lines are about 40 lbs....and so on.

So, if you want to pay 1500 or more MSRP. You can still have somewhat decent build quality. Below that, a lot seems to be on some kind of Chinese diet? lol

And although ICE (D) amps are technically lighter--those Pioneers are still pretty beastly!

Recently I've compared some Denons (I have a 2807 that weights about 31 lbs and has thick aluminum heat sinks and a decent power supply--the newer version of this Denon has none of that and is several pounds lighter).

cnh

More features , same price = less quality overall. I have noticed this as well. Just look at the current lineup of blu ray players and compare them to a few years ago DVD players.

There is no direct correlation between amp weight and sound quality. There are just as many lightweight amps that sound good as heavyweights that sound poor.

inspiredsports wrote: »

That may be true for small easy to drive speakers systems, but I don't buy that lightweight amps can drive large speakers or difficult loads to reference levels.

You haven't heard enough or the right lightweight amp then. Check out W4S and Bel Canto's latest amps, best bass control I've heard bar none.

Im still running my 35+ year old CR 840 Yamaha

In my opinion, just about everything now is made to be obsolete in 10 years.(there's an acronym for it, but I can't remember it). My TFM-45 was made in 1990... I had to change the meter lamps and fix an input solder joint.. but it still works fine. My a753x was made around 1994 and meter lamps are still good. Bob Carver himself said that tubes should be good for 50 years.

My point is....as much as I like my Onk 807... it is a toaster that I want to be rid of... and would put a good bet that if I weren't running 5 channels of external amps.. it would have blown already. And MSRP on it was $1100

Face wrote: »

Planned obsolescence.

Not really big news either. Just about any major appliance, even small ones aren't made to last outside of 10 years. Cars too. Any repair guy will confirm that.That said, given the rate of which technology changes today, who keeps a receiver for 10 years anymore ? A TV ? The next level of HD will come out and render all others obsolete overnight and all connecting gear on top of that. Haven't we seen that already with all the versions of HDMI.....1080i-1080p, dvd-bdp ?

It's simply not cost effective to build a monster receiver with all quality parts anymore. Not saying they don't exist, but for the niche market of folks willing to plunk down 3-5 grand for a well built receiver. The higher end buyer is getting smaller, so if you market to the masses of the middle, your profit margin is going to be better. Most audio and video manufacturers know this, including Polk.

Thats a whole nutha can of worms Face. Boundless consumption. You can argue either side of that. I do however like the part on Apples IPOD batteries.

You could always go to separates. My Adcom GFA-6000 5-channel amplifier weighs nearly 32 lbs, and it's just an amp. I've paired it with many differing preamps throughout the years. IMO the best bang-for-your-buck route is to get a used pre/pro that lacks HDMI inputs and pair it with a used multi-channel amp. I let my TV handle the HDMI switching and run digital cables to the pre/pro for multi-channel decoding. For formats that are supported only via HDMI (TrueHD, Master Audio), I plan to get an Oppo BD/SACD player with on-board decoding and 7.1 analog outputs. Not a priority at the moment, however. I'll jump when I find one at a decent enough bargain price.

Yes!






















Fine for heiney cause he is so thinking ?"how many posts does 1C have " lol




I think the new "anything" is getting cheaper. It seems the populous is all about vanity and not enough about performance. My .02

I think the general 'lightening' of receivers has more to do with the materials used to construct them than anything else. Old receivers were almost completely metal and wood, new receivers use plastic, alloys, etc. Additionally, older receivers typically have large tuner sections because people used to listen to radio, and station signals were weak. Companies don't need large tuner sections, they don't need phono sections, they don't need as many video/audio inputs because of HDMI/Digital connections. On an old, large receiver you needed to have actual metal buttons/pots for the Bass/Treb/Balance/Loudness/Speaker selection/Etc where on newer receivers all of these functions are taken care of with a large LCD screen and a UI.

I think large receivers have been shrinking at the same pace as floorstanding speakers. No longer are store shelves filled with 15" 3-way 101db sensitive towers, instead we have slim towers made to be used with a subwoofer. We are currently in the era of the HTIB, very few people want to find a place to put such a large and heavy receiver.

Syndil wrote: »

They adage "they don't make them like they used to" gets proven time and time again. Good reason to buy used. Newer absolutely does not always equal better.

Amen.