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Looking for GOOD quality receiver

655 views 15 replies 11 participants last post by  Opentoe 
#1 ·
Do they make good quality receivers anymore, or is everything just cheap plastic and cut corners all the way? My last two Denon's failed me. Prior to that I bought Yamaha and they started to fail. There has to be something else out there, right? I have a feeling all these receivers are made in the same place (China) and just re-labeled when they get in the stores. I currently have an Denon AVR-X4000 that just went out of warranty and so did the sub woofer outputs. This model has the Platinum Audyssey set which is acting strangely too. I remember when I first got the receiver and setting up the speakers with the MIC it would chirp 3 times on the same channel, then get louder, then chirp 3 times again, get louder and then chirp again. It would chirp 9 times on all the speakers I have, and now it only chirps once (3 times), so it's never really measuring anything. Maybe it's just falling apart. Can anyone recommend a good QUALITY receiver without all the bells and whistles. What I like about this receiver is I can control via the web and has on screen on any resolution. I'm hoping other receiver can do the same. I think I've just had it with crap **** out there.
 
#3 ·
I love and recommend Denon.
 
#4 ·
Price-point AVRs available today are more marginal for reliability then AVRs built a few years back..
If U are having continual problems with various brands/models, I would suggest that U double-check the free-air clearance for the AVR. U should have @ least 4-5" for the L/R sides and top cover and do not stack any components on top of the AVR...
Regarding overall AVR reliability, Yamaha is ranked #1 ...

Just my $0.02... ;)
 
#6 ·
For a receiver to last a long time there are things you need to understand and know.

1. Some are lemons. Onkyos are an exception, they are just not reliable.
2. Need to meet or exceed the ventilation requirements.
3. Use proper 8ohm speakers. (receiver runs cooler with 8ohm speakers)
4. Don't abuse the receiver by going near or exceeding 0db.
5. Keep it out of closed cabinets.

I had a pioneer vsx 1021-k go out on me after a year because first it wasn't reliable, second I had it in a closed cabinet, and third did not use the volume limiter.

I own and still using an old Yamaha rx496 stereo receiver that I bought back in 1999. Also still have and use an old Yamaha htr5760 receiver bought back in 2004. None of the yamahas were ever put into a closed cabinet, but they were abused tremendously.
 
#7 ·
You may not get some of the bells and whistles of some the more common brands you'll find at your big box stores, but have you considered something like a Marantz, NAD, Cambridge, Emotiva, etc.? Lots of brands out there to choose from. For what it's worth, I've been a fan of the build quality with NAD receivers. They seem a bit more basic, but they're built like tanks like the good old days from what I've seen.

You have to think about it like this, though. Inflation has held steady for ages, yet stereo equipment somehow costs the same, and often times even less than they did back in the 80s. They pack in gazillions of features at a fraction the equivalent cost of older stuff. Thus, manufacturers have had to make sacrifices SOMEWHERE, namely build quality and internal components. The more little logos they pack in on the surface, the more they had to skimp elsewhere.

There are some REALLY good amps out there these days, but they'll cost you. However, please put it all into the proper perspective. Look at what a good stereo receiver cost in the 70s/80s. For example, growing up our family had a Pioneer SX-1250, that I think my parents got around '76 or so. GREAT piece of equipment that lasted for decades until the caps finally gave out (I was never easy on it). Solid. Great sound. Loads of power. HOWEVER, it had an original list price of like $900. That'd be the equivalent of $3800 these days! Normal families ponied up for good equipment back then, yet now we expect everything AND perfect build quality for far less money in 2015 dollars. Spend $3800 NOW, and I guarantee you'll get one heck of a badass receiver. To put things in reverse perspective, a feature loaded budget AVR can be had for $200-500. That's the equivalent of spending around $50 to $120 in 1976. That low of an amount of money wouldn't have bought you the great vintage equipment we remember so fondly, that's for sure.
 
#9 ·
I never put any of my hardware in a cabinet. I know what heat can do to electronics. I own and operate many bitcoin miners, so I'm very aware of keeping things cool as you can. I never abused the receivers either. I don't like to listen to my media content loud at all. Once in a while I'll throw on some music while cleaning the house, but barely loud enough to be a problem.

I also did a simple test to test out the receiver's main left/right channels. Mind you, nothing is turned on. No EQ, DYN EQ, or whatever else they call these profiles.

I played some old school Judas Priest. Stereo mode, just left and right channels. Put the volume at 60. Using 0-100 for volume. I can visually see my left floor speakers woofer move a little because of the lower frequencies. Normal. There is sound coming from the right channel, but the woofers aren't moving at all. You'd think in a stereo scenario they would be equal. So I swapped the speakers. It was easier for me to move the speakers then get behind the receiver and swap there. The left one, doing the same thing, I can see the woofers bouncing like normal and the right one doing the same thing. So apparently with my sub outputs not working properly I even have a main channel amp issue. Oh well, just not having good luck with this receiver.
 
#10 ·
Take a look at boutique company receivers -- Anthem, Arcam, Cambridge Audio, NAD. Unlike the Pacific rim companies, they don't compete on low prices and long feature lists (largely features most users don't need). They cost more but they seem be better made. My Arcam 380, for example, is the company's entry level product, but it uses the same chassis as the company's much more expensive mid-tier model. The only difference between the two is power supply, so Arcam saves $$ by keeping its manufacturing and supply lines as simple as possible.

Arcam, Cambridge Audio, and NAD downplay room correction software to avoid paying higher royalties. Anthem has its own room correction process, which is supposedly the best available.

My Arcam is built like a tank, its feature set meets all my needs, and it sounds great; and I'd probably be just as happy with a comparably priced AVR for any of these four companies. But you pay for what you get; you won't find any inexpensive receivers from this group of manufacturers.
 
#11 ·
But you pay for what you get; you won't find any inexpensive receivers from this group of manufacturers.
"But, but, but I want a 9.2.4 channel Atmos-capable receiver with 150 watts per channel, every internet streaming service ever, 4k up-conversion, room correction, a built in Hi-res DAC, impeccable build quality, and infinite reliability....for under $200. What're my options?"

I kid, I kid. I'm honestly not poking fun at anybody here, but my statement mirrors a lot of how the consumer world see things. People forget how expensive things truly used to be for good quality equipment.
 
#12 ·
If the calibration is no longer working correctly - take a good long look at the calibration microphone.
Microphones and the associated cabling is very sensitive, but I've never seen ANYONE look after them! They wad them up into tight balls, then shove them into a drawer / box / under the cabinet or couch...
Take a lesson from the headphone + earphone junkies. Look after your cabling! Don't wrap it up tight, twist it, pull it out from anywhere other than the plug itself.
 
#16 · (Edited)
My sub outputs don't work even with Audyssey turned off, I don't think it has anything to do with the MIC.

I really do not mind spending $1000 for a good quality receiver. The problem I'm having is I only have 5.1 and my main listening area is my living room and refuse to clutter up the room with more speakers. I already have these huge bookshelf speakers mounted on brackets on the rear wall, I just don't have the room or want them. All the new stuff is like 7.2 or above these days. I even saw an Integra 11.2. It has to stop somewhere. Some of these companies get out of control. I have bitcoin miners that have been running 24/7 for 2 years at high temps with zero issues. And I think they'll last until I shut them off because they don't have a power supply. I had to buy power supplies for all of them and I bought the best I could and a good power supply I think is key. What I mean is I think some of these feature rich A/V receivers just don't have very good power supplies installed, or amps in this case. My speakers are also 6 ohms. Not 8. Not sure what affect that has, but I'm at the gathering information stage at this point. Unfortunately the sky is not the limit, I can't spend as much as I would like, but can't.

I am getting pretty spoiled with Internet Radio, since I live in a rural area and have no reception at all here with the radio or cellular and having a ton of radio stations built right into the receiver is pretty nice.

My speakers recommendation constant power is 120 watts. Oh well, things happen.
Thanks for all the suggestions, I'll check them all out.

The manufacture's I'm going to check out are:

Pioneer
Sony
Anthem
Yamaha
Harman Kardon
Cambridge Audio
NAD
Marantz
 
#15 ·
Trust me, I could ditch %80 of the features on mt X4000 receiver and live without them. The sole reason I got the X4000 model was for the power to drive my speakers. Since I don't have little tiny speakers, I needed a little power. The only thing I do appreciate about the newer models is I was able to control/adjust it through my network. I seriously couldn't care about much else. Don't watch 3D, don't use passthru, don't use reverse audio, just a regular HDMI setup with all my components. Nothing special. I'd rather have clean, power crisp sound, no distortion with a featureless model. I've just been unlucky with receivers. Most electronics I have last long enough for me to upgrade and sell away. I don't think it is something I'm doing. My last receiver had a power supply issue, it was an old receiver, and this one just has all funky issues.

I forgot what ohms my current PSB speakers are, so I have to look that up and see what alternatives are out there.

I wish there was a diagnostics test built-in or something I can perform and check out whatever logs come out of it.
 
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