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10 years later - HK or Sony?

post #1 of 8
8/23/12 at 5:32pm
Thread Starter 
Ok, I have had my trusted Harman Kardon AVR430 for about 10 years now and it still works fine but it is lacking many features that newer receivers have. For example, HDMI, airplay, Wifi, Bluetooth.

Its not a deal breaker, but what has kept me from upgrading all this time is that it still works, but also because I spent $800 on it.

So now my question is, should i upgrade the receiver for the newest technology or not? I am thinking about the new Sony STR-DN1030 which has wifi, bluetooth, airplay, and HDMI as well as 7.2 and lots of power. Sound wise, it got a good review from Cnet:
http://reviews.cnet.com/av-receivers/sony-str-dn1030/4505-6466_7-35332546.html

The problem I'm having is that it still feels somewhat of a downgrade brand wise. What do you all think?
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post #2 of 8
8/27/12 at 11:04pm
Thread Starter 
is it fair to say that Sony's sound quality is worse than Harman Kardon?
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post #3 of 8
8/28/12 at 12:12am
Generally Sony ES models are better but since I haven't used HK I can't compare the sound. I recently got a new sony and am still breaking it in. What HiFi in the UK also reviewed your model. http://www.whathifi.com/review/sony-str-dn1030

Keep in mind What HiFi isn't very technical when it comes to reviews.
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post #4 of 8
8/28/12 at 6:17am
Most people that have owned HK and sony would never consider a sony avr.Sony is not what I consider a quality audio product, ymmv.
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post #5 of 8
8/28/12 at 7:48am
If you want a new receiver that has the best sound quality around, plus all of the bells and whistles, consider the Cambridge Audio 551R.

Its sound quality is outstanding; much better IMO than any of the Japanese receivers.
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post #6 of 8
8/28/12 at 8:22am
Sony has made some good gear over the years, but these days they are generally regarded to be not the equal of Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneer or Marantz. Those are the brands I'd choose from these days. Your room size and speaker sensitivity/ohm rating would be things to consider as well as the features you are looking for.
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post #7 of 8
8/28/12 at 8:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by commsysman View Post

If you want a new receiver that has the best sound quality around, plus all of the bells and whistles, consider the Cambridge Audio 551R.
Its sound quality is outstanding; much better IMO than any of the Japanese receivers.

And it will be like going into a 10 year time warp where the single most impactful feature in modern AVR's didn't exist, Room Correction.

Doesn't matter if the Cambridge theoretically sounds better in a vaccuum or not - without modern DSP, it won't, in the overwhelming majority of listening environments, sound as good as a mid line AVR with one of the modern EQ solutions.

While much less significant, it also has a badly outdated video processing section. Consider looking at something from Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha, or Pioneer before spending good money on the Cambridge.
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post #8 of 8
8/28/12 at 8:48am
What kind of setup do you plan to have? If you have a 5.1 setup and don't plan to add speakers and don't mind having to chage sources on the TV and receiver whenever you switch from say cable to blu-ray, then there's really no reason to upgrade. Nothing will sound or look better. Room correction may help things sound better, but it doesn't always work as advertised.

Either way, if you do decide to upgrade, I would avoid sony. I suggest gettin last years models of denon on closeout.
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