Best AV Receiver for my setup - Page 2

Of course I have, and I'm no further forward. Opinions are like a**holes, everyone has one It seems that everyone agrees that Yamaha is the most reliable, that they are good, decent value, etc. but no-one is ever jumping for joy about how great they are.

Denon consistently gets rave reviews, but they are expensive and offer less features for the money.

Onkyo used to be great, but has had software issues - so it's a gamble.

Sony no one loves.

Pioneer is either loved or hated, but no specific reasons on why.

Harmon Kardon used to be a leader, but lately hasn't produced quality product.

So, there you have it - I'm no further forward with my choice

One thing I'm curious about is the V373 vs. V471 discussion. Aside from the banana connectors on the back, are there any other differences? The V373 is smaller, and will fit better in my AV cabinet. Since I'm only doing 3.1, I can live with the clips if that's the only difference.

There really isn't that much difference between them. I would suggest getting a unit with the best version of Audyssey EQ (or your preferred Room EQ solution) you can afford that has the features you need.

Does your cabinet have good ventilation, because a snug fit is almost certainly going to create heat problems.

Looks like you have a pretty good handle on the situation. All the receivers in this thread are pretty close so opinion and experience is about all that can be offered unless you have specific questions about your system. Specs and connection questions can easily be found by yourself at the respective websites (Yamaha, Denon, etc). Im not going to do your research and make the decision for you.

Believe me, I have looked at the specs. However, some have commented that the 471 is far superior to the "stripped down" 373. This is a quote from one post I read. However, when I look at the specs, the only real difference I see if the 5W per channel (100W vs. 105W) and and the banana clips vs. regular clips on the back. That to me doesn't constitute far superior - so I am understandably confused. Hence, why I am asking for clarification. Perhaps the 471 sounds much better for reasons unknown... If that's the case, I want to know it

Actually, the cabinet has plenty of space and ventilation above and below (plus I keep the door open when the receiver is in use. It's just an issue with the depth. My AVR-1609 could just barely fit in the cabinet, and it would be nice to have an extra inch or two behind the receiver to play with. It seems that the 1612 is actually a fraction deeper than the 1609, so unfortunately that won't work. The V471 is about the same size, and the V373 is smaller.

I said that the 471 is easily worth the extra $10 over the stripped down 373 and mentioned the better quality speaker connections. Far superior was never mentioned. That is probably where the confusion lies.

It wasn't you I was referencing - sorry for the confusion. It was in another post - may have been in another forum. Are the speaker connections the only difference, or am I missing something? To me, the tradeoff of speaker connections for smaller size is OK, but if there are other tradeoffs, I'll get the 471

I got the 467 in 2010 and recently moved up to the 671 so I have been following the Yamaha line up for a while. The overall impression is that the 373 is a budget minded receiver and is of overall lesser quality than any of the other models. Better to get a year older, better quality than a newer one of lesser quality imo.

Thanks... This is great feedback.