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Receiver suggestions

2K views 6 replies 3 participants last post by  ace96 
#1 ·
All I currently have a 5.1 setup powered by bottom barrel Yamaha RX-V381 with RBH Impression Series speakers and a PSA sub. Yes, I know you are running those with that??? Receiver was Christmas present long before speakers arrived. Anyways fast forward my intentions are to move the 381 to bedroom for a 2.1 setup and upgrade the 5.1 setup. I would like to keep price under $1500. Not worried about the latest HDMI that is being released on the latest and greatest as I have a 4K tV that is a couple of years old. I am thinking I would like to move to Aventage lineup but my head is spinning from the offering from Denon, Marantz, Anthem, etc. At the end of the day I want something reliable.

Thoughts or suggestions?? This is mainly for movies and some gaming.
 
#2 ·
In terms of sound quality only, was the RX-V381 lacking in any way? If not, maybe you can pull the budget back (a lot) for a 5.1 system. Even "basic" receivers today offer many features.
For reliability, Yamaha's the brand to get. The best value for a 5 or 7 channel is probably the Costco model, the TSR-7850. It's pretty much identical to RX-A models at a lower price point (but only has 2 years warranty) for under 1/3 budget.
If you want better room correction, Denon/Marantz are the brands to get with Audyssey. An improvement on Yamaha's YPAO RSC is Audyssey MultEQ XT. It can be found on the Denon AVR-X1600H for under 1/2 budget.
If you're OK with refurbished models, the AVR-X1500H or AVR-X1600H can be found for about 1/3 your budget.
For _just about_ the best room correction for the lowest price within your price range, a refurbished Denon AVR-X3500H with Audyssey MultEQ XT32 is about as good as it gets for 7 channels or fewer, for less than 1/2 your budget.
For what's considered the best room correction under your budget, Dirac Live is considered a bit better than XT32, and is available in the Anthem MRX 520, Arcam AVR390 and NAD T 758, all at the top of your budget.

In my opinion:
If you're OK with refurbished, the Denon models are the best values.
If you want new, the Yamaha TSR/RX-A vs the Denon X1600H is an interesting comparison that I'd give the nod to Denon for the room correction.
Any of these models are more "advanced" than the RX-V381 it would replace.
I'm not sure how much you'd get from the models with Dirac Live at the high-end of your budget unless you really preferred that room correction.

What specific speakers/sub do you have? It's possible an upgrade is possible there within budget even after replacing the AVRs.
 
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