[vatore]

Considering a receiver change, currently have Denon 5308ci, want to get Harman Kardon 3700, because I've always had HK's and loved them. Also need 3D compatibility. And I would like to buy an American company's product over Japanese, which is why I disqualified the Marantz.


1. Will I be disappointed going from a flagship receiver to HK's? I had 3 HK's before the Denone and loved them all. Also, don't remember thinking there was much of a difference between my previous HK and the Denon and definitely NOT a $5,000 difference.


2. Should I go with separates (processor and amp)? Are they that much better?


Please advise. Thank you all.

 

[jevans64]

Not sure what Oppo BDP you have but it is probably best to run HDMI 1 to the TV and HDMI 2 to the Denon. I believe H/K AVR's are made in Korea. Better than made in China Denon but definitely NOT made in USA. The amp section in the 5308ci is better than just about anything these days. The 5308ci benches at 142 watts/channel with 7 channels driven while most top-end H/K, Denon, Marantz, Yamaha, etc. will be lucky to see 80 watts x 7. Nothing an external amp can't cure though and the H/K 3700 has outputs for amps. The best thing you'd be able to get from Denon is the 4520ci and its Marantz clone, SR7008. Both are made in Japan, which is the best you are going to do these days.


I have the 5308ci and I opted to spend the additional $1000 for the XT32/3D upgrade even though I can use the Oppo BDP-103 for 3D. I got the upgrade mainly for the DTS Neo:X and XT32 upgrade. Passing 3D is just a bonus. I'll probably end up getting a new AVR when HDMI 2.0 and 4K @ 60Hz becomes a reality.


Separates CAN be better than AVR's but are generally behind AVR's in features because they are a niche product. Most folks go separate because they have long cable runs and need balanced connections to amplifiers. Unbalanced ( RCA ) is fine if the path is less than 12 feet. Noise from other components on the boards in AVR's might have been an issue 10 years ago, but I think the difference is much, much closer these days.


Emotiva is about to FINALLY release their XMC-1 pre-pro, so that might be a cheap alternative if you have no plans to go beyond 7.x.

 

[jdsmoothie]

^^

The Denon 4520CI is the current flagship model to the Marantz 8801, both mfr'd in Japan while the SR7008 is the sister model to the Denon X4000 both mfr'd in China.


@vatore - before considering HK, you may want consider a Denon or Marantz with Audyssey MultEQ XT32 which is much better than the XT version on your 5308CI, presuming you didn't get the 3D/XT32 upgrade for it.