Want to upgrade my receiver

If you are for sure going to stay at, or below 7.2, there are several Denon models way below your budget. Jumping up to 9.2 and beyond is a big price increase. Is time of the essence? Bought a "new" X4400H a few months ago on Amazon from an authorized dealer nearly half off after watching prices for a couple months. Open to refurbished?


https://www.accessories4less.com/index.php?page=seek&id[m]=pattern&id[q]=denon+avr

Would like something modern with high end DACs. Open to Arcam, NAD, Anthem even. Really miss Audyssey room correction for gaming. Stage just came to life more with XT32 over YPAO. Might even like to try Dirac.

Hammonje said:

Would like something modern with high end DACs. Open to Arcam, NAD, Anthem even. Really miss Audyssey room correction for gaming. Stage just came to life more with XT32 over YPAO. Might even like to try Dirac.

Click to expand...

OK. You really didn't point that out in the first post. Having never owned any of those three, I wish you luck on your hunt. The hunt is part of the fun, I believe. I am sure some folks with experience in those three will chime in.

@Hammonje since your usage is mostly HT, if you want the best room correction in this price range (Dirac) then the NAD 758 v3 will be hard to beat. https://www.crutchfield.com/S-POmW8xW0loA/p_745T758V3/NAD-T-758-V3.html

here is the dedicated thread https://www.avsforum.com/forum/90-receivers-amps-processors/2895049-nad-758-v3-328.html

If you want more bells and whistles (phono, hdmi upscaling, etc) then the best bang for your buck is the Onkyo rz840 or Denon x3600.


Good luck!

eriksells916 said:

@Hammonje since your usage is mostly HT, if you want the best room correction in this price range (Dirac) then the NAD 758 v3 will be hard to beat. https://www.crutchfield.com/S-POmW8xW0loA/p_745T758V3/NAD-T-758-V3.html

here is the dedicated thread https://www.avsforum.com/forum/90-receivers-amps-processors/2895049-nad-758-v3-328.html

If you want more bells and whistles (phono, hdmi upscaling, etc) then the best bang for your buck is the Onkyo rz840 or Denon x3600.


Good luck!

Click to expand...

Not familiar, but the NAD you mentioned has only 1 sub out, correct? OP is running 5.2 now. Denon 3600 and above(?) have 2 sub outs and MultEQ XT32 allowing for separate level adjusting for each sub. Love it on the X4400H.

yea @MRAYB Dirac does the same thing as xt32 with dual sub calibration then puts them into a single sub. However to do that, the 758 v3 owner will need a minidsp 2x4 since there is only 1 sub preout. The good news for them is that dirac can do 4 subs I believe??

I am still a fan of the rz840 and x3600!

@Hammonje I am going to retract my previous recommendation of the NAD as I am now watching an audioholics video going over the newest 11 channel Atmos receivers. Looks like the x3600h has a better power rating with 5 channels driven than even the 758 v3. It also has dual sub control with xt32 as @MRAYB pointed out and the front LR channels are very clean when you re-assign them to an external amp. Sadly the Onkyo, Integra and Pioneer cannot re-assign the LR channels.

So for the money the x3600 looks to be the best deal on new 11 channel receivers.

Try to find a great deal on an AVR and try to wiggle this into the budget.

https://www.nordacoustics.co.uk/product-page/nord-one-nc500dm-mkii-3ch

Extremely high fidelity and boatloads of clean power(3x400 watts 8 ohms). This is an amp for your LCR that you can retain through many AVR upgrades as technology improves.

bear123 said:

Try to find a great deal on an AVR and try to wiggle this into the budget.

https://www.nordacoustics.co.uk/product-page/nord-one-nc500dm-mkii-3ch

Extremely high fidelity and boatloads of clean power(3x400 watts 8 ohms). This is an amp for your LCR that you can retain through many AVR upgrades as technology improves.

Click to expand...

Interesting.

I wonder what kind of mains power it wants in the US? In the UK, it'd be 230V/50Hz. Nordacoustics may have the information somewhere on their web page, but I didn't spot it.

Do you like those Hypex Class D modules?

Hammonje said:

Looking to upgrade my AVR...What I like is power and excellent sound quality...

Click to expand...

Every receiver I've ever seen tested droops a lot with all channels driven. I believe in the end, even with a big receiver, it's a limitation of how much power supply you can shove in there with everything else. Plus from mid-price to crazy money, the bigger receivers are only a couple of decibels louder.

What receiver do you have now? To really make a difference in decibels, I'd want like triple the FOUR OHM power (since never mind if your speakers are 8 ohms, the 4 ohm rating is a better indication of the real amp power). So I agree with the 3-channel outboard amp suggestion (added to the receiver, which would then just run rears), or 5-channel.

With your current budget you can get the AVENTAGE RX-A3080 within the $2000 range. It has dual ESS Sabre DACs.

bobknavs said:

Interesting.

I wonder what kind of mains power it wants in the US? In the UK, it'd be 230V/50Hz. Nordacoustics may have the information somewhere on their web page, but I didn't spot it.

Do you like those Hypex Class D modules?

Click to expand...

Ive been researching amps as I am considering getting a 3 channel for my LCR, and I like to make well informed purchasing decisions.

The Hypex NC500 OEM modules seem to offer the best measured performance I have found when also factoring in the amount of power they produce. I haven't seen 300 watts @ .01% distortion by any other brand..the Ice stuff seems pretty good but not as low distortion, and the Hypex has exceptionally good SNR, IMD etc.

If folks are ok with a little less power(although still more than most well known audiophile brands), the NC400's measure even better, but I am leaning towards the extra power of the 500. Nord can supply 120v or 230v versions according to their website.

Here's a test of a DIY NC400:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...and-measurements-of-hypex-nc400-diy-amp.5907/

NC500:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...download/854&usg=AOvVaw3ONpCVbVItVUeSrR5KwVh5

Nord's 3 channel NC500 based amp has its own individual power supply for each channel so its essentially 3 mono blocks in 1 case....so 1,2, or 3 channels driven should be identical performance.

Hammonje said:

Looking to upgrade my AVR.

Only run 5.2. Likely will never exceed this. Perhaps 7.2 someday.

What I like is power and excellent sound quality. Price is secondary to quality of sound. Listening is 70% HT, 30% music.

Speakers are Chane towers, center and surrounds, 2, HSU 15" SWs.

Budget is $2000.

Have had Denon and Yamaha in the past. Prefer Audyssey over YPAO. Yamaha was excellent with music though. Leaning toward another Denon. Want receiver to be modern proof as possible in regards connectivity, smart home features, pass-through, etc. If Denon put out a 4600 this year I would likely have purchased one. Not sure 3600 has enough power for my tastes, nor high enough end components.

Would like to have some experienced thoughts on the matter. Reviews out there are rather endless. Folks here have never steered me wrong. Thanks.

Click to expand...

You currently have a Yamaha 3060. There is no Denon that's going to be an upgrade from that. I'd look at separates or if you want to stick with an avr, the Arcam AVR390, Anthem MRX 720, NAD 758, or Cambridge Audio CXR 200.