Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater common guru's - receiver suggestions

gurus:
I want opinions on receivers for my future HT.
speakers are a given, m60's or M80's depending how much quid is left over from the receiver purchase.
heres my receiver budget = 1500 CAN.
heres my short list:
NAD - 751
ROTEL - 972
DENON - 2802
YAMAHA - V1200

give me honest opinions.
don't reply if your going to say something like "which features do you like the best". I am talking about sound quality only. as I have no way to demo each of these under equivalent set ups.

thanks gurus
and again Axiom, the best speaker going (for the money), and everybody roots for the underdog.. right!

For quality of construction, sonic abilities and performance, they would grade as such:
1) Rotel and NAD 2) Denon 3)Yamaha

Ranking them in terms of 'musically" performance may not suggest which manufacturer is the best "HT" piece. You mentioned HT, and if that is your realm, the Rotel model RSX 972 and NAD T751 are the best models listed. They have slightly different output ratings, but either should dirve a larger pair of Axioms very nicely.

You could also look at other models, but that may confuse the issue. There are upscale models that may fall into your price range, as you have a good budget to work with.

Regards,

BBIBH

thanks muchly BBIBH.
from reading this forum I believe you "do" know what your talking about. I will take your input very seriously.
You have peeked my interest by your last point. Could you kindly list some of these "higher" end brands that you would recommend?

thanks a bunch

Take a look at the Arcam AVR100 or AVR200. Wonderful sounding receiver.

Thanks for the compliment! In terms of hifi manufacturers that also have created HT gear, what you will find is that most design separate processors and amplifiers. I will toss some names out that I respect as audio companies, and you can investigate the prices. I know for a fact that some of this equipment is vastly beyond your generous budget, and would require that most if not all listed be surrounded by the best source, speakers and cabling...possibly well beyond most peoples means.

In no particular order: SimAudio, Bryston, Linn, Classe, Krell, Levinson, Proceed, Wadia, Parasound, Roksan, Meridian, California Audio Labs, Spectral....the list is very subjective and far from complete. These companies represent some of the world's finest (and most expensive) audio products. I would think you should look for something from NAD, Rotel, B&K, Arcam and definitely base choices on your list of needs and wants. Also, don't cut corners on the source(s) you choose. This is a critical area of a system, as I have discussed in many posts, missing or bad information from the source can't be corrected or replaced by the downstream components!

My advice, buy the amp as planned, ensure the source is quality, even if it means saving for the next component purchase or replacement.

Regards,

BBIBH

Hi,
Just a quick comment: Arcam is definitely excellent gear; I'd choose the Denon myself (excellent power supply, good with low-impedance loads, clear setup menus for HT, fine sound, etc.). I know you like NAD, BBIBH, but NAD has had reliability problems over the past 5 or 6 years. Rotel gear is nicely designed, and worked well when I reviewed it for Sound& Vision (Canada) magazine. I would hope by now NAD had corrected its relibility troubles but that wasn't the case as recently as a few months ago.

Regards,

Alan Lofft
Axiom Resident Expert

You could buy any of the models you list and be very happy. You have to consider ergonomics. FWIW I have the Yamaha rx-v2200 and it mates very well with the M22ti's. I did not care for the Denon 3802 as much, due to ergonomics, and the fact that it rolls off the highs a bit (e.g., cymbal crashes do not sustain as long as they would in real life). I think of NAD and Rotel as the next step (fewer features, perhaps better 2-channel stereo, but not better than Denon nor Yamaha for HT).

Yes, I had heard about NAD's problems...I also hope they come out of the issues. I have an older model that has given me yoemens service over the years. Truth be told, and I am sure you have gathered as much, I like the higher end pieces more than I do the middle of the road equipment.

But not everyone will agree with me, and that I can accept! As I have preached, this is subjective.

Regards,

BBIBH

I would only comment that the Yamaha will probably have greater range of features than say the Rotel, but it in no way would be designed as solidly. The Yamaha would not stack up beyond the feature comparison for HT or audio.

In my opinion, and 20+years in the high tech field, the only Yamaha music piece I would consider is their Grand Piano.

Regards,

BBIBH

... and you last had a Yamaha rxv1200 or rxv2200 in your home for a 30-day trial when?

The original poster wants best sound for his HT? Yamaha uses their own DSP chips in their receivers -- I think for surround sound processing they are leagues ahead of many others. The amps are probably not as nice as Rotels, and perhaps the Yamaha's will not help "smooth" over a poorly-recorded source as well as a Denon, or NAD, Arcam or Rotel may, but make sure you get DPL2 at least.

I think the rxv1200 is HUGE value, and I do have "golden ears", and I can tell you Axiom speakers mate very well with the rxv2200 -- I would expect the rxv1200/Axiom match to be stellar. Not to digress too horribly, bang for the buck should be considered as well. In reality you'll be chasing a newer receiver (or pre/pro) with newer HT features sooner than you think (less than 6 years from initial purchase), believe me.