what is the best home theater receiver for under $600

Status
Not open for further replies.
Jump to Latest
#2
Personally couldn't tell you. When I have bought stereo equip I go into local stores and listen to them make a note of the price then check online and see if its cheaper. Honestly the surround sound system I have was 220.005 years ago and Im still really pleased with it, tho Im sure you can spend MUCH more. It's just will you really " notice" the difference, Myself personally no But hopefully someone else will post here and give you some more thoughts.
 
#3
I don't know about the newer Yamaha models, but my folks have an older RXV unit.

In a word - noisy. Even with no signal, there is a background hiss of about 25dB. It's always there. I can hear it whether they are playing DVDs or CDs because the volume control also seems to control its level.

I don't think it's possible to get anything good for less than about US$600. Can I suggest a 5.1-analog output DVD player with 6 GCs and 3 dual pots for volume.

🙂ensen.
 
#4
Although getting good equipment is never BAD, the difference will only truly be noticed with very high quality speakers and proper acoustical engineering - I suppose if you need inputs and certain features it can be worth it, but if you want good sound - I'm not sure the reciever is the place to dump all the money, like if you have a 600USD reciever the speakers you'll need to get the extra 200USD sound quality (~400USD for a good receiver) will cost you the serious $$$. You're prolly better to get a good amp and really good speakers (maybe you have good speakers already shrug) - if your speakers are better than your amp then you will hear everything properly, but if your speakers are not up to spec with a 600$ amp then no matter how good the sound processing is, you're not gonna hear it.

The main thing with high end stereo stuff is: Does it have what you need? Some will have feature X while others will have feature Y. Do you need optical audio, componenet video switching, or 6 channel discreet input? This is a bigger issue with high quality equipment because you're paying so much, and sometimes they only support "the best" and might lack some sort of input you have. Do you need DTS ES or DPLII or THX/(EX)? Or is DTS & DPL enough? How many channels do you need? More channels = more good speakers. A lot is based on overall budgeting, there's no point in getting a Porsche engine for your moped, it's still only got two wheels and a terminal velocity of 5mph.

Other considerations might be size, graphical interface and a BIG one: remote control. Some of the larger units put out a lot of heat too.

It's really all about your preferences, do you crave high fidelity audio, or do you enjoy a movie without any moments such as: "gee that sounds funny." There is a big price difference between the two.


Other models that I've heard good things about:
Onkyo (SR601)
Denon AVR 28xx and 38xx (I've got a 16xx, older but still pumping out great sound)
Kenwood has some pretty feature rich models at a good price too, I've heard some good quality/price raves about the new Kenwoods (VR60xx)

Good luck finding your true love 😛
 
#10
Get a refurbed Harmon Kardon AVR 525---I got mine from Harmon direct on ebay for $525. It really is a great receiver and a steal for the price. H/K is clearing them out because they have a new model coming out--that means that you can get a receiver that once sold for $100 for under $600!!

I can not stress how much you will love it!
 
#11
i would build a htpc with that kind of cash with a decent dts sound card, or get a decent sound card for an exsiting comp, them make your own diy amps, speakers ect, it can be cheaper diy but i must say diy does sound better, i would have to agree the onkyo gear is great, i find yamaha dont have the oomf anymore too much midrange freqs sound a little dead too but i must admit they do have nice clear mids, but if u want nice bass, mids and oomf get a onkyo.

Trev
 
#18
In the lower price range of mass market audio/video products the manufacturers often puts lots of bells and wistles on products to impress novice customers. You need to get a unit that does what you want but above all else listen to the units. In my experience the best sounding and performing units in the lower price range are from Onkyo, Yamaha and Harmon Kardon, be leary of the other brands. Some of the other manufacturers make some good sounding gear at higher price levels like Adcom and Denon. I have found Denons lower priced gear to be uninspiring but often a company will have one piece that stands out from the rest of their line because the engineers who desinged that piece cared somewhat more about the sound and picture quality.

Listen to the sound and check how the internal video switching effects the picture quality. Don't be fooled by name brands. Some big companies that used to build good sounding products do not anymore. And some like JVC make good sounding cheap CD players but less than steller recievers.

You should go to a high end shop and listen to a really reference system to have an idea what you are shooting for although this can be dangerous for some people because they will not be happy with anything in the mass market stores. Generally with home theater perfect sound quality is more easily over looked because you are focusing on the picture. The bad sounding A\V recievers will have digital converters that impart a tinny, thin and sterile sound to the music that has all of the natural timbre washed out. This is to a large extent the fault of 16/48 PCM in general but you need to be aware of this particular problem with A\V recievers. Good luck, Hezz
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom